SOARING CARDINALS - Extending the Ladder

2024 Commencement speaker is a model representative of the Cardinal spirit

Twice within one week this past spring, Tahbata Montserrat Zuniga Diaz ’24 learned she had been selected for an extraordinary distinction.

At Honors Convocation on April 18, she was announced as a 2024 North Central College Outstanding Senior, an award given to two students this year. Days before, she had been chosen to represent the Class of 2024 as its Commencement speaker on May 5.

The recognition was for more than Zuniga’s academic achievement. Beyond being in the College Scholars Honors Program and a double major in political science and English, she was honored for her leadership in numerous extracurricular activities and positive causes — and especially for her commitment to bringing people together and growing the communities around her. Her professors call her a connector, a leader, a scientist and an artist who brings enthusiasm to all she does.

Dr. Suzanne Chod, professor of political science, was among the faculty who nominated Zuniga for the Outstanding Senior award. “Tahbata is someone who uses the ladder she has built for herself to bring others up with her,” Chod said. “She is the best of us, and we are all better just for knowing her.”

For Zuniga, who is from Bolingbrook, Ill., including others comes naturally. After receiving the award, she said: “I never stopped to think that what I was trying to accomplish through every conversation, every new greeting, and every new piece of knowledge ... was a way of community building. Still, it was because the more I learned and wanted to be an activist, the more I understood the importance of unity. There is a history of exclusion and othering (in this country), and I wanted to be part of the solution that brings people together.”

Because of her keen sense of social consciousness, Zuniga was devoted to reaching out to students with whom she shares common challenges and experiences. A first-generation college student, she served as the political science liaison for Cardinal First, the College’s dedicated first-gen success program. She was also a team leader with the Premier Scholars program through the Office of Multicultural Affairs, which helps first-gen students, those from underrepresented racial or ethnic backgrounds, and those facing economic hardships to navigate life in college and develop their social networks.

In addition, Zuniga lent her time and positive energy to the Center for Career and Professional Development’s Drop-In Center. She served as a senior career peer advisor and initiated a new inventory management process for the Cardinal Career Closet event, which provides professional clothing for students to wear to job interviews.

A member of the Sigma Tau Delta English honor society, Zuniga honed her writing skills as editor-in-chief of North Central’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, and by working on the student-run literary publication, 30 North. She also shared her skills by tutoring fellow students at the Writing Center.

In her Commencement speech, Zuniga challenged the Class of 2024 to be change-makers.

“If I can empower any of you today to advocate for something you believe should be changed in the world, I hope that we can collectively bring about a change, no matter how small or large,” she said. “I hope we can apply what we have learned from our professors, our parents, and each other as colleagues to all the different spaces we are about to enter.”