Category: Transfer
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Yessenia Nicacio-Rosales
Growing up, Wright College alumna Yessenia Nicacio-Rosales didn’t see as many women or as much Hispanic representation as she would have liked in engineering. She decided to change that. The South Sider has always liked computers and wanted to know how they worked, but she hadn’t considered turning her interest into a career until coming…
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Edgar Cruz
As Edgar Cruz interns with One Summer Chicago, an internship he found out about through City Colleges of Chicago— he ponders the last couple of years. It’s been a whirlwind for him. Originally from the Southwest Side of Chicago, he graduated from John Hancock High School in 2021 with an interest in engineering and STEM…
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Casey Tan
From a dream of dancing to a passion for engineering, Casey Tan’s journey is an inspiring one. Hailing from the Philippines, Casey and her family made a life-changing move to Chicago in 2011. Although she attended an arts high school where she focused on dance, Casey has always had an interest in STEM and knew…
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Brenda Najjuma
“Ambitious” and “overachiever” are words that have been used to describe Brenda Najjuma. They’re also traits that have gotten her where she is today. Brenda is a computer science student at Wilbur Wright College and a summer intern at Fermilab. She’s been accepted into the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Engineering Pathways Program for the fall…
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Jessica Atieno-Walker
Although she speaks softly, Jessica Atieno-Walker exudes confidence when she discusses life’s possibilities. She earned her Associate in Arts in Business/Economics from Harold Washington College in May 2023 and hopes to one day work in the field of international business. Jessica immigrated to the United States from Mombasa, Kenya, at the age of 12, which…
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Cristian Olivares
Cristian Olivares, born on the south side of Chicago, is a young entrepreneur with a plan, but he never intended to go to college nor work with NASCAR. “My dad went to college and although he didn’t force me, my parents encouraged me heavily to obtain a higher education,” said Cristian. “At first I was…
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Dr. Quintin Williams
Dr. Quintin Williams’ lives by a simple motto: everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. In 2006, he was living in a work release center because he had just been released from prison. One of the requirements to live there was to get a job or go to school. Dr. Williams did both.…
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Olga Sanchez
Olga Sanchez, Daley College’s 2023 salutatorian, grew up in a bilingual household, where Spanish was her first language. Because she moved to the U.S. from Mexico at six months old, Olga wasn’t sure how she would pay for college as an undocumented student. Her teachers at Curie Metro High School told her about the Star…
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Liam Smith
Liam John Smith, Wright College’s 2023 salutatorian, was born in Ukraine and joined his parents in Chicago about 10 years ago. He became a Chicago Public Schools student and attended Taft High School, where he learned about the Star Scholarship. Liam decided to take advantage of the scholarship, and he started his college journey at…
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Selina Badu
Selina Badu, Truman College’s 2023 salutatorian, was born and raised in Ghana, where she attended high school and served as a caretaker for her grandmother. That experience introduced Selina to the healthcare field and motivated her to pursue an education and future career in nursing. She came to Chicago in 2019 and started her college…