Maraget

Following her graduation from Whitney Young High School, Margaret wanted to take a gap year to figure out her next step. The pandemic, however, forced her to look at more affordable options for school.

Thankfully, Margaret was awarded the Star Scholarship, which paid for her books and tuition at Harold Washington College and allowed her to attend college without worrying about debt.

While enrolled at Harold Washington, Margaret was faced with another obstacle: the passing of her mother. The resources offered to her such as counseling from the Wellness Center, gave Margaret the support she needed while focusing on her studies.

The 2025 Harold Washington College valedictorian wants to pursue structural engineering and credits one of her professors with helping her identify which area of architecture she enjoyed the most.

Margaret recommends City Colleges because of their acceptance of people from varying backgrounds.

“We need to be more accepting of a nontraditional approach to schooling, especially because education can look so different for everyone,” she said.