printer-friendlyCurrent Students
Matthew Carey
I attained my undergraduate degree in Business Management with a concentration in Management of Information Systems at the University of Illinois. Post graduation I worked for some time in international business with interests involving Japan and the United States. However, I found that the most valuable asset that one can give to another human being, which will appreciate over time, is not a good but a service, education! Before entering the Masters plus certification program at UIUC I spent some time tutoring refugee children in Urbana in English, Math, and Social Studies. I also spent roughly two years teaching English as a Second Language in the Republic of Korea and Japan. I speak Japanese, Spanish and a little Korean and have found a growing interest in bilingual education. However, at this point I am working on utilizing my past experiences to become the best Social Studies teacher that I can be. My goal is to open the minds of future generations to question to question what is beyond our borders and exactly what does globalization mean to them.
Should anyone have any questions about C&I that I could help with please contact me at mcarey@uiuc.edu.
Rachel Endo
I am a doctoral candidate at Illinois and an adjunct faculty at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Nebraska. I hold a graduate teacher certificate from the Center for Teaching Excellence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in addition to degrees at the University of Nebraska at Omaha including a master of arts in secondary education, a master of public administration in public management, and a graduate certificate in instructional technology.
My interdisciplinary research areas include Asian American educational experiences; comparative approaches to ethnic studies and multicultural education; critical approaches to curriculum theory, particularly with analytic foci on the politics of knowledge construction; and language/literacy issues pertaining to Asian Americans and other populations of color. I also research the multiply situated narratives of post-1965 Japanese expatriate and immigrant populations. Currently, I am researching the educational experiences of 1.5- and second-generation Japanese Americans educated in predominantly White school districts in the Midwest as 'new' Asian Americans.
The CI community has a strong commitment for improving schooling for all children, although we each offer our unique contributions to the field through our conceptual, methodological, and theoretical diversities. Should you have any questions about the doctoral program or wish to contact me, send me an e-mail at: rendo2@uiuc.edu. I also maintain a website at: https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rendo2/www/index.htm
Wayne Journell
I came to the University of Illinois from Virginia after teaching four years of high school social studies. I has the opportunity to recieve the Stiss Fellowship for the 2006-2007 academic year so I decided to pursue my dream of being a teacher educator at the university level.
I am a first year PhD student with an interest in elearning in regard to social studies. I am concerned with the level of civic responsibility created in an elearning environment as opposed to traditional classes. More importantly, I have a great interest in training future social studies educators as I still have a passion for teaching.
Feel free to contact me: ajourne2@uiuc.edu
Kimberly N. Parker
I came to UIUC after a short stint at the University of Pennsylvania. I wanted to build on my work as a successful teacher of young Black men in a way that placed their experiences as central to the research about them. Since coming to Language and Literacy, I have learned what it means to be a scholar, and how I can take what I have learned and apply it to classrooms in a manner that benefits young Black men. I am currently writing my dissertation about the participation of middle school Black boys in a book club and am considering my future options. I see myself as a scholar whose future work is tied closely to practice. The University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign has prepared me to ask critical questions, given me the tools necessary to make effective change, and has provided me with the confidence to believe that my research is important.
Raul Alberto Mora (MA, Class of 2004; PhD Cohort 2004)
I am originally from Medellin, Colombia, when I was an English as a Foreign Language teacher for ten years in schools and language centers in my hometown. I came to the University of Illinois in 2002 as a Fulbright Graduate Student and finished my master's in C&I in 2004. I am currently in the third year of my doctoral program ( Ph.D.) in C&I. I have worked as a Research Assistant with Professors Renee T. Clift (who is also my adviser) and Georgia Garcia, and I am currently a Teaching Assistant for the Office of Clinical Experiences.
Two areas comprise my research agenda: The first is the study of teacher education, particularly preservice teacher education, and the impact of teacher education programs in the process of learning to teach. The second is literacy development, both in teachers and students, looking at the construction of literacy/ies inside and outside of the classroom. Within literacy development, a subset of my research has explored how to use television for critical purposes in EFL/ESL classrooms.
In addition, I have shared my experiences in research, literacy, and teacher education in several conferences in the United States and Colombia. Also, last July I taught a Summer Seminar on Qualitative Research to teacher educators and administrators in Colombia.
If you have any further questions about being a student in C&I, feel free to e-mail me at raulmora@uiuc.edu
Virgil E. Varvel Jr.
After starting a successful research career in Biochemistry including research on DNA forensics and Mad Cow Disease, I didn’t tangibly feel like I was helping people in a personal way in the research field where my discoveries went to make people money. One day, while sitting down for lunch with a Nobel Laureate on one side and the President of the National Academy of Science on the other, really, I realized that I wasn’t truly happy where I was. At ABD, I took an M.S. in Biomolecular Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and came back to Illinois with the initial desire to be a science instructor in high school.
While completing the Masters plus certification program in C&I, I worked with the Office of Educational Technology (OET) in several roles and realized that technology-assisted instruction held an interest for me. My experience with educational technology actually began when I was 12 years old. Using an Apple IIe, I programmed a simple quizzing program on the United States Constitution for 7th and 8th graders at my junior high school. In high school, I was furthermore lucky enough to be part of a JPR program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The program involved a series of self-paced programming skills tutorials completed on PLATO systems in the Fourth Language. Years later, the training is completely useless, but it did hone my problem solving skills. I also continued to learn what I could about computers by programming on my Commodore 64 (remember those). Those were the good-old-days that I can tell my descendants about when I become the antiquated grandpa figure. While a part of OET, I implemented and evaluated the first wide-area wireless network on campus. In 2000 I finished my M.Ed. with certification in 6-12 biology, physics, and chemistry.
Currently, I am slowly working my way through the doctorate program while working full time for University Outreach and Public Service as part of the Illinois Virtual Campus. In 2002, my unit won the Excellence in ALN Faculty Development award from the Sloan-consortium, and in 2005, I won the WebCT Exemplary Course award for a course on intellectual property taught to faculty. In my spare time, I enjoy playing with my 4-year old daughter, Hope, spending time with my wife, working in the yard, playing racquetball and paintball, and am active in the church among other things acting as Small Group Ministries Director.
You can always find out more about me and what I’m up to currently by looking at my home page http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/varvel/virgilweb/default.asp or the Illinois Online Website that I manage and where I have my blog at http://www.ion.uillinois.edu/.
Our Alumni
Janice Bailey-Walker
I was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am the wife of Duronne K. Walker Sr. who is a Ph.d Student in The Department of Educational Policy Studies and the mother of Kennedi and Duronne Walker Jr. I received my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from Southern y in New Orleans. I am currently a Masters Candidate in the Curriculum and Instruction, specializing in Language and Literacy. Teaching children strategies and techniques in reading have always been a keen desire of mine. Upon completion of my Masters Degree in December 06, my goal is to pursue a Certificate of Advance Studies Degree in C & I where I plan to gain more knowledge and research based practices in Early Childhood and Elementary Education. My family and I plan to return back to the city of New Orleans where I can utilize the knowledge and strengths gained as a graduated student from the U of I and become a Reading Specialist, particularly in the Louisiana Recovery District.
Alishia M. Battle
My name is Alishia M. Battle and I am a native of Chicago, IL. I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago where I attended Emmanuel Christian School. After elementary school, I enrolled in Morgan Park High School where I enjoyed and participated in a plethora of extracurricular activities (sports & clubs), while engaging in the academic rigors of school. Upon completion of my secondary education, I attended Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education.
I am currently a graduate student in the department of Curriculum & Instruction. As a candidate for the Ed.M, my area of study is language & literacy instruction and early childhood special education. I have a keen interest in working with students who have reading disabilities & difficulties. After completing the master’s degree, I would like to teach and eventually become an administrator in the field of education. The faculty in the department of Curriculum & Instruction are outstanding scholars but more importantly, they are a wonderful source of support for students.
Contact Info: abattle2@uiuc.edu
Sunday Cummins
I am an independent literacy consultant and a doctoral candidate in Language and Literacy at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I will begin as an assistant professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at National-Louis University on January 1st, 2007. I hold a Master of Arts degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in Curriculum and Instruction and am trained in Reading Recovery. As a literacy consultant I provide workshops, model lessons, and coaching on effective pedagogical practices for teaching reading and writing in the elementary and middle school grades. I have served as a research assistant at the University of Illinois, working on a federal grant studying reading fluency and comprehension instruction in low achieving schools. I have supervised student teachers and during the 2005-2006 school year, I also taught a language arts methods course for undergraduates at the University. Prior to starting my doctoral degree, I worked in the public schools for twelve years as a middle school special education teacher, a third grade classroom teacher, a Reading Recovery teacher, and a district literacy coach. I am also the mother of a beautiful four year old – Anna!
Feel free to contact me: sunday.cummins@gmail.com