(light music) (camera beeps) (light music continues) (light dramatic music) (light dramatic music continues) - "Eye of Education."

I'm Fred Martino.

Thanks for being with us.

We have a real treat today, two stories about the power of higher education, and we'll also learn about two very different areas of study.

But there's something else.

Today is a celebration.

We are meeting two students who have been honored with Southern Illinois University Women's Club scholarships.

Welcome to my guests, Jessica Hardges and Leslie Duran.

Thank you both for being with us.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Leslie, let me start with you, and I'm curious to find out about your major.

- [Leslie] Yes.

- And how you chose it.

- Yes.

My major is aviation flight and management.

The way I chose that, I originally wanted to become a flight attendant, and the more I did research, the more I thought what was it that really brought me in?

And a lot of it had to do with continuing my education.

So as a flight attendant, I could go in with just my high school diploma, but as a first generation continuing my education was really important to me.

And I knew that I could do that if I became a pilot.

- So that's your goal.

- Yes.

- Is to fly - For the airlines, correct.

- That is amazing.

And SIU has a very well known program.

There's a lot of folks who apply.

- Yes.

- Who don't get in because there's only so many spots.

- Correct.

- It must have been thrilling when you got accepted and being able to go through this program.

- Yes, definitely.

When I toured SIU, that's ultimately when I could really see myself flying at SIU.

- Oh, it is amazing, and the fact that we have an airport in Carbondale where there is that beautiful aircraft with Southern Illinois University right on it, right on the side.

- Yeah.

- It is just amazing to see.

And I'm sure you have had a lot of motivated, exciting people that you've been going through school with.

- Yes, I have great classmates.

That's honestly one of the things that really brought me to SIU was the aviation community.

We're off campus, but we're so close together and there's just a lot of support.

Faculty's very supportive.

And the students, your peers, wanna see you succeed.

So it's not like competition, it's more just, we're happy to see each other's achievements.

- That's great.

Jessica, you have a different major.

I love the diversity on our show today that we have different areas of study to talk about.

Tell me about your major, and again, how you chose your major.

- Yes.

My major is fashion merchandise.

So basically it is the business behind fashion.

So in a retail setting, it would be accounting and all of those things.

And then it's also picking the trends of actual fashion.

So, I would go to a store, if I'm employed at that store, basically I would pick out a fashion line.

So I would be the one who would pick out the fashion line for Macy's let's say, for the men's, the women's, all the different departments.

And then bring it back and give the budget and say, "Hey, this is what this particular fashion show says is gonna be trending" and get approval, and all of those different types of things.

So it's a mixture.

- Has fashion always been an interest of yours?

- Yes.

When it comes to my closet, everything has an expiration date.

Everything.

I'm like, I've seen this for a couple months, it's getting old.

So I'm always, but I don't throw it away because we are conscious when it comes to the fashion community because we don't want things to go to the clothing graveyard.

So yes, we definitely give back and let someone else use, reuse.

- I bet there are a lot of people watching this who love fashion, who like to try different clothing and have fun with that, but they had never thought about it as a career.

Tell me, I mean, how you went from loving it to deciding, I want this, I wanna study this, and I want this to be my career.

- Well, going through the stores, it's like every time that I would go, I would be trying to shop and I'd be like, there's nothing here that I really want.

There's no personality, there's no- - [Fred] Ah!

- And when I look at the women's section, I'm like, what, where are these women wearing these clothes?

It's nowhere fancy.

So, and I'm like, I need some spice in my everyday outfit.

You know, because for me, everything, as you show yourself to the world, you're showing who you are, what you can be.

And I just think that clothing is an extension of your personality and your accessories and all these things, they go together, you know?

So for me, everybody says, a lot of women do say that shopping is therapeutic.

Well, if it is therapeutic, then the clothes that you bring home represent what kind of therapy you got.

Either a C student or B student or an A student.

And sometimes it's a C student outfit, you know?

- Yeah, so this is neat.

This is personal to you.

- Yes.

- It's really meaningful.

Tell me how you chose Southern Illinois University Carbondale for school.

- I would have to say the one thing, I'm local, but also when I was thinking about it, it was here and it was Northern.

Those were my two choices when it comes to the fashion programs.

Southern Illinois has a heartbeat that everyone is resonating trying to help you to succeed.

The fashion program is smaller.

The faculty, they get to really know you.

They really encourage me to really go out there and test the limits.

And also the landscape of SIU, to me is therapeutic because certain days when things don't go right, you don't get the test score that you want, or you didn't perform in the way that you wanted to.

I go for a walk and the grasslands, the different types of insects and everything, everything is just so therapeutic.

It's not as noisy.

- [Fred] Oh yeah.

- It's not a concrete jungle.

- [Fred] Yes.

- So that really did it for me.

The landscape really, I was like, you know, I can picture myself here studying.

- We are so fortunate.

It's like a great state park.

- Yeah.

- This campus.

- Yeah.

- I walk along Campus Lake and I can relate.

- [Jessica] Yes.

- When you have that stress, it is a place to de-stress, appreciate nature.

- [Jessica] Yeah.

- And there is that support too, amongst colleagues who care to make things right.

Leslie, tell me about your journey and how you chose SIU Carbondale.

- When I was applying for colleges, it was only really, it came down to two schools just because it was the flight program and that bachelor's.

And when it came time to tour SIU, I toured the airport and it was just- - [Fred] Sold!

Right?

(all laughing) - It was incredibly overwhelming.

I had never flown, so no aviation background, no family in aviation, so it was scary.

And the thing about SIU, and particularly, the people giving me the tour was like, I know it seems like a lot.

And they weren't trying to be like "It's gonna be the best thing ever."

No, I think they were really comforting.

And even as a person who came with zero aviation knowledge, they're like, "This is also a place for you."

So it was a place that I could see myself growing, which was really important for me.

And obviously the nature is beautiful here.

- Yeah.

- I'm a really big national parks person and this is pretty close to it.

And flying over SIU and the area, it's just, it's amazing.

It was nice to get away from the city and just fly.

- I bet.

What's been the biggest challenge for you pursuing this degree?

- I would say for being first generation is a challenge overall.

The first in my family to come to college.

So it was really exciting and I was very fortunate for this, but it was also a bit scary.

I was sometimes the only girl in my class, 'cause aviation, there's not a lot of women in aviation.

So being the only girl in my class, being like lower Latino representation and just being away from my family.

Sometimes it's just lonely, but I was able to find my place here through like clubs, like Latino Cultural Association, or the Hispanic Student Council, and then the Women in Aviation Club, which I was president for the past three years that I was here.

- Wow.

- Yes.

So, it was scary, but like I said, SIU was a place that allowed me to find myself and grow into, so.

- That's great to hear.

Wonderful.

Jessica, how about you?

What's been the biggest challenge for you in pursuing a degree?

- Balancing.

It's been a balancing act.

Balancing.

I'm non-traditional, first generation also.

So I wanted to speak on that.

Being non-traditional for me means that there's no roadmap.

I know some people say, well, you know, my parent, they might have not have gotten degree, but their auntie or someone else in their family.

Well, in my family, literally there's not much education and there's generations of welfare assistance and all these other things.

And so not having that roadmap, it was difficult on navigating on where to go, what pitfalls should I avoid?

And all of those types of things.

And then being that I'm nontraditional and a little bit older, balancing family, that was another challenge.

And lastly, figuring out the different instructors.

Each instructor, even though everyone says you have a paper due Friday, but each of them want it in a different way and they have their own style.

So you have to learn each instructor within that first two weeks.

You gotta hit the ground running.

You gotta learn what they want, how they want it.

And even though they say it, do this and you do it, and you're like, wait a minute, what's going on?

You said do... "Oh, but I meant do it this way."

And so you have to take notes on what they like and all their feedback.

And so, yeah.

- I love that.

And that's a skill that you can apply in life.

- [Jessica] Yeah.

- And in the job in so many ways.

So it's a great skill to have.

Jessica, tell me, how does scholarships like this, that you've received and Leslie has received, how does that help encourage students to attend college and then also to stay in school?

- Well, I would say that it helped, for me personally, it helped because a lot of the scholarships, I apply for a lot of scholarships, a lot.

Every single week I have this whole system.

And there were so many that were like, oh, your age, your age.

And I was like, okay.

And so it was discouraging, but they were the first to actually say yes.

And with them saying yes, I felt an extra push and the extra encouragement.

And I felt as though I had to take this scholarship and be, I am like their spokesperson.

I feel like they invested in me.

They took a chance on me.

So I'm gonna take this and I'm gonna do the best that I can and really nail these classes 'cause I feel as though I'm representing them.

So there's the encouragement and all of that.

- Yeah.

And so if someone's just joining us, both of our guests have won scholarships, been honored with scholarships from the Southern Illinois University Women's Club.

Leslie, how about you?

How did this encourage you and how do you think this encourages students to both attend school in the case of scholarships that come prior to actually starting and then a scholarship like this during the education to stay in school and stay with it?

- Personally, I think they really help just make it a possibility.

Especially if you're thinking about school and you're not sure it makes it a possibility if you do have that financial burden.

I think more importantly for me, it was continuing that education aviation and school in general is pretty expensive.

- [Fred] Yeah.

- And starting school and then thinking about possibly having to drop out or stop is really disheartening.

And it's through scholarships and other support systems that people like myself and Jessica are able to continue our education.

Additionally, I think it's more of an encouragement, especially when I heard that I got this scholarship from the SIU Women's Club.

I was just so, so happy because it meant more to me since like, my history with the U Women in aviation.

We're just women trying to support other women and like in students and they're doing that outside of college, after college.

So it meant a lot.

Like Jessica said, they see you, and that meant a lot to me.

- I love that answer.

They see you.

Yeah.

I mean, I think, I went to college for the first time decades ago, and I know for that four years, one of the biggest honors for me was getting a scholarship because from a practical perspective, I had to work all through school, so I needed the funding, but the other part of it was that it built me up.

It said, yeah, they see me.

- [Leslie] Yeah.

- I was worthy of something.

Right.

And maybe after school I could continue to do this.

And here I am, decades later, still doing it.

So I have been fortunate now to pay it forward, teaching college students for many, many years while working.

And it's been one of the most rewarding things in my career.

I would not be here without a lot of great professors who helped me before I got into this professionally.

Tell me about one of your great professors, Leslie, and how that relationship has impacted your life.

- I'd say the person that comes to mind would be my professor, Gail Avendano.

She's actually the faculty advisor for the Woman Aviation Club.

So I met her my first year and I met her when I was kind of struggling in classes.

And I reached out to her and just told her my story and she really listened.

And then when she became the advisor, the faculty advisor, she not only helped me as a leader in a leadership position, but also just as a student and as a mentor.

She actually is one of the persons who wrote me the recommendation letters for the scholarship.

So she's just an inspiration because she's kind and she's smart and I really look up to her.

- That's great.

That's a wonderful story.

Jessica, I bet you have one too.

- Well, this person isn't in the fashion, but she is a marketing teacher.

Dr. Anaza.

I think I pronounced her name correctly.

She is a real inspiration to me because being that we're both parents and when it comes to any time I had to take off of class, she was understanding, allowed me to make things up.

But when it comes to... Marketing was something that I didn't know that I really would enjoy.

I thought it was just gonna be another business class.

But the way that she explains it, she breaks it down, she's passionate, and she really makes sure that everyone there gets it.

She'll stop it.

If it looks like we're just glazing, she'll stop the class and say, "Okay, what's going on?

What are you guys not getting?"

She's not one of the stiff professors where it's just, you get up there, you do your thing and you go home.

She really pays attention to the class.

Her passion shows through because she's also had experience in international marketing.

So everything that she's saying, these are things that she's actually lived and went through.

It's not just book knowledge.

So she really gives us other insights and really make me think on other areas.

She applies it to, she knows her students.

She'll apply it to, 'cause there's a couple fashion people, she'll apply it to supply management.

She has examples.

I mean, this woman's brain just keeps going.

She's on her feet.

She makes everyone, she draws us in and it's a big class.

She really draws us in.

So I like her teaching style.

- It's an inspiration when you have a teacher like that, isn't it?

- Yeah.

- It really is.

Jessica, of course, this journey starts for all of us before college.

- [Jessica] Yes.

- Tell me about how your high school, and maybe a high school teacher as well, was an influence for you.

- Okay.

Well, two things.

My high school counselor was my biggest inspiration because that relationship really helped me to even think that college was a possibility because I was just going to school and I just thought, you know, you go to school, it may be a trade school or maybe get a job.

You know, stuff like that.

My thoughts were kind of low, but as I was talking with her, she really encouraged me.

I didn't have a ride to the ACT.

She gave me a ride to the ACT.

She was the biggest inspiration to me when it comes to a lot of things that I was missing in my personal life.

She really took time.

Even after school, I could always go to her, ask her questions.

She even paid my fee for my- - Oh my.

- Yes, so she she was a real sweetheart.

I really loved her.

She wrote me recommendation letters.

She helped me get money for the first time that I went to college.

This woman, she'd done a lot for me.

- [Fred] Oh.

- And there was a time I wanted to do an internship.

So what she did was she talked with another faculty, 'cause I was on the tennis team, she talked me into that.

I didn't even think I would ever be on the tennis team.

So she talked me into that.

She talked to this other faculty person and we started an internship program that is still there at Dundee-Crown High School right now.

So she taught me a lot of things that I never would've known.

- That is a wonderful story.

Leslie, I wouldn't want to follow that, but I'm gonna ask you to follow that.

- Yeah, I went to Barrington High School.

I truly enjoyed my time at Barrington.

I think the biggest thing I took away was volunteer opportunities.

I had no idea what I wanted to do.

So I did as many volunteer opportunities I could.

I believe I graduated around 150 volunteer hours just trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

I was a TA at one point and I did community college classes that they offered, and I still didn't know what I wanted to do.

And like I said- - This is great advice though, because sometimes that's of great value.

- Yeah.

- We always talk about volunteering or taking an internship and deciding, I want to do this.

But it's also valuable when you do it, and say, I don't want to do this, right?

- [Leslie] Correct, yes.

- Because people go through school and then they've studied for something they really don't want to do.

That's not a good thing.

- That was definitely my case.

I even did elections.

So I worked as an elections judge and I was- - How interesting.

- I was in that building from like 5:00 AM to nine, and I'm like, I don't want this.

So I really started to look at aviation as a possibility, even as a flight attendant back then.

And I thought, yes, like I love language.

I studied French in high school, I know Spanish, I know English, and I love to travel.

So I was like, yeah, I wanna be a flight attendant.

- [Fred] This is good.

- Yeah.

- And now a pilot.

- Yeah.

And I spoke to my counselor, Miss Berrero, and I went up to her and I said, she's like what are your after graduation plans?

And I told her, I don't think I want to go to college.

I don't think I wanna go to university.

And the best thing she could have done for me is she didn't look at me like crazy.

She didn't look at me disappointed.

She said, "What do you wanna do?"

I said, "I wanna become a flight attendant.

And I'd go straight to the airlines."

And she said, "Okay."

And she wrote it down on my plan.

She wrote Flight Attendant.

And I think even though that's not what I ended up doing, it just was, I guess, acceptance.

And it made me believe, no matter what I do, I can do it.

- Well, this is a great question to to go to now.

What is your message to someone watching this right now, they're thinking about higher education or some sort of post-secondary education and they're not sure about the choice.

What's your message to them?

- I would say just give it a try.

I definitely, it's not something I saw myself doing just because no one before me had done it.

But I'm so happy I did it.

- [Fred] Yeah.

- Yeah.

- And now you've not only done it, you're getting scholarships, you're gonna graduate and be a pilot.

- Correct.

- Right?

- Yes.

- So, Jessica, your advice to people they're watching, they're not sure.

- I would say to do some of the things that I did is just take out a sheet of paper, write down some things that you like, not so much career, but things that you like.

You bring that into a counselor, an advisor, and then they can help you find things that you actually like.

But I would say go ahead, take that first step.

You're not gonna know everything.

You might even change your major.

You might change college or whichever, but go ahead, take the first step and then as you are going, you'll learn things along the way that you'll like and things that you won't like.

So just go ahead and try.

- Tell me, Jessica, about your plans for the future after graduation.

You mentioned Macy's, but it could be your own clothing line maybe.

What do you wanna do?

- Actually, I'm glad you asked that.

I've got a couple of plans on the... Because I started out in nonprofit organization, so that's always my first love.

That's gonna be my retirement plan and doing some things when it comes to scholarships and helping others.

But right now I would like to have my own fashion line and beauty line.

And then it'll be all eco and therapeutic mindfulness.

And I've got a whole plan, but right now is going to graduate school, getting my MBA and then- - [Fred] Ah, more education.

- Yes, more education, because what happens when it comes to new businesses?

They fail because they have lack of information.

So, fashion merchandising at a major department store, learning some of the ropes when it comes to fashion and then branch on off and have my own line.

- That is super exciting.

And maybe writing a letter to that high school advisor and teacher, right?

- [Jessica] Yes, yes, yes.

- To thank them for all that.

What a story that was.

I have a minute left.

Leslie, you've already talked about one plan for the future as being a pilot.

Is it with a major airline?

Is it with- - [Leslie] Yes.

- Might be flying a private plane.

What is it?

- Yes, ultimately I'd love to fly for a major airline.

But I'd say right after graduation, there's still a lot left to do.

So once I graduate, I'll probably work for SIU as a flight instructor to build those hours.

- Paying it forward.

- Yes.

I know my flight instructors were really instrumental in my flight journey, and hopefully I can be that for somebody.

And then eventually, yeah.

- [Fred] Okay.

- Just get into the airlines.

- Well, best of luck to you both, and congratulations to you both.

- Thank you.

- Thank you for being here, and thank you at home as well.

For all of us at WSIU, I'm Fred Martino.

Have a great week.

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