Panel of young professional alums leads IVCC in celebrating, exploring Hispanic heritage

Dr. Maritza Estrada-O’Brien refused to see her gender, heritage or hometown as disadvantages. Instead, she counted her assets: She is a woman, Hispanic and grew up in the rural Illinois Valley.

Now she’s a physician caring for families in her hometown of Mendota, and this week she was on a panel of four young Hispanic professionals who advised and encouraged Illinois Valley Community College students following in their footsteps. The panel is part of IVCC’s recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Like Estrada-O’Brien, all of the panelists returned to the Illinois Valley after college to serve the communities where they grew up and a population that is often underserved in their fields. Along their college and career paths, they faced challenges that younger Hispanics will find familiar.

“No one did the same things I did, but I think that’s helped me stand out in ways that others don’t,” Estrada-O’Brien said.

She advised her young audience to make the most of what makes them different.

“If you stand out, make it count,” O’Brien said.

Accountant and law school graduate Edgar Lucero said he fell victim to “imposter syndrome,” which caused him to doubt his own achievements until he determined that “I worked hard, and I did deserve to be there.”

When she moved from a metropolitan area to a rural one, Stephanie Castaneda-Arteaga didn’t reveal that she was bilingual, preferring to say nothing rather than express herself in Spanish.

“It took a lot of years to take away that shame,” Castaneda-Arteaga said.

Entering IVCC as a dual-credit student gave Estrada-O’Brien a head start on college while still in high school, and her introduction to the science program there propelled her into a medical career. Another panelist, Jennie Espinoza, discovered that IVCC’s convenient schedule let her fit in classes while raising her young children. IVCC helped her keep a promise to show her children how valuable education is, she added.

The panelists all cited mentors at IVCC and in their careers who have made an important difference. Mentors don’t always come labeled and packaged, said Espinoza, a licensed behavioral therapist.

“They can be anyone in your life; people you meet are there for a reason,” Espinoza said. “You can find mentors at work, in the classroom, as professors, anybody. But you may have to seek them out and be open to accepting them when they come along.”

Lucero urged students to go looking for opportunities if they don’t come readily.

“A lot of people are willing to give you a chance if you ask,” he said.

He got a start in a law office as a teenager doing copying or clerical work, and “even the small experiences” got him noticed ahead of other job candidates.

Castaneda-Arteaga advised students not to turn their backs on IVCC campus resources. She said she didn’t use tutoring “that could have helped” because she was ashamed to admit that she didn’t know what her classmates seemed to.

“If [a resource] is there, use it,” Castaneda-Arteaga said. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for help.”

“If the only thing between you and success is a question, then ask it,” Lucero agreed.

He also urged students to seek scholarships and grant opportunities by completing applications. He said a scholarship through IVCC freed him from college debt and gave him room to switch career goals later.

In college and medical school, Estrada-O’Brien didn’t see many people who looked like her or shared her experiences, so she had little guidance. She’s determined that the expectant faces she saw in the audience Wednesday will have more examples to follow than she did.

“I want to share my story so I can motivate someone else, so they see someone who has gone through this,” Estrada-O’Brien said.