Kaela Redd

On a path to empower minority communities with data

Kaela Redd advises any high school student thinking about starting out at City Colleges to do it. Not only did she earn her associate degree for free thanks to the Star Scholarship, she has also received scholarships from the CME Group, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, and DePaul, covering a large portion of her tuition as she transfers to DePaul University.

“It’s a perfect start. I got into four-year universities when I was a senior in high school, but they were too expensive. At Malcolm X College, I had the opportunity to save money, build a network, take advantage of small class sizes and use all the resources like tutoring. It’s a chance to get your grades together, join clubs, start clubs, then transfer to finish your bachelor’s. It was definitely the right decision,” she said.

A graduate of Crane Medical Prep High School, Kaela was already interested in a career in the medical field, so she knew Malcolm X College, whose center of excellence is in healthcare education, was the right fit for her. And the internship she got in health IT helped her further determine that she wanted to focus on health information sciences – which combines data and healthcare.

After earning her associate degree in the spring of 2020 and continuing her internship remotely, she is now transferring to DePaul to earn a bachelor’s degree in data science. Ultimately she wants to get a master’s degree and to use her knowledge to use data trends to empower minority communities.

Ready to forge your own path in healthcare? Learn about health sciences and career programs at Malcolm X College.