A student whom thrives upon a mission where the end goal being accomplished is one that their journey has led them to; someone whom continues to grow and prosper daily; a limelight of the community: meet senior Christopher Vargas, a resourceful student at West Chicago Community High School who dreams of becoming an entrepreneur.

Vargas, whose hometown is Michoacan, Mexico, believes his heritage is a contributing factor in his determination to succeed; proudly sporting the Mexican flag, Vargas cites his family’s business, particularly that of his grandfather, as a contributing factor behind his decision to pursue a career in business.  

“After high school, I’m planning on going to a four-year university. I’m either between finance or business administration,” Vargas said.

The business field comes with its perks, and Vargas hopes that going that route will help him travel, and allow him to experience places that he has not seen yet.

“You can see business all around the world when traveling places. You have someone with their own stand, selling things. And it’s just quite interesting,” Vargas said.  

On March 27, 2024, West Chicago Community High School announced that Vargas was selected as a 2024 Dell Scholar. He will receive a $20,000 scholarship disbursed over the course of his academic career, which will help make his dreams a reality.

“His hard work, determination, and passion for learning have truly set him apart. We have no doubt that he will continue to achieve great success in his academic and professional endeavors,” Dr. Will Dwyer, Principal, said via press release.

The Dell Scholars program is open to all students who have participated in a college readiness program, like AVID, during their junior and years. Vargas has been a participant in the program since his sophomore year.

Vargas’ AVID teacher, Jennifer Culbertson, acknowledges his accomplishments, as well as the influence Vargas has with his peers. 

“He is very dedicated to his studies, kind to his classmates, and respectful of others. He has a quiet and calming presence,” Culbertson said.

But when Vargas is not focused on his academics, he is listening to music, particularly his favorite artist, rapper, singer, producer and performer Playboi Carti. Vargas explains that Carti’s creative art is an inspiration. Just as Carti continues to grow and create a vision, so too does Vargas.

“I just enjoy his creative work, I guess because like every album sounds different. So you can clearly see that. Every project he drops, he always tries to aim for something new,” Vargas said.

And as Carti does, Vargas implements hints of Avant Garde in his day-to-day style, combining pieces of streetwear and business casual to provide a new contrast of mixed fashion styles that Vargas formed himself and are unique to his personality. 

“He’s a big fan. Chris has find Playboi Carti inspiring because of how Carti has built his own unique sound and style. Carti has always stayed truth to himself, doing his own thing which has made Chris to also stay true to himself. Playboi Carti is an innovative artist that comes up with creativity and new ideas to his albums and that may have inspired Chris to be creative with his ideas,” friend and fellow senior Fernando Botello said.

Ahead of Carti’s North American “Antagonist” tour, which was in February, Vargas looked forward to the roll out of his favorite artist’s work, and seeing the musician in concert. 

“I bought tickets myself. I was supposed to go in October, but he postponed it because he’s already on scene with the European tour,” Vargas said. 

Though the opportunity to see Vargas’ favorite artist was delayed, he was excited to see Playboi Carti on the North American tour. 

“Carti obviously did something that disappoints everybody. After hearing all three tracks that Carti dropped, it just showed me that Carti will have something for everyone,” Vargas said.

While Carti is a figure whom Vargas acknowledges as a prominent influence on his creative approach to work, Vargas has created his own self-identity, and does not allow outside influences to sway him from his dreams. 

”There’s certain things going on to run through your life, you know. You should not let them affect you or affect the way you act,” Vargas said.