2020 - Adam Pillari: ECC demonstrated the value of community colleges

After two years at Elgin Community College, I can honestly say that attending this school has been one of the best experiences of my life. I am a non-traditional student. This is my second time in college, and I’m significantly older than most of my peers. Despite these differences, I always felt welcome, and never felt out of place.

My experiences here have shown me the value of the community college system, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone, whether they are returning to school after working for a few years, or if they have recently graduated from high school. The quality of the education here is outstanding, definitely comparable to--if not better than--the classes I took at my previous university. ECC instructors are passionate and caring, showing great dedication to the courses they teach. I have also had experiences I didn’t think were possible, like helping to form the first ECC robotics team or attending a virtual internship with NASA.

Going forward, I will be transferring to the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I will be studying aerospace engineering. I have no doubt that my time here at ECC has given me the best possible preparation for this next step in my education, and I will remember my time at this school as a life changing experience.

Adam Pillari ‘20
Associate in Engineering Sciences
Streamwood, IL