Maribel (Mari) Villa received her BA from Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. with a major in Criminal/Social Justice and a minor in Social Work and Human Services. After working over 10 years for corporate America, she returned to school to advance her education. She is now a second year Master’s student at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Urban Planning and Policy Program.
Her concentration in the program is community development. Having grown up in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, she experienced what a disinvested neighborhood was and how it changed after its gentrification. She will be graduating with her degree in May of 2025 and hopes to work for a community organization that empowers people in a neighborhood like the one she grew up in. Her interests of study and research are: immigration, racial equity and community engagement. Additionally, at Great Cities Institute where she is serving as a research assistant, she is dedicated to ensuring she is involved in projects that further her Geographic Information System (GIS), community development, capacity building and civic engagement skills to become a well rounded urban planner.
Villa has been a member of the Sigma Lambda National Sorority, Inc. organization and founding member of the Lewis University Chapter since May 2009.