After graduating from Lane Tech High School in 2022, Maybelle Sanchez took advantage of the Star Scholarship to enroll at Wright College.
“The biggest obstacle and barrier was the cost of college… receiving the Star Scholarship was the ticket to an amazing education for free,” Maybelle said.
During her time at Wright, she became heavily involved in student clubs and organizations, including as president of the Student Government Association and a member of the Business Pilot Committee, where she worked with employees at Wright to revamp the business curriculum. Maybelle was also a One Million Degrees Scholar, a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, a member of the All-Illinois Academic team, a silver scholar on Coca-Cola’s 2024 Academic Team, and a student marketer for Red Bull, all while maintaining an impressive GPA.
Now that she’s earned her associate degree from Wright, where she graduated as valedictorian, Maybelle is transferring to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to pursue her bachelor’s degree in marketing. She says attending Wright helped ensure a seamless transition.
“[City Colleges] helped me grow as an adult and take those next steps and ease into college education,” Maybelle said. “Going to City Colleges—getting to be at a college and feel the community—helped me realized what I want in a university.”