I'm an independent brown girl from the south side of Chicago, and I can do what I want.

Twenty-three-year-old Jenny told me she repeats this mantra to herself in the mornings—or whenever she needs it. It motivates her to work through any obstacles and keep going.

I had met Jenny years ago in a cycling group here in Chicago, and I’ve kept up with her on social media. When she ran past me on the 606 trail in Chicago the other day, I knew I wanted to learn more of her story.

She graduated from UIC in December 2020—the first on both sides of her family to earn a college degree. She credits getting through university to her many wonderful mentors, including a woman from Colombia who pulled her aside and told her not to be intimidated by the Ivy League students around her during an internship, that she belonged there just as much as they did.

Jenny said her father stopped going to school in 2nd grade in Guatemala and her mother in 1st grade in Mexico. Both her parents came to the United States as young teenagers and eventually met in Chicago as Spanish speakers working on Devon Avenue at Indian businesses. Jenny visits Mexico and Guatemala every summer, which has helped her understand that she should waste nothing because people live with so much less. She always volunteers while she’s visiting, and her family tries to bring as many things as they can to distribute to the local population.

She will start her new job as a Supply Chain Analyst at PepsiCo in February, and she's excited to be able to move into her own place in March once she has her corporate job and paycheck. Oh, and in her spare time, she's training to qualify for the Boston marathon—hence the running on the 606. She has a coach and a serious training schedule. She has already completed six marathons and also competes at shorter distances.

Jenny has such poise that she can seem much older than her years, and then the next minute she’ll strike a pose she calls the Jenny™ and she's back to being her goofy, young self. She is an all-around fantastic person, and as you’ve probably gathered, she's going to do what she wants to do. I can't wait to see what’s next for her!