COVER STORY
Giving and Receiving Care Who nurtures aspiring care givers? The College of Lake County.
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eople who enter health care as a profession tend to be born care givers. Sometimes, however, they themselves need a helping hand. That certainly was the case for Michelle Champagne (’92), who came to CLC after earning a GED, trying to overcome fears that she “wouldn’t amount to anything.” The daughter of immigrant parents— a Haitian father and French mother—Champagne grew up in Chicago’s Lincoln Park area. Following the turmoil of her parents’ divorce, she dropped out of Lane Technical High School. Later, after earning her GED, she began working in clerical positions at Motorola, eventually transferring to the Libertyville office and discovering the College of Lake County in 1990. “I was 22, a non-traditional student and determined to get a degree. I felt so welcomed at CLC,” she said. Champagne decided to pursue a career as a health care advocate, after experiencing first-hand the power of health ignorance to create fear and prejudice. She vividly recalls the AIDS stigma of the late 1980s, when family members were too ashamed to acknowledge the disease as the cause of her Haitian aunt’s death, preferring instead to say “pneumonia.” Likewise, here in the Chicago area, she sometimes found that people refused to shake hands with her, fearing that because of her Haitian ancestry, she herself was infected, even though she wasn’t. “It made me feel embarrassed and horrified,” she recalled. “People had preconceived notions. It was devastating.” Champagne turned the embarrassment into a powerful drive to combat fear with knowledge. Over the last two decades, she has built a successful
“I was 22, a non-traditional student and determined to get a degree. I felt so welcomed at CLC.” —Michelle Champagne career as a leader in HIV and substance abuse prevention and as an advocate for health care services for the economically disadvantaged. After graduating from CLC, Champagne earned a B.A. in psychology from Lake Forest College and went on to attend Harvard University, earning a master of education degree. Professionally, she has worked for the Illinois Department of Public Health and Lake County Health Department, where she coordinated programs in substance abuse prevention, HIV prevention and grant writing. She has also
managed capital campaigns and grants for the Sinai Health System and Governors State University and served as a senior administrator for Aunt Martha’s Youth Service Center & Healthcare Network, managing grants and operations for 26 programs among three offices in an eightcounty area in the southern suburbs of Chicago. Currently, Champagne operates her own Chicago-based consulting firm, MC Capacity Building Services Inc., which helps non-profit organizations provide health, education and economic development to underserved populations. Looking back on her rise to success, Champagne has become a big believer in CLC and community colleges. “They’re an excellent value and career ladder for those taking non-traditional routes,” she said. “I love CLC. Without the college, I wouldn't be where I am today.” continued on page 7
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