Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Charlene Barrios
Patience. Patience. Patience. That is the main word that comes to mind when Charlene Barrios is mentoring other parents and educators about early childhood education. She should know since she has spent the last 15 years operating her own daycare center, Kids First Home Daycare Inc., in the West Englewood neighborhood. Barrios initially opened the…
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Tyla Allen
From winning a regional championship with the Malcolm X College Lady Hawks to earning her associate degree and transferring to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Tyla Allen has soared to success—both on and off the basketball court. Read Tyla’s story in her own words below: I started at Malcolm X College in Fall…
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Lonishia Coleman
Just six months after graduating from Dyett High School, 19-year-old Lonishia Coleman can already add a college certificate to her resume. As a recent alumna of Kennedy-King College’s Basic Certificate Program in Construction Carpentry, which is housed at Dawson Technical Institute, she’s built the skills she needs to start a career in carpentry—and she’s ready…
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Valentina Atehortua
Two years ago, Valentina Atehortua moved thousands of miles away from her home in Colombia, arriving in Chicago just months before COVID-19 did. As she adjusted to the cultural differences of living in a new country during a stay-at-home order, she was able to build a community at Truman College. Read Valentina’s story in her…
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DeMar English
DeMar English walked away from a 15-year career in supply chain at a major food and beverage company to pursue his passion: a career in health care. Realizing the cost of college and the need for a quality health care education, he enrolled at Malcolm X College in 2013. After earning his associates degree there,…
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Marketta Sims
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Charlotte Andry
Star Scholar Charlotte Andry started her college journey at Malcolm X College, eager to explore computer science. Taking advantage of resources like the Transfer Center early, she learned that many of the four-year universities she was interested in, like UIC, had a Guaranteed Admissions Program. With that knowledge, she applied to as many guaranteed admissions…
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Lulu Ugbebor
Cooking was originally just a hobby for Lulu Ugbebor, who was ready for a career switch after several years working in the banking industry. Now, the graduate of Kennedy-King College’s Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute is the owner of A.O. Tacos, a grab-and-go eatery set up inside half of a 20-foot steel shipping container in…
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Sylwia Jarzabek
After coming to the United States from Poland, I wanted to help others. I was thinking about applying for the medical field or a law enforcement career. However, with no sense of career direction and limited English, I decided to apply for English as a Second Language at Truman College. My plan was to learn…
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Georgina Reyes
When Georgina Reyes immigrated to the U.S. from El Salvador in 2011 with her three children, her oldest son was eager to earn his GED. Georgina cheered him on with excitement, and, years later, decided she would follow his lead. Determined to prove that “education is for adults, too,” she enrolled in free GED prep…
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