When I was growing up I fell in with the wrong crowd. I got into fights. At one point, I wound up in the hospital with a broken jaw. I knew my life had to change. I was accepted to NIU through the CHANCE program and what I found was a support system that helped me get on my feet. Many of us in the program were the first in our families to go to college and it could have been overwhelming. The CHANCE program made me realize that I wasn’t alone.

By my sophomore year I was thoroughly entrenched in biology research. I was able to personally get to know my professors. In fact, I still keep in touch with some of them. And I can say firsthand that this is not an experience that is common at any other schools. My professors at NIU taught me how to approach learning as a scholar. They inspired me to stay in academics and directly influenced the way I run my own lab today. I have had a university ID card in my pocket without interruption for the past 19 years.
Everything I’ve done in my career was built on the momentum of my experience at Northern.

Without NIU I don’t know where I’d be. The people here provided an opportunity to get an education to someone who wouldn’t have it otherwise. They showed me what I could be.