Engineering Program Celebrates 10 Years and Expands District Wide

  This fall Wright College’s engineering program expanded district wide to include Harold Washington and Truman College. Doris Espiritu, the districtwide dean of the School of Engineering at City Colleges of Chicago, said the program first started as a tiny mid-sized project in 2015 with only five students. In 2016, they had 13 students but in 2017 the program died a bit due to “having little students and not having enough money,” according to Espiritu. 

However in 2018 the program received a $1.7 million grant from the National Science Foundation. During 2019, they continued to grow and used the funding from the National Science Foundation to establish the summer Bridge Program. 

When asked what the big secret to the program’s success Espiritu said, “having a close community and its partnerships.” In the engineering program community is very important because students can be mentored and have a sense of belonging. This is shown by engineering students having cohort classes, which is having the same classmates in multiple classes, and being able to transfer and house together while learning life skills such as finding jobs and making a resume.

Alicja Jezierczak, a second year student majoring in chemical engineering, said, “It’s important to make friends and get involved so that you can get help, find opportunities, and give back.” “Do not be discouraged if you’re struggling to understand because everyone in class is struggling as well.”

For the partnerships, the program got a 2023 Excelencia and a 2024 Promising award according to Espiritu. As more students join the engineering program it will receive additional scholarships, funding and partnerships to expand. 

Ashley Denise Capangpangan, a second year student majoring in engineering, talked about the engineering community. “Knowing that I can be a part of that, makes me more motivated to start a career in engineering through the school of engineering at Wright College.” 

Now, with this district wide expansion, it can help aid the Engineering Program because they will have more space and because they have students worldwide. Districtwide expansion will lessen student transportation and bring a bigger, more diverse community.

An engineering student shows off their homework. Photo credit: Meredith Baumgartner