Maria Gabriela Pino

Ever since she was a child, Maria Gabriela Pino has dreamed of becoming a doctor. In in her home country of Venezuela, she was in medical school, but once Maria moved to the U.S. in 2021, starting all over to reach that dream seemed daunting. Harry S Truman College was there to help Maria get back on track.

Maria first enrolled in free ESL courses at Truman to learn English. After completing the ESL program, she transitioned into college credit courses to earn her associate degree in science. By working hard and using her resources, Maria succeeded. She had a great college advisor who helped her enroll in classes each semester to meet her goal of transferring and eventually going to med school. She went to tutoring every week, joined the academic honors society Phi Theta Kappa, the United Student Alliance at Truman, and met often with her transition advisor. In addition, she won the American Association for Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC) Student Recognition Award in May 2024 and the Illinois Regional Convention & Honors Institute, Phi Theta Kappa – Leader of Distinction Award in June 2024.

She’s especially grateful for her transition advisor, Matthew Vanada, PTK advisor, Dr. Kelly O’Malley, advisor, Katie Cosmano, Director of the Bilingual Learning Program and Undocumented Student Liaison Josiel Marrufo, and English tutor, T.

“Truman has really good tutors, professors, and advisors who helped to succeed, learn the system, and reach my goals,” Maria said.

Scholarships also allowed Maria to focus more on her studies while at Truman. She received the Gateway Scholarship and the CCC Monarch Scholarship Fund for Undocumented Students. Maria graduated from Truman with her associate degree in science with high honors in May 2024. She has been awarded a full scholarship from Rush University’s Health Science program and dreams of attending medical school at Northwestern University. She will be able to focus more on her studies and her future thanks to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) scholarship. The scholarship supports Hispanic students who are attending four-year colleges and universities.

“In the future, I would love to have a foundation like LULAC to help other students because I know what it feels like to be in need,” said Maria.

Maria’s aspiration to become a doctor stemmed from the public health challenges she observed while growing up in Venezuela. Her journey has been shaped by her education at Truman College, scholarships, volunteer work at the GE lab at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, a 6-week internship in the Community Health in Action Mentorship Program studying diabetes in Chicago’s Hermosa neighborhood, and two years in the America Needs You fellowship program for first-generation college students. With these experiences, Maria is now prepared to complete her undergraduate studies, attend medical school, and reach her dream of becoming a doctor

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