Vicky Archos, Assistant Professor of Communications
Have you ever felt like you do not belong or felt out of place? Some people living in America feel this way. I grew up feeling this way because my parents are immigrants. However, America provides opportunities for all people and our community colleges are a great place to take advantage of opportunities for education and self-improvement. My father took advantage of community college by taking classes to improve his English and small business.
When I was looking at where to go to college, my father said to me, “It’s not where you go, but what you do there that matters.” I never forgot his words and I chose to attend Illinois State University. While I was there, I worked for the newspaper, the tv station and the radio station. I also joined an honor’s society, Phi Sigma Pi. I was fortunate to meet individuals from all different backgrounds and I did not feel out of place anymore.
Waubonsee Community College is another place where I feel like I belong. As a first-generation college student, I can relate to many of my students and colleagues who are also first-generation college students. Being bi-lingual, I can relate to students, faculty and staff who are also bi-lingual.
As a woman and a mother, I can relate to students who are raising families and taking courses to enrich their education and future. Representation matters in classroom content because it helps to make connections with students. Therefore, when I gather examples to share in my teaching, I choose diverse examples that are representative of the students in my classroom. Another goal I have is for my students to learn from one another. When students share examples and experiences, they can start to relate to one another and it helps to build a stronger class climate.
As Maya Angelou once said, “…people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
