Opened in 1986, the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy in Aurora, IL., is a three-year residential high school for students who show strong promise academically, especially in STEM (or science, technology, engineering and mathematics.) But unlike some gifted schools, where students are drawn chiefly from affluent areas, IMSA, as it’s known, has earned a reputation for seeking out talented students from across 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’t the norm. In fact, when Cristal arrived at IMSA—where it’s not uncommon for many students to go on to Ivy League schools—in the fall of 2004, she did so knowing that if she was successful, she would actually be creating a totally new tradition all her own. Others, like Rhiana Gunn-Wright, from Englewood on Chicago’s South Side, arrived at IMSA with what some might call a college-going “head start” on her first-generation peers. Both of Rhiana’s parents are college degree holders, and it had never really crossed her mind growing up that she also wouldn’t one day earn her degree. Still, her family’s college-going tradition didn’t make her any less driven than her other classmates. She wanted more. We spoke to them about their time at IMSA, making the transition to college, and when and how they “hit their stride” as undergraduates. Ladies, the class is yours…

1. Students at IMSA’s 25th anniversary celebration in 2011
A Q&A with IMSA Alum Cristal Garcia Stanford ’11 and
Rhiana Gunn-Wright Yale ’11
sponsoringyoungpeople.org /a-q-and-a-with-cristal-garcia-and-rhiana-gunn-wright/
Opened in 1986, the Illinois Mathematics and
Science Academy in Aurora, IL., is a three-year
residential high school for students who show strong
promise academically, especially in STEM (or science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.) But unlike
some gifted schools, where students are drawn chiefly
from affluent areas, IMSA, as it’s known, has earned a
reputation for seeking out talented students from
across 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’t
the norm. In fact, when Cristal arrived at IMSA—where it’s not uncommon for many students to go on to Ivy
League schools—in the fall of 2004, she did so knowing that if she was successful, she would actually be
creating a totally new tradition all her own.
Others, like Rhiana Gunn-Wright, from Englewood on Chicago’s South Side, arrived at IMSA with what
some might call a college-going “head start” on her first-generation peers. Both of Rhiana’s parents are
college degree holders, and it had never really crossed her mind growing up that she also wouldn’t one
day earn her degree. Still, her family’s college-going tradition didn’t make her any less driven than her
other classmates. She wanted more.
We spoke to them about their time at IMSA, making the transition to college, and when and how they “hit
their stride” as undergraduates.
Ladies, the class is yours…
Q: You guys are both graduates of IMSA,
which is consistently ranked as one of the top
high schools in the country. You’re also both
minority students. Can you talk a bit about
how being at IMSA, around other bright,
ambitious young people—whether they looked
like you or not—fueled your drive to succeed?
A: Cristal IMSA was very much like college, in my
opinion…very much. You even have the famous,
unhealthy “duck syndrome” some Stanford
students experience…and the social life very
much mirrored what some college students go
through. What I did like was how the minority
students 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

2. we had an extra type of support for each other when it came to the future. We wanted to see each other
succeed. We also had a lot of academic support and emotional support from many of our professors and
certain staff at IMSA. I practically lived in the math office! And my professors and peers very much
respected and appreciated my presence there as well. Making them and my family proud of me was very
important 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 was
wonderful to be around other teenagers who were smart and had big goals, but it would have meant very
little for me if they were back-biting or incredibly competitive. But having friends who did believe in your
goals and who would pull you back in line when you started to drift off the path that led to them—even if
that meant meeting you in the computer lab to study or going WITH you to talk to your teacher—really
made 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 a
fellow classmate told you about it junior year. And that two counselors at IMSA even tried to
dissuade 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 to
overcome 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 on
my Stanford application. I almost believed them, especially when I got my application results from other
Universities. Yes, I knew I struggled with a few things, things I would later on figure out towards the end of
my junior year at Stanford (a learning disability), but I knew I was a hard working individual and that was
enough convincing for me. I also had the support of an IMSA professor who knew me very well and who
would 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 a
laundress in Mississippi. I actually struggled to apply because I was like, people like me don’t win awards
like 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 us
make a list of the colleges we were interested in applying to and indicate how likely we thought we were to
be 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 my
list and encouraged me to apply. She thought I had a shot before I even did! The situation wasn’t the same
for some of my classmates, though. Some of them were much more skeptical. Even after I got in, some of
those 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 feeling
that 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 leg
up in some ways. Do you think that may have helped to alleviate some of the pressure that your first-gen
peers 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

3. Ghunn-Wright was one of 32 Americans chosen for a
Rhodes in 2012
difficult for me to understand. Did I feel insecure? Yes, very much. Did I know how to balance academics
and a social life while at Stanford? No…not at all. I was very disciplined and even gave up some of my
absolute favorite extra-curricular activities to keep up with academics. Did I receive the support I needed
from 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 hearing
about college wasn’t foreign to me. My mom used to talk
to me about her time in college, and she told me ever
since I was about 5 that I was going to college too.
However, none of my family nor anyone in my
neighborhood back in Chicago had ever attended an Ivy
League or any other school that academically
competitive, so I still felt very much like a first-gen in a
lot of ways. There were definitely times I felt insecure
about my background or my ability to succeed
academically. But like Cristal, I found very supportive
professors and friends who helped me work through that
insecurity as time went on.
Q: Some college students talk about that moment
when they “hit their stride,” so to speak. Whether it’s
a certain adviser, activity, professor, course, or
perhaps even a piece of advice someone gave them
that helped solidify for them the experience. For
instance, in Dreams From My Father, President Obama talked about being a somewhat lackluster
student in high school. But something about going away to college unleashed something inside
him. Can you talk about what that something was for you? That moment you really “hit your
stride.”
A couple weeks before my departure to London, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia for the first
time in my life. My exchange program exposed me to a paradigm shift in educational philosophy and
strategy. It was the integrated Oxford tutorial system that helped me cope and fully understand my
learning 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 in
Oxford. A couple weeks before my departure to London, I was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia for
the first time in my life. My exchange program exposed me to a paradigm shift in educational philosophy
and strategy. It was the integrated Oxford tutorial system that helped me cope and fully understand my
learning process. The academic climate at Oxford opened more questions that fueled my passion for
education. This single term has always been the focal point of my academic pursuits; which is why I am
back!
Rhiana I think the moment that I hit my stride was probably when I was writing my undergraduate research
thesis during my senior year in college. It was the first time that I was doing independent research and
presenting my own original scholarly work. It was very nerve-wracking, but it was the first time I felt like I
was the one controlling a project and really using my education as a tool to explore, at length, something
that I cared about.
Q: I shared with you both recently the story of “Karen,” a valedictorian of her high school class
whose experience was documented by Alexandria Walton Radford in her book Top Student, Top

4. 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 the
support or encouragement from her family or high school. What advice would you give to the Karens of the
world 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 and
understand what’s best for you. I found out about Stanford my junior year and probably couldn’t have told
you its whereabouts until I started my application. I just knew 1.) it was a great interdisciplinary institution
and 2.) I knew it felt right. I worked most summers while growing up, and was even holding a job while
attending IMSA (which was something that wasn’t highly advised to do…and for a reason!). I applied to 13
schools, and only got accepted to 4, Stanford being one of them. Yes, my parents supported me, but I
ended up paying for quite a few applications and tests myself because I knew costs were just insane (my
counselors did not help me waive any of my applications nor did they help me with the application
process). If there’s a will, there’s a way.
What I mean by understanding those you love and
understanding what’s best for you…Receiving
rejection notices from 9 schools, some who
arguably weren’t ranked as high as Stanford (the
ranking system is odd, but I digress), was
extremely difficult for me to handle. Especially
after 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 would
expect from my mother. My father smiled at me
while my mother came stomping down stairs to tell
me something similar along the lines of Karen’s
father: my mother didn’t see any additional benefit
of my attending Stanford and looked not only at
other schools as being interchangeable, but my
success in the future as being possible anyway. I
see/saw what she was talking about, but feeling
confused at that time only convinced me more that
I needed to make a decision of my own and grow
in an environment away from the influences that
were 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 part
of the growing process…and yes, I’m still paying loans, but Stanford was a good investment on so many
levels. 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 questions
about your abilities. No one (and I mean NO ONE) is self-assured and brave all of the time. But at the
same time, recognize that your self-doubt is also probably not helpful. So take a deep breath and to the
extent that you can, set those doubts aside and do whatever it is that you want to do. The best cure for
self-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 two
years 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 International
Education program at the University of Oxford. During undergraduate, I always found myself veering
towards education in one way or another; whether it was looking at education as a buttress for social

5. issues or education as a tool for the globalizing world. I really want to take this time to learn and grow from
my 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 public
policy 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)