Jorge Rodriguez                          

                                      

Jorge  moved to Chicago when he was only a year old. He grew up in Humboldt Park which was not the best place to grow in because of all the violence that happens there. When he was six years old, his father and mother got a divorce and his father was never a big part of his life. Jorge ’s biggest regret is not doing as well as he could in high school because he was not able to go to any of the colleges that he wanted to go to. Something that Jorge  said that stood out was that,”Life will always be hard.”By saying this he meant that there will always be something that will try to bring you down and hold you down.

When Jorge  was in high school he would get along with someone from every single group no matter who they were. Whenever he would get into a fight he would get out of the fight, by telling the person,”I got no problem with this,lets do this.”This caused the person to back out of the fight.When Jorge was in college thought that it was all about studying and never having any fun. It was actually a great time for him because he could still party and do whatever he wanted to do even if he was in college. The biggest advice that Jorge  would give us about college was,”Just go to college and try it because you will have a great time.”

Jorge  works in social work, he got into this type of work because he used to help his aunt who worked in social work, when he was nineteen years old. Some of the challenges that he faces are, trying to look for a way to get paid because he works for a non-profit organization. The other problem that he faces, is having to watch students that he is  attached to make mistakes that students have to make in order to learn from them. Jorge  helps students learn life values and other things important in life. By teaching this things, he helps students have a better understanding of why they should stay and do well in school.

If Jorge  was trying to end gang violence, he would tell all of the gangs that the blocks that they are fighting and killing each other over blocks that they did not own. Jorge  said, ”The state at any moment could just raise the prices of a block and everyone would have to move out.” This means that the gangs don’t own any of the blocks that they are protecting.Jorge  thinks that having a child at a young age is not the best idea because if you have a baby, you have to take care of the baby and be able to support it no matter. If you plan on having a baby make sure that you can also support it economically.Jorge  said,”There is nothing more painful than having to pay for diapers because all they do is collect waste.” If Jorge  was in charge of CPS he would have schools go on a field trip to a place were they could still have classes but out of the everyday school. He would also let student be able to learn the way that they are able to learn.

                                                                                                                                                                            When Jorge  was a child he looked up to Michael Jordan because he wanted to always win and show everyone that he could do what other people told him that he could not do. When Jorge  was asked how he felt about being called a community hero he said,”I am shocked and honored.” He was shocked because he doesn't think of himself as a hero, he was thinking of himself as just another person that just helps the community. He also felt honored because he was recognized as some that tries to make our community a better place for us to live in. When he was asked about what traits a hero has, he said that a hero should be able to always want to try and be or do something bigger even though if what you are doing is great. Overall, Jorge  is a community hero to not just me but to everyone who knows him because he helps students change to become the better person that they can be. He helps students without thinking about how he is going to get paid and that he might lose his job because he works for a non-profit organization.