Dear PCC Friends and Supporters,

As we turn the page on another year, one that has continued to disrupt learning and make life even more challenging for current and would-be college students here in Illinois and around the world, I want to take stock of the many things that have also happened this year to move our pursuit of equity forward.

Often the seeds we plant each day or week are things that will bear fruit in the years to come. In 2021, we saw growth in many areas that PCC and our partners had set in motion perhaps months or years before. These hundreds of actions have enabled the milestones we celebrate this year and that will inform and animate our work in 2022.

A Look Back at 2021

Behind these milestones are 11 full-time staff who fight every day for equity in Illinois higher education, each with their own deeply personal connection to our mission. Mothers, fathers, daughters, sons. Tias and tios, sisters and brothers. Partners and friends. Musicians and entrepreneurs, cooks and writers, scholars and teachers, students and mentors: While we celebrated many PCC milestones together this year, we also cheered each other on just as enthusiastically outside of work—welcoming new little ones, celebrating the purchase of new homes, the earning of fellowships, and more. As we celebrate the strides of PCC this year, I invite you to celebrate the humans behind the work and share in their 2021 joy.

What PCC was able to accomplish this year would not have been possible without the heartfelt contributions of each team member and their commitment to our mission. And that work would not have been possible without your ongoing support. It is your support, engagement, and partnership that enables further progress toward educational equity in the state of Illinois. Thank you.

Here’s to hitting the ground running again in 2022.

Warmest holiday wishes,

Lisa Castillo Richmond