During ACI’s inaugural Breakfast Forum, Alexis Martinez, a junior at Aurora University (pictured above with Forum Keynote Speaker Marquis Miller, VP, Economic Development, Obama Foundation and Forum panelist Shannon Fuller, VP of Talent, HCSC), provided Forum attendees with a testimony about her collegiate experience and how support through ACI has contributed to her growth and education. Read her insightful remarks from the day below.
“Good Morning, my name is Alexis Martinez, I am a junior at Aurora University, double majoring in social work and criminal justice. With those degrees I plan to start my career as a child welfare social worker with my end goal of owning a juvenile detention center to help those who were placed at the bottom of the totem pole reach their own goals. Chicago has been my home for about 15 years now. Within the city alone, I have lived in various communities and gone to a couple of different schools. Which gave me the confidence to study abroad in 7th grade. Regardless of where I was, my experiences showed me that people are more than the labels that society places on them. I met people of all ethnicities, all in different situations. So, inclusion to me means being seen for who you are, the real you and your potential.
Knowledge is the one thing people cannot take from you, at least according to my mom. At a very young age, my mom not only worked multiple jobs, but also pursued an education and still managed to tuck me into bed every night. So as far back as I can remember, I heard my mom say “well if I could go to school and work and be your mom.” You get where I’m going. But the truth is, she was right. So best believe I came home with good grades. Everything I learned and consumed throughout my education was something that no one was ever going to be able to take from me. Aside from a full–time college student, I am also a full-time mom, and I intend to instill those same values onto her.
Like many, my freshman year at Aurora wasn’t picture perfect. I think prior to becoming a college student we paint this idea of what it’s supposed to be like and then we get there and boom it’s the complete opposite. But despite how hard my freshmen year was, I still showed up the next year. My sophomore year, I had financial challenges, but fortunately, I was given the PACCAR Inc Foundation Scholarship through ACI.
In a way, this scholarship helped me stay in school. It made me realize, I was doing something right and my hard work was going to pay off. To everyone in this room today, thank you. The fire within me was rooted long before I knew it existed, this scholarship has helped me make sure that I don’t just reach my career goals but can soar above them.”