Category: Scholarships
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The ACE scholarship has not only supported me financially, but has taught me about different opportunities and resources that exist on campus. – ACE Scholar Alejandro V.
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Dekala Cardine
Dekala Cardine, born and raised on the West side of the city, graduated from Chicago Tech Academy High School in 2020 before deciding to enroll at City Colleges of Chicago this past fall. Dekala first heard about the ACE (Advancing Chicago’s Education) scholarship in May 2021 from an email from City Colleges, which sparked her…
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Alejandro Vallejo
After taking a gap year due to COVID-19, Alejandro Vallejo, a 2020 Prosser Career Academy graduate, decided that it was time to return to school to realize his dreams. Hailing from the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood, Alejandro did not know what was next for him after graduating from Prosser, so he decided to work full-time in the restaurant industry. His life changed after receiving a phone call from City Colleges of Chicago telling him about the ACE (Advancing Chicago’s Education) scholarship.…
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Thanks to the ACE Scholarship, I was able to buy my books, get a laptop, and get one-on-one advice about starting college. – ACE Scholar, Anastasia
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Laura Ocon
Originally from Torreón, Coahuila, Mèxico, Laura Ocon came to Chicago more than 30 years ago. A wife and mother of three children, she found it challenging to get important healthcare information in her native Spanish. After starting school, her daughter increasingly served as the family translator. Ocon promised herself that as soon she had time, she…
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Antoinnette Smith
After graduating from Chicago Vocational Academy in 2009, Burnham neighborhood resident Antoinnette Smith spent some time figuring out her next step. She took classes at Daley College and had jobs in warehouses and a distribution center. While she originally thought about studying medicine, it turns out that the best fit for her is what many…
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Jacori Garrett
Jacori Garrett started his college career early as a student at Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy. As part of the Early College program, Jacori was taking college level classes and earning college credit as a high school student. Once he graduated from high school in 2017, he headed to a four-year university in Wisconsin. But…
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Renee King
From working in a call center and at a bank, to serving as a full-time nanny, Renee King’s resume already spans several industries—and now the 31-year-old Jamaican immigrant is focused on adding her dream job in dentistry to the list. Renee graduated with her associate degree in science from Truman College in the spring of…
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Yozgyul Mustafova
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Marvin Howell
Last year, Marvin Howell graduated from Lincoln Park High School and was accepted into DePaul University. However, due to the pandemic, his plans shifted, so he decided to take a gap year. “I was a little perplexed on what to do next when a friend told me about the Star Scholarship program,” he quipped. Marvin…