Photo from Sara Munoz
“Glacier changed my life more profoundly than I give it credit. Being on the Glacier steered my life in a different direction through the experiences I had and the people I met,” said Sara Munoz, a Glacier alumnus.
Munoz began her journey at Moraine a few steps ahead of most students at the age of fifteen, taking night and summer classes. She graduated from high school a semester early in the winter of 2006, and started a full load at Moraine in the spring of 2007.
Munoz was a very actively involved student on campus, participating with Phi Theta Kappa, College Bowl, and the Great Books of the Western World Book Club.
At the Glacier she worked as a staff writer, a features editor, entertainment editor, photographer, and finally worked her way up to Copy Editor.
“My all time favorite memory of Moraine, hands down, is the trip to DC with the Glacier for a journalism conference,” said Munoz. “The great thing about DC is that the monuments are open 24/7, so we were able to attend lectures during the day and sight see by night.”
After Moraine Valley, Munoz went on to DePaul and earned a B.S. in Biology. During that time she studied shark anatomy and contemporary molecular evolution of fish, and worked at the Field Museum doing various jobs in zoology. Her research on ants and the evolutionary relationship they have with their gut bacteria earned her a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Munoz was just as involved on campus at DePaul as she was at Moraine. She was part of the women’s rugby team, Intercambio, which is a cultural exchange program, and she was a two-time DePaul Scrabble Champion.
Her senior year was accompanied by the sound of wedding bells when she and her long time friend Tony became Mr. and Mrs. Munoz, merging their “fur kids” (pets) and adopting one more. “We are a big happy family that includes three cats and one dog. We would love to have more but now is not the right time,” Munoz said.
Munoz is currently working as tutor, both privately and for the Illinois Education Foundation (IEF), and as a social work assistant for an Early Intervention clinic. “I find all the work I do to be very rewarding,” she said.
Her advice to students is “Make the most out of your time there! Getting into a university as a transfer is competitive. Plan accordingly. Know what your potential schools are looking for, what will or won’t transfer, and whether or not they have the same credit system.”
