by Sarahi Perez
From a young age, Claudia Martinez witnessed her parents working endlessly to support her and her sisters. “I remember as a child, I would cry when I looked at my dad’s hands,” said Claudia. “He is a mechanic and would have open wounds and scars all the time.”
This demonstration of sacrifice and love motivated Claudia to excel in her academic career because she felt it was her way of showing her parents her gratitude for all their hard work.
After she graduated high school in 2012, she got accepted into the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC). However, due to economic limitations, her parents advised her to attend community college instead to pursue an associate degree.
“I was sad when they said this,” she said, “because I graduated within the top 5 percent of my class and I wanted more for myself.”
She began searching for financial aid and received a scholarship that helped pay her entire tuition for her first year of school. Her parents also agreed to take out a loan to pay for her campus housing and not have her commute.
After she completed her first year at UIC, Martinez had to figure out how she was going to continue paying for school. This time she took out a loan under her name, but it was not enough to cover her housing.
“I began looking at other options and I heard of La Casa from one of my advisors at school,” she said.
Although La Casa was the most affordable, Claudia still couldn’t afford the monthly rent and had to commute to UIC from her parents’ home in Elgin. For two months, her commute began at 4:00 a.m., and she would be back home around 9:00 p.m. “I found myself struggling to find time to study between commuting and participating in after-school activities,” she said.
Claudia was so stressed she considered dropping out of UIC. She remembers calling her mom and breaking down. “I told her I can’t do this. I’m dropping out. It’s impossible.”
A couple of days after her conversation with her mother, Claudia received an email from La Casa offering her a position in the Career Internship Program (CIP) that would allow her to live close to campus and not have to pay for her housing.
“I interviewed with Julio Guerrero, Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and although I knew I wanted to do something with business I had no clue where I was headed,” said Claudia. “However, he believed in me and gave me an opportunity and for that I am thankful.”
Claudia went on to become an intern with the Institutional Advancement pillar at TRP, where the hands-on experience she learned in marketing and resource development helped her land a prestigious internship in New York City in the summer of 2015.
The CIP program is also part of TRP’s Vision 2020 plan to increase workshops and programming to build healthy communities. TRP also launched their Imagine More Campaign to raise $25 million to fund this vision.
In December of 2015, Claudia graduated from UIC and proudly walked down the stage with her cap and gown ready to receive her Bachelors of Science in Marketing with a concentration in promotions and communications.
Since then, Claudia has successfully completed her stay at La Casa and is now in the early stages of her career. “La Casa gave me all the resources I needed to graduate,” said Claudia. “Being part of the Career Internship Program allowed me to acquire all the skills I needed to be a successful, well rounded professional.”
This transformative experience for students could not be possible without the generous support of The John Buck Company Foundation, Chicago Tribune Charities – Holiday Campaign, a McCormick Foundation fund, the A. Montgomery Ward Foundation, and two anonymous donors.
If you would like more information on La Casa Student Housing or the Career Internship Program please call 312-880-1889.