Naia Lum - Illinois Tech

Where did you go to high school? And what year did you graduate?

Iolani School - 2020

What is your college major?

Mechanical Engineering

Location of College

Chicago

Type of College (liberal arts, research, community college)

research/tech school

How do you feel about the location of the college that you chose?

Chicago is a great place for young people!! While my university isn't in the safest area, there is easy access to the city and continual improvement and focus on safety.

Are there any distinct features of the school geographically that stand out to you as either a negative or a positive?

Negative: Southside Chicago doesn't have the greatest reputation, and there is definitely crime that occurs around and on campus fairly frequently.
Positive: 10 min away from Chicago by train, beautiful lakefront bike trail that you can take to walk into the city, Chicago is named one of the best cities in the world.

What is the surrounding city/town of the school like? Is it a place that you like living?

Immediately around our school isn't the safest, but being so close to Chicago is definitely a privilege.

Are there entrepreneurship programs and support at your college? If so, what are they called?

Our school has a building dedicated to entrepreneurship & innovation as well as a required project-based class that revolves around start-ups. It's a newer building so our startup accelerator and other programs are still in the beta testing phase but has lots of potential in the future!

Have you interacted with the programs from the above question? If so how were they, and would you recommend them to someone interested in entrepreneurship in your school?

I entered a start-up competition and placed! Great mentorship throughout the competition and if there was anything I got out of it other than the experience was networking - which is something I think is invaluable.

Do the entrepreneurial programs cater to certain majors, or are there entrepreneurship majors available at the school?

We have an entrepreneurship minor, but otherwise the program is catered to STEM majors as we are a tech school.

Is there school support and funding for entrepreneurs looking to get their business funded? If so, where would a student look?

Yes! Startup accelerators and we have a pitch competition. Additionally through a program called IPRO (required project based class), you can actually petition to have working on your project count as the credit for the class. These "IPRO" classes compete at the end of the semester to win cash prizes as well!

How does the surrounding community engage with the entrepreneurial community at the school?

It's growing, our director for entrepreneurship is well connected within the Chicago-area, however there is still growth for connections in the Bronzeville community

How/Why did you chose this school?

I applied for a full-ride scholarship which I ended up receiving. I pretty much decided to go once I was awarded the scholarship. Looking back, I'm glad that I chose a school that was near a big city.

What were things that surprised you? It can be about the school itself or the college experience as a whole?

Small schools don't necessarily have less opportunity. If anything, since there is less people it's even easier to be involved in what you want to be.

What has been hardest about college so far? Was there anything that was really frustrating for you? It can be anything related to your college experience or application process thus far.

Having a range of professors where some care to teach, while the others have no interest in teaching. It really affects your interest and learning ability.

What are some of the main ways that you interact with your college? (i.e programs, clubs, greek life, etc.)

Scholarship Program: we have dinners and networking sessions with donors + others, Clubs, Greek Life, Study Abroad

What has been your favorite part of your college experience so far?

Being able to network as an adult in conferences and career fairs.

How did you go about searching for colleges? What were the good, bad, and the ugly when you were going through the school search? What were the criteria that mattered to you?

I searched for schools with full-rides or similar. While the finances was super important to me, I wish I also looked at the campus culture, location, and try to think about what I wanted from college outside of the studies.

What application components did you find the hardest or most important, and what role do you think that played in the way you filled out applications?

It's hard to know and articulate who you are, especially in high school. I think that explaining your thought process to things, or trying to be true to what you are passionate about in that moment, it will show positively in your application.

How was your experience with the financial aid process? How large of a factor was it in your final decision?

Financial aid, scholarships, other opportunities were huge. My university definitely gives a lot of free money in the form of the Camras, Leadership Academy, or Duchossois Scholarships.

How did you ultimately decide on the college that you did? From your criteria that previously mattered to you, do you presently think you made the right choice?

As soon as I received my full-ride scholarship offer I immediately decided to go. While I wish my university was different in many facets, I think that using campus resources will help you find off-campus opportunities, and despite the negatives, I wouldn't change my decision. Leaving college with no debt and also no stress about money during college has been truly life-changing.

And finally, If you were to give any advice to a Hawaii high school student applying to college, what advice would you give?

Don't be afraid to leave Hawaii. The opportunities are immense and if you want to find your way back, you will.

Also, I'm happy to help anyone with the application process for the scholarships at Illinois Tech. I am on the committee to review applications and have some insight on what makes strong applications for the scholarship.