Isabella Gutierrez

During her senior year of high school, Isabella Gutierrez discovered a passion for psychology. With the support of Harold Washington College and two scholarships, she’s continuing her education in the field—debt free.

Isabella’s interest in psychology began when she took an intro class in the subject at Jones College Prep, a Chicago Public Schools high school located in downtown Chicago. She was excited about the field but wanted to explore her career options and save money, which led her to Harold Washington College. Isabella’s good grades at Jones earned her the Star Scholarship, making the decision an easy one.

She jumped into her studies at the school and started to narrow her focus on forensic psychology, which applies psychology to the legal system. Throughout her journey, Isabella also took full advantage of the support Harold Washington offered to figure out how she could transfer to earn her bachelor’s degree. When she received an email about the Obama Foundation’s Voyager Scholarship, she started thinking even harder about exactly what she wanted to do for her career. The answer was to work at a juvenile detention center and focus on family interventions.

Clear about her path, Isabella was beginning to feel the stress of how she would pay for her education if she didn’t receive the scholarship. Her goal was to go to St. John’s University, a university in Queens, New York, with a top forensic psychology program. Her nerves were settled when she found out she had received the award, which is worth up to $50,000 over two years.

“I am very relieved to not have to burden myself or my family with loans. Not a lot of people have that opportunity,” Isabella said.

In addition to the funding, Isabella is taking advantage of the other benefits the scholarship offers, including workshops, networking, and an expenses paid summer “voyage” to conduct research in her field of choice. Isabella hopes to visit two different countries to explore and compare their juvenile justice systems. She’s also enjoying the opportunity to meet peers who, like her, are focused on creating positive change in their communities.

“This is a really great opportunity—not just cause it’s funding my education, but I’m meeting people who share similar goals. We’re pursuing goals we know can help society,” she said.

Isabella looks forward to continuing her education at St. John’s, taking her summer voyage, and starting her career as a forensic psychologist. She’s proud of her journey and all of the knowledge and skills she’s learned along the way, including at Harold Washington.

“Harold Washington College taught me discipline and to always ask for help when I need it.,” said Isabella. “That has made my transfer journey so much easier.”