CHICAGO — Every day, right before the sun sets, Marilyn Ulloa makes her way to her job as a commercial truck driver in the Chicago area; it’s an unusual career path for a young woman, but one that has been rewarding, she said.
At 22, Ulloa was inspired to obtain a commercial driver’s license through a program funded by PREP — the Pathways to Readiness and Empowerment Program by PepsiCo — which embodies the company’s commitment to investing more than $5 million in community organizations to motivate young people from Chicago’s South and West sides and finance a path for them to enter different careers by 2026.
For Ulloa, who thought that only men could thrive in the trucking industry, the opportunity has been a blessing, she said. Shortly after getting her CDL, the Cicero resident got hired as a driver at PepsiCo’s 35th Street distribution center in October. One day, she said, she hopes to have her own trucking company.
