If you would have told Jorge J. Sanchez that his life would take him down the path of becoming a high school principal, he would not have believed you. But Sanchez is about to begin his new role as principal at Proviso Math and Science Academy in Forest Park on July 1, and he is confident his life experience has made him the right person for the job.

The son of migrant parents from Puebla, Mexico, the Little Village native said he was left to navigate the academic space on his own as his parents didn’t “necessarily understand the American education system” despite their wishes for him to pursue a higher education.

“That is predominantly what drove me to seek to make a difference and become an educational leader,” said Sanchez, recalling he was heavily into the hip-hop scene and graffiti art. “I always had the grades but because of this lack of connection with academia I would get into trouble.”

Sanchez, who was working two jobs while a senior in high school, remembers a conversation with his counselor where she said he should make his fast-food jobs at Taco Bell and Checker’s his career because he was not “college material.”

“Culturally educators are subject matter experts so you truly believe they have the best interest at heart, which 99 percent of educators who I have come across do,” Sanchez said. “In this instance, I listened to my counselor and didn’t apply to college and instead I enlisted in the military.”

Sanchez recalls that experience as one he never wants another student to face.

After two years in the Army as a communication specialist, Sanchez felt like he had to play “catch up” to focus on school fully and reach his goal of receiving his bachelor’s degree.

Sanchez attended Morton Community College before pursuing his degree in accounting and marketing at DePaul University.

Upon graduation, Sanchez found a career in advertising, working on big accounts such as Kraft and Jello, but eventually found himself drawn back to the classrooms he had worked at as a paraeducator while he was pursuing his undergraduate degree.

It was during his time as a paraeducator at Morton East High School that Sanchez began getting heavily involved with the student population, especially the undocumented and English Learner population.

 “There was this thing I was missing and that was the connection to students and that social good that you get in helping students,” Sanchez said. “There is a social benefit here aside from figuring out the best way to communicate the benefits of Kraft cheese.”

After his return to the classroom in 2008, returning to Morton East as a teacher for a few years as a bilingual social studies teacher, Sanchez went back to school himself to receive an education degree.

Sanchez now holds a Ph. D in Educational Leadership and two master’s degrees in Educational Administration and Higher Education Policy to add to his previous degrees, an MBA with a focus in accounting and marketing and a masters of arts in teaching for business.

Sanchez served as an academic advisor at the University of Illinois Chicago and then taught business at the Austin Business and Entrepreneurship Academy on the West Side before transitioning into administrative positions.

He is finishing his assistant principal of teaching and learning contract with East Leyden High School before bringing his knowledge over to the Proviso community, a driving force in his interest in the principal position at PMSA.

“Proviso is this gold nugget and the way I approach education and my philosophy of education really centers a true community aspect of relationships,” Sanchez said.

Supt. Krish Mohip said Sanchez’s background stood out during the hiring process.

“Dr. Sanchez can really relate to our students. … he comes from a background of a hard-working family and he understands the importance of education,” Mohip said. “He has some exciting ideas on how to re-engage our students and our families and the broader community to gain additional support for PMSA.”

Sanchez said he is excited to be part of the Proviso community and he aims to not only build but also strengthen that support.

“[The] Proviso’s community, especially PMSA, has such a strong community. … I am excited about things that are happening there and I think I am able to make a difference there,” Sanchez said.