New Journey, Same Goals

Angelina Calvillo is a freshman at Trinity Christian College studying Elementary Education. Angelina grew up in the Garfield Ridge neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. Her inspiration for wanting to become a teacher started at a young age to make an impact. 

“My dream ever since I was younger was to be a public school teacher; I want to make an impact on this younger generation. I feel like being a teacher allows you to do that because you are spending a lot of time with these students, and you can build them up and let them know the strengths you see in them and lead them to paths of success for their future,” said Calvillo.

Angelina's goal to make an impact was also inspired by one of her previous teachers, who taught the theory of knowledge, named Ms. Olszewski. “She was just a bubbly and joyful woman; every time I walked into her class, I wanted to genuinely be there. She made learning so much fun, and seeing how knowledgeable she was about the subject made me want to learn more about it. She was more than a teacher, she was a mentor, she would check up on us, and she was always someone we could talk to if we needed help,” said Calvillo. 

Since Angelina started her new journey, she mentioned feeling encouraged by her support system. “My family offers me a lot of support; they check up on me through a phone call or text, and sometimes my family will visit me on campus to let me know they are there for me. Spiritually, they pray for me, and we do Bible study together to encourage me at times when I struggle during this first year. [Pursue Scholars] has also provided an awesome community I can go to, and I’m a part of a family with Pursue Scholars. If I'm ever needing help or struggling to find encouragement, I know Pursue Scholars is there," said Calvillo.

Additionally, Angelina mentioned how Pursue Scholars is encouraging her to face a personal obstacle. “I saw how Pursue wanted to invest in students and make them become leaders, and that’s something I struggle with is learning how to lead. Pursue Scholars will help strengthen me because I had leadership roles before, but I feel like Pursue will help me develop those skills,” said Calvillo. 

As Angelina continues her journey to becoming an elementary school teacher in public schools she mentioned why that’s important to her. “I grew up in public schools, and I see public schools need a lot of help on how they teach their classes. I want to be able to teach younger classes because I feel like that’s where you can make the most impact. After all, they are still growing up and learning new things. For me, being able to teach them will be fulfilling and something I am excited to do,” said Calvillo.