Wright College Hosted the CCC Board of Trustees Monthly Meeting

By: Kyle Chmielowski

“It was a two-floor of energy boost by being here,” CCC Chancellor Juan Salgado said about visiting Wright College. The high electric energy at Wright College was on showcase, with performances from the theater program, student athletes and a choreographed dance from staff members. 

The CCC Board of Trustees holds monthly meetings on a Thursday to vote on various resolutions from all seven City Colleges. The board consists of seven members appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and one student nominated by a campus-wide election. 

However, this is the first time in Salgado’s eight-year tenure that the meeting was held at Wright College. This was an opportunity for President Andres Oroz to highlight the achievements of Wright. 

The meeting kicked off with a spotlight on the theater program. Members of the fall musical Alice by Heart reunited to perform a scene in front of the board. 

Sarah Breinig, one of the theater performers, said, “It is really rare to perform and dance at a board of trustees meeting. To spice it up and show people who don’t get on the ground level of a show was cool.” 

Next, student athletes demonstrated their athletic prowess in basketball, volleyball, and soccer by performing serves, dribbles and strikes in front of board members. 

There was a choreographed performance with staff and students dancing to Flo Rida's  “My House” with pompoms while holding up signs that read “Welcome to the Wright House.”

Provost Mark Potter remarked, “I had not previously seen the talent of the students, both the athletes and the theater performers. That just blew me away, I thought it was great.”

In addition to the performances, the event was marked by celebration. Oroz highlighted how Wright is the only community college in the nation to have a Diplomacy Lab, the dedication of the Student Government Association, and the various clubs. 

As the presidents from various City Colleges celebrated their valedictorian and salutatorian, Oroz showcased the success of Wright’s engineering program by spotlighting Valedictorian Eldiar Emilbekov and Salutatorian Joseph Gonzalez, two engineering students at Wright.

Valedictorian Eldiar Emilbekov and Salutatorian Joseph Gonzalez, who were honored at the event. Photo Credit: Sara Navarro.

Regarding the engineering program, Chancellor Salgado said, “You have students truly benefitting in every way,” mentioning how Wright engineering students transfer to prestigious schools across the Midwest and help fill the workplace.  

The board of trustees meetings are an opportunity for the public to address their concerns. Harold Washington College student Frida Santojo advocated for quiet study spaces and Malcolm X Professor Todd Lakin stressed the importance of upgrading the school’s elevators.

Cyril Nichols, Illinois House representative and the associate athletics director of CCC,  praised the success of Olive Harvey’s women’s basketball team, the Lady Panthers, the first CCC basketball team to reach over 30 wins. He plans to congratulate the Lady Panthers on their success at the state legislature in Springfield.

Overall, the event left CCC district officers impressed. “We got to come back here more often,” said Salgado with enthusiasm. Potter added, “Whenever I come to Wright College I feel like I am fully in a college campus with strong student life. I see and I feel the buzz of students, and I can tell how engaged the students are both in their clubs and extracurriculars, but also in their academics.”

Oroz said what he wants the board to remember about Wright is “that we are a very strong, united community, that we are a vibrant institution, and that we’re here to support our students.”