Talia Henderson

Growing up, STEM came naturally to Talia Henderson, even if she didn’t know what the acronym stood for at the time. In seventh grade, she built an autonomous robot for a science fair, and the next year, she went all the way to the regional science fair for a project on flocculation—a process to clean water. 

Talia attended Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy in the West Roseland neighborhood for high school, where she decided to get a head start on college coursework by enrolling in Early College classes at three different City Colleges of Chicago—Truman, Harold Washington, and Olive-Harvey.  

“I took a biology class at Truman when I was still in high school. That was one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. It was a turning point for me,” Talia said. 

The biology course introduced Talia to medical terminology for the first time, and she was hooked. It confirmed her early desires to become a doctor. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at a four-year university away from home to pursue that dream, even getting involved in undergraduate research as a freshman. However, the school wasn’t a good fit for Talia, so she returned home to Chicago, still determined to continue her college education. 

Because she had a good experience in her Early College classes, Talia decided to enroll at Harold Washington College. She was eligible for the Star Scholarship due to her good grades in high school, which meant her tuition and books would be free.  

“The Star Scholarship was honestly a huge blessing,” she said. “Being able to come to a school where I wouldn’t have to worry about paying for classes, or dropping a class because I couldn’t afford it, it was a huge stress off my back. It reassured me that my hard work is being seen—and it’s available to so many students in Chicago.” 

Talia enjoyed her classes and took advantage of the resources available at Harold Washington, including the Transfer Center. During a meeting with the Transfer Center director, she saw a flyer for a clinical research internship at the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) Comprehensive Cancer Center—one of the many work-based learning partnerships between City Colleges and the University of Chicago. The flyer sat in her folder for a week, seeming out of reach, but then she thought, “let me just try.” 

Talia turned in her application, was invited to interview for the position, and then received the good news that she had been selected. She started the four-week internship shortly after graduating from Harold Washington with her associate degree in science.  

Through the Cancer Clinical Research Internship (C5RI), Talia and nine other City Colleges students and recent graduates got an inside look at what clinical research coordinators do. They examined research for errors, toured the UCM labs where testing and data analysis is conducted, and had the opportunity to talk to doctors and researchers about their positions.  

“My mind was blown,” Talia said.  

At the end of the four weeks, Talia presented what she learned at UCM’s 11th annual Summer Research Symposium. There, she received an award from Congressman Jonathan Jackson for her research project. The opportunity helped Talia solidify her career goals. She wants to earn her medical degree and PhD so she can become an OB-GYN and conduct her own research on breast cancer in the future. 

To reach her goals, Talia plans to transfer to the University of Illinois Chicago to study chemistry. She received the UIC Aspire grant, which will cover 100% of her tuition and fees as she earns her bachelor’s degree. As she looks forward to her next steps, Talia is looking back on her time at City Colleges with gratitude for the connections she made.  

“City Colleges matters because they give students like me a pathway to achieve our dreams,” she said. “There’s a picture of little me on my mom’s Facebook page where I’m dressed up as a doctor for career day. I can’t wait to recreate that photo one day. It’s amazing to be getting closer to my goals.”