Luis Arredondo was born in Brownsville, Texas, and at the age of eight moved to the southside of Chicago. Luis attended Bogan High School and upon graduation chose UIC because “it is affordable and has an excellent academic reputation.” Luis has many friends and family members who have attended the university as well. According to Luis, the professors on campus are easily accessible and have a true interest in each student’s success.

A sophomore at UIC, Luis majors in Liberal Arts and Sciences, but plans to transfer to the College of Business Administration. Luis hopes to pursue a career at United Parcel Service and feels that a business degree will help him in the future.

Luis does not have a lot of free time for extracurricular activities, but consistently maintains better than a “B” average. Luis has to work hard, but it makes it all worth it, since he does not have to worry how he is going to pay for his tuition at UIC.

Luis works part-time at UPS, where he earns $4,000 per year towards his tuition. He started out as a package handler, earning $3,000 towards his tuition, and within 3 months, Luis was promoted to a supervisor. At age 19, Luis has the responsibilities of supervising twelve people. According to Luis, “the job is physical, not hard.” Luis is paid a salary, not an hourly wage, has full medical benefits (health, paid holidays and vacation), the opportunity for a long and successful career path, and most importantly $4,000 a year towards his tuition. Recognizing that the CEO started out as an intern from Purdue, worked his way up the corporation, and ultimately became CEO, Luis has a lot to keep him motivated.

Luis is preparing for the future and getting real world experience with a Fortune 500 corporation. He has worked at UPS for almost 2 years now, and plans to continue throughout his college career. When not attending school and working at UPS, Luis restores cars and works on computers.