We’re in Urbana-Champaign: Monica Sanchez

What’s next for you now that you’ve graduated?

Now that I’ve graduated, I will be going to be pursuing my MA in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Bilingual and ESL Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with full funding through my teaching assistantship at the Reggio inspired University Primary School. I am so excited to learn about a new teaching pedagogy that will enhance my teaching practice and center children’s learning in a different way. I am hoping to gain more confidence as a teacher be in a space that encourages me to experiment as I teach and try again without high stakes testing pressures.  I am also excited to dive deeper into bilingual/ESL education, its history, and what it means for students today. I hope to take it with me in schools and in non-profit sectors to think about populations that are often undervalued and misrepresented.

What are you most proud of from your time in college?

I am most proud of getting really involved on campus and taking advantage of opportunities open to me. I joined Lo Nuestro, a cultural organization, that was my home away from home. From day 1 being away from home, they did their best to foster a sense of community, especially during the pandemic. I eventually became an exec member as secretary and was Alumni Relations for a while. I felt connected to my Latinx community and participated in conversations about representation for BiPOC students at a PWI. We had dinner with the President of our college and was able to address our concerns and get personal with higher education’s administration. I became a McNair Scholar, which helps underrepresented students prepare for grad school, and was able to pursue and publish my own research on the complexities of students in Chicago embarking on the selective enrollment process. I was able to find parallels in my experience and ultimately, finding the disparities among children who are all looking to these schools in response to educational inequities. I became an Inter-Faith Peer Educator on campus and that was always my favorite role, mostly because I really got to begin my own questioning and deepen my spirituality while cultivating events for students on campus. I think I am proud of taking a leap and being in that role. I learned so much about how to create dialogue about how people have been harmed or disrespected in religions.  I tried to keep dialogues and create space for opportunities for understanding differences between spirituality and religion and the special place for oneself. I am proud of pushing myself out of my comfort zone and studying abroad in Rome, Italy. I got to learn about Montessori pedagogy, Inclusive Education in Italy, Italian Immigration policies, and a new language. I am also surprised but proud at myself for joining a sorority. I joined Pi Beta Phi my senior year and immediately fell in love with the people and the values. Their philanthropy is based on literacy for children and values uphold honor and respect as well as intellectual and personal growth. I was surprised to join a sorority thinking that I wouldn’t be accepted but found a group of likeminded people who are passionate about social justice and service to others. Lastly, I am proud of being able to participate on Admitted Student Panels and speak about my Knox experience and the support and resources that a small liberal school can do for low-income, first generation, or underrepresented students.

What was your Chicago Scholars experience like? 

My Chicago Scholars experience was life changing. It may sound cliche, but it really did give me the social capital to understanding the college application process and leadership opportunities. The college application process was daunting. While, I am not first generation, my single mother did not have the social capital to be able to help me with my application. My older sister helped a little but went to college through Posse which was different than the regular application process. Chicago Scholars walked me through every step of the process and gave me the tools to pick a school that was a good fit financially, socially, and academically. I even found support in my Cohort. Shout out to Cohort 87! They kept the spirit up during the application process and my mentors were very supportive in giving us tips on our college applications. I kept in touch with Chicago Scholars through participating as a mentee in their peer mentor program and even participated in their Emerge Career and Leadership Program. I interned with Accelerate Institute and learned about the non-profit world of Education and how my degree in Elementary Education can be used in many ways. I received the Educational Leadership Development grant to study abroad. This helped immensely with financial expenses! Lastly, I became the Donor and Alumni Relations Intern. I have learned so much about grant writing, fundraising, and working on my professional development and networking skills. I am so grateful to Chicago Scholars for giving me so many opportunities to grow and gain the helpful experience in my career field.

How did Chicago Scholars support you to be the person you are today? 

From working as an intern and being a Scholar, Chicago Scholars has solidified my passion for fighting towards educational equality and equity. I think about the spaces I want to be in my career and look for places that have that Chicago Scholars warmth. There is mentorship here in the workplace and in the curriculum of the program. There is a sense of people coming together to collaborate on topics that are meaningful to Scholars and to the people that work in the organization. I am left with spirit of community change and seeing other Scholars achieve their dreams. I am motivated to give back and to take care of my community. I am also left with passion and energy as I pursue my career in education, whether that be nonprofit or in the classroom. I will forever carry that spirit because of Chicago Scholars.

What does being from Chicago mean to you now? 

Growing up, when I would look at the skyline, I would be in awe of the city and say “woah that’s my city!” but come home and feel disconnected from that part of the city. I sometimes struggle to have pride in my city because of the lack of care towards my community and others.  In my city, I think about disinvestment in communities, gentrification, or gun violence. I struggle to have pride in my country and feel like running away to a better place. Summer of 2023, I was a STEAM tutor at NEIU’s Trio Upward Bound Program and one of my 6th graders interrupted by lesson and said “why are you even trying? None of us are going to college anyways!” I told the 6th grader that she could go to college if she wanted to and that we are all here to support all of their dreams. I should’ve said a lot more, but that moment was critical for me in thinking about the imperative work that these programs and organizations like Chicago Scholars do in helping students to succeed. My participation in Chicago Scholars and other grassroots organizations has helped me to feel that sense of community and showed me to care about my city. To not run away—maybe to go on vacation, ​but to stay. I am able to have more hope in my city because of Chicago Scholars. It makes me feel like there’s people that care and that see the need for helping students to succeed and pursue their dreams. Like the question above, it inspires me want to do the work and be in spaces that support students and Scholars to succeed.

What do you wish people knew about Chicago Scholars, as well as the city of Chicago? 

I want people to know that Chicago is more than Gold Coast and Lincoln Park. The areas that are bad, aren’t because they are lazy or no good, but because of decades of disinvestment due to systemic racism. I want people to know that every student in the city of Chicago can be a Chicago Scholar. That we need to stay active in conversations about educational accessibility and invest in organizations like Chicago Scholars in order to dismantle systemic racism and education inequalities.