As suburban strip malls and homes give way to corn and soybean fields, Chicago-area students find comfort on the stretches of Interstates 88 and 80. These roads take them west toward the Mighty Mississippi River, and ultimately toward a transformative four-year education at St. Ambrose University.
Here, less than a three-hour drive from the heart of Chicago, many students find a place that feels altogether familiar yet brimming with opportunities. A place where students have the freedom to grow and experience life away from the comfort of home.
“I love that I can make the trip home in a day if I want to,” said Jack Esselman ’26, a senior at St. Ambrose University.
A Marist High School graduate — located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago — Esselman found St. Ambrose to be the perfect mix of academics, athletics, and location.
“Football was the main reason I came here,” Esselman, a sport management major, reflected. “I wanted to continue managing, and Coach Vince Fillipp made me feel very welcomed when I came on my visit.”
When Esselman finds he’s missing loved ones, it’s an easy trip home. “Just last week, I wanted to go home and see my family who I hadn’t seen since I came up here in August. I left my house up here at 9 a.m. and was home by 11:30 a.m. I came back to school the same day.”
Jack Breaky ’28, a graduate of Mount Carmel High School, found St. Ambrose to be an easy transition from the small-class environment and personalized education he’d grown accustomed to in high school.
“My high school was small for being in the city — we had around 600 guys — so I wanted to keep the same small size. I couldn't survive in a large lecture hall at a large school. Luckily, at SAU, I actually know my professors and I feel like they actually care about my success.”
Plainfield East graduate Shawn Harris ’29 chose SAU for similar reasons as Breaky and Esselman.
“One of the things that attracted me here was how close it was to home,” the Oak Park, Illinois, native said. “The advantages of being here are how close to home it is and that class sizes are small, allowing you to connect better with professors. You feel like you matter more to them. And, also, the people here are nice.”
Discover for yourself the advantages of the St. Ambrose campus community. Schedule your visit today. It’s the first step toward earning reduced tuition through our Engagement Grant.
