For a school in a small town like Round Lake, the opportunity to collaborate with one of Chicago's sports teams felt monumental.
"It's such a huge opportunity to have gone to work with something so big, because we're something so small," said Taylor, a Round Lake senior. "And it was just so great that we were able to create such a beautiful and colorful thing that brought so many different people together."
The final deck blended Bears branding with cultural icons and local pride. Some of the cards included Round Lake staples like Sammie's, a Chicago hot dog restaurant, an elote cart and paletas de payaso (clown ice cream pops). Each piece represents not just Hispanic heritage, but each student's personality.
The deck also included Bears elements such as a bear paw, the iconic wishbone "C" logo and even a sketch of Hall of Fame head coach Mike Ditka's mustache. Each drawing carefully mixed football, the Bears and Hispanic culture.
For Rivera, the project hit close to home.
"My stepdad is a huge Bears fan," she said, smiling. "And when I first told him, he was so excited for me … being included in this Bears project, that's my greatest experience."