Parents' Sacrifices Motivates Monmouth's Baltierra-Chavez
Monmouth, IL (10/27/2020) — Anyone who comes into contact with Monmouth College junior Ezzie Baltierra-Chavez can just tell there's something extra driving the first generation college student, whose journey began far away from the rolling prairies of Illinois.
The eldest of four daughters born to immigrant parents, Ezzie needs to look no further than her immediate family for the motivation to rise from a bullied, outcast grade-schooler to an honors college student who also is a double major and multi-sport student-athlete for the Fighting Scots. She's also a member of the Student Senate and speaks three languages: English, Spanish and French.
After an injury quashed her father's dream of a professional soccer career, Ezzie's family moved from their small town in Mexico to the Mile High City, before she could even crawl.
"My parents knew the educational opportunities in Mexico would be little to none and they wanted the best for me," explained Ezzie. "Education is a priority for my parents. I feel like it's my duty as the first one in our family to go to college to do the best I can in everything I do and pave the way for my younger sisters."
Ezzie sports a stellar 3.8 GPA (up from a 3.7 as a sophomore) while double-majoring in communication studies and political science. But her path to academic success, like her path to the U.S., didn't come easily.
"I remember I was in third grade and really struggling with math and science," said Ezzie. "To make it worse, my handwriting was really bad. My father would sit down with me at the kitchen table every night, and sometimes we'd be there until midnight. If my handwriting was bad, he would literally rip up my homework and make me do it over until my handwriting was legible and didn't have any eraser marks. I eventually did all my homework in pen as a third-grader. That impressed my teacher and really motivated me."
Then there was the issue of being a minority student who not only looked different from her classmates, but didn't dress or sound like them, either. English was not even close to Ezzie's second language as an eight-year old.
"I was bullied because of the way I looked, how I dressed and how I spoke," said Ezzie who took ESL classes through fifth grade. "There was also the usual teasing kids do in addition to the bullying, and that didn't make it any easier. Not speaking English was one of the biggest challenges and made me feel out of place."
Ezzie eventually found her place through sports, specifically soccer and distance running. Soccer caused a fair amount of anguish for her father, who feared his daughter would suffer the same fate as he had all those years ago.
"It's funny, but he didn't want me to play soccer," she said. "We'd go on runs together, but he was concerned I'd get hurt as he had playing soccer."
Now a collegiate student-athlete who grinds out soccer and cross country in the fall before heading to the track in the winter and spring, Ezzie has not only avoided injury, but has thrived at Monmouth. Last fall the forward/midfielder helped the Fighting Scots to their first NCAA Tournament appearance. She's also found running cross country at an elevation nearly a mile lower than her hometown is to her liking, turning in an all-conference effort last fall with the cross country team a week before winning the Midwest Conference tournament title with the soccer team.
"I couldn't believe how much air I was getting," smiled Ezzie. "The problem was the humidity. It's not quite this humid in Denver."
A quick acclimation process could also describe Ezzie's arrival at Monmouth, a small liberal arts college in western Illinois.
"Ezzie is a very outgoing individual," reported cross country coach Jon Welty. "She's just got that type of personality that people seem to gravitate to her. She's very organized and driven - two very good traits to have for someone with a plate as full as hers."
Academic success has followed Ezzie's athletic success, as she's earned the maximum eight All-Academic Midwest Conference awards in her first two years as a member of Monmouth's women's soccer, cross country and track teams. That success wasn't by accident.
"Academics is always going to be my top priority," she said. "If my academics were going to go down, that would be an issue for not only me, but my parents. My education was something they really emphasized."
She's also keenly aware of the financial strain the cost of a college education can have on her family. When money became an issue, Ezzie's parents once again sacrificed for their daughter.
"I work a job to help pay for college, but it's tight," said Ezzie. "At one point, my parents sold our truck to help pay for me to be here. They've given up so much for me to be here, I don't want to let them down."
Chances are Juan Baltierra and Veronica Chavez aren't feeling let down - rather, just the opposite. Overcoming many struggles adjusting to a new life in a new country, Ezzie's goal following a projected graduation in May of 2022 focuses on her roots.
"I think I'd like to work with immigration," she said. "I'm looking at perhaps going to law school back home, or becoming a paralegal to work with immigrant attorneys."
Ezzie's career plans shouldn't come as a surprise, given her journey began before she could even crawl. Her mother carried her on their move to the U.S., then her father nurtured her educational motivation. Now Ezzie is on the brink of repaying that debt.
"My motivation to succeed has always been my family," she admits. "I'm working for something greater than myself."
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