Gabriela Sandoval

Gabriela Sandoval is a 1999 graduate from the San Miguel School of Chicago, Back of the Yard campus. She and her entire family have been involved with the San Miguel family for years. Gabriela successfully completed high school and went on to attend Lewis University. She will begin her sophomore year this Fall.

Gaby Sandoval on the campus of Lewis University in Romeoville, IL, where she's majoring in education.

I enrolled at San Miguel Chicago in 7th grade and quickly my reading and speech skills were greatly improved. Reading was a big part of our day. We spent two periods a day reading books and being tested on reading comprehension. This is and will continue to be invaluable for the rest of my life, because it improved my vocabulary.

It was also great to see the rest of the world outside of our community. Thanks to our San Miguel family we had a chance to experience some pretty amazing educational trips and retreats.

When I graduated from the 8th grade at San Miguel, I attended St. Ignatius then, transferred to Maria High School. Throughout my entire high school career, I was involved with San Miguel and the Graduate Support Program. I think this program is an essential asset to the San Miguel graduates.

Speaking from experience, I feel that one's high school years are the toughest in life and it is important to have that guidance that the Graduate Support Program provides us. This program and the people that run it are readily available to help the students and their families with whatever problem arises.

During high school, we took a few trips to different colleges and universities. In one of those trips, I visited Lewis University. I loved the school but was convinced that attending it was beyond my wildest dreams. My senior year, I was “ambushed” by Ms. GerriAnne and Ms. Woods to apply regardless of my financial situation. Surprisingly, I was accepted! Getting accepted at Lewis meant a lot to me, but at the same time it didn’t suffice because my parents' annual income was almost the same as yearly tuition at Lewis. Thanks to Brother James Gaffney and Lewis University, I was able to get a grant for my tuition and sponsors for my room and board.

I am and will be forever grateful to everyone that worked so hard to get me here. My current major is Education. I want to one day be able to change children's lives like all the great teachers at San Miguel did for me. I want to be able to give back to San Miguel some of what they have given me. I want to be an inspiration to youth in my neighborhood and show them that with the right guidance any dream is possible.