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Name:
Rita Menke-Brown
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Residence:
Belleville, Illinois
Graduation Year:
1980
Major:
English
Minor:
Communication
Why did you choose SJC?
In high school, I visited SJC for the weekend and
fell in the love with its beautiful campus. I had visited larger universities
and knew I did not want to attend a college where I would just be a number.
The College's small class sizes provided me with the opportunity to spend
one-on-one quality time with professors, and I was impressed that the curriculum
allowed me to begin my major as early as freshman year. Also, it was far
enough away from home for me to feel a sense of independence but close enough
to go home for a weekend family function. SJC was the perfect fit. As a student, what were you involved in?
I was a member of the women's basketball team for
two years and the track team for three years. I participated in several
intramural sports as a freshman, and my jobs included working for the Sports
Information Department and being a statistician for the baseball team. I
worked for WPUM Puma Rock, the campus radio station, writing clips for D.J.s
and writing and selling ads, and I was a sports writer for Stuff
(the student-produced newspaper currently known as The Observer).
What are you doing now?
After earning my Secondary Education degree in 1981
and a master's degree in the same subject in 1985 from Southern Illinois
University-Edwardsville, I began teaching high school English and Reading
and coaching the women's varsity softball team at Belleville Township High
School East, and I've been there ever since. I have been the head varsity
softball coach since my first year of teaching, and we've won the Illinois
"AA" state championship title three times since then (1989, 1995, and 2003).
When I was first hired by District 201, I was also the head tennis coach,
a position I held for 11 years. I take great pride in helping our athletes
earn college scholarships. I'm also still active with Saint Joseph's College. Some of my closest friends today are ones I made during my time at SJC, and I often attend college fairs and alumni gatherings. One of my greatest achievements was being inducted into the SJC Hall of Fame in 2002.
How did SJC prepare you for the "real world"?
SJC gave me a great foundation and confidence for
my career by helping me learn "people skills" and communication skills.
I developed solid oral and written communication skills as well as critical
thinking skills under the tutelage of former professor John Groppe. Extensive
reading gave me a well-rounded background. Finally, playing and working
in sports gave me a background that helped launch my coaching career by
exposing me to different coaching styles and techniques.
