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Paola Salcedo's advice to other students is to use all the resources that City Colleges offers and ask your advisor anything.
Choosing Olive-Harvey College because it was close to home, close to her kids’ school, and affordable, Paola also appreciated the small class sizes and personal relationships she was able to form with her teachers and advisors.
Before she started credit classes toward an associate degree, she started as an ESL (English as a Second Language) student when she arrived here from Mexico.
“I began at level zero in my ESL classes, and it was hard for me to practice because so many people speak Spanish here! I had to force myself out of my comfort zone and force myself to speak in English all the time. It’s never too late to learn. No matter what you want to do, you can do it – trust me, I know!”
She chose to study accounting because she loves math and “crunching numbers,” and she might be the only student who has ever said that they love to take quizzes.
Paola’s advice for other students is to use the resources that City Colleges offers, and ask your advisor everything – there is always help if you need it.
Originally from Venezuela, Rafael Gamboa has wanted to live in Chicago since he was 12 years old. He streamed the WGN-TV channel on his television and spent years dreaming of a life in the city. As he grew up, he also developed an interest in mechatronics, a branch of engineering that combines electronics and mechanical engineering.
After receiving multiple scholarships and joining a network of support programs offered at City Colleges, including TRiO and One Million Degrees, Aziza earned her Associate in Arts with a business emphasis.
When Nuttawut Waijorhor moved to Chicago from Thailand, ESL classes at Wright College helped him navigate more easily in the city he now calls home.
