Christina Banks

As she sat in the audience of the Wintrust Arena, cheering on her mentee at CCC’s commencement ceremony in May of 2019, Christina Banks happened to flip through the program. The construction management program offered at Kennedy-King College’s Dawson Technical Institute caught her eye – and by that fall, she was enrolled in classes.

“It was time for a career change,” said Christina, who already had a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a career as a college advisor.

Now a year into the program and with an entry-level job in the field learning the ropes, she maintains that it was the best decision she could have made.

“What I’m learning in class is already helping me at work – everything from knowing who all the players in the industry are to reading blue prints – it has all been directly applicable.”

She appreciates the supportive, knowledgeable faculty, all of whom are in the construction industry, as well as the connections she is making with her classmates. It hasn’t always been easy working two jobs, going to school full-time and navigating the higher education system, but she says “by the grace of God,” she is determined to complete her associate degree in construction management by December 2020 and to go on to a career in the industry.