Category: Resilience
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Kam Tim Kwan
Kam Tim Kwan moved to Chicago from Hong Kong three years ago. His native language is Cantonese, so, in order to improve his English, he attended ESL courses at Harold Washington College for two semesters. Kam Tim says that his ESL courses gave him the confidence and motivation he needed to continue his education and…
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Florencia Laino
Being undocumented has always played a big role in who I am. But it’s also been my biggest challenge in pursuing higher education. At least that’s what I thought before. I came to Chicago from Uruguay when I was almost a year old and grew up sharing a one-bedroom apartment with my family in Albany…
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Diego Ramirez
One of the most challenging things about being undocumented is the uncertainty. For me, that challenge was magnified when I started thinking about college. I was born in Mexico, and I came to the United States with my family when I was three years old. I grew up in the Albany Park neighborhood and lived…
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Dr. Cynthia Manns
This story was originally published as a City Colleges news blog titled “Faculty Perspective: LGBTQ+ Support, Advocacy, and Education Important During Pride Month and Every Month” on June 27, 2022. I’ve taught Sociology 207: The Sociology of Sex and Gender at City Colleges of Chicago for the last seven years. As Pride Month comes…
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Jonathan Torres
As a first-generation Mexican American and the oldest sibling in my family at 31 years old, I have worked hard to get where I am today. I grew up in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood and went to Rudy Lozano Leadership Academy before earning my GED in 2011. After participating in an information technology (IT) training…
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Luis Narváez
This story was originally published as a City Colleges news blog titled “Adult Learning Creates Access and Opportunity” on May 31, 2022. I was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, and I came to the United States at fifteen years old. My mother raised us on her own in Chicagoland, and I saw…
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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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Student Perspective: Chicago Housing Authority Partners in Education Program
Olive-Harvey College alumna Tynia Frowner and Malcolm X College alumnus Contrell Lee share how the partnership between City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Housing Authority impacted their education and ultimately, their careers.
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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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Stephanie Hawkins-Guevara
Stephanie Hawkins-Guevara Deciding to return to school in 2013, after graduating high school in 1986, was a dream deferred. As a child, I envisioned myself working in a hospital as a nurse. I would be the first-generation female college graduate in my family. However, the lack of understanding of mathematical equations increased my fear of…