Reinvesting through Education

Ashley Reducindo was born in Oklahoma City, but she grew up in Peoria, Illinois. During her junior year of high school, her family moved to the West Side of Chicago where Ashley began attending Chicago Hope Academy. During her last two years of high school, Ashley was involved in cheerleading and student council.

Ashley is now a secondary education math major at Judson University. Her Junior year in high school was an impactful year for her because that’s when confirmed she wanted to become a teacher. “When I got to Chicago Hope, I loved my high school teachers, specifically doing math classes, so my passion for education grew. So around the end of my junior year, I decided I wanted to [pursue] education,” said Reducindo. 

Her passion for teaching also started at a young age when she would pretend to play school. “I remember growing up I loved pretending to play school. One year for Christmas my parents got me an old overhead projector where I would play with that. So it was those little moments growing up where I loved to play school, hang out with my friends, and play with them,” said Reducindo. Ashley mentions that she hopes to become a teacher who knows her students and helps them understand math in a way that best suits them.

Now fasting forward, Ashley is in her senior year at Judson University and is ready to thrive in her career. “It’s surreal that I’m in my senior year and about to launch into my career. So I guess it doesn’t feel real yet, but I know it will feel real soon. I’m super excited, it’s been a long four years, so I’m excited to get my degree and start my career. I’m very excited to get out there to use what I learned,” said Reducindo. Ashley mentioned that after teaching for a few years, one of her dream goals is to teach overseas. 

Ashley's motivation to pursue higher education is from her parents and her faith. “I think both of my parents inspired me to pursue higher education because they both graduated with a college degree. It made sense for me to choose that route as well. They always encouraged me to pursue more learning, expand and grow,” said Reducindo. “I grew up where my parents pursued their faith, and I grew up going to church. My parents pushed me to go to church and also helped me to develop my faith. Without my faith, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I’m thankful they [encouraged] me to pursue that for myself. Now I'm in college, I’m not with them anymore. Today I’m still pursuing Christ and Pursuing God and leaning on him for what my next steps are going to be.”

As Ashley is navigating her next steps, one thing she learned from the Pursue Scholars program is communication and community. “Something I learned from the Pursue Scholars program is communication and the importance of networking and having mentors in your life. Having good communication, making sure you're networking with other people, and staying connected and having someone who's able to guide you with experience and speak into your life,” said Reducindo. 

As Ashley continues to learn and grow, she share advice for the next class of Scholars. “Make sure you take advantage of every opportunity. All the different opportunities that get placed in your path whether that’s through Pursue Scholars or college, you never know where that opportunity will lead you or who you may need. I know in college, I took an opportunity to take a Summer internship, and in that internship, I gained a mentor who was able to mentor me and speak into my life and we are still in contact today. She has led me to different opportunities for my next steps. That’s just one example of how I took advantage of that opportunity and still see the fruit of taking that risk,” said Reducindo.

Stories like Ashley's are the reason we are grateful for partners like you. Your gift to Pursue Scholars today will be actively investing in young Chicago leaders and helping them embark on a journey that will truly lead to change.