Chicago Semester

I spent many years in the corporate arena before starting Bowman and Associates, a consulting company that specializes in tax preparation, financial literacy and entrepreneurial consulting. Recently, I worked as the Director of Community and Economic Empowerment for a corporation with a $14mm plus annual operating budget, six subsidiaries, and over 110 employees. In addition to acting as Practicum Leader at CS, I consult and teach graduate and seminary classes on Faith-Based Community Development. I am also a published author and recently contributed to "The Prophetic Call", which investigates the impact of church, society, and the ecology on our communities.

I earned a Master's in Community Development from North Park University, a Bachelor's in Accounting, Management, and Entrepreneurship from the U. of Illinois, and I'm an alumnus of Harvard University's Summer Leadership Institute.

I am passionate about social justice, environmental justice issues, and the possibility of empowering individuals and communities to create a better world.

I did my dissertation in Cuba on the negotiation of motherhood, wage-earning, and civic engagement in the Cuban context. I also spent several years prior to coming to CS studying the impact of Latino churches on Chicago communities through the Center for the Study of Latino Religion at the University of Notre Dame.

When I'm not teaching at CS or enjoying conversations with students and staff there, you can find me volunteering with an Adult High School or dancing with a group of liturgical dancers at a local parish. I count myself extraordinarily blessed with a great group of friends, a faith community I love, and a close family. I am also very lucky to be married to Chirag Mehta, who works for the Service Employees International Union and is a great cook! We live in a two-flat with and our young daughter Sunita and some friends on Chicago's northwest side.

While I was considerably blessed to vacation with my family across most of the United States growing up, I had never spent a significant amount of time living anywhere other than the “Furniture Capital” of the country. That all changed when I decided to attend the Chicago Semester during my last semester in college.

Living and working in a big city like Chicago gave me an opportunity to engage with different cultures, establish an understanding of professional work habits, develop my ability to operate independently in an urban environment, and further my appreciation for the local arts and community involvement that breathe vibrancy into society. I took that knowledge and experience back with me to Grand Rapids after graduation and put it to use as I began working for Calvin College as an Admissions Counselor. But the Windy City called my name two years later and brought me gratefully back to the Chicago Semester where I’m working as the Coordinator of Recruitment and Student Services.

I appreciate all the arts, but am especially a lover of music and enjoy writing songs and performing with my band here in Chicago. I also like to work out and travel when I can and am always up for trying out new and different foods. Life in Chicago is great!

My own roots recall exploring all kinds of neighborhoods with my father and his friend who hauled the Stockyards and old Comiskey. We had box seats for any event at the Amphitheater and White Sox games. As a kid, many Thursday nights were spent at the old Helping Hand Mission; my parents were pioneers in urban cross-cultural ministry.

As to education, I dare wager a dinner out that I am the only graduate of Manhattan Christian living in Chicago. I also studied at the University of Guam and Calvin College, from which I graduated with a BA in philosophy. For some reason, the employment agency was not impressed that I had a knowledge of classical Greek. I’m a Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education alum and have an M.Div from Calvin Seminary. I also have a D.Min from Fuller Theological Seminary.

Currently, I lead a downtown congregation for Loop Christian Ministries. In that connection, we helped launch the Daystar School and the Chicago Urban Initiative. The Chicago Kuyper Club is also an outgrowth of that endeavor.

We have four children, and my interests include biking, piano, hiking, opera, compiling a list of ethnic bakeries and out of the way eateries, theater, exploring new neighborhoods, symphony, travel, sculpting, and our grandchildren.

I am, by nature and personality, a dreamer or a visionary type of person who prefers to see the possibilities of life rather the limitations of life.

For a number of years, I served as the President of the Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education (SCUPE). This is a program very much like Chicago Semester. We bring seminary students into Chicago for a semester that includes an internship and some intensive courses that focus on understanding the city and looking at the city through a set of theological lenses.

Psychology is my professional discipline, and I have a small private practice where I enjoy doing dream analysis from the perspective of analytical psychology. I have also been a youth director, and I have been a pastor of several churches. Leadership development is the focus of my teaching, and I use personality styles and preferences to emphasize differences in how we all live and lead. I teach two courses at North Park University, one in ethics and another in human resource development.

I love the idea of restoration. I have an old 18th century house that I have restored from top to bottom, inside and outside, and I have filled that house with antique furniture, which I have restored. The concept of restoration nurtures hope as I see the hidden beauty revealed.

This is what we do in the values and vocation course in Chicago semester-lift up the beauty that is in each of us in a way that frees us from our deepest fear.

I have been an educator since 1983 when I graduated from Illinois State University. After teaching junior high mathematics for 6 years, I returned to college as a full-time student. I graduated from the University of Iowa with my MA in 1990 and my PhD in 1996. From 1993 - 2000, I taught at a small Christian college in eastern Iowa.

In 2000 my husband and I, along with our two children, went to Tanzania as ELCA missionaries. We worked at Tumaini University, which was the first private university in Tanzania. My job at Tumaini was to design and launch a bachelor’s degree for secondary school mathematics teachers. We loved our work and friends in Tanzania, but in 2005 we returned to the USA in order to be closer to our families.

After living abroad, I am happy to have settled in a city that is a microcosm of the world! I have worked with student teachers off and on since 1989, and I thoroughly enjoy my position as the Chicago Semester Student Teaching Program Coordinator. Our student teachers are dedicated educators who are interested in urban education and who want to make a positive difference in their students’ lives. Together we learn about social justice issues in education first-hand!

But sure enough, after graduating from Calvin with a BA in English, getting married, and doing a little traveling, I found myself back in the windy city. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of the Chicago Semester team, because they are passionate about education, this city, and each of the students that pass through here. And, I am too. I love working with our students to help them discover their passions, city-life, and service.

When my husband, who is pursuing his PhD. in Philosophy at Loyola, and I aren’t busy contemplating life, I enjoy biking, reading, writing, painting, learning to cook, enjoying the lakefront, exploring Rogers Park, volunteering at a fair trade store, and serving on my church’s steering team. Living here and becoming involved in the communities that surround me have taught me a lot about making conscientious decisions to live socially and spiritually aware.

This city has so much to offer. Go explore!

I like to leave people guessing. I have five siblings all living in or around the Chicagoland area.

I am a freelance photographer and work with several non-profit organizations in the Chicagoland area. I also do weddings, events, and portraits. Photography was a hobby that has blossomed into a small business and for that I am thankful. I also do photo-journalism projects. This summer I went to Greece to photograph and tell the stories of young women who are trapped in prostitution trafficking. I was also a part of a project that took eight high school students to New Orleans. I also travel and speak at a number of events and conferences throughout the year.

Hobbies:  Photography, eating ice cream, reading, seeing just how far I can go with the "warning low gas" light blinking, pushing my car because I went just a little too far.
Some reading favorites:  Cry the Beloved Country, The Poisonwood Bible, Bird by bird, God's Politics, Nickel and Dimed, When I Was Puerto Rican, to name just a few. I love to read, so the list can go on for days.

My academic career includes a B.A. in Economics from Mundelein College, an M.A. in English from Northeastern Illinois University and a C.A.S. in Technology in the Classroom from National-Louis University.

My professional career includes forty-one years of experience in the Chicago Public Schools where I taught in grades pre-kindergarten to eight and served as a mentor teacher to many student and novice teachers. The last seven years of my career were spent as a lead teacher, administrator, and budget manager.

These experiences have prepared me to supervise and seek meaningful placements and internships for Chicago Semester students. They have also equipped me to address other issues inherent to urban education including working with diverse student populations, examining the connection between language and culture, and the inequalities in funding education to name a few. Having been born and raised in Chicago, I feel I have a special empathy for the challenges as well as the opportunities intrinsic to this very special city.

Since dealing with students has always been the focus of my life, I continue to enjoy working with our student teachers at Chicago Semester and never cease to be impressed by their enthusiasm, preparedness, and, above all, their Christian values.

I love participating in all that cities have to offer, especially their diversity in music, arts, food, and most of all people.

I spent several years working for a Fortune 100 company specializing in the technology industry before starting my own consulting firm working with churches, nonprofits and businesses to help rebuild cities. In addition to serving as the Metro Seminar Instructor for CS, I also serve as the Senior Pastor for a congregation in Chicago that is going through re-urbanization due to the regentrification of Chicago’s inner cities. You might say, that I get to “practice what I teach” every day.

In addition to my pastoral and teaching responsibilities, I also consult with churches, nonprofits and businesses in the areas of Faith-Based Community Development, Strategic Planning, Marketing and Evangelism. I recently earned my Ph.D. in theology, ethics and history from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. My dissertation, Personal and Social Holiness: The Sacraments and The Mandate for Christian Community and Economic Development for the Black Church, focuses on how to help middle-class inner city African American churches restore the poor communities which surround them.  

I am married to Adrian LaBoy, and we are the proud parents of three and the grandparents of eleven. We love spending time our family and friends here and all over the country.

Raised in Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood, I spent my childhood daily crossing the ethnic, economic and other cultural boundaries which criscross the city.

Early on, I developed an interest in geography, world cultures and languages, all of which continue to guide my sense of life calling. I have studied French, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, and currently Korean.  In high school, I participated in my first exchange program to France, and since then I have studied or volunteered in Europe, the Middle East, Central America and West Africa. I received my undergraduate education in International Politics at Georgetown University.

I have had diverse experiences in the corporate and non-profit world as an intern for political organizations, government watchdogs, and most recently as an employee of Autonomy iManage, an international software company.

I am a member of Edgewater Presbyterian Church and an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church USA. Currently, I am a graduate student in theology at North Park Theological Seminary and hope to use my degree to pursue doctoral education.  Ultimately I would like to teach and work with faith communities in the area of international and community development.

My wife Sung Yeon and I currently live in the Lincoln Square neighborhood. I enjoy cooking with her, participating in adventure/outdoor sports, watching baseball, reading and writing.

Growing up, I was fortunate to have a strong family foundation, which supported my artistic curiosities. After graduating from Marian High School, I left Michigan for Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago. I completed my studies, earning a bachelor of fine arts in photography. I attended graduate school for art history (with an emphasis on the history of photography) at Savannah College of Art and Design and am completing my master’s thesis on the portraiture of Dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra. I have presented my research at the annual Southeastern College Arts Conference and at the Larry W. Forrest Writing Competition Symposium.

I work as a curator, writer, and educator. I have spent time working at The Art Institute of Chicago, The Chicago History Museum, and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, splitting my focus in the fields of museum education and special collections and exhibitions. I am a founding member of Johalla Projects, an independent exhibition space located in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, which supports local and emerging artists.

In the past ten years, I have come to call Chicago my home.  I have lived multiple neighborhoods and have enjoyed educating myself on the vibrant communities that call Chicago home. I like learning about culture through food, traveling, cycling, running, reading, and, of course, photography!

I have also taught clinical education at North Park University. Currently, I also work as a family nurse practitioner.
 
The favorite part of my job is sharing with students my passion for nursing and the many areas where a nurse makes a difference in the lives of people. I feel that I could not have chosen a greater career, and I hope that I have influenced others to join this exciting profession.  
 
I received my nursing degrees from Chicago State University and Saint Xavier University in Chicago, and I am currently working on my doctorate in nursing from the Loyola University of New Orleans with a concentration behavioral health.

I grew up in the north side of Chicago (Rogers Park), and the city has treated me very well. One thing I love about this city is its diversity. You really don’t have to travel outside the country to experience other cultures, languages, foods, or arts ... we have them all here! I like art, music, reading, tennis, biking, animals and learning about other cultures. I speak English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Coupled with parents who love, care for, and encourage me unceasingly, enthusiastic, dedicated teachers enabled my talent to grow. Their influence on me inspired me to teach; our youth need to experience more of that powerful combination and find their place of excellence in the world.

The intimacy of life sustains me. In photography, music, poetry ... the arts ... understanding which occurs up close, to me, makes the strongest, most lasting impression.

I am from a small town (Eureka, IL) a small college (Knox) a small graduate school (Westminster), and then I was in a huge city... Chicago! I arrived here because of the Chicago Children's Choir, and taught in Chicago's Public Elementary School system for 6 years.  I remember many of the individual students who made the choir. I believe the ways they opened me up and instructed me as to how life can be was equal to the influence I may have had on them in our times singing together.

Constantly, amidst all the experiences that have shaped me in professional and personal pursuits, relationships with people in the churches in which I have served confirm over and over again that God knows what it's like to be human, and in the smallest of places: the abundant and resilient heart, exists the greatest of possibility.

But then I read Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs for a college sociology course at Trinity Christian College; lived in Toronto, Canada for 7 years and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for another 18, before returning to the Chicago area in 1996. I have also been able to visit some of the world’s great cities abroad.

I have an activist streak in me, which finds its most recent outlet and passion in reading and speaking about global warming, climate change and Christian Stewardship. But my educational experience has most significantly altered my view of the world. Filtered through Neo-Calvinist philosophy and theology, I acquired a love of reading and learning about many different topics and issues – meaning I am often reading in 6 different books at the same time. This satisfies my curiosity about daily life and experience, and is a fun way of filling in gaps in my knowledge and expanding the boundaries of my Christian world and life view. Working in the Printers Row Library is a wonderful way for me to meet people and share information about good books and valuable resources for developing a Christian world and life view. I love it when people just stop by to talk about favorite ideas, books, and videos.

I am reminded everyday of the pericope in Matthew 25:31-46, to do for the least, the lost and the lonely. That is what Chicago is about, learning to interact with those for whom you are least familiar.

Before coming to Chicago Semester in 2007, I worked as an Architectural Engineer/Construction Manager, where I designed and managed multi-million dollar projects. Many of you will visit the White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Shedd Aquarium Oceanarium or travel through O’Hare International Airport, these were just a few projects for which I designed or managed. After working many years in this field, I sensed a career change.

My husband, Gerald, and I are the founders of a retreat business. We conduct retreats, workshops, career development training and other speaking engagements for churches, organizations, schools, and colleges. I am a member of The Faith Community of St. Sabina, where I am an active leader in the church. Education is very important to me, and that is why I have a heart to teach.

Here at Chicago Semester, I teach the Religion course, which I love because it gives the students a real experience into different religions. I am also a Practicum Group leader, and I assist with the internship placement of BSW students.

I am a lifelong student of the city, and consider myself to be a "streetwise academic.” My academic experience in Chicago has been rich, as I have earned graduate degrees from the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Chicago Theological Seminary, and the University of Chicago.

 I have had opportunities to publish several essays on themes such as globalization and community development—including an assessment of the Chicago Metropolis 2020 Plan, a vision for the city's future. My more recent essays include "Church and Justice in Crisis" for the Urban Face of Mission; “The City as a Work of Art” for Comment Magazine, and “Fundamentalisms and the Shalom of God” for IAPCHE. I participate in several national and international organizations including the International Association for the Promotion of Christians in Higher Education (IAPCHE) and the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE).

An urban gardener in two cities, my wife, Karen, and I own a 1910s era Dutch Colonial home on Chicago’s north-side and a 1840s era brick miner's cottage in historic Galena, Illinois—our getaway place when we need a change of scenery.

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From there I attended the University of Michigan and received a Masters degree in Social Work with a concentration in Community Organization.
 
After a two month trip to Europe, I returned to Chicago and got my first job as a Community Organizer. While working here, I met my future husband, who was a reporter for the local newspaper. I also worked for several years at a Fair Housing organization, where I ran a testing program to determine if local real estate agents were discriminating (they very often were). I began working at the Chicago Metropolitan Center in 1992, initiating the Social Work track, and have worked here ever since as the Social Work Coordinator.
 
I am the proud mother of two sons and have lived in Oak Park for the past 20 years.