Alumna Helps Others Achieve Educational Dreams

ALUMNA HELPS OTHERS ACHIEVE EDUCATIONAL DREAMS

GOING TO COLLEGE CAN OPEN A LOT OF DOORS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF AND THE WORLD AROUND YOU... THAT’S WHAT LAKE LAND COLLEGE DID FOR ME.

As a first generation college student, Maria Amill figured out a lot of things on her own. That’s why it’s so important to her to be able to help college students learn about all of the resources that can help them succeed.

Amill is now a community worker at the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC). Part of her work there involves a relatively new project called the First Generation Student Scholars Network, which focuses on providing students who will be the first in their family to attend college with resources, mentoring and a network to ease their transition to college and set them up for success. Find out more at https://studentportal.isac.org/ FirstGen.

“It’s really neat to be able to have that kind of impact on these students and to incorporate my own unique story into theirs,” Amill said.

After completing an associate degree in 2017 at Lake Land College, Amill transferred to Eastern Illinois University and completed a bachelor’s degree, in communications. While she may not have known about all of the resources available to her, Amill said that as a first generation college student her time at Lake Land College was extremely beneficial in shaping her future.

“What was fantastic about Lake Land was that I got to take so many geneds,” Amill said.

“I didn’t know what I was going to do when I started at Lake Land. I didn’t even know I was going to transfer. That experience at Lake Land was invaluable not only for myself, but for everyone impacted by my career now as well.”

Extracurricular activities also played an important role in Amill’s college experience. She said her involvement in the Phi Theta Kappa honors program and Broadcasting Club as well as her classes helped expose her to new concepts and ideas.

“I tell a lot of the students I work with that there are a lot of things you figure out as you go,” Amill said. “Going to college can open a lot of doors to help you understand yourself and the world around you. Getting involved in college life can also make a career feel a lot more attainable. That’s what Lake Land College did for me.”

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Greg Powers, Speech Communication/Broadcasting Instructor/WLKL Station Manager

Greg Powers, who serves as a the college’s WLKL Radio Station Manager as well as a speech communication/ broadcasting instructor, said the fast-paced environment of always doing something new is what drew him to a communications and broadcasting career.

“I think being multifaceted is important in this industry today,” Powers said. “It’s just a great environment here at the college, and it’s a great opportunity to introduce students to this everchanging world of media. Things have changed a lot in the last 20 years, and we are always changing as well to help prepare our students.”

As for alumni and job prospects, Powers said not only does he know alumni working in influential positions, but also that those alumni know the quality of education Lake Land College students receive, which allows those students to have more marketability in the career field.

“My favorite aspect of the teaching process is seeing students succeed out in the world,” Powers said. “In those situations, I can only hope that we had some part in helping them succeed.

I know making sure our students get what they need is vital to the students, to the program, to the industry and to myself and all of the other instructors in this program as well.”

Powers shared that the program recently received several upgrades, including a new video control room and a new video studio with updated lighting, cameras and production equipment.

One of the things Powers said he is most excited about for his students’ futures is helping prepare them for lucrative careers in the broadcasting and communications fields.

“I think the future is bright for this program,” Powers said. “We have a lot of students come here for that radio station experience. They can get hands-on experience on-air on a radio station within their first couple of weeks here. Those are opportunities you can’t get anywhere else.”

Online Bonus

Watch Greg's full interview and learn about broadcasting at Lake Land at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV-TEkelWA0.

HUMANITIES & SOCIAL SCIENCES AREA OF STUDY

Art

Broadcast Announcing

Broadcast Communications

Communication Studies

Criminal Justice

Economics

English

History

Liberal Studies

Political Science

Psychology

Radio Broadcasting

Social Science Education

Sociology/Social Work

TV Field-Studio Production

Humanities & Social Science Exploratory Area of Study

LEARN MORE

For more information or to get started in a Humanities & Social Science Area of Study visit lakelandcollege.edu.