A John F. Kennedy High School graduate, Sophia Calvillo-Reyes was actively involved in student council and volunteered in her school community in a variety of ways, including tutoring, supporting blood drives and athletic events, and planning the homecoming dance.  

After moving to the United States at age seven to live with her aunt, Sophia made school her focus and found it was a place where she could “build something for myself.” This dedication led her to the Chicago Scholars program, where she served on their Leadership Council.  

This fall, Sophia will attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduating, she will become the first person in her family to earn a college degree from a U.S. institution. Inspired by the built environments she observed growing up, she plans to study architecture. 

“Instead of seeing houses as just structures, I saw them as reflections of comfort, stability, and opportunity—things I didn’t always have,” she wrote in her application. “That made me want to design buildings and homes that make people feel safe, welcomed, and grounded.” 

Shamira Elms graduated from McKinley Lakeside Leadership Academy.  

Serving on the YHSI Youth Action Board and CCH Homeless Youth Committee, she gained a deeper understanding of the homeless response system and saw how, as she put it, “sometimes the systems that are supposed to work for us actually work against us.” This experience inspired her to pursue a career focused on changing those systems, so they better serve people in circumstances similar to her own.   

Enrolling at the University of Illinois Chicago this fall, Shamira plans to study public policy. She dreams of working in the White House helping to draft legislation and shared in her application that she has always “had a passion to help people and to stand up for what’s right.”

Jayla McGraw, a graduate of Kenwood Academy, developed her interest in computer science through her participation in Girls Who Code during her junior and senior years. She was also a member of her school’s water polo team.

Jayla will attend Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) in the fall to study computer science, with the goal of pursuing a career in data analytics.

As a Black woman entering a STEM field, she hopes to inspire other Black students to follow a similar path. “Women occupy 28% of STEM careers globally and Black women represent less than 9% of that,” she wrote in her application. “By going into Data analytics, I can inspire the next generation of Black computer scientists.”

Korina (Kori) Salvador Garcia graduated from Peace and Education Coalition High School after relocating to Chicago from New Jersey during her high school years. While in school, she was a member of JROTC and the Latin Dance Club and served as a teaching assistant to the physical education instructor.

Inspired by her Chicago Public Schools teachers, Kori plans to major in education at the University of Illinois Chicago. She enjoys working with children and hopes to help them “develop a love for school and find meaning in it from an early age.”

“I have a deep desire to continue my education so that I can excel and secure a good job in the future, one that will allow me to help other people in need,” Kori wrote.

Sara’hi Santis Hurtado graduated from Bloom Trail High School in Chicago Heights, where she was actively involved in the theater program, starring in several school plays while also helping with props, costumes, and set creation. An avid horseback rider, she also participated in Mock Trial and the marching band. Through the school’s Breakfast Club, she was involved in raising awareness about suicide prevention, homelessness, and sexual assault.  

Sara’hi will attend Saint Xavier University in the fall. Following in the footsteps of her late mother, she plans to study nursing with the goal of becoming a nurse practitioner. The nurses who cared for her mother as she battled terminal cancer were compassionate and kind, inspiring Sara’hi to provide that same comfort to other patients and their families.  

“Nurses do more than treat patients; they give comfort, support, and reassurance,” Sara’hi wrote in her application. “To be allowed to help someone feel safer, better, or even to be there for them motivates me to become a nurse.” 

Since her mother’s passing, Sara’hi has taken on the responsibility of helping care for her 11-year-old brother. She hopes her perseverance in college will show him that “he can do whatever he wants as long as he tries.” 

A graduate of UIC College Prep, Breanna (Bree) Wilson played in the school band and on the flag football team. She was also a member of the Black Student Union.

This fall, Bree will attend Western Illinois University, where she plans to pursue a double major in business and engineering. With a passion for math and a love for building and fixing things, she hopes to become a real estate agent and eventually run her own business.

“No matter how many struggles I go through, I always continue to strive for excellence and continue to also work very hard to get into the dream job I want,” Bree shared in her application.