Valeria Laguna

Valeria Laguna was born in Venezuela, and moved to the U.S. with her mother when she was nine. She attended Lincoln Park High School for two years before heading to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to explore mathematics in the mechanical engineering program, from which she plans to graduate in December 2013. She looks back gratefully on her experience with Chicago Scholars, and is eager to continue repaying the favor. "I've been a peer mentor every year and I hope to continue until I graduate," she writes. "And then I am hoping I can be involved in Chicago Scholars (CS) professionally."

What is your background?

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. I moved to Florida with my mom the summer after third grade, and started fourth grade in an entirely new world. Despite having taken some English in Venezuela, I remember feeling lost in my class and complaining to my mom that I was going to fail out of elementary school (a bit over-dramatic, probably). But I also remember understanding math because math symbols are pretty universal. Math became my pathway to proficiency in English. Math continued to be my favorite subject through high school. Between my sophomore and junior years, I moved to Chicago. I only lived there for two years before I went to college, but it's been my favorite place to live by far. I love that it's so vivid and dynamic, with so much to offer, yet holds a historic beauty.

How did you get involved with Chicago Scholars?

I got involved because of a recommendation by a friend. Originally the idea of receiving financial aid from a college was what enticed me, but it's become a lot more than a scholarship. When I started, I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to major in, but I had no idea where I wanted to go. I think the Onsite is one of my best memories. I remember thinking that no college in the United States would accept me--I think because I was constantly comparing myself to the people around me. Instead of noticing what my strengths were, I only really noticed what I lacked. CS really gave me a boost of confidence, in myself and in my ability to be successful in college. I applied to nine universities; looking back, all the deadlines that CS set, all the workshops they had, and all the people available for questions were what afforded me nine acceptances. I am really proud to be a part of CS because they do life-changing work. It's great to be involved with an organization were you can not only be inspired by everything it accomplishes, but also be inspired by the people in it. 

What are some of the challenges you've faced since starting college?

College has been an interesting learning experience for me. It has definitely thrown me a lot of curve balls, but I think I've grown into a more mature, open-minded, and appreciative person because of it. My sophomore year was really rough, landing me on academic probation and putting my academic standing at risk, but I sought out additional help and learned from Chicago Scholars that you have to take a step back and look at the big picture to ensure you're making the right choices. I've since been taking a lighter course load, and I am probably going to graduate late, but I will achieve my dream of becoming an engineer.

Have there been any surprises along the way?

I've learned that I actually really enjoy working with people, despite the fact that I always thought of myself as somewhat antisocial. My favorite extracurricular activity is being an engineering tour guide--I love our school, so I love showing it off to prospective students. And I really like my major, so I like the idea of being able to encourage people to pursue it. I feel like engineering is going to give me every opportunity I want. But I've also learned that I don't want to become a technical expert sitting in a corner, analyzing data on a computer--engineering gives you boundless choices. I want to be the type of engineer that has to consult and interact with many different people in order to accomplish a goal, one that still has its technical challenges. I really like the idea of interactions between people and machines--that you can have a production line that is completely automated, yet still needs people to communicate about potential and improvements.

What do you aim to be doing in five years?

This past summer I interned at Procter & Gamble in Augusta, Georgia, and it was one of the best summers I've ever had. I cannot wait to go back. The role I had at P&G exposed me to the type of projects I would want to pursue after college. In five years, I hope to be in the consumer goods industry, working with production lines in a manufacturing plant. I love the plant environment--I like the idea of making things and watching them go out the door, knowing they're going to end up on a store shelf somewhere. Chances are I won't be as amused by plants 20 years from now, but I still hope to be part of an industry that touches consumers every day, like Chicago Scholars.