When asked to list the most important skills Dr. Corrêa learned from her time at the University of Illinois, she responded, “that is difficult to answer in only a few sentences. I learned how to be an academic and a historian at Illinois. Starting from the simplest skills, I learned how to be a student at Illinois as a Masters’ student at CLACS. In graduate seminars, I learned how to read academic texts and discuss them with professors and colleagues. I also learned how to write and identify research questions, and to conduct research based on those questions.

But another skill that may get less of our attention and reflection is mentorship. I was trained and mentored by amazing professors, who taught me about Latin America, but who also taught me the skills of mentorship. Since I transitioned to an academic faculty position, when faced with the opportunity to mentor other students, I have tried to mimic what I learned from my professors at the U. of I.”

Corrêa then went on to say that she is using those skills in her current position as a professor in the history department at Baylor University. Furthermore, when asked if she has benefitted from foreign language instruction, she replied, “I am a Portuguese native speaker and I arrived at Illinois proficient in Spanish. Without knowing these languages, I would not have been able to conduct research about Latin America.”

Mor Guèye

(MA, ’12, Center for African Studies;

PhD, ’20, Philosophy in Curriculum and instruction)

Prior to receiving my PhD, I completed an MA in African Studies during which time I was affiliated with CAS and was a Wolof TA.

The most valuable areas in which I improved during my decade- long collaboration with CAS involved leadership, community engagement, and teaching skills. As a member and then an executive officer of the African Student Organization, I, along with others, received mentoring by CAS faculty affiliates, which provided helpful leadership guidance over the years. In community engagement, I occasionally had the opportunity to become involved with outreach during campus events in collaboration with faculty at the center and past graduate students. As a Wolof teacher, I was funded by CAS, whose affiliates facilitated my participation in several professional development workshops on campus and at other universities. All of these experiences were significant in my academic and pedagogical growth.

Currently, I am teaching in the Department of Applied Foreign and translation studies involving African languages. I also hope to build strong community education programs and leadership spaces in rural areas in Senegal.

As for taking a foreign language in college, my recommendation would be to take Wolof because, as we are all part of a global community, the more any of our citizens can learn other languages and cultures, the more we collectively increase our potential to build peace, respect, love, and a sense of borderless humanity, which we all need.

Finally, I would advise students to never switch off their quest to seek knowledge and build new skills. Find healthy mechanisms to cope with stress and difficulty that may come up in your journey.

One last thing to I would like to offer is my immeasurable gratitude to all members of the University of Illinois community (janitors, teachers, staff, administrators, students, parents, friends) for their collective contribution to my growth during my time in Illinois. I love you all.

Lauryn Lehman

(MSLIS, MA, ’18, Library and Information Science, African Studies)

After graduating with an MS in Library and Information Science and MA in African Studiesfrom the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2018,

I spent a handful of years working as an academic librarian at colleges in both Michigan and Illinois. During this time, I spent summers teaching an Introduction to Africana Studies course at Augustana College, sharing all of the knowledge I gained in the African Studies program and getting a chance to work closely with students from all programs of study on campus.

Eventually, I was given the opportunity to become an academic advisor at Augustana College, and I came to deeply love working one-on-one with students of all backgrounds, helping them to reach their academic goals. Realizing this passion, I’ve since returned to the University of Illinois as an academic advisor and coordinator of undergraduate affairs in the School of Information Sciences (iSchool). I’m looking forward to being an integral part of the development of this next generation of human-centered, socially conscious information professionals.

Alumni, do you have a story about your days with an IGI center you would like to share?

We would love to hear from you! Write to IGI-info@illinois.edu