Katie Brehmer C’17, art education student, shares about her North Park experience.

Why did you choose North Park?

I grew up in the northwest suburbs, and I chose North Park because it was small, close to home, and had easy access to the city—a very nice combination.

What’s the Art Education program like?

The program in Art Education is a lot more challenging than most people think. The classes are rigorous and you need to be able to push yourself to be successful in both the education and art classes. You must have a passion for teaching and for art, not just one or the other. I am very proud that within my time at şÚÁĎłÔąĎ I will have gained a double major with certifications in teaching both Special Education Students and English Language Learners. I’ve also been able to gain a great deal of knowledge from the individuals I’ve worked with while student teaching; my cooperating teacher at Foreman High School in Chicago has been such a wonderful mentor with a vast wealth of knowledge.

What do you do when you’re not in class?

I am quite busy with creating artwork for my senior solo show and working on the EdTPA for my license. I am also an RA on campus. This is my second year, and I have loved it. While working with Residence Life and Housing I have gained so many friends and have been able to develop my leadership skills. Juggling being a full-time student working toward getting my license to teach, creating a solo art show, working a full-time job student teaching, and being a Resident Assistant on campus has been challenging, but very fulfilling. I wouldn’t change this past years’ outcome.

What inspires you about Art Education?

Communication is so essential in life. Art is just another form of communication. It is a beautiful form that allows us to view the world in a different way, to make up the world we wish to see or to expose it for its realities. As one develops as an artist, it is easier to see the details in life—the specifics—that one might miss had they not analyzed life as a whole and in its parts. It allows the beauty of life to be uncovered and explored. As an art teacher, I hope that I can show young adults the importance of art in our society and that it isn’t just the paintings or sculptures in a museum, but the world around us, like the ad on a billboard or the arrangement of flowers and foliage on a front lawn.

Why’d you decide to study Art Education?

I had the most amazing art teachers in high school. Throughout şÚÁĎłÔąĎs education program, you will find that most of us have had an inspiring teacher that helped us realize we also wanted to teach. At Maine East High School, the Fine Arts Department Chair set such a strong example of leadership and dedication. I also had three wonderful teachers who helped me realize that I wanted to be just like them; they are very strong, intellectual, and caring women who have left a lasting mark on my character and how I teach.

Carmen Velazquez-Alvarez C’16, conflict transformation studies alumna, shares why she chose North Park.

I was looking for a Christian university with a personal touch. I attended a Covenant church in California’s Central Valley, and a member of my church—who was also my chemistry teacher and my mentor—urged me to apply to North Park.

I have a heart for the underserved and now serve California Central Valley’s large immigrant community. I plan to earn a Master’s in Social Work (MSW) and leverage my experience in the Valley to start a nonprofit organization.

It was as a student at şÚÁĎłÔąĎ that I discovered my passion for service and realized I have the power to make a difference in others’ lives. I served as the president of the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and cofounded a mentorship group for Latina students. I also served in campus ministry and interned at the YWCA.

At every step along my journey North Park, I was encouraged. I’m incredibly appreciative of the support I received and relationships I developed.

Michelle Dodson C’03, biblical and theological studies alumna, shares why she chose North Park.

As a high school student, Michelle chose to come to şÚÁĎłÔąĎ because she was looking for a Christian liberal arts university that was small enough for her to get to know people. “I was attending a Covenant church in California at the time,” she says, “and my pastor suggested I apply to North Park.”

As it turned out, North Park was a great fit for Michelle. “The relationships that I built at şÚÁĎłÔąĎ are what I enjoyed the most,” she says. “I have had the privilege of doing life and ministry with many of those people to this day.”

What’s more, she says, Michelle’s experience inside and outside of the classroom as a biblical and theological studies major helped prepare her professionally for the work she does in ministry today. “North Park was a great training ground for what I do,” she says. “It was as a student there that I got my first experiences leading in the areas of racial righteousness.” Serving in campus ministry and engaging with college diversity “helped me develop a theology of racial reconciliation. It also gave me opportunities to learn how to communicate that theology.”

Michelle serves as associate pastor of New Community Covenant Church in Bronzeville, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. She describes New Community as “an intentionally multiracial congregation that actively pursues racial reconciliation and social justice.” She’s currently working toward a PhD in sociology with a focus on multiracial congregations.

Tim Ahlberg C’13, a business and economics alumnus, shares why he chose North Park.

Tim chose to attend North Park because he wanted to be in a big city, but at a college that felt personal. “I wanted to have relationships with my professors and mentors, and to live in a close-knit community where I could get to know other students from all different backgrounds,” he says. “And coming from a Covenant Church family, I knew I wanted to attend a Christian school, to be surrounded by others that shared my faith and would help me build and sustain my own faith throughout my formative college years.”

Maybe most important, Tim wanted a college environment that placed focus not just on finding a career, but living a life of significance and service. When he came to North Park, he got that environment—not only in the classroom, but in experiences around the campus and city. “There’s really nothing else like the community there that I’ve experienced before or after North Park. Students and faculty really all-in for your success, both personal and professional.”

He loved taking part in Chapel and College life services; was voted president of the student body; served with homeless ministries; and was captain of the men’s soccer team his senior year, being named an Academic All-American. “North Park is such a personal university that, no matter your area of study, your background, or your future pursuits, the entire campus feels like one community that exists because of and for each other,” Tim says. “I met amazing people who were so different than I was, and we learned so much from each others’ experiences and life stories.”

A business and economics major with a concentration in accounting and a minor in Spanish, Tim got to know his faculty members in North Park’s small class sizes. They encouraged him to study abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he became fluent in Spanish. In his senior year, Tim received a Fulbright Binational Business Exchange Grant, which allowed him to complete a business internship and take MBA classes in in Mexico City. “None of this would have been possible without the support of the faculty and staff of North Park,” he says.

“By the time I started my full-time job in the United States, I was not only prepared with specific business acumen and skills gained through curriculum, but armed with a global perspective and bilingual capabilities that really set me apart in today’s competitive workforce,” Tim says.

As an assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, he focuses on accounting solutions and business operations improvements. “This includes traveling to business all over the country, and to Mexico, where I have been able to use my fluency in Spanish. I feel like North Park has prepared me beyond my peers for entering the global workforce.”