Gabriela Valles Jimenez
2024 Dean's Merit Award Honorees
Gabriela Valles Jimenez
BA, Urban Education
2024 Dean's Merit Award
Gabriela Valles Jimenez's early experiences as a student influenced her decision to become a teacher.
"My first language was Spanish. So in elementary school, it was really hard for me to learn all the English words and math, reading and science," Valles Jimenez said.
Valles Jimenez aspires to support students like her who speak English as a second language. She received a bachelor's degree in Urban Education – Elementary Education and plans to get an ESL endorsement after graduation.
Doing her student teaching at Galileo Elementary School in Chicago Public Schools, Valles Jimenez has enhanced the lives of students by going above and beyond. She planned field trips for her students, to the UIC Latino Cultural Center and the UIC Black Cultural Center.
"What stands out most is her focus on creating a welcoming and engaging learning environment, which really shows during observations when I see her students excited to learn from her and with each other," said Foluke Beveridge, her UIC field instructor for student teaching.
Valles Jimenez has been honored with multiple scholarships that highlight her exceptional scholarship as an undergraduate student at the UIC College of Education. Most recently, she was the inaugural recipient of the Heisa Bouchard Ferrer Scholarship, which recognizes exemplary first-generation, Spanish-speaking students pursuing a degree in the College of Education at UIC.
Beyond excelling in the classroom, she shows her commitment to Chicago and her community by volunteering monthly at the Greater Chicago Food Depository and working with her neighbors to clean up their neighborhood to ensure a safe, clean, welcoming environment for residents.