Nina Astorino graduated from Prospect High School with honors distinction. She will graduate with honors this spring from Harper College, where she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa and where she was awarded the Distinguished Trustee Scholarship. She is passionate about reforming prisons and aiding people with mental illnesses within the criminal justice system, and she has presented on this topic at the Honors Council of the Illinois Region Student Spring Symposium. She plans to continue writing and to pursue academic research this fall at Lake Forest College where she will study psychology. In her free time she enjoys reading, drawing, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and spending time with her friends.
Victor Colomé is a student at Wright College. Eventually, he aims to obtain a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. In addition his interest in technology, Victor also enjoys literature and poetry. His favorite Great Books author is William Shakespeare, and his sonnet of choice is Sonnet 116. In his spare time, Victor likes to practice piano and play with his dog, Elei.
Madeleine Iaco is a current City Colleges student pursuing a degree in social work. She has a great interest in reading and discussing literature and loves to cook, play piano, and make art during free time.
Cassandra Lagunas grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She will graduate from Wright College this spring with an associate degree in English. She is treasurer of the Great Books Society and a member of Phi Theta Kappa. After graduation, she plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English for a career in publishing. She enjoys spending time with her friends, reading as much as she can, and visiting her family in Mexico.
Izaki Metropoulos is a comparative literature major at Williams College in Massachusetts. Having grown up in Chicago, Illinois, Izaki is also a Wilbur Wright alum and served as the former editor-in-chief of the Symposium Journal and president of the GBSS. His areas of academic interest include political Romanticism, psychoanalysis, educational psychology, and horror. Outside of school, Izaki performs Greek and Balkan music professionally and frequently travels throughout the United States as a multi-instrumentalist. At Williams, Izaki is heavily invested in the first-generation community and intends to pursue a Ph.D. in Education Policy to ensure equitable educational opportunities for all students.
Sophia Metropoulos is a second-year student at Wright College completing her associate degree this spring. She plans to study speech and language pathology and hopes to become a speech therapist. Between her three jobs and extracurricular activities, she cherishes being a Greek school music director of children. As president of the PTK honors society and vice president of Great Books Student Society, she is dedicated to helping others grow.
Roberto Pacheco, a recent semi-finalist for the nation-wide Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, is set to earn his Associate in Arts this Spring and was accepted early to two four-year universities. Furthermore, he is the president of Great Books Student Society and Editor-in-Chief of the current issue of Wright College’s Symposium Journal. Roberto will pursue a degree in philosophy with the hopes of studying constitutional law.
Gabriela Sotelo was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is a first-generation college student and the youngest of four children. She plans to pursue a degree that accommodates her interests in political science, literature, and law. In January 2020, she accepted a position to work for one of the top lawyers in North America. She loves spending time with her family, reading classic literature, and exploring other cultures through food, entertainment, and religion.
Gina Vasquez is a full-time student at Wright College majoring in biology. She currently works as a veterinary assistant and plans to pursue a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching Netflix, and hanging out with friends.