Category: Parents/Guardians/Caregivers
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Alvaro Mendieta
Alvaro Mendieta arrived to the United States from Ecuador eight years ago with limited English skills and big dreams. With his cousin’s encouragement, he enrolled in English as a Second Language classes at Truman College. He advanced through his courses and his English skills improved. When he was ready, Alvaro enrolled in the Gateway Scholars…
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Kristen Medrano
Kristen Medrano came to Olive-Harvey College in August 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic had started. She was a stay-at-home mom with five children at the time and a prior general manager in the restaurant business. Kristen was looking for a career change that was more conducive to juggling her personal life, children, and career, so…
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Paola Acosta
Focus. Determination. Perseverance. These were the values South Sider Paola Acosta had to focus on to achieve her dream of becoming a nurse. Paola knew she wanted to be a nurse since high school. She was inspired by how kind and caring the nurses were to her mother while she was in labor. But she…
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Ivy Rose Lomahan
“Is my English good enough to go back to school?” “Will my children be okay while I’m in class?” “Will I be able to afford the tuition fees on top of the bills I am already paying?” The questions—and the doubts—ran through my mind. It was daunting going back to school after being away for…
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Naomi Monroe
Growing up on the southwest side of Chicago, Naomi Monroe was always a strong student. In junior high, she moved from the LeClaire Courts neighborhood to Wentworth Gardens and was named valedictorian of her eighth grade class. She was honored to be the student speaker at her graduation ceremony. “I had a great start to…
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Maria Delgado
My college journey began back in 1994 when I enrolled at Wilbur Wright College. At the time, I was a full-time student and my mother’s caregiver. She was 39 years old and had experienced heart failure since she was 18. I wanted to be a psychologist, so I managed to care for her and go…
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Yeisha Betancourt-Ruiz
I have always been enthusiastic about learning, and planned to attend college straight out of high school. However, due to challenges, insecurities and self-fabricated inhibitions, those plans were not carried out as expected. I eventually entered the workforce, believing that I would have the resources and soon make time to continue my plans towards earning…
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Erik Zetina
21-year-old Erik Zetina has always enjoyed crime shows. So, after graduating from Carl Schurz High School in 2018, he decided to explore a future in the industry, starting with criminal justice courses at Wright College. The campus was nearby his Portage Park home, making it easy to physically get to class—but Erik said he was…
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Charlene Barrios
Patience. Patience. Patience. That is the main word that comes to mind when Charlene Barrios is mentoring other parents and educators about early childhood education. She should know since she has spent the last 15 years operating her own daycare center, Kids First Home Daycare Inc., in the West Englewood neighborhood. Barrios initially opened the…
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Lulu Ugbebor
Cooking was originally just a hobby for Lulu Ugbebor, who was ready for a career switch after several years working in the banking industry. Now, the graduate of Kennedy-King College’s Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute is the owner of A.O. Tacos, a grab-and-go eatery set up inside half of a 20-foot steel shipping container in…