North Central College - Naperville, IL
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Education

North Central College has a longstanding history of "educating the educators" throughout the Midwest. Our students gain hands-on experience in some of Illinois' finest school districts before they graduate. Explore the many specializations offered by our education program.

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Laurel White

English: writing major

The College Scholars program, robust study abroad programs, and variety of research grants attracted Laurel to North Central. Once here, she took advantage of every opportunity. Interested in public policy journalism, she traveled to London to study British impressions of the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. She attended a taping of the “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” to research the culture of political satire. And she presented the results of both projects at the National Conferences for Undergraduate Research.

Co-editor-in-chief of North Central’s student newspaper, The Chronicle, Laurel landed a spot at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She also won a highly competitive Dunn Fellowship to work for one year in the Governor of Illinois’ Press Office in Springfield, IL. “The Dunn Fellowship is an excellent learning opportunity, which wouldn't have been possible without the encouragement and support of North Central faculty,” she says. “I am lucky to have had a group of excellent professors to support and encourage me throughout the application process and my entire academic career.”

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Eliseo Martinez

Music education major

Eliseo received two job offers upon graduation and he accepted a position teaching music at an Aurora elementary school where he student-taught.

His story began with North Central's professors and teaching opportunities, which he describes as second to none. "Our teachers look for potential in you, not just musical expertise, and they give you one-on-one attention and freedom to design your own individual program," he says. "I set my own goals and studied voice, piano, clarinet and conducting. I also loaded all my music education classes and ensembles into my first couple years so I could decide where I wanted to focus. At larger schools with larger classes, you don’t get the chance to customize your program or take lots of lessons."

Eliseo also gained significant teaching and mentoring experience by working with the Junior/Senior Scholars program, North Central’s yearlong college readiness program for disadvantaged youth in high-need communities. He was Golden Apple Scholar during his four-year North Central career.

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Melissa Guido

English language learning minor

"ELL can benefit any prospective or current teacher," says Melissa, who is pairing her major in elementary education with a double minor in English language learning (ELL) and reading. "Schools today are very diverse, and every student deserves an education and an opportunity to succeed. "ELL teachers don’t need to speak a second language in order to succeed," she notes. "This minor is based on teaching strategies and communicating in universal ways. It will help me break the language barrier so that each student learns in the way that suits them best." (Read Melissa's blog for her firsthand account of North Central’s education program.)

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Steve Stack

Social science/history major

"My professors and coaches have influenced my life so much, helping me be a better person, and I want to give back to others as a teacher and a coach."

Steve’s passion and experience for teaching history were cultivated both inside and outside the classroom. He credits the many opportunities and hours he spent with his professors just talking about history and learning how to develop his research and writing skills. His goal is to pass along his knowledge and passion to his future students.

"We have some of the brightest people in the country teaching right here. Professor Ann Keating is a leading historian in Chicago. And my other professors have published multiple times and have elite school backgrounds and chose to come here to give one-on-one time and mentoring. I’ve benefitted so much from them."

His education professors not only taught him skills he needed in the classroom but connected him with superior schools and teachers in the Naperville area for his practicum and student teaching experiences.

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Alex Knobloch

Biology major

After completing the College’s Summer Research Program, Alex presented his findings at the 2010 Rall Symposium for Undergraduate Research. "The faculty hold students to a high level of academic achievement. That’s challenging, to say the least, but it’s also very rewarding," says Alex, who worked on a project that involved synthesizing a salamander's DNA. "My work gave me an appreciation for the research process that will last the rest of my life. I worked closely with faculty in their roles as research advisors and contributed to a science department culture that is really flourishing."

In 2010 Alex was named the College’s Outstanding Major in Biology as well as the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Man of the Year, which recognizes the athletic conference’s top male student-athlete. Today Alex attends the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD, where he’s pursuing a medical degree through the Air Force. He ultimately hopes to practice family medicine as a primary care physician.

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Jesse Carey

Chemistry major

“I started working on a research project the summer after my first year. I wanted to make compounds in a new, greener way using a technique called BASIL (it stands for biphasic acid scavenging using ionic liquids). I presented my work to Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area during my sophomore year, then continued my research with Professor Paul Brandt over the next two summers.

“Starting my research early definitely helped me with upper-level course work; I also developed good lab skills and got to meet other people. Learning to share research with biologists, physicists, and psychologists—and with people from other fields—teaches you how to explain what you’re doing in layman’s terms.”

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Tricia O'Donnell

Art education major

Driven by the belief that creativity is vitally important, Tricia is dedicated to helping students reach their creative potential. Her North Central experience has helped her do just that. Studio art professors have challenged her to develop her own style, which she is eager to share with her future students. The Junior/Senior Scholars program, practicums and student teaching opportunities have helped her cultivate a flexible teaching style. And campus clubs have provided a robust network of friends and colleagues. Now she’s ready to change the world, one student at a time.

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Amanda Chlebek

Elementary education major

Each year, Naperville’s Beebe Elementary School welcomes more than 20 North Central students like Amanda for field experience. These teachers-in-training spend 20 weeks observing the latest methods for teaching reading and language arts, developing and teaching lesson plans and working with small groups of pupils. It’s an inspiring experience for Amanda. “I look forward to spending more time learning with the students and watching them grow with the knowledge I help provide,” she says.

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Christina Lorenzo

Mathematics major

Christina found that studying in Moscow for a semester presented some interesting challenges—both inside and outside the classroom. Her 15 weeks at the prestigious Mathematics in Moscow program at the Independent University of Moscow tested her abilities. The graduate-level courses were taught in English, but covered some tough lessons. “It was very difficult but worth it because they pushed us to a new level.”

As a Lederman Scholar, Christina enrolled at North Central during her years at Neuqua Valley High School for additional math classes and to accumulate college credits. Once on campus, she worked closely with professors on their research and presented at conferences. She received an honorable mention in the Barry M. Goldwater National Scholarship program, a high achievement in the sciences.

Christina is currently earning a doctorate in mathematics at Purdue University.

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