Marcus Whittaker
Marcus Whittaker will receive his associate degree from Daley College in December of 2019—but that’s only part of his story.
Marie-Christine Des Rosiers grew up in a French-speaking household in Ontario, Canada, and earned Canadian bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music before moving to Chicago six years ago. Watching her mother’s experience with rehabilitation related to cancer and end-of-life care, Marie-Christine was inspired to change careers to become a physical therapy assistant.
She felt warmly welcomed by faculty, staff, and peers when she enrolled in the Physical Therapy Assistant (PTA) program at Malcolm X College. For her hard work and persistence, Marie-Christine was named the Malcolm X College 2022 salutatorian and was honored at City Colleges of Chicago’s 2022 Commencement. She passed her physical therapy assistant board exams and is now working as a licensed PTA.
Marie-Christine found support from Malcolm X faculty and staff as she prepared for a new career. “I am forever grateful to the Malcolm X PTA program for that,” she said.
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