How my downtown university gave me a wider lens
I grew up in a predominately white small town that's far enough from Chicago to be considered a suburb, while also being close enough to the Wisconsin border that the Milwaukee airport is more convenient than Midway. Growing up in this isolated environment and being a mere train ride from the city was almost unbearable. It was always my dream to go to college and live in my favorite place in the world: Chicago.
When it came time to apply to universities, I had some roadblocks I had to overcome. First, I had to figure out how I was going to pay for it. Beyond just the cost of applications (thank you to all the colleges that waived those fees), how could I afford to go to school to get a degree, to get a good job, if my parents refused to cosign my loans? Ultimately how I accomplished this: I had faith in myself and I worked hard. That summer after high school, I worked two jobs at minimum wage for at least 46 hours a week. After I got accepted and decided where I wanted to go to school, I applied for EVERY scholarship I thought applied to me and some that I knew didn't. I received a lot as a freshman coming into a university and was awarded a scholarship from the alumni of the honors accounting program I was accepted into. I worked all throughout college, getting my first "real" job (when I started working in an office), and holding a paid internship.
Aside from the fact that I knew I was going to study accounting and wanted to go to school in the city, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go. After what felt like years of research and several tours, I finally landed on DePaul University. Aside from their well-known and highly ranked accounting program, I knew I wanted to go to DePaul the moment I stepped on that campus. Something about the peacefulness of the quad nestled in the chaos of the city just made me feel at home. Hell, my tour guides' name was Chris Farley - I took it as a sign that it was meant to be.
As an incoming freshman, I had to attend orientation the summer before I began at DePaul. Those two days were eye opening for me. Once we were split into our groups for the duration of the orientation, the group leaders (juniors, I think) had us sit in a circle and introduce ourselves. You know, the basics, "Name, pronouns, where you're from, what you want to study, and a fun fact" - but this stopped me short. I had never been asked before to introduce myself with pronouns. I thought, well isn't it obvious? And then I felt a flush rush over my face as I realized, duh - I'm not the only one in the room. Coming from a small town, this is just not something that anyone had ever said to me before and I felt so ashamed of myself. Embarrassed by my small town-ness. And it wasn't the only time during those two days that I felt that way. That's when I knew for sure that no matter what happened, I would figure out how to pay for DePaul, because that's where I was going to learn and grow.
Something that I love about DePaul is that there are two campuses, one in the loop (the business district) and one in Lincoln Park (a very wealthy neighborhood on the northside). At the time, DePaul was using the slogan "The City is Our Campus", which as a former student, I can honestly say is true. DePaul had an important part of their curriculum built into each college called "Experiential Learning". Each year, these classes looked a little different and you had options on the actual subject or topic you wanted to study that quarter. As a freshmen or incoming student, you are required to take a class on the city of Chicago. I chose to take a course in Black history in Chicago in the twentieth century. Our class took a field trip to the DuSable Museum of African American History, as well as, the Chicago Art Institute to look at Black culture and how it is represented in across our city. I learned so much about the city in that one class that had never been brought up in any school before.
As a sophomore at DePaul, you are required to take a course on multiculturalism. I took a philosophy course taught by the most fascinating woman I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Although the course had to focus on at least three different cultures, what cultures those were was up to the discretion of the professor. My professor chose to discuss Native cultures, disability-bonding cultures, and deaf culture. I cannot recall if she was of Native dissent, but I do remember having an open discussion in her class about how the United States treats Native peoples. The other two cultures she chose to touch on during our time together are not the first ones that come to mind if someone asks to name a culture - that was why she said it was so important to discuss. It is important to remember that a lot of deaf people do not see being deaf as a disadvantage. Instead, they see it for the opportunity that it is, to have the cultural connection with other deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. I mention that this woman was fascinating because she was a twin, and her twin has a child which her, her sister and each of their husbands work as a community to raise together. I think about this at least once a week.
Junior year at DePaul is when the real "Experiential Learning" begins. Each student is required to take a course that is related to an internship, job, or extended volunteer opportunity. Luckily, I was able to get my first "real" job to count as credit, so I didn't have to go off and find something unpaid for just a quarter. That was a huge fear of mine when I learned about this requirement, because by this point, I had to pay a lot more out of pocket each year for school. I sold my first "real" job to the professor and to my boss, which was not an easy feat.
My capstone senior year was a course on entrepreneurialism. My professor started his own collab-working space back in 2016-ish and was doing well building his network in the area. The entirety of the course was to create our own business plan, including branding, a SWOT analysis, and profit & loss. I LOVED this course. I came up with our groups pitch and it's something very rewarding, so I hope to use it as the basis for my future career plans.
I'm not saying that I am perfect now, by any stretch of the imagination, but I have grown significantly from that girl that first walked onto DePaul's campus 7 years ago. The most important thing I learned though is that I must keep working towards inclusivity, diversity, and growth as priorities. These were important to me 7 years ago when I selected a university and grow evermore valued in my life as I continue to absorb all I can. At the end of the day, what's the most important thing and how can you achieve it?
-Laura Ann
