Students at IMSA’s 25th anniversary celebration in 2011

A Q&A with IMSA Alum Cristal Garcia Stanford ’11 andRhiana Gunn-Wright Yale ’11

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Opened in 1986, the Illinois Mathematics andScience Academy in Aurora, IL., is a three-yearresidential high school for students who show strongpromise academically, especially in STEM (or science,technology, engineering and mathematics.) But unlikesome gifted schools, where students are drawn chieflyfrom affluent areas, IMSA, as it’s known, has earned areputation for seeking out talented students fromacross the state of Illinois.

Some IMSA students, like Cristal Garcia, a first-generation Mexican American from Melrose Park,come from communities where college-going wasn’tthe norm. In fact, when Cristal arrived at IMSA—where it’s not uncommon for many students to go on to IvyLeague schools—in the fall of 2004, she did so knowing that if she was successful, she would actually becreating a totally new tradition all her own.

Others, like Rhiana Gunn-Wright, from Englewood on Chicago’s South Side, arrived at IMSA with whatsome might call a college-going “head start” on her first-generation peers. Both of Rhiana’s parents arecollege degree holders, and it had never really crossed her mind growing up that she also wouldn’t oneday earn her degree. Still, her family’s college-going tradition didn’t make her any less driven than herother classmates. She wanted more.

We spoke to them about their time at IMSA, making the transition to college, and when and how they “hittheir stride” as undergraduates.

Ladies, the class is yours…

Q: You guys are both graduates of IMSA,which is consistently ranked as one of the tophigh schools in the country. You’re also bothminority students. Can you talk a bit abouthow being at IMSA, around other bright,ambitious young people—whether they lookedlike you or not—fueled your drive to succeed?

A: Cristal IMSA was very much like college, in myopinion…very much. You even have the famous,unhealthy “duck syndrome” some Stanfordstudents experience…and the social life verymuch mirrored what some college students gothrough. What I did like was how the minoritystudents of my class set high bars for each other,and the faculty and staff set high bars for us as well. Yes, my peers and I got along with everyone, but I felt

we had an extra type of support for each other when it came to the future. We wanted to see each othersucceed. We also had a lot of academic support and emotional support from many of our professors andcertain staff at IMSA. I practically lived in the math office! And my professors and peers very muchrespected and appreciated my presence there as well. Making them and my family proud of me was veryimportant to me, so I had no choice but to succeed.

Rhiana Being around peers who were supportive was really the biggest factor for me. I mean, it waswonderful to be around other teenagers who were smart and had big goals, but it would have meant verylittle for me if they were back-biting or incredibly competitive. But having friends who did believe in yourgoals and who would pull you back in line when you started to drift off the path that led to them—even ifthat meant meeting you in the computer lab to study or going WITH you to talk to your teacher—reallymade me believe in myself and my ability to succeed.

Q: Cristal, you mentioned to me at one point that you didn’t know anything about Stanford until afellow classmate told you about it junior year. And that two counselors at IMSA even tried todissuade you from applying. Can you speak about what motivated you to continue? And Rhiana,can you talk a bit about what made you set your sights on Yale, and whether or not you had toovercome similar skepticism from others?

A: Cristal I guess it was the drive to prove someone wrong that really pushed me to work twice as hard onmy Stanford application. I almost believed them, especially when I got my application results from otherUniversities. Yes, I knew I struggled with a few things, things I would later on figure out towards the end ofmy junior year at Stanford (a learning disability), but I knew I was a hard working individual and that wasenough convincing for me. I also had the support of an IMSA professor who knew me very well and whowould look at my essay, despite her busy schedule, to give me the feedback I needed. (Thanks, Mme.Shultz!)

My mom wasn’t a lawyer or a doctor. My parents aren’t professional. My great-grandmother was alaundress in Mississippi. I actually struggled to apply because I was like, people like me don’t win awardslike this.”

- Gunn-Wright, said to the Chicago-Sun Times after winning a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship

Rhiana I actually applied to Yale because of my guidance counselor at IMSA. Junior year, they had usmake a list of the colleges we were interested in applying to and indicate how likely we thought we were tobe accepted to each of them. I put Yale on my list, but I placed it waaaaay at the bottom and said it was my“reach” school (meaning that I didn’t think I would get in.) My counselor immediately put it at the top of mylist and encouraged me to apply. She thought I had a shot before I even did! The situation wasn’t the samefor some of my classmates, though. Some of them were much more skeptical. Even after I got in, some ofthose same people told me (and others) that I was only accepted because of affirmative action.#hatersgonnahate

Q: Take me back to the fall of 2007, when you both first arrived at Stanford and Yale, respectively.One expert that I spoke with said that first-generation students often have to get over “the feelingthat students whose parents had gone to college had the upper hand in insider knowledge.”Cristal, I know you’re first-gen; did you share a similar insecurity?

On the flip side, Rhiana, both your parents are college graduates. Research suggests that gives you a legup in some ways. Do you think that may have helped to alleviate some of the pressure that your first-genpeers at Yale might have been experiencing?

A: Cristal I’m not sure how to answer this question, mainly because having the “upper hand” is a little

Ghunn-Wright was one of 32 Americans chosen for aRhodes in 2012

difficult for me to understand. Did I feel insecure? Yes, very much. Did I know how to balance academicsand a social life while at Stanford? No…not at all. I was very disciplined and even gave up some of myabsolute favorite extra-curricular activities to keep up with academics. Did I receive the support I neededfrom my family, friends, and certain faculty at Stanford? Absolutely. And that to me is an upper hand.

Rhiana I think it gave me a leg up insofar as hearingabout college wasn’t foreign to me. My mom used to talkto me about her time in college, and she told me eversince I was about 5 that I was going to college too.However, none of my family nor anyone in myneighborhood back in Chicago had ever attended an IvyLeague or any other school that academicallycompetitive, so I still felt very much like a first-gen in alot of ways. There were definitely times I felt insecureabout my background or my ability to succeedacademically. But like Cristal, I found very supportiveprofessors and friends who helped me work through thatinsecurity as time went on.

Q: Some college students talk about that momentwhen they “hit their stride,” so to speak. Whether it’sa certain adviser, activity, professor, course, orperhaps even a piece of advice someone gave themthat helped solidify for them the experience. Forinstance, in Dreams From My Father, President Obama talked about being a somewhat lacklusterstudent in high school. But something about going away to college unleashed something insidehim. Can you talk about what that something was for you? That moment you really “hit yourstride.”

A couple weeks before my departure to London, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia for the firsttime in my life. My exchange program exposed me to a paradigm shift in educational philosophy andstrategy. It was the integrated Oxford tutorial system that helped me cope and fully understand mylearning process.”

- Garcia, about what she learned about herself from uncovering her learning disability

A. Cristal I went to Oxford the Spring term of 2010 with the Bing Overseas Study Program: Stanford inOxford. A couple weeks before my departure to London, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia forthe first time in my life. My exchange program exposed me to a paradigm shift in educational philosophyand strategy. It was the integrated Oxford tutorial system that helped me cope and fully understand mylearning process. The academic climate at Oxford opened more questions that fueled my passion foreducation. This single term has always been the focal point of my academic pursuits; which is why I amback!

Rhiana I think the moment that I hit my stride was probably when I was writing my undergraduate researchthesis during my senior year in college. It was the first time that I was doing independent research andpresenting my own original scholarly work. It was very nerve-wracking, but it was the first time I felt like Iwas the one controlling a project and really using my education as a tool to explore, at length, somethingthat I cared about.

Q: I shared with you both recently the story of “Karen,” a valedictorian of her high school classwhose experience was documented by Alexandria Walton Radford in her book Top Student, Top

Garcia (5th from right) with classmates at the University of Oxford

School?: How Social Class Shapes Where Valedictorians Go to College.

Like you, she was a top student and had her sights set on an Ivy League institution, but she didn’t have thesupport or encouragement from her family or high school. What advice would you give to the Karens of theworld that are coming behind you? Who might be doubtful about their abilities?

A. Cristal Sometimes it takes a lot of love, patience, and courage to understand those you love andunderstand what’s best for you. I found out about Stanford my junior year and probably couldn’t have toldyou its whereabouts until I started my application. I just knew 1.) it was a great interdisciplinary institutionand 2.) I knew it felt right. I worked most summers while growing up, and was even holding a job whileattending IMSA (which was something that wasn’t highly advised to do…and for a reason!). I applied to 13schools, and only got accepted to 4, Stanford being one of them. Yes, my parents supported me, but Iended up paying for quite a few applications and tests myself because I knew costs were just insane (mycounselors did not help me waive any of my applications nor did they help me with the applicationprocess). If there’s a will, there’s a way.

What I mean by understanding those you love andunderstanding what’s best for you…Receivingrejection notices from 9 schools, some whoarguably weren’t ranked as high as Stanford (theranking system is odd, but I digress), wasextremely difficult for me to handle. Especiallyafter seeing that I wouldn’t get my money back.When I received my acceptance letter to Stanford,I didn’t get the “congratulations” I thought I wouldexpect from my mother. My father smiled at mewhile my mother came stomping down stairs to tellme something similar along the lines of Karen’sfather: my mother didn’t see any additional benefitof my attending Stanford and looked not only atother schools as being interchangeable, but mysuccess in the future as being possible anyway. Isee/saw what she was talking about, but feelingconfused at that time only convinced me more thatI needed to make a decision of my own and growin an environment away from the influences thatwere hard for me to let go. Granted, I wish I knew some stuff now that I didn’t know then, but it’s all a partof the growing process…and yes, I’m still paying loans, but Stanford was a good investment on so manylevels. Not just because it’s considered a great institution.

Rhiana I would tell them that it’s natural to doubt yourself. Don’t beat up on yourself for having questionsabout your abilities. No one (and I mean NO ONE) is self-assured and brave all of the time. But at thesame time, recognize that your self-doubt is also probably not helpful. So take a deep breath and to theextent that you can, set those doubts aside and do whatever it is that you want to do. The best cure forself-doubt is really just going out and doing what you’re afraid of.

Q: So what are you all up to now? And what are your plans for the near future? You’re only twoyears out of school, so I’m not assuming you have things all mapped out quite yet.

A: Cristal Right now, I’m trying to focus on my Masters of Science in Comparative and InternationalEducation program at the University of Oxford. During undergraduate, I always found myself veeringtowards education in one way or another; whether it was looking at education as a buttress for social

issues or education as a tool for the globalizing world. I really want to take this time to learn and grow frommy education policy oriented program and my general experience here at Oxford.

As for my future, it’s very much open and ready to submit my resume everywhere.

Rhiana Right now, I’m in my first year as a Master’s student at Oxford, studying Comparative Social Policy.After that, I’ll finish up my Rhodes Scholarship and hopefully head back to the states to work on publicpolicy issues related to poverty and violence in large urban cities.

Also read…

• Englewood native put aside doubts to win Rhodes Scholarship (Chicago Sun-Times)

• Illinois Math and Science Academy celebrates 25 years (Chicago Sun-Times)