Elijah Ruiz

My academic path has been unique, and I’m excited to see where it takes me next. In high school, I took a long bus ride from my Southeast Side neighborhood to Jones College Prep in the Loop each day.

Abner Gutierrez-Herrera always knew he would return to school to better his future, and some good timing helped him do just that.

Now that her kids are grown, she felt there was no reason not to finally put herself first.