FINDING THEIR VOICE THROUGH ACTIVISM:
THREE SCHOLARS SHARE THEIR STORIES

"I am most proud of re-founding Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. My involvement in this organization helped me build a nation-wide network. I have also found my voice and learned to advocate for myself and others in the community."--Anamaria Rosales, ES '14, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
"Sometimes students don’t want to fight all of this injustice because we are working hard to get out of our situation. We don’t want to have to keep fighting, and we don’t always have time to protest AND worry about our education. I tell others: Just you being here is an act of resistance." --Cherese Waight, ES '16, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign |

"I have a passion for [activism] that I can’t explain—that’s just who I am. I know I have a lot to learn; I am not perfect. I may bump heads, others challenge my ideas, and that’s fine. I hope I challenge other people—for them to push me to think differently. The moment you stop thinking, stop listening, you stop growing, stop learning. There’s always space to change, always room to become better than you were yesterday…that’s just human nature."
--Armando Miranda, ES '17, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Evanston Scholars recently had the opportunity to interview College Scholars Anamaria Rosales (senior), Cherese Waight (sophomore), and Armando Mirando (freshman), all of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They have each found their social activist voice on campus through organizations and clubs. Read how their experiences have helped shaped their attitudes and actions—and what they would advise younger Scholars about finding their own voices.
Evanston Scholars (ES): What activities/volunteer work have you been involved with since you have been on your college campus?
Anamaria: My freshman year, I joined everything-- from La Colectiva which is an organization that advocates for immigrants, social justice, and change to Campus Girl Scouts. Freshman year I also volunteered in a duo-language kindergarten classroom at International Prep Academy in Champaign, Illinois. I also joined Epsilon Delta Professional Teaching Organization. Through this organization, I exchange experiences and ideas among other education students who are active in meetings and events. I learned more about the issues surrounding the field of education such as incorporating the use of technology in classrooms. I volunteered at community events such as family literacy nights and the Buddy Walk for autism spectrum awareness, and I built a network base of driven professionals in education.
My sophomore year I realized that although I enjoyed every organization that I was a part of, I needed to take a step back from my commitments in order to focus more on my course work. So I dropped every organization besides Epsilon Delta Professional Teaching Organization. I decided I wanted to join Greek life but there was nothing on campus that caught my attention. Along with six other ladies, I re-founded Beta Phi Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. LTA is an academic sorority whose philanthropy is St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Additionally, I mentored six Evanston Scholars (all freshmen at UIUC) my sophomore year! I walked each Scholar through their schedules, gave them a campus tour, showed them where resources (the health clinic, the libraries, let them know that there is free printing at multicultural houses! etc.) were on campus, helped them register for courses, and organized monthly reunions.
My junior year, I continued to be involved in Epsilon Delta and Lambda Theta Alpha throughout my fall semester. Spring semester of junior year, as well as senior year, I simply did not have the time to be active in anything outside of my coursework and practicum experiences.
Cherese: In my freshman year, I joined Black United Front—one of the more mobilizing and protesting organizations at UIUC. Our goal is to make sure people see and hear us. There is an initiative to get more black students on campus; the goal is 1,000 black students per year; currently 5.26% of the total population. We’d like to be more representative of the population.
Armando: In high school, I liked doing social justice work; I was in SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) and DREAMers Club. I knew I wanted to do that in college. So I found a good group of people from an organization called MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan). It was founded in the ‘60’s in South LA to have a Chicano studies program and presence at universities. Since then there have been a lot of chapters all over the country. MECHA was founded at UIUC in 2005. I found them through a mentor on campus at the Minority Student Affairs office. I met a lot of really cool people in MECHA and it has made me happy to be on campus. We are like-minded individuals at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution) who understand the struggles of being a minority.
ES: Why did you choose these particular activities? Why are they important to you?
Anamaria: I chose to re-found Lambda Theta Alpha because I believed this would be a good way to find my home away from home in Champaign. This organization strives to help women progress in higher education and to be politically active in the community. I chose to join La Colectiva Mentorship Program because it reminded me of Evanston Scholars. Through this program, I was able to assist high school students in Urbana with college readiness. I chose to volunteer in a duo-language kindergarten classroom and tutor in a Spanish preschool classroom because I wanted to gain as much experience in the classroom as possible prior to student teaching and my future career as a teacher.
Cherese: Going to a PWI like UIUC from Evanston, all you see is white people. It’s very shocking and hard to find those communities for yourself. I found these organizations that gave me a sense of community, people who cared about me at this school. It also helped me learn about injustices toward black students and it made me want to mobilize and protest so I could help others learn and join together to do something about it.
Armando: Joining MECHA gave me a group of people on campus who could relate to one another about how it feels to be a Latino on campus. Most people wouldn’t understand the struggle of being first-generation. In MECHA we all have the same values; we can talk about our experiences on campus and memories back home. We find a sense of family with one another.
ES: What have you learned about yourself through these activities?
Anamaria: Through my early experiences working with children, I reaffirmed that I made the right career choice. I also met peers who decided that teaching was not for them after volunteering in elementary schools. I advise Scholars to look for ways to get involved on campus in organizations related to what they want to study. It is better for them to discover that a major is not for them freshman year rather than later on in their college careers when it may be too late to change their major.
Prior to volunteering at International Prep Academy, I had never heard of duo-language schools. I had an amazing experience working with kindergartners there and I am now looking to go back to school post-graduation in order to get the endorsements necessary to teach in a duo-language school.
Cherese: I learned the importance of self-care. When you constantly protest and learn all these things about the university you are at, it may be hard to enjoy yourself in college. It’s important to take a step back and enjoy the good things. Protesting and activism is extremely stressful--so I am less involved this year. I learned I have to take a few steps back and enjoy what I have instead of constantly fighting -- it really tires you out. And in the end, it won’t help anyone or the cause.
ES: What are you most proud of about your involvement?
Anamaria: I am most proud of re-founding Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. and taking on two leadership positions in order to help the organization grow and prosper. My involvement in this organization helped me build a nation-wide network. I have also found my voice and learned to advocate for myself and others in the community.
Cherese: I am most proud of the environment that I have helped create for freshmen this year—I believe they feel like this is a place they can call home. I am president of a black group in my dorm called EUSA NIA (Swahili for black purpose). Black freshmen connect with upperclassmen; we make sure they have a home and feel like they belong.
Armando: I feel like I have found a space where I can learn and grow—whether it's moving from childhood to adulthood, or whether it's challenging my views. I’m proud to be able to talk about issues that haven’t always been open to talk about. I’ve learned to both lead and to listen. I feel proud that I can drive positive change. MECHA helps me to be a part of the change.
ES: What are some of the challenges you see with these causes/these groups and how are you working to resolve them?
Cherese: Some of the challenges are – activists are so engrossed in the thought of revolution that it is all they do. They don’t have a lot of support; many are just small groups. Sometimes students don’t want to fight all of this injustice because we are working hard to get out of our situation—we don’t want to have to keep fighting, and we don’t always have time to protest AND worry about our education. I tell others: Just you being here is an act of resistance.
ES: What would you say to younger Scholars who are considering becoming active on their campuses?
Anamaria: I advise Scholars to get involved in as many organizations as possible freshman year. Getting involved early on allows Scholars to decide which organizations they truly enjoy and want to stay involved in throughout their remaining years on campus. This also allows students to build their resumes early on in case their coursework does not allow them to stay as involved on campus and in the community near the end of their college careers. Additionally, by getting involved in organizations that interest them, Scholars may meet like-minded people on campus and find their home away from home.
Cherese: I advise Scholars to pick three clubs you are passionate about and are dedicated to-- you can focus on these, get a job and study too. Make sure you have a balance between getting your homework done and being involved. I understand that you have to be involved so it feels like it’s your community. Go to Quad Day, check it all out. Unless you check it out you won’t know. Step out of your comfort zone.
Controlling what you are involved in is part of being an adult. After the end of first semester, you will know what you want to be involved in—not resume builders, but things you really want to be involved in.
Armando: You don’t have to be a radical student, you don’t have to participate in a protests, as long as you understand that anywhere you might be, you have certain privileges. Other may have challenges that you do not see; acknowledge these problems exist, do not deny that these discrepancies in social status exist.
For me, I feel like everyone has a duty to contribute something to society-- whether that is volunteering or getting involved on campus, there is always something to do, always someone being looked down upon based on where they come from and how they look. Find whatever way you feel most comfortable being an advocate for change.
I have a passion for it that I can’t explain—that’s just who I am. I know I have a lot to learn; I am not perfect. I may bump heads, others challenge my ideas, and that’s fine. I hope I challenge other people—for them to push me to think differently. The moment you stop thinking, stop listening, you stop growing, stop learning. There’s always space to change, always room to become better than you were yesterday…that’s just human nature.
Evanston Scholars (ES): What activities/volunteer work have you been involved with since you have been on your college campus?
Anamaria: My freshman year, I joined everything-- from La Colectiva which is an organization that advocates for immigrants, social justice, and change to Campus Girl Scouts. Freshman year I also volunteered in a duo-language kindergarten classroom at International Prep Academy in Champaign, Illinois. I also joined Epsilon Delta Professional Teaching Organization. Through this organization, I exchange experiences and ideas among other education students who are active in meetings and events. I learned more about the issues surrounding the field of education such as incorporating the use of technology in classrooms. I volunteered at community events such as family literacy nights and the Buddy Walk for autism spectrum awareness, and I built a network base of driven professionals in education.
My sophomore year I realized that although I enjoyed every organization that I was a part of, I needed to take a step back from my commitments in order to focus more on my course work. So I dropped every organization besides Epsilon Delta Professional Teaching Organization. I decided I wanted to join Greek life but there was nothing on campus that caught my attention. Along with six other ladies, I re-founded Beta Phi Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. LTA is an academic sorority whose philanthropy is St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Additionally, I mentored six Evanston Scholars (all freshmen at UIUC) my sophomore year! I walked each Scholar through their schedules, gave them a campus tour, showed them where resources (the health clinic, the libraries, let them know that there is free printing at multicultural houses! etc.) were on campus, helped them register for courses, and organized monthly reunions.
My junior year, I continued to be involved in Epsilon Delta and Lambda Theta Alpha throughout my fall semester. Spring semester of junior year, as well as senior year, I simply did not have the time to be active in anything outside of my coursework and practicum experiences.
Cherese: In my freshman year, I joined Black United Front—one of the more mobilizing and protesting organizations at UIUC. Our goal is to make sure people see and hear us. There is an initiative to get more black students on campus; the goal is 1,000 black students per year; currently 5.26% of the total population. We’d like to be more representative of the population.
Armando: In high school, I liked doing social justice work; I was in SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) and DREAMers Club. I knew I wanted to do that in college. So I found a good group of people from an organization called MECHA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlan). It was founded in the ‘60’s in South LA to have a Chicano studies program and presence at universities. Since then there have been a lot of chapters all over the country. MECHA was founded at UIUC in 2005. I found them through a mentor on campus at the Minority Student Affairs office. I met a lot of really cool people in MECHA and it has made me happy to be on campus. We are like-minded individuals at a PWI (Predominantly White Institution) who understand the struggles of being a minority.
ES: Why did you choose these particular activities? Why are they important to you?
Anamaria: I chose to re-found Lambda Theta Alpha because I believed this would be a good way to find my home away from home in Champaign. This organization strives to help women progress in higher education and to be politically active in the community. I chose to join La Colectiva Mentorship Program because it reminded me of Evanston Scholars. Through this program, I was able to assist high school students in Urbana with college readiness. I chose to volunteer in a duo-language kindergarten classroom and tutor in a Spanish preschool classroom because I wanted to gain as much experience in the classroom as possible prior to student teaching and my future career as a teacher.
Cherese: Going to a PWI like UIUC from Evanston, all you see is white people. It’s very shocking and hard to find those communities for yourself. I found these organizations that gave me a sense of community, people who cared about me at this school. It also helped me learn about injustices toward black students and it made me want to mobilize and protest so I could help others learn and join together to do something about it.
Armando: Joining MECHA gave me a group of people on campus who could relate to one another about how it feels to be a Latino on campus. Most people wouldn’t understand the struggle of being first-generation. In MECHA we all have the same values; we can talk about our experiences on campus and memories back home. We find a sense of family with one another.
ES: What have you learned about yourself through these activities?
Anamaria: Through my early experiences working with children, I reaffirmed that I made the right career choice. I also met peers who decided that teaching was not for them after volunteering in elementary schools. I advise Scholars to look for ways to get involved on campus in organizations related to what they want to study. It is better for them to discover that a major is not for them freshman year rather than later on in their college careers when it may be too late to change their major.
Prior to volunteering at International Prep Academy, I had never heard of duo-language schools. I had an amazing experience working with kindergartners there and I am now looking to go back to school post-graduation in order to get the endorsements necessary to teach in a duo-language school.
Cherese: I learned the importance of self-care. When you constantly protest and learn all these things about the university you are at, it may be hard to enjoy yourself in college. It’s important to take a step back and enjoy the good things. Protesting and activism is extremely stressful--so I am less involved this year. I learned I have to take a few steps back and enjoy what I have instead of constantly fighting -- it really tires you out. And in the end, it won’t help anyone or the cause.
ES: What are you most proud of about your involvement?
Anamaria: I am most proud of re-founding Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. and taking on two leadership positions in order to help the organization grow and prosper. My involvement in this organization helped me build a nation-wide network. I have also found my voice and learned to advocate for myself and others in the community.
Cherese: I am most proud of the environment that I have helped create for freshmen this year—I believe they feel like this is a place they can call home. I am president of a black group in my dorm called EUSA NIA (Swahili for black purpose). Black freshmen connect with upperclassmen; we make sure they have a home and feel like they belong.
Armando: I feel like I have found a space where I can learn and grow—whether it's moving from childhood to adulthood, or whether it's challenging my views. I’m proud to be able to talk about issues that haven’t always been open to talk about. I’ve learned to both lead and to listen. I feel proud that I can drive positive change. MECHA helps me to be a part of the change.
ES: What are some of the challenges you see with these causes/these groups and how are you working to resolve them?
Cherese: Some of the challenges are – activists are so engrossed in the thought of revolution that it is all they do. They don’t have a lot of support; many are just small groups. Sometimes students don’t want to fight all of this injustice because we are working hard to get out of our situation—we don’t want to have to keep fighting, and we don’t always have time to protest AND worry about our education. I tell others: Just you being here is an act of resistance.
ES: What would you say to younger Scholars who are considering becoming active on their campuses?
Anamaria: I advise Scholars to get involved in as many organizations as possible freshman year. Getting involved early on allows Scholars to decide which organizations they truly enjoy and want to stay involved in throughout their remaining years on campus. This also allows students to build their resumes early on in case their coursework does not allow them to stay as involved on campus and in the community near the end of their college careers. Additionally, by getting involved in organizations that interest them, Scholars may meet like-minded people on campus and find their home away from home.
Cherese: I advise Scholars to pick three clubs you are passionate about and are dedicated to-- you can focus on these, get a job and study too. Make sure you have a balance between getting your homework done and being involved. I understand that you have to be involved so it feels like it’s your community. Go to Quad Day, check it all out. Unless you check it out you won’t know. Step out of your comfort zone.
Controlling what you are involved in is part of being an adult. After the end of first semester, you will know what you want to be involved in—not resume builders, but things you really want to be involved in.
Armando: You don’t have to be a radical student, you don’t have to participate in a protests, as long as you understand that anywhere you might be, you have certain privileges. Other may have challenges that you do not see; acknowledge these problems exist, do not deny that these discrepancies in social status exist.
For me, I feel like everyone has a duty to contribute something to society-- whether that is volunteering or getting involved on campus, there is always something to do, always someone being looked down upon based on where they come from and how they look. Find whatever way you feel most comfortable being an advocate for change.
I have a passion for it that I can’t explain—that’s just who I am. I know I have a lot to learn; I am not perfect. I may bump heads, others challenge my ideas, and that’s fine. I hope I challenge other people—for them to push me to think differently. The moment you stop thinking, stop listening, you stop growing, stop learning. There’s always space to change, always room to become better than you were yesterday…that’s just human nature.