Share this story
Sam Villalobos grew up in South Chicago, one of four brothers, attending Chicago public schools. Today, at just 21 years old, and when his former Jones College Prep High School classmates are juniors in college, Sam is a senior investment analyst at Northern Trust Bank and is well on his way to his goal of becoming a financial executive.
In fact, Sam has already worked full-time for nearly 2 years at the bank, a connection he made through his participation in the Year Up program, Chicago’s premiere workforce development program. He entered this program while earning his associate degree for free at Harold Washington College as a Chicago Star Scholar.”
Sam will start Governors State University this fall to complete his bachelor’s degree in business, and expects to receive tuition assistance from his employer to help cover the cost.
With a couple years of full-time work experience already under his belt and savings in the bank, Sam’s smart choices put him leaps and bounds ahead of his peers, and show how a connection to City Colleges and its partners can catapult a student from any of Chicago’s neighborhoods to a Loop office and a very bright future.
Chicago native Delilah Hernandez always had an interest in going to college, she just felt that she didn’t know enough about how to get there. When she graduated from Ogden International High School in 2017, she decided to go where many of her high school peers were headed and completed a semester at UIC.
In a few short years, Daryna Doroshenko has perfected her English, earned her Associate Degree in Accounting, and has now been named as valedictorian for Harold Washington College for the Class of 2020.
Looking for a college offering a convenient location at an affordable price, Kevin picked Harold Washington College sight unseen. In fact, Kevin arrived in Chicago on the first day of his first semester.
