Uplifting Her Community: Cristy Calderon

Born and raised in Little Village, Cristy Calderon is no stranger to the beauty of the neighborhood, which is home to a predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American community. 

As hardworking neighbors who arrived to pursue new opportunities have shaped the neighborhood for decades, challenges have also emerged. 

As the daughter of Mexican immigrants from the state of Durango in Mexico, Cristy has stepped up to help her community. 

From assisting small businesses, teaching languages and serving in local government, Cristy has sought opportunities to fill in gaps and help neighbors gain skills and access to information that could lead to better outcomes. 

“I know our community has potential and I wanted to do something,” she said. 

Growing up in the community and still living in the same home, Cristy felt “a disconnect” between the rest of the city and her neighborhood. 

Many young people or people she knew saw fewer resources and opportunities, she said. 

“A lot of people that I know did not choose the path I chose and are not here with us. Everything I do, I do with a lot of respect and love for those who are gone,” she said. 

Cristy had another vision and thanks to the support of her family, she was able to forge a different path for herself. Yet, she is aware not everyone has the same opportunities, she said. 

“I was privileged enough to have my mom here and out of work and take care of my sister and I, and she instilled how important it was to go to school and how important it was to learn how to choose our friends,” she said. 

While she always dreamed of becoming an actress and model, Cristy followed her calling and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from East West University. 

“I always felt the way Little Village is represented in the media, it’s not always true,” she said. “It's always the negative, but no one ever focuses on the positive. And I wanted to be the person to change that.” 

While in college, Cristy worked at a language center as a front desk assistant, where she was the only Spanish speaker. When the instructor had to cancel, Cristy became a language teacher.

For some years, she taught English as a Second Language and Spanish to adults and teenagers, reaffirming how access to literacy and language skills can increase opportunities for her neighbors.

“In the English as a Second Language class, I saw a lot of people who reminded me of my parents, who were looking for better opportunities and wanted to learn some English,” she said. 

After college, Cristy began her nonprofit career at The Foundation of Little Village, a local nonprofit, where she rose to become the program manager for a program that assisted local entrepreneurs. 

As many of the entrepreneurs she assisted had woman-owned, at-home businesses, Cristy saw the need for financial and accounting literacy among small and emerging business owners, she said. 

After two and a half years working at The Foundation of Little Village, an opportunity emerged for Cristy to work at the local alderman’s office. Joining the local branch of government provided a new opportunity to help her community and meet neighbors “where they are,” she said. 

She became the Constituents Service Director for the 22nd Ward, where she assists neighbors with city and state service requests, provides information and coordinates services for people of all ages and skills. 

“Knowing that I'm able to help people make a government accessible and meet people where they're at, in their language, means a lot to me,” she said. 

Throughout these experiences, Cristy has also learned the value of building trust in her community. When she assists seniors or those she knows who typically do not ask for help, she understands the importance of being a trusted partner for neighbors, she said. 

In the future, Cristy wants to continue growing her career in the government and nonprofit sectors to further uplift her community, she said.

As the first in her family to attend college and a proud daughter of immigrants, Cristy is living up to the potential of her community. Even her modeling and acting dreams did not go unfulfilled, as she appeared in several professional plays and modeling gigs. 

“I learned that I can do anything. When I really put my mind into something, I can do anything,” she said. 

She hopes that as she forges her path, she can inspire others in her neighborhood to be whomever they dream of being. 

“If I'm able to change the life of one person – to change the mentality of a little girl who might not want to go to school because she feels maybe she doesn't have opportunities, I know that I did everything right.”