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When Julio Reyes (B.ARCH. 5th year) came to �糵���� at the age of six from Estancia de Animas in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, he was captivated by the skyline. “The buildings here, and just being in �糵���� as a whole, inspired me. I saw what infrastructure had to offer,” says Reyes.

Reyes is one of millions of immigrant students living and studying in the United States. He’s also a first-generation college student, and the first person in his family to get a degree in the United States. But Reyes didn’t begin his college years as an Illinois Institute of Technology student; he started his studies at South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois, and Moraine Valley Community College before he then transferred to Illinois Tech after receiving the Presidential Scholarship, which provides transfer students who earn high grade-point averages with $30,000 a year to attend the university. Receiving it, Reyes says, was a pivotal life moment.

“When I was a senior [in high school] I didn’t know of any scholarship I was able to qualify for, at least not until my second year in community college,” explains Reyes. “The Presidential Scholarship just changed my life. It was like a dream come true to come to IIT. Where I grew up, I feel like there’s very limited opportunities for students to become exposed to institutions that offer great programs, especially in architecture.”

Beyond studying architecture, Reyes deeply immersed himself in the opportunities afforded by the university. He has played on Illinois Tech’s men’s soccer team, and is also an avid artist. He has also been deeply involved with Undocumented Students and Allies, a campus group that, in 2016, created the United Minds Inspiring Innovation Scholarship, which provides financial aid to students unable to qualify for federal student aid. By establishing an opt-in $4.50 student fee per semester (as well as supporting the scholarship through gifts from individual donors), Reyes says the fund has raised more than $60,000.

“Some students choose to just leave school and not come back,” says Reyes. “A couple bucks could make a difference, and I think that was one of the biggest things my friends and I helped push for.”

With graduation around the corner, Reyes is ready to take the next step in his journey as an assistant project manager at Clune Construction Company in �糵����. Still, his aspirations run deeper, and he hopes to use his experience in architecture and his love of art to benefit underserved populations in the city.

“I wanted to study architecture because I wanted to help solve problems in neighborhoods that are changing or evolving,” says Reyes. “Someday I want to own my own company where I envision working with artists and architects, and helping the communities behind me that are under-resourced and communities that are evolving. I think I can make a difference that way.”