Sharing knowledge for change: Vianey Dominguez

Raised in Little Village, Vianey Dominguez is making strides to share the valuable knowledge she has gained in various professional and personal arenas. 

“Whatever knowledge I learn, I always try to bring it back to my community and to people who need it,” she said. 

The daughter of immigrant parents from the state of Veracruz in Mexico, Vianey was born and raised in Little Village with her family. For a few years in her early childhood, Vianey and her family returned to Mexico where she saw firsthand the inequalities in access, education and resources, she said. 

“The reason why I'm very humble and why I love sharing what I know is because about five years of my childhood I spent living in Mexico,” she said. “When we came back to Chicago, I felt very privileged for having an education and everything I needed.” 

As the daughter of immigrants and a Little Village neighbor, Vianey has seen firsthand the challenges of her community, she said. 

She understands the need for legal aid and guidance to navigate the U.S. immigration system and the barriers faced for newcomers settling in a new life. 

She has also seen how immigrants contribute to the economy, pay taxes, make up important parts of the labor force – and yet, are not eligible for benefits like Social Security, she said. 

“The thing that really shaped me growing up, is the people in Little Village get up to go to work and show up,” she said. 

Witnessing the need for immigration reform and policies, she went to college with the goal of pursuing a government career. 

She attended the University of Illinois Chicago, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Public Policy and Political Science. 

She interned for State Senator Dick Durbin, where she saw the value of having people of diverse backgrounds working in public offices and learned how local and state government work, she said. 

Later, she had an internship with Alderman Michael Rodriguez, whose ward covers Little Village, and eventually joined the 22nd Ward Office as the constituent services coordinator.

In this role, Vianey led efforts to reach neighbors and share resources needed among her community. As neighbors in need visited the office searching for legal aid, food pantry, housing assistance and financial assistance, Vianey saw the value and power in knowledge and information sharing. 

“My mom would always say ‘You may not have everything, you may not have the money, but if you can give back a little bit of  what you know, you can make a really big change,’” she said. 

Earlier this year, Vianey took a new position in a financial company, motivated by the desire to share financial education, budgeting and investing in her community. 

As she has seen firsthand, limited financial knowledge leaves people with limited income, retirement and savings options. 

“t's really important to educate young people, especially in our community, because a lot of the people, their parents or their grandparents may not know,” she said. 

In her new role, she has started teaching young people, family and friends the importance of investing and saving, she said. In the future, she could expand her efforts to reach more Little Village neighbors and provide financial literacy education, she said. 

As she has grown professionally, Vianey has also gotten involved in the local nonprofit scene. In 2024, she became the co-chair of the Chicago Women’s Giving Council, an arm of the Chicago Foundation for Women. In this role, she supports fundraising efforts to help local organizations that benefit women and girls in the city’s Southwest Side.

Last November, Vianey was invited to join the board of nonprofit Fuel Movement, a North Lawndale-based group working to improve the quality of life in the Westside neighborhood through health and wellness, education and workforce development programs; a food pantry, fitness programs and community outreach. 

In the future, she plans to return to public service and become a diplomat for the United States, she said. However, in every professional or personal endeavor, she plans to find a way to give back to her community, she said. 

“The people in my community, they're the American dream,” she said.