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Hadiya Jagroop
Gov. Pritzker was on campus on Feb. 9 and Community Health student Hadiya Jagroop made a speech

Community Health student encourages Illinois governor to continue education investment

Community Health senior Hadiya Jagroop’s grandmother once told her, “Education is the key to success.”

But when the Guyana-born Jagroop moved to Oakwood, Ill., when she was 10, she knew “right away acquiring the dream was not going to be easy.”

Jagroop was one of two student speakers Wednesday at the Siebel Center for Design on the campus of the University of Illinois as Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled the education portion of his proposed statewide budget.

Jagroop, who plans to complete her degree in 2023 and then enroll in a master’s program in Public Health before enrolling in a dual MD/JD program, praised the state’s Monetary Award Program (MAP) Grant for putting her in position to accomplish her goals. The MAP Grant is a state-funded, need-based grant awarded by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.

“The MAP Grant gave me a golden opportunity to acquire professional skills and build important relationships with faculty and students,” she said before encouraging Pritzker to make a “greater investment” in education to give “other students the opportunities I have had.”

Pritzker praised the University of Illinois for its “ninth consecutive year of record enrollment,” adding “that doesn’t happen everywhere, especially during a pandemic.”

Pritzker later added that the statewide indoor mask mandate in Illinois will be lifted by Feb. 28, except in schools.

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