Gina Gamboa, a senior project manager at Northeastern Illinois University’s Center for College Access and Success (CCAS), was honored by Cook County Commissioner Jesús García’s 7th District on March 5 for her work in education and culture.
Focused on improving education for Latino and Chicano students and their families, Gamboa works to strengthen Spanish language and Latino cultural educational resources, with a special emphasis on the arts.
Gamboa is the program director for the CCAS 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. With a predominately Latino and Chicano student population in three J.S. Morton High School District 201 schools in Cicero, the program extends learning and academic improvement opportunities to students and their families while promoting social-emotional development and cultural enrichment.
In an annual event in observance of Women’s History Month, Cook County presented the Unsung Heroine Award to 18 women whose vital contributions to their communities, families and professional endeavors are seldom recognized.
Other Unsung Heroine recipients included women working on a range of social issues including families affected by trauma from violence and abuse, community health, prisoner justice, housing needs, recidivism reduction and community integration of individuals with disabilities.
