Education on Her Own Terms

Sometimes an unconventional path is just the right fit. Such was the case for Ursula Hersh, who took two years off between high school and college to work full-time.

Hersh had heard about Illinois Tech’s “academic rigor and diverse student body,” she says, which sparked her interest. Then she was offered a Camras scholarship, which “put college within reach.” These days, she says, life looks quite different. 

“I am surrounded by diverse classmates who are seeking innovative solutions every day,” she says. “This is the sort of setting that I want to learn in—one that will help me grow as a person and work toward my goals.”

Hersh was undecided in her major and took several “exploratory courses” during her second semester, which led her to major in social and economic development policy and double minor in Spanish and psychology.

“I have a strong sense of fairness and egalitarianism,” she says. “I would like to use the knowledge I gain from my studies to benefit others, ideally through promoting economic justice. Especially within Chicago, where problems of segregation and resource deprivation are so rampant, I would like to work to end the furthered marginalization of vulnerable populations.”