Naveeda Athar, Ed.D, LCPC, CADC, CDVP, ACS, NCC, CPAIP, Human Services Department
- Received a scholarship from NBCC (National Board for Certified Counselors) to get a coaching certificate. Will soon be taking the Board Certified Coach exam.
- Associate Professor at my University Concordia University
Edward Bates, History Department
Edward redesigned, without additional pay, online classes for History 1130,1140, and 2260 and shared his work with fellow adjunct instructors.
- In May 2016, Edward earned his PhD from Northern Illinois University. The title of his dissertation is: “Disposable Labor: Urban and Rural Agricultural Migrants from the Monterrey Center through the Nuevo Leon Corridor to San Antonio, 1915-1925.” He is currently working with two different journals regarding the possibility of publishing two of the chapters in their respective publications.
Zerrin Bulut, Humanities Department, http://www.suburbanunity.org
In addition to her love of teaching at College of DuPage, Zerrin actively engages in volunteer work and community service.
- Zerrin is a chapter leader of the Bridge to Turkiye Fund in Chicago. The Bridge to Turkiye Fund is a philanthropic bridge between the United States and Turkey encouraging Turkish American donors and friends to support projects related to children’s education and health care in Turkey in rural and underserved areas. It’s an organization built on grassroots advocacy and community mobilization which supports anything from actual school buildings to libraries to scholarships for school to even boots, books and backpacks for school children, and even health care, if needed. The education, in turn, empowers them to build their own bridges to a better future in their own country.
- Zerrin is also active in the Suburban Unity Alliance of Oak Park, River Forest, and Forest Park. Created in the summer of 2016, this alliance showcases diversity in suburban communities, raises discrimination awareness, and strives to bring entire communities together based on empathy, collaboration, and equitable philanthropic endeavors. Currently over 400 individuals and 40 businesses have signed the Suburban Unity Pledge which asks each member to take a stand against all forms of discrimination. Zerrin is a member of the Equity Mediation Committee formed to oversee concerns in schools and the community at large with respect to discrimination and the need for mediation and collaboration. The group, headed by a local area teacher, is made up of a mix of community members and business persons.
Barb Dion, LPC, LCPC, Counseling and Advising
Barb has been a part-time counselor for 30 years! She volunteered weekly at a Hospice as a Bereavement Counselor for 5 years. Barb will return to the Hospice work in January.
Richard Flint, Math Department
Richard’s book, “A Non-Mathematician’s Guide to Statistics” was published last summer by Cognella. Richard’s many interests include:
- Performing at the Lisle Depot Days (solo acoustic blues, rags, and spirituals)
- A lecture at the Lisle Public Library on the Mayors of Chicago
- For the past six years in October, Richard has hosted a monster movie series at his local library where he screens classics of the golden age of screen horror.
Monika Gadek-Stephan, ESL/ABE/ASE
Monika received a 2016 Mentoring Recognition Award from the TESOL Program, Department of Linguistics, from the University of Illinois at Chicago. This award is “in recognition of outstanding mentoring work with MA TESOL interns at UIC and contributions to UIC’s TESOL graduate student education and the ESL teaching profession
Edlira Gjata, ELA/ABE/GED Department
Edlira started working at COD since 2007. She is passionate about teaching and provides her students with many community resources to help make their transition in our country easy.
Edlira assisted in writing the curriculum for the EL Civics, reading, and writing classes for the ELA/ABE/
Gloria Kas, Lecturer, Nursing
Every semester, Gloria provides special recognition of her students by coordinating and hosting a Commencement program for students completing the Certified Nurse Assistant course (Nursa 1105) at College of DuPage. Gloria helps the students create a Commencement Program which lists the names of each graduate. Activities include a processional, graduation poem, and the CNA’s prayer. Gloria presides over the welcome, the presentation of certificates and the pinning. Photos are taken of each student receiving his/her certificate and refreshments and hor d’oeuvres follow the ceremony.
Ruby (Rajwinder) Kaur, Anatomy & Physiology
Ruby volunteered/served in the Faculty Development Committee for about two years with Psychology Professor Ken Gray and TLC staff.
- She is an active member of the “DuPage County Unity and Partnership Group” where we collaborate with Law Enforcement and Police Chiefs to develop diversity programs for youth and the community.
- She serves as a Liasion at the PDAC (Parent Diversity Advisory Council) for Naperville School Districts to collaborate with school principals to stablish events on diversity and inclusion.
At COD, Ruby volunteers for study groups/session outside the classroom time, with a record of serving COD with more volunteer hours than work hours.
Johnson Lawrence, Humanities Department
Johnson is the author of “Two religious critiques of liberal democracy : a comparison of the political theories of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Franklin I. Gamwell” His book is available at the COD library.
Caitlin Luetger, Lecturer, Humanities Department
- Caitlin recently completed the college’s Safe Zone training to better serve her students and community.
- She is a volunteer Leader at Chicago Cares in her spare time. Through this program, Caitlin volunteer-manages a program that benefits low-income communities impacted by aids & HIV.
- In November, Caitlin will be speaking at the CCHA central conference about job training in the humanities classroom for non-majors.
Candace McCreary, Sociology
Candace recently received a $1,000 grant from the Illinois Education Association’s Schools and Community Outreach by Educators (SCORE) program. The grant will support the Poplar Creek Public Library District’s (Streamwood) work with El Centro Informacion in reaching an isolated group of Hispanic children who can’t get to the library for reading materials in Hanover Park. The Poplar Creek Public Library District (PCPLD) works with the LTA internship program at COD. Candace is President of the PCPLD.
Wendy Pavlick, M.S. Ed., NCC, LPC, Counseling and Advising
Wendy was recently awarded the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential.
Rick Polad, Earth Science
Rick is the author of the “Spencer Manning Mystery Series” which are set in Chicago and weave in local settings and history. The last book,” Missing Boy,” was set in Riverview Amusement Park. The books are available on Amazon as e books or paperback and reviews are good.
Jessica L. Rangel, Spanish
Jessica qualified for the International Triathlon Union’s World Championships. She recently returned from Cozumel, Mexico, where she represented Team USA in her age group, and came in 24th place in the world.
Gary Schirmer, Department of Fine Art (Drawing, Life Drawing, Painting 2-D Design)
His students recently won awards at the Illinois Community College Juried Exhibition at Governors State University. Gary is a commercial photographer with two complete catalogues published by Southern Illinois University, as well as other works published in national art publications.
- 2004 Outstanding Part-time Faculty Award
- 15 years working on a regular contract basis with PBS/WTTW Chicago. His scenic design, painting and prop fabrication has been featured prominently in several television programs produced by WTTW over the years, including Check Please, Soundstage, Illinois Golden Apple Awards (four editions), and Chicago Time Machine with Geoffrey Baer.
- Ongoing commission for fifteen years with the Wisconsin Humane Society, creating promotional oil-painted portraits of animals, for reproduction and display on two Wisconsin facilities, in Milwaukee and Ozaukee County, of which the original works go to prominent donors.
Produced and shown his artwork regularly in solo and group exhibitions for thirty-five years. One-person exhibits include The Villa Terrace Museum in Milwaukee, WI, Fermi Lab National Accelerator in Batavia, IL, and Benedictine University in Lisle IL. In spring of 2016, in an annual exhibit organized by the Alliance of Fine Arts of the greater Chicago area, Gary was awarded Best of Show in an exhibit called Best of the Best.
Dr. Amanda Smothers, English Department
Amanda earned her PhD in English in May 2016 from Northern Illinois University. Her book, The Real Thing: Essays on Tom Stoppard in Celebration of His 75th Birthday, was published in 2013.
Kelly Stokes, Ed.D., Humanities Department
Kelly is the Community Engagement Coordinator, Salt Creek Ballet. She recently presented at the National Dance Educators Organization (NDEO) conference in Washington D.C. as well being involved in NDEO’s Arts Advocacy Day. As part of this experience, she met with staffers for U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D. IL) and Mark Kirk (R.IL) and Congressman Peter Roskam (R, Dist. 6) to discuss their support for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and to request expanded funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Support of both the ESSA bill and NEA funding has a direct impact upon future funding for both performing arts and arts in education programs in Illinois.