It's hard to catch Natalie Chizzo having a bad day. Whether it's on the volleyball court, or walking the campus of UIC, a smile rarely leaves her face.
 
An everyday motto that first-year member of UIC Volleyball chooses to live by, she credits the family she is surrounded with and her love for the game in pursuing the mission to share your smile. It could possible change the outcome of anyone's day.
 
"It's really easy to share your smile because I am blessed to have the family, the people and the support staff and everybody around me like I do," Chizzo said.
 
Chizzo grew up just 20 minutes down the road from UIC in Oak Park, Ill. The oldest of four girls, she adored being the big sister of Evelyn, Audrey and Vera. Only 18 months older than Evelyn, Chizzo cherished building a bond with her growing up.
 
"You get to go everywhere with them, and you have a built-in best friend," Chizzo said.
 
Evelyn was born nonverbal and wheel chair bound with something known as polymicrogyria,  which is defined as a condition characterized by abnormal development of the brain before birth. The family found out later on through genetic testing she also had leukodystrophies, which is a group of rare genetic disorders that affect the central nervous system.
 
Recognizing it wasn't your typical upbringing, Chizzo credits the family's love for one another that got each other through all of Evelyn's health troubles.
 
"It was our norm, and our norm was already untraditional," Chizzo said. "She (Evelyn) was just my sister; it was just our life and our chaotic house."
 
Reminiscing on the memories growing up, one of Chizzo's favorite memories was whenever Evelyn would crack a big smile and laugh.
 
"Whenever we were doing family pictures, she would smile or laugh if you sneezed," Chizzo said. "It makes me smile thinking about even our extended family in Thanksgiving or Easter pictures where everyone is there and we are telling the person behind the camera, 'Just sneeze, just sneeze!'"
 
She also loved seeing her dad Andy go all-out on Evelyn's Halloween costume to match her and her younger sisters. Chizzo fondly remembers the family dressing up as Star Wars characters, or all four of the girls dressed up in the 1950's diner skirts, with Evelyn having her own pink car.
 
"He (Andy) would just deck out her wheelchair," Chizzo laughed.
 
Love and laughter wasn't the only thing prevalent in the Chizzo household. Natalie always remember the sight of a volleyball somewhere around the house. Raised by two volleyball-loving parents, Chizzo knew falling in love with the sport was something she was destined to do.
 
"Once I started playing volleyball, I fell in love with the sport," she said. "I liked the fact that it was team sport, but there was also a net between you and the opponent. I fell in love with it because it was never the same. Every single point in volleyball was different."
 
The older she got, the more passionate Chizzo became of the sport. One thing that always remained was Evelyn and the rest of the Chizzo family cheering her on from the stands.
 
"I knew they were always cheering for me, and they were always there, "Chizzo smiled.
 
Chizzo began to build some notice on the volleyball court in high school and club teams early on in her career. Among the many to recognize her skill set was UIC head coach Justin Ingram.
 
"She was a local high school athlete, who played on a very skilled club team as well," Ingram said. "She was very skilled and very good. She plays both left side and right side (of the net), typically taller players play in the middle so her journey as a taller outside hitter is rarer."
 
As collegiate volleyball aspirations became more of a reality through her high school and club level play, the Chizzo family also face hardship with Evelyn's health worsening. Entering her junior season of volleyball, Natalie and her family were in the hospital for the final months of Evelyn's life, before she tragically passed away in Nov. 2018 at the age of 15.
 
Natalie still remembers the moment her parents came home to share the news with her, her sisters and her grandmother.
 
"We all had a little slumber party on the couch the night," Chizzo said with tears in her eyes.
 
Struck with grief, Chizzo realized how quickly she leaned into her volleyball career to help her manage the family's loss.
 
"My school team and my club team, having people that have known me for a while, it was hard because these people got to know Evelyn," Chizzo said. "At the same time, having those people that knew her with me is something that I am very grateful for."
 
Chizzo was able to accomplish her volleyball dream and began her collegiate career at Northwestern beginning in the Fall of 2020. After traversing through the COVID-19 pandemic, four seasons of highly competitive volleyball in the Big 10 Conference, she was ready for a change. She enter the transfer portal after the 2023 season.
 
Ingram knew she would fit perfectly to finish her collegiate volleyball career here at UIC.
 
 
"Her journey at Northwestern provided her some unique leadership opportunities that I didn't know she possessed until I was speaking with her when she was seeking her additional year of competition." Ingram said.
 
Chizzo credits the idea of finishing her collegiate career at UIC to many reasons… ranging from getting another opportunity to play with her high school teammate Zahria Woodard to less of a commute heading home to see family. What shines even a bit brighter for the Oak Park native was the opportunity to play in a competitive program with teammates she has grown to love.
 
"Being in a competitive volleyball program was a big part of it," Chizzo said. "The people here are also so kind. The team is genuinely amazing humans. For the short time that I have been here and will be here, they are going to be some of my best friends in life…. it was a pretty easy decision."
 
Getting to learn more about Chizzo's story since she had transferred to UIC, Ingram has grown to admire her strength in honoring her sister's memory.
 
"When talking to Natalie, one of the most challenging things about loss of somebody that was young, and how she had gone through that at a young age is horrific. I couldn't imagine going through these life lessons that are dealt to you upon a young age. It teaches you a lot, it makes you grow up a lot faster than somebody that doesn't have those experiences."
 
Reflecting back on the journey she had been on since Evelyn's passing, Chizzo knows that her little sister would be proud of she has taken on the world with a smile and ready to make a difference.
 
"I'm proud of myself that I've been able to embody her character, her light and her spirit." Chizzo said. "I think she would be proud in my ability to stay positive through a lot, no matter if it would be on the court or off the court."
 
Now having just completed her collegiate volleyball career, Chizzo remains steadfast in how she will continue to pursue honoring the memory of Evelyn; through smiles and helping others.
 
Just finally submitted all of her applications to Physical Therapy schools, Chizzo aims to become a physical therapist to help members of the special needs community children like Evelyn accomplish day-to-day goals in everyday living. She credits her passion in this field to all of the appointments she went with Evelyn and her parents growing up, seeing her younger sister light up with her PT.
 
"The amount of joy and laughter that was going on during those appointments, I just remember being really little and realizing how Evelyn is having so much fun and is getting better," Chizzo said. "I want to help people physically get better and also create joy in their lives."
 
Still missing her sister every day, Chizzo marvels at how strongly positive Evelyn was through so much adversity, and how she never let the smile leave her face. Bringing that same positivity to her day-to-day, Chizzo knows her outlook continues to keep her closer to her younger sister.
 
"I am now at the point of my grief where learning to live without her, where just thinking about Evelyn, it just makes me smile," Chizzo said.

Note: All family photos are courtesy of the Chizzo Family