3 minute read
From One Generation to the Next
A mother’s persistence inspires both her children
My mom definitely paved the road for me. Had she not attended North Central, I wouldn’t have either. It was because of the personal connection I had with the school, campus and professors.
North Central’s campus was already a familiar place to Evelyn Escobedo ’23 when she transferred from a community college in 2021 to complete her undergraduate degree. Evelyn’s mother, Guadalupe, graduated from North Central in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She became the first in her family to finish college, and she earned the achievement while juggling parenthood.
“I have no idea how I did it,” Guadalupe recalled. “I had my kids young and decided to go back to school, first to earn my GED, then to pursue a college degree. My husband was working two jobs, and it took a lot of effort.”
Evelyn and her younger brother, César, have memories of doing their homework on the steps of Goldspohn Hall while waiting for Guadalupe to finish class. Their mother’s example inspired both to attend North Central. They knew she found support on campus, particularly through Teach First — the College's initial first-generation program, which was for education majors only. (In 2015, North Central launched Cardinal First, modeled after Teach First, which now provides programming for all first-generation students at the College.)
"My mom definitely paved the road for me,” Evelyn said. “Had she not attended North Central, I wouldn’t have either. It was because of the personal connection I had with the school, campus and professors.”
César agreed with his sister. He is in his second year at North Central, majoring in marketing and minoring in Spanish. “I have so much appreciation for my mom,” he said. “She took a big risk for the entire family to go back to school and study what she wanted. She really motivated me to take advantage of the position that I’m in today, because I know there are so many kids who would do anything to be where I am.”
At North Central, Evelyn majored in organizational communication and minored in Spanish. An important aspect of her time as a Cardinal was studying abroad in Granada, Spain during her spring semester in 2022.
After graduating in May, Evelyn began working as a client success coordinator at Lisinski Law in Naperville. She plans to attend law school in the future.
It was during Evelyn’s graduation that Guadalupe was able to pause and reflect on how far they had all come together. Today Guadalupe holds a master’s degree and works as a curriculum coordinator in the multilingual services department at a local school district.
“It was one of those big moments,” she said. “I went to North Central knowing what it could mean to my family. It’s really changed our lives.”
