The Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) recently hosted students visiting from Wilbur Wright College’s Transfer Pathways Program on June 11.
The Transfer Pathways Program partners with the Grainger College of Engineering to provide students with guaranteed admission to their major at Illinois after successfully completing the two-year program at Wilbur Wright College. The program aims to ensure that students are able to have a clear pathway to high-quality and equitable education in engineering and computer science.
The Wilbur Wright College students gained an inside perspective into the student experience at Illinois during their visit. Throughout the day, they toured university facilities such as the Beckman Institute’s Biomedical Imaging Center, learned about Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), visited CCIL research labs, and networked with current Illinois undergraduate and graduate students.
“Many of us in the program come from non-traditional academic backgrounds rather than attending a four-year college right after high school,” said Isabel Arias, a current Wilbur Wright College student. “Visiting Illinois and the CCIL mean a lot to me as a non-traditional student because it provides us with opportunities that I never thought I would have otherwise. My favorite part has been the lab tours because it is so cool to see what is out there and picture what research could look like for me in the future.”
CCIL Educational Programs Manager, Stephanie Dietrich said, “Events like the Wilbur Wright visit are important because they give the us an opportunity to connect the visiting students to peers from various engineering and science programs here on campus. This allows the students to gain insights into all the options available to pathway students at Illinois, broadening their understanding and inspiring them to explore diverse academic and career possibilities.”
Editor’s notes:
This story was written by Katie Brady, CCIL Communications Intern