2024 - Adrian Nevarez: ECC provides such a great opportunity

Every day here mostly seems the same. Students, both younger and older, make their way to classes, and the faculty all work to ensure that this area is a great place for that. For the two years I attended Elgin Community College, that’s what it looked like on the surface.

That’s far from the whole story.

Each person who comes here may have different reasons at first, but we all have a similar goal: to work and study so we may prosper for the people we care for, whether ourselves or others. The part often overlooked is how, no matter what, we’re all people.

We all have passions, regrets, secrets, aspirations, and so much more. I had my own ride of all sorts of these aspects when I came here in more ways than one.

It may seem like a normal day for the most part, but all it takes is one big event to make everything change around you. I certainly never saw it coming, but I was tested to my absolute extreme and had no choice but to use all I currently knew to overcome it. Even if that day has passed, the memories still live on and keep me going. After all was said and done, I began to see my journey here differently and chose not to waste any chance I got.

I said yes to just about every opportunity that came my way and spent many late afternoons either supporting or facilitating the events that go into making ECC a great place for everyone.

It was by spending so much time here that I got to learn about many people and what their circumstances were. I was lucky in the regard that I had a car I could use to commute, and I always had a family to go back to. Some others did not. The thing was, I only learned of that when I spent so much time here, and it was never a thing that became apparent upon first interaction. The truth is that many students here may have similar or worse backgrounds that make even coming to school a challenge.

But they make it here anyway.

ECC provides a great opportunity for other people, and anything that may hold them back is not enough to prevent them from coming here. That shows how accessible and prosperous coming here can be for the trouble it’s worth.

Be strong even when it seems hard. You don’t need to worry about your past if what you're working for is what you really want. Be prepared every morning for what’s to come, but greet each sunrise as another chance to do something great.

At the end of each day, look back, be glad about everything you accomplished, and see how tomorrow can be used for even more.

Adrian Nevarez ‘24

Elgin, Ill.

Associates of Engineering Science

Visit elgin.edu/graduates for more graduate stories.