When Sergeant Giselle Ochoa walks the halls of Manual and Peoria High Schools today, she doesn’t just see classrooms, she sees herself.
She sees a student who once sat in those same desks and refused to let circumstance define her future. Now, as a recruiter for the Illinois Army National Guard, Giselle has returned not only as a graduate, but as a mentor, advocate, and living example of what’s possible.
A member of Manual High School’s Class of 2020, Giselle graduated as the salutatorian of her class, having already enlisted in the National Guard at just 17 years old. Her story mirrors that of many driven Manual students, talented, motivated, and determined to build a better future. But for Giselle, success was never meant to be kept to herself.
“I wanted students to see someone who sat in the same chairs they’re sitting in,” she said. “Someone taught by the same teachers who actually made it and came back.”
That desire to give back is what led Giselle to recruiting. Today, she serves Peoria Public Schools as the Illinois Army National Guard recruiter for Manual High School and Peoria High School, bringing opportunity directly to students who may not always see themselves represented in spaces of success.
Her commitment to representation runs deep. While still a student, Giselle helped found the Hispanic Heritage Month at Manual High School, creating a celebration that began with no sponsors and no funding, just passion and community.
“We choreographed our own dances, wrote our own scripts, and begged our parents to cook food,” she recalled. “We even ran out of food the first year.”
What started as a student-led effort has since grown schoolwide. Today, Hispanic Heritage Month is not only embraced at Manual High but echoed across other Peoria schools, a point of pride Giselle holds close to her heart.
As a recruiter, Giselle emphasizes that the Illinois Army National Guard is not a one-size-fits-all path; it’s a flexible one. Whether students plan to attend college, trade school, or are still figuring out their next steps, she helps them understand the benefits available to them.
Those benefits include full tuition coverage at Illinois schools, monthly stipends through the Montgomery GI Bill, affordable health insurance, financial literacy training, and long-term opportunities like VA home loans. These tools can be life-changing for young adults navigating an increasingly expensive world.
Growing up in an immigrant family, Giselle understood fear at an early age. The fear that her parents could be separated from her at any moment. Her decision to enlist helped her family secure legal protections that allowed her father to remain in the United States and eventually obtain his green card.
“After 30 years, we were finally able to take my dad back to Mexico and surprise his sister,” she said. “That moment meant everything.”
Outside of recruiting, Giselle continues to invest in the community in countless ways. She coaches girls’ flag football at Manual High, teaches Sunday school on the South Side, and stays in contact with former students long after they’ve graduated.
“It’s not about numbers,” she said. “It’s about knowing these students are okay.”
For Peoria Public Schools, Giselle Ochoa represents exactly what community impact looks like, a graduate who returned, uplifted others, and turned opportunity into purpose.
“These students are our future doctors, nurses, lawyers, and leaders,” she said. “Sometimes all it takes is one person who believes in them.”
And for many PPS students, that person is Sergeant Giselle Ochoa.