Category: Supporting Student Success
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Irene Aleman
Prior to becoming the Wellness Center coordinator at Truman College, Irene Aleman provided mental health case management for marginalized communities in Chicago. That work propelled her interest in her current role, as the Wellness Center provides free mental health services and support for other basic needs to Truman College students. Irene is often the first…
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Mechelle Rodriguez
Mechelle Rodriguez, administrative assistant to the dean of instruction at Wright College, is dedicated to making sure class schedules are organized and efficient semester after semester. Mechelle’s work, which she describes as both challenging and fun, not only supports her direct colleagues and office, but it sets both faculty and students up for a successful…
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Veronica Sek
The first few weeks at a job are challenging—you’re adjusting to a new role, new coworkers, and a new company culture. On top of that, Malcolm X College Senior Director of Health Sciences Veronica Sek’s first day fell on the day the State of Illinois enacted a stay-at-home order due to COVID-19. She had no…
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Chef Gabriel Alvarez
Chef Gabriel Alvarez started his college journey at City Colleges of Chicago—something that helps him relate to his students at Kennedy-King College’s Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute. “I get to welcome students in that I see a little of me in them,” he said. Chef Alvarez didn’t know what he wanted to do when he…
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Dr. Maretha Roberts
Dr. Maretha Roberts worked in biological research on the East Coast for many years before discovering her passion for teaching. “I realized I don’t want to spend my life…isolated in a lab doing research,” she said. “So, I decided to try teaching and found that I enjoy it very much.” Today, she’s a biology professor…
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Dr. Megan Craig
Dr. Megan Craig was a practicing dentist before finding her way to City Colleges. She started at Kennedy-King College and then moved to Malcolm X College to work in the Dental Hygiene Clinic as the supervising dentist. That’s when a full-time teaching position opened up, and, having gotten to know many of the students in…
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Dr. Jacqueline Witherspoon
From leading swim lessons at age 16 to serving as an anatomy and physiology professor at Olive-Harvey College today, teaching has always come naturally to Dr. Jacqueline Witherspoon. Even despite having taught an estimated 1,500 City Colleges students throughout her career, she still makes an effort to get to know every student and is proud…
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Pamella Andersen
As technology continues to evolve, Pamella Andersen is proud to serve as a link between students who want to upskill and employers who have talent gaps within their organizations. Andersen is the manager of continuing education and customized training at City Colleges, where she works to organize technology bootcamps and other continuing education classes that…
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Carolina Verdial
When Carolina Verdial first visited Wright College after moving to Chicago from the Honduras, she was looking for a college for her daughter. She didn’t know then that the trip would also turn into a career at the college. Previously a computer science teacher, Carolina felt at home in the education setting. She started working…
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LaTia Lane
Tia Lane was strategic in choosing to work at Olive-Harvey College, a Predominantly Black Institution. As a clinical counselor, she knew that the mental health field lacked diversity—and she wanted to show students from every background that it’s okay to seek out help. When students needed free and accessible mental health services during the COVID-19…