Looking Back On My Time As A Year One Scholar – A Reflection by Katherine Ramirez, CS Class of 2029

We spoke to one of our standout Scholars from the Class of 2029, Katherine Ramirez, about her experience as a Scholar, her journey through her senior year of high school and into her first year of college, and what she’s learned so far. Katherine served as a Scholar Ambassador, a REACH Advisor, and is currently working as part of Chicago Scholars’ Content Crew. She’s in her first year at DePaul University working towards her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Film and Television with a Production Concentration, and is working as an Accelerated Film Trainee with Fresh Films DT. Read on for her reflection:

As my first year of college closes out, I find myself reminiscing about my senior year of high school. Although I was weirdly more productive with 7-hour school days and extracurriculars galore, I can’t help but feel a bit accomplished in my current educational journey. In hindsight, I don’t know how past-Katherine was able to evade procrastination for so long (it’s probably the phone). But I’ve changed a lot as a student and as an individual (aside from the all-too familiar canon event of becoming a night owl). Being a Chicago Scholar played a major role in my growth.

Firstly, now that the stress of extra-early applications and creative portfolios is done, I can say I’ve gotten into many of my dream schools. I attend DePaul University for film school, and I remember being accepted during the Onsite College and Leadership Forum. The DePaul representative told me he attended Lane Tech for high school (my school’s rival) as he handed me the scholarship and admission certificate. Being a proud Dolphin from Whitney Young, I was naturally a bit skeptical of his offer. Of course, he assured me that we were in this college game together.

Even though it took me a while to finally decide on DePaul, I’m very appreciative of the kind representative. All my interviewers were so welcoming that day. Onsite also afforded me the chance to interview with reps from University of Southern California, and Northwestern (I got into both!). Making my college decision was one of the most grueling decisions of my life – and my life is just getting started. But all’s well that ends well; it’s important to trust yourself to make the decision best for you. To Scholars everywhere, I want to give you this tidbit of inspiration: look back, a year ago, a month ago, or even a day ago, and see how far you’ve come. (And to think, a year ago, I was so worried about the future).

Next, I stepped up in my final year of high school and gave guidance to the Class of 2030. Much of my time as an underclassman was spent looking up to the legend-like seniors at my high school. I remember my junior year’s Scholar Ambassador; she encouraged me to apply to Chicago Scholars, and actively checked in on me, wanting to know if I’d gotten into the program. It was that support that I wanted to reciprocate to the juniors during my senior year. For this reason, I applied to be a Scholar Ambassador too. I strived to be that support system for fellow students in need.

So, I bothered the juniors in my life, harped on about the perks of being a Chicago Scholar, and set up an informational table at my school’s college fair (don’t worry, it had a bunch of free swag; I have morals). I feel like part of growing up is accepting the duty and responsibility of uplifting others. I had so much assistance throughout the college application process; and in a sense, this was returning the favor.

Lastly, Chicago Scholars has given me access to so many incredible opportunities. I got to share my experience as a Chicago Scholar with Big Shoulders Stories (twice). Later, a group of scholars, faculty, and CEO Jeffrey Beckham attended a Blackhawks game to highlight the organization’s initiatives. We got to sit in the Chicago Sports Network Studio at the United Center, meet reporters and crew, and see behind the scenes of game-day broadcasts. At New Scholar Orientation, I learned about REACH Pathways and got a contract job helping with the development of the EdTech startup. And, of course, I love helping with the media team! I genuinely love Chicago Scholars, so it’s been fun being a part of the Content Crew and getting to share what makes the program so awesome!

In retrospect, I’ve come a long way. Through Chicago Scholars, I was able to gain confidence while applying to colleges, build new connections, mentor my peers, and have fun experiences. And, as a very busy, sluggish, yet hopeful college student, I admit that it’s difficult to notice your achievements in real time. Just remember that it takes a community of supporters, work, time, and a whole lot of believing in yourself to matriculate. Growth is bound to happen; hopefully you take the time to reflect on your progress and celebrate it!