Susan: ICC Alumna Leads with Excellence

As a student, Susan’s biggest obstacle was choosing a career path without wasting time and money. After realizing her first university wasn’t the right fit, she returned home to attend Illinois Central College, landing in the Elementary Education program.

After earning her bachelor’s, master’s, and administrative degrees, ICC alumna Susan spent 27 years in various roles at a primary school before becoming the principal of a middle school for gifted students in 2019. Only nine months into her new role, COVID-19 shuttered her school, compelling her to find innovative ways to keep high-achieving students engaged in a remote setting.

After navigating these extraordinary challenges early in her tenure, Susan was honored to be named a finalist for the 2024 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Leadership—one of only five in Illinois.

“ICC gave me the flexibility to create my own schedule so I could continue working. The professors were just as strong as those at ISU, and my advisors always gave me the most honest guidance. I never felt like I was on my own.”

She also valued the financial value ICC offered, as well as the smaller class sizes, closer connections with professors, and the diverse student body.

A strong supporter of the College, Susan’s son attended ICC as well. She now serves on the College for Kids Advisory Board, where she helps identify knowledge gaps, suggests new class offerings, and promotes opportunities to her students to give them an academic advantage.

Susan never saw ICC as a fallback—she saw it as a launchpad. “I grew up here. I knew ICC was the right place to take the classes I needed, and it became my stepping stone to ISU and beyond,” she says.