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Waubonsee Community College is proud to announce Hugo Saltijeral as the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, recognizing his leadership, community advocacy, and commitment to expanding opportunities for underserved populations.
Saltijeral serves as the executive director of Valley Sheltered Workshop (VSW) in Batavia, where he has led a major organizational transformation focused on education, employment pathways, and community integration for adults with disabilities. When he joined the organization, VSW served just 12 individuals in a single program. Today, the organization supports more than 70 individuals each week across multiple service tracks, including permanent supportive employment, a Lifelong Learner educational program, and mentorship-based transition partnerships.
His leadership and advocacy have also extended statewide. Saltijeral currently serves on the Illinois Governor’s Taskforce for Employment and Economic Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, helping shape policy and expand workforce opportunities for individuals with disabilities across the state.
Saltijeral’s path to leadership began with a decision he once never expected to make, returning to college at age 35.
After struggling in high school and believing higher education was not meant for him, Saltijeral was encouraged by a counselor at the homeless shelter where he worked to reconsider what college could look like. He enrolled at Waubonsee Community College, citing an immediate sense of belonging after submitting his application and receiving an email back titled “Welcome to Waubonsee”. He took classes part-time while working and raising three children, eventually earned an associate degree in sociology with a 4.0 GPA, and later completed a bachelor’s degree in public administration at Northern Illinois University.
“For 35 years, I thought I wasn’t good enough,” Saltijeral said. “For 35 years, I thought that [college was] for other people. And in two months, I quickly learned that I’m other people.”
Saltijeral credits Waubonsee with helping him discover the support, tools, and confidence needed to succeed as an adult learner balancing work, family, and school.
“Waubonsee’s like, we got you,” he said. “We got you. If you want a better life, we’ll walk with you.”
Before joining Valley Sheltered Workshop, Saltijeral spent more than a decade in homelessness services, helping individuals and families find pathways to stability. His work included coordinating emergency response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and helping lead early harm-reduction initiatives, including the distribution of Narcan to unhoused individuals before formal statewide programs were established.
Today, his work at VSW focuses on helping adults with disabilities find purpose, independence, and meaningful roles within their communities.
"Education for me, I believe, is the biggest gift,” he said. “What it did, it gave me this life that I was meant to have, but it [also] helped me unlock the life for so many others.”
Saltijeral hopes his story encourages others who may be considering college later in life.
“If you’re thinking about it, it’s for you,” he said. “Let Waubonsee show you how.”
The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented each year to an outstanding graduate of Waubonsee Community College who demonstrates exceptional achievement and meaningful, ongoing contributions to their professions, communities, and alma mater. The individual must have completed an associate degree or certificate program at Waubonsee.
