Steve Bauer C’21, Teacher Licensure
“I was a trader at the Chicago Board of Trade for 25 years as well as a football coach during that time, but I had always wanted to go back to school and become a teacher. When the pandemic began, the Board of Trade shut down for a period of time, so I took the opportunity and enrolled at North Park for the teacher licensure program because it was the only school in the state that offered teacher licensure in business.
“My experience at North Park was nothing but positive, and after graduating in December, I really feel like I’m equipped to become a teacher. I’m a unique case, transitioning from a profession that I had for 25 years into a completely different one, but from the moment I enrolled to the moment I graduated, North Park faculty bent over backwards to make sure that everything was as smooth as possible.
“Dr. Ida Maduram, Dr. John Laukaitis, Dr. Carolyn Poterek, and Dr. Teri Madl were model teachers. One thing they preached that has stuck with me is that in order to help students, you must have empathy—especially when things aren’t going smoothly. It’s a tool I used a lot during my student teaching and will continue to use in the future.”
We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at www.northpark.edu/share130