Sebrina Neal, 58, graduated in 2014 from Kennedy-King College, where she focused on computer information systems (CIS). While on the Englewood campus, she was a Federal Work Study student, a tutor in the CIS department, a member of the Business and Technology Club, and made frequent visits to the Writing Center. It was the connections the mother and grandmother made at KKC, however, that had the greatest effect on her. She still communicates with former classmates and still recruits, coaches and mentors for One Million Degrees, a group that gave her scholarship assistance, support and motivation while at Kennedy-King.

Another driving force behind her success was her son. “When he graduated from Central State University in Ohio, I figured it was my turn to earn a degree.”

With an associate degree in hand, she knew she wanted a career in IT. Sebrina transferred to the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 2017 in Information Technology Management. Sebrina then started an internship with HBK Engineering, where she is now employed full-time as a Help Desk Support Analyst.