Rigo’s Legacy
About Rigo Padilla Pérez
Rigo Padilla Pérez (1988–2023), College and Career Coach and Undocumented Student Support Specialist at Solorio Academy High School, dedicated his life to ensuring that students of color obtained quality opportunities regardless of their background. Raised in West Town and Gage Park, Rigo’s lived experience reflected the realities of gentrification, school closings, violence, and the exploitation of immigrants in Chicago.
Since 2009, Rigo was deeply involved in supporting undocumented communities. He was a founding member of the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) and the Illinois Dream Fund, while also serving as a leader in national campaigns to humanize undocumented people through advocacy and direct action.
Rigo earned his high school diploma from Noble Street College Prep and both his bachelor’s and Master of Arts degrees in Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS) from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). While at UIC, he became a powerful advocate for undocumented immigrant students—often while navigating his own immigration case. His courage and persistence helped bring visibility to the undocumented student struggle on campus and beyond.
Although Rigo is no longer with us, his influence lives on through the countless students and community members whose lives he touched. In honor of his unwavering dedication, UIC named its Undocumented Student Resource Center after Rigo Padilla Pérez, ensuring that his legacy of advocacy, empowerment, and justice continues to guide our mission. Every student who walks through our doors is a part of the vision Rigo fought for—a campus where undocumented and mixed-status students are seen, supported, and celebrated.
Rigo's Quote
The beauty and the heart ache the strong stem and piercing thorn of struggle. From the roots to the ashes. We are the roses. We rise out of the shadows and into the streets. We stand for justice and peace. We are undocumented, unafraid, and unapologetic. They will never bury us!