Monica
Zavala, formerly Family
Outreach Coordinator for the Cook
Library Scholars (CLS) Program, has an
exciting new role at GAAH. While still maintaining her current work with the
families in the neighborhood, she will also be heading up the special
year-round academic leadership program offered at the Cook Library Center. But as she made abundantly clear, “I won’t
leave the families. No way!”
Monica is the mother of
three children, Emmanuel, Josue, and Joseline, who range in age of five to twelve
and attend Montessori School and City Middle/High. Their involvement with the
Cook Library Center was the gateway to Monica discovering her passion for the CLS
program, and she took her first professional position at the Cook Library
Center to be more involved with their education. “Now I have an even greater opportunity
to share my input. I live in this neighborhood so I know what we need here,”
she said.
Monica sees the CLS program
as a privilege for the students involved and an asset to the future of the city.
“They are here for a reason. They are being empowered in different areas and
will be our future leaders. In only one year we are already starting to see the
change in their hearts and how they are growing. Imagine when we have more
years!” she said. “These are students who have been living in this neighborhood
which makes them special and unique. You can go to a university and read as
many books as you want, but it doesn’t give you the experience of dealing with
barriers every single day and overcoming them. I know that someday, when they
are in a high position and be able to make a change, they will look back and
remember this neighborhood and their roots.”
When offered the
promotion, Monica first called her grandmother who raised her and is her
greatest inspiration. “She told me, ‘Mi hija (daughter), you can do whatever
you want if you believe in yourself. I know because I raised you and I raised
you well. Don't be afraid to make mistakes because that's the way you learn.’
She always pushed me,” Monica said. “That’s why I don't have an ego. If my
grandma knew, she'd come here and say ‘That's not how that I raised you.
Why are you behaving that way?’”
Monica has lived in the
Grandville Avenue neighborhood since her family’s move from Mexico to the
United States in 1988. She said her family decided to bring her here for a
better life. “To move to this country was not my decision. I wanted to go back
at that time. My family told me that if after a year I still didn’t like it, I
could go back to Mexico,” she said. “But when I had my own kids, I noticed that
there was not much in Mexico for me to continue with that mentality and knew I would
not return. Here I have a better life and better opportunities. I now feel like
this is also my country.”
When she was young, her
aunt’s goal to be a teacher influenced her. For years she wanted to be a
pre-school teacher. “I was such a dreamer, let me tell you,” she said. She
attended Kent Career Technical Center for Cosmetology school, got married, worked
in a salon, and then ended her education to raise her family. Monica is now taking ESL classes and has
aspirations of becoming a social worker. In her free time she enjoys dancing
and spending time in her craft room. “I can go in there and sew, knit, or make
something. It relaxes me when I’m under stress.”
When asked about what
makes this neighborhood special, Monica said, “I think Grandville Avenue is
full of hard-working families. In Cook Library Scholars conferences, 100% of
the families say they want a better future for their kids. They want them to
graduate from high school and get a career. They just need our support,” Monica
said. “Working together is going to make the biggest change.”
She also pointed out the
generosity of her neighbors and friends in the area. “I know that when the kids
get home, they have their warm meals and their moms care,” she said. “Sometimes
I can even see my neighbors coming with a meal for me when they notice that I
have been working late. They share what they have, even if they don’t have a
lot. They want to share the best things they have with others.”
About her work at GAAH, Monica says, “This is not just a job. It's something
that is personal because I know this is my community and my people. I am
working with them and I am going to fight for them because we don't have many
people who speak up,” she said. “I want to empower the families to say what
they want to say.” She maintained, “It's not for popularity. It's just for the
feeling I have. At the end of the day when I go to bed, my conscience is
tranquil. I know that I do my best every time a family is in need.”
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