Alumni Spotlight: Guadalupe Medina to Intern for Argonne

Recent Joliet Central High School graduate Guadalupe Medina (Class of 2019)
is an example that being involved and working hard in high school can open
doors to new and amazing opportunities after graduation. This summer, Guadalupe
Medina was selected to intern at the Argonne National Laboratory, a unique
opportunity that will continue to allow her to explore career options in STEM.
She dreams of one day working as a Walt Disney Imagineer.

Medina’s educational journey began at Cunningham Elementary School, followed
by Hufford Junior High School and Joliet Central High School. While at Joliet
Central High School, Medina was a valuable active member of Fearless Females Z
Club, Symphonic Band, Joliet Township Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Symphony
Orchestra, Color Guard/Flags/Marching Band, and JROTC (Drill, Exhibition, Color
Guard, Honor Guard). Through these activities, on top of her rigorous
coursework, Medina developed a strong work ethic, perseverance, and big dreams.

Recalling her time at Joliet Central, Medina said, “Mr. Stinson was one
of the most inspirational teachers to me because he always told us that we can
do it. He always told us that if we put our mind to it, we were able to do it.
He also encouraged us to keep going even if we failed once before.”

Medina is now attending Joliet Junior College, pursuing an Associate of
Science expected for spring 2021. Given her excellent high school record, she
was accepted into the Honors Program at JJC. She continues to strive thanks to
her perseverance and hard work, resulting in a 3.26 GPA at JJC.

Regarding her most recent opportunities, Medina said, “I currently work for
Code Ninjas and this summer will have an internship at Argonne National
laboratory on the Cyber Security Research Team to conduct research in a cyber
security field to help assist the military and other federal agencies.”

When asked what advice she would offer to current high school students, Medina said,
“I would say just keep going. No matter how much you want to give up on your
dream, keep striving for it. Stay determined and positive and you will get to
your goals.”

JTHS loves to tell the stories of our alumni. If you know someone we
should spotlight, please contact JTHS Communications Specialist Isabel Gloria
at igloria@jths.org or click
here to fill out an Alumni Spotlight Form.