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Success Stories
Name:
Tina Carroll
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Residence:
Chicago, Illinois
Graduation Year:
2002
Major:
English
Minor:
Secondary Education
Why did you choose SJC?
SJC looked great on paper, but it wasn't until I
spent my first weekend on the campus that I truly saw myself spending the
next four years of my life there. I had so much fun that I came back twice
more. Everyone was so friendly, and after speaking with faculty members,
my mind was made up. After being awarded the Presidential Scholarship, I
felt destined to attend SJC. As a student, what were you involved in?
I was involved in Gallagher Charitable Society,
Eucharistic Ministry, the Freshman Leader Program, and intramural sports.
I also served as a Tour Guide for the Office of Admissions and a Proofreader
for SJC's Writing Clinic. In addition to my extracurricular activities, I was a Teacher's Assistant for every semester of my college career - a role that my Education minor required me to take on. I observed classrooms at both the middle-school and high-school level, tutored students, and assisted teachers with lesson plans. By the end of my senior year, I was teaching high school English classes.
What are you doing now?
I'm an English teacher at Queen of Peace High School
in Burbank, Illinois, where I teach classes in American literature and language
and composition, the latter being an Advanced Placement class. I am also
the Assistant Sophomore Basketball Coach and Fitness Room Supervisor. The best part about working at Queen of Peace is the supportive atmosphere for both students and faculty. We are a learning community, and so much of what we do here is values-based. The emphasis is always on learning and helping one another to grow. However, we also have a lot of fun; for example, I was recently involved in the annual faculty variety show that the teachers create for the students, and I played Madonna, Sandra Dee from Grease, and a zombie from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. I cannot imagine myself in any other career. Every day, a new challenge awaits me, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
How did SJC prepare you for the "real world"?
The experiences I had at SJC - standing up for my
opinions in the classroom (as well as welcoming the opinions of others),
developing a portfolio of my work, and actually teaching high school English
classes as a senior - have shaped my development as a teacher. The College
did a tremendous job preparing me to enter the working world by demanding
that I speak up in class and develop opinions and a voice. I gained confidence
and composure in a professional setting. At faculty meetings, I have no
reservations about speaking up because I realize my opinion is valid. At SJC, I also learned how to become organized, a lesson I had plenty of practice with as a Student Teacher my senior year. Something as simple as taking attendance every period can turn into a nightmare. What was nice about student teaching was that I had some help from my supervising teachers, who had systems already in place and helpful hints for me. Now, it makes me feel good when my colleagues ask how I always seem so organized with my lessons and even my demeanor when deadlines are approaching. And because I was involved in so many activities, I learned how to be a leader both in and out of the classroom. The confidence that SJC instilled in me helps me to remember that I have the power and ability to transform the lives of my students.
