Category: Wright College
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Nick O’Reilly
Three years ago, Nick O’Reilly’s life was so different. He had a bachelor’s degree in film production and graphic design from Loyola University and had been working in the restaurant industry for years. Then, when the pandemic hit, Nick lost his restaurant job and was forced to figure out what was next. One of Nick’s…
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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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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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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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Shlesha Patel
Wright College alumna Shlesha Patel has her sights set on a four-year degree in mechanical engineering. Thanks to a scholarship, fellowship, and more, she’s getting closer and closer to achieving that goal. Shlesha was selected from a robust group of applicants as the Fall 2022 TCP-CTA Transfer Scholarship winner, which is administered by the City…
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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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Dominika Panek
For recent Wright College graduate Dominika Panek, getting involved on campus was an essential part of her college journey. She was an editor for Wright’s Great Books Symposium Journal, a student-run literature publication, and she organized bone marrow drives on Wright’s campus for Be the Match, a national nonprofit organization. Throughout her time at Wright,…
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Rencie Horst
Rencie Horst has worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA), a call center representative, a construction worker, and a photographer throughout her career—but her most important role is as a mom. Rencie has five kids, ranging in age from 13 to 22, and her oldest son was born with cerebral palsy. To take care of…
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Selvin Tobar
Selvin Tobar, Wright College’s 2023 valedictorian, grew up on the North Side of Chicago and attended Von Steuben High School, where he discovered an interest in chemistry and engineering. It was there he found out that he could attend his first two years of college for free at City Colleges of Chicago through the Star…