Naomi Brown

Honor Student finds the perfect fit at Daley College

Naomi has been a part of the Daley College community since 1997, having attended child care there while her parents went to class. When it was time for Naomi to go to college after graduating from Perspectives Charter School – IIT/Math & Science Academy in 2012, she thought that she would like to leave her Auburn Gresham neighborhood to pursue her education.

With that in mind, she first enrolled at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, but after a year came back to Chicago and transferred to Chicago State University. Still not finding the right fit, Naomi decided to go back to a familiar environment and registered for classes at Daley College. She also took note of the advanced manufacturing program, which she had always been curious about.

Once she got to Daley, she felt right at home. She worked hard, and made sure she got to know her professors, who were available to answer questions and make sure she was on the right track. While on her way to earning her Associate in Science in Manufacturing Technology in Spring 2017, she also earned basic certificates in welding, industrial welding, and CNC operations.

These credentials, along with support from the Career Center, helped Naomi land an internship in food manufacturing at Miniat right after she graduated. After that, she decided to continue her education, and is now studying industrial technology and management with a specialization in manufacturing technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology, having received both a Phi Theta Kappa honor society scholarship as well as a transfer scholarship to fund her studies. Someday, Naomi would like to start her own manufacturing company.

Naomi is happy she found Daley College, and wishes she started there first. “It’s better to start at a community college,” she says. “There’s so many resources and it gives you that space to build discipline and learn study skills.”