Gretta Komperda is a first-year student at Wright College, currently pursuing an Associate of Arts, and she hopes to transfer to a prestigious four-year university at the end of her two years. She is president of the Great Books Student Society, editor-in-chief of the Great Books Symposium Journal and a member of Lacrosse Club and the Gaming Club. She is thankful for the amazing opportunities she has received this past year, such as the Star Scholarship, and grateful to work with GBSS’s intelligent members and faculty. Gretta hopes that her academic career will end in a job that allows her to help others while rewarding her for her hard work each and every day. She enjoys biking, basketball, and vanquishing her opponents in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.
Isabel Arias is a student at Wright College, returning to her studies and finding her passion for extracurricular endeavors within the Great Books Student Society, Environmental Club, and Student Government Association. An avid bookworm during her younger years, she is rediscovering her love for reading amidst the ambitious minds of the Great Books Student Society that share a desire to read, learn, and reflect on works from some of the greatest minds across time. Isabel is grateful for the Great Books Student Society, as well as the Great Books program and faculty, for providing students with the opportunities to engage with these texts in a meaningful way, both intra- and interpersonally.
Diana Garzon is a 2021 graduate of Wilbur Wright College, where she enjoyed civically engaging and serving her community as president of Wright’s Student Government Association. She plans to graduate from Yale University in December 2023 with her B.A. in Ethics, Politics, Economics, and a concentration in international political economy.
Jessica Gramajo was born and raised in Albany Park and currently attends Wright College as she pursues an associate’s degree in English. She was the club secretary of Great Books Student Society during the 2021-2022 school year. She aspires to transfer to a four-year university and continue her academic path in literature and psychology. Some of her hobbies include drawing, sewing, and crocheting, all of which came to be her outlet for gifting her loved ones handmade accessories. Jessica is grateful to have been awarded the CCC Star Scholarship, and she is very thankful to those who have been part of her academic journey thus far.
Dominika Panek graduated from Wright College in the spring of 2023 with an Associate of Engineering Science degree. She served as president and, earlier, vice-president of the Student Government Association, and she was a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the National Society of Leadership and Success, the Society of Women Engineers, and the Great Books Student Society. She was also one of three Illinois winners named in 2023 for the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship Award. She begins her studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall, working towards her Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree. She was inspired to write her paper by the intersection of science and literary fields to explore scientific, ethical, and moral dilemmas.
Eleanor Reft is a Wright College student, former homeschooler, and Chicago native. She is vice president of the Great Books Student Society and a Presidential Scholar at Wright. Eleanor is working towards obtaining an Associate of Arts and transferring to a four-year institution. While she is still unsure of her major, Eleanor is interested in the social sciences and the humanities.
Lydia Schoessling graduated from Wright College in the spring of 2023 with her associate’s in journalism. Throughout her time at Wright she worked as the editor-in-chief of The Wright Side (2023), occasionally freelanced for The Wright Times, and served as a member of the Great Books Student Society. Schoessling writes in numerous media, from poetry and short stories to longer pieces and essays. In the fall, she will transfer to Elmhurst University where she will pursue a bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism.