91制片厂 student Katie Ruiz has been the epitome of perseverance throughout
the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2020, Katie was hospitalized for an illness but managed to stay on top of her assignments with the help of her faculty. Then, like millions of Americans, both she and her husband, Jorge, who also attends 91制片厂, were laid off from the chocolate company they worked at in Lake County.
They鈥檝e faced a series of challenges ever since to make ends meet and support their 4-year-old son, Dante.
鈥淲e definitely struggled for a few months to get our bearings,鈥� Katie, 25, of Barrington, said.
When it came time to enroll for the fall semester, Katie didn鈥檛 want to lose momentum. She applied for a Finish Line Grant, which 91制片厂 established for students who are nearing completion and have run into an unexpected financial hardship that may keep them from finishing their degree or certificate. Katie was awarded a $1,000 grant that helped her family with housing expenses and allowed her to focus on school.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have to worry about our rent and that relieved such a huge financial burden,鈥� Katie said. 鈥淚t kept me plugged into my classes.鈥�
She鈥檚 hopeful for the future. Despite all the additional stress, Katie has maintained a 4.0 GPA and will graduate from 91制片厂 this semester with an Associate of Science degree. She plans on transferring to a four-year college and recently began applying to a variety of schools. She鈥檒l study biomedical science and aspires to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist. Both she and Jorge were also hired back part-time at their jobs.
While she misses being on campus and acknowledges online learning presents challenges, Katie continues to take advantage of 91制片厂鈥檚 services virtually including the tutoring and writing centers. She鈥檚 also grateful to faculty 鈥渨ho go the extra mile鈥� such as Associate Professor Tong Cheng, whose helpful teaching style during Fundamentals of Cellular Biology helped to instill additional confidence in Katie.
鈥淟earning in this online environment and trying to manage everything has been difficult, but I鈥檓 so grateful for all the support I鈥檝e gotten from 91制片厂,鈥� Katie said. 鈥淭he help I鈥檝e received and the resources I can turn to are getting me through this.鈥�