MCHS Graduate Wins Scholarship from Exelon

Cesar Villalobos, 18, Minooka High School 2011 Graduate 

Cesar Villalobos was born in Chino, California and raised in a small area of Ontario, California. 

However in the summer of 2000, Villalobos’s dad chose to move the family to Chicago in order to find a better paying job than what he had obtained by milking cows at a small farm in Ontario. 

“It wasn't until my dad clearly witnessed the negative effects of living in a community marred with daily acts of violence and gang disruption that my dad decided to move to Minooka in the summer of 2005,” Villalobos said. “That is how I came to live in this small suburb of Minooka.”

Six years in Minooka has been good for Villalobos. In just his four years at MCHS, Villalobos has been a success.

In MCHS, Villalobos was part of the track team for his last three years. He was also part of the cross country team for his last two years. 

“Although I wasn't one of the best runners in either sport, I made sure to always give it my all and never give up,” Villalobos said. “In both sports, I was in junior varsity since the start.” 

Villalobos also obtained the Scholar Athlete Award every season for maintaing a high grade point average while participating in sports.

In addition to sports, Villalobos was part of the Interact Club, a community service club. He was also in both the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society for two years. He was involved in the World Youth in Science and Engineering (WYSE) club for one year. 

Villalobos received awards for being the most outstanding social studies student; for perfect attendance all four years of high school; an award for improving ACT scores and a certificate of achievement award from the Minooka Lions Club for being top 25 in his class. He has been ranked sixth in his class since second semester of sophomore year.

In 2010, Villalobos was one of about 1,000 students nationwide selected by QuestBridge to attend a summer event at Yale University.

But the top achievement for Villalobos is winning a $1,000 scholarship from Exelon.

“I never expected to receive this scholarship, to be honest” Villalobos said. “There were so many intelligent students in my graduating class that I believe would have deserved this scholarship. I am very grateful to have been the recipient of this scholarship in the end. I am thankful to receive this monetary aid from such a distinguished company as Exelon."

This scholarship, along with a few other scholarships and grants from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign will help pay Villalobos’s education. 

Villalobos decided in his junior year that we would like to attend Univerity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His brother currently studies there and Villalobos decided to take a tour of the campus. During his two-day tour he was able to experience the daily life of a college student. He fell in love with the school.

“For me to attend such a prestigious college that can provide me with an exceptional education, is a tremendous honor and something I am proud to have been able to achieve,” Villalobos said. “I would like to point out that, without my family, teachers, coaches and friends being there to support and motivate me, this would have been somewhat difficult to accomplish.”

After he gets his bachelor's degree in computer engineering, he hopes to find a company where he can work on projects that might help a large group of people--like those in developing countries. 

Outside of school, Villalobos enjoys spending time with his family. He has five brothers and two sisters.

“I am very proud of my dad,” Villalobos said. “He has managed to support a family of eight children, without help from anyone else. He is the only one that provides income for the family and does so by working hard and diligently.”

Villalobos likes to travel. This year he has traveled to Mexico, Canada and went on a road trip West with his father. He likes his Mom’s cooking; Mexican food.

And if he could meet anyone, he would choose Thomas Edison.

“That man managed to accomplish what no one ever had during his time. He didn't allow his hearing impairment to impede his future success. His motivation and determination to advance in the field of science--even if he had no other option than to teach himself--allowed him to become one of the greatest inventors in American history. Just by developing the first practical electric light bulb, Thomas Edison opened the door for many more scientists/inventors to come up with never-before-seen technological advancements that we now benefit significantly from,” Villalobos said.