“I used to feel apathetic about my life. As a woman of color, I felt like I was allowed only a narrow, limited way to live and exist in the world, and I grew up feeling alienated from myself. But this work—organizing—has inspired me and I have realized that I don’t have to live my own life passively. Moreover, I now have the tools and courage to fight back against the structures and systems that told me who I was allowed to be.”

“Growing up on the South-West Side of Chicago, needs were always an issue; my own needs, other individuals’ needs, community needs. So seeing issues all around me with poverty, transportation, schools, violence, motivated me to want to make a difference. Making a difference is not easy though. Working with Student Action has helped me fight for better wages, better transit access, a more sustainable environment, and more, giving me a platform to build on and use to see the changes we need.”

“Student Action pushed me to understand the painful experiences in my life that have made me who I am, and then gave me the confidence to build power for change so nobody else has to experience that pain.”

“My father saved for decades to be able to help my sister and I through college, and at the age of 57, he now has nothing in his retirement fund. I fight for a living wage and tuition-free college at UIC because students and parents should not have to work two jobs and take on massive debt for an education that ought to be an irrevocable right.”