Illinois native and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville student Corinne Goodall recently was awarded the Eta Sigma Gamma Outstanding Undergraduate Major of the Year award by the National Health Education Honorary Society. The organization, founded in 1967, recognizes strong health education majors while also helping to prepare them for a career in health education.

Corinne was born and raised in Belleville and choose to attend college in Illinois because of the in-state tuition opportunities provided to her. She started at Southwestern Illinois College, where she went tuition free because of her excellent academic record in high school.

“Illinois is home to me. Illinois is wonderful because of the various landscapes and populations it houses. It is nice to be able to visit both the city and the country within a reasonable length of time,” Goodall said about her home state.

She would then transfer to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. After many semesters being undeclared, it was at SIUE where she found her career path in health education.

“I found health education by accident when I talked to a counselor at SIUE and told her my interests in the general health classes, helping people and volunteering. I fell in love with the field because of its diversity and preventive aspects,” Goodall said.

Goodall hopes to help others learn the best ways to prevent disease and create a healthier community. But Goodall highlights SIUE as a rock for her education.

“As for SIUE, I could never have done all the things I have done and been awarded without it. Within the health education program, we have the best professors who genuinely care about their students’ well-being and education,” said Goodall.

Goodall went on to excel being nominated by her chapter advisor this year to receive the Outstanding Undergraduate Major of the Year. She will receive the award March 31 at the Society for Public Health Education.

Photo Courtesy of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

One Illinois teacher is receiving quite the honor. Jennifer Hubbell-Thomas of Chatham is on one of eleven teams of educators participating in NASA’s Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors program.

They will be taking off on NASA’s “flying telescope,” the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy to assist on research projects with scientists. The teams will research such topics as planets, moons, asteroids, the solar system and more.  

Hubbell-Thomas, who has had a keen interest in astronomy from a young age, is an eighth grade science teacher from Williamsville Junior High. She applied for the program with another teacher, Stacey Shrewsbury. They are currently the only team from Illinois.

For more information: http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160313/NEWS/160319830/?Start=1

High school students looking to start a career in telecommunications may find a unique opportunity at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson.

The college, which is part of the network of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, offers an opportunity for students to assist in maintaining and improving the broadband infrastructure through their broadband telecom program. The program, offers a variety of skills needed to be successful in the field of telecommunications and is the only one of its kind in Illinois and just one of a small group nationwide.

Jesse Allen, director of the broadband telecom program, emphasized the importance of the program for the state of Illinois by creating qualified workers in the telecommunications field.

“As the demand for quality broadband speeds and connections increase to homes in rural Illinois, our students are at the forefront of the future growth the industry will experience,” Allen said.

Students learn such skills as splicing and maintaining fiber optic and copper cables, home and business telephone systems, and central office switching. Students are also required to take courses in communication and customer relations to prepare them for the careers they are about to step into.

The students in the program also understand the importance of supporting their communities while in school. Recently, the broadband telecom student club provided services to several community organizations, including fixing bad cables between two local schools.

According to the National Broadband Map, launched by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, three in four Americans now use broadband in their homes. Broadband Illinois shows that nearly 70% of households have broadband access in the state.

The program offers a two-year degree and opportunities for internships and specialized classes in business communication systems and developments in telecom.

For more information about the program visit: http://www.iecc.edu/page.php?page=LTCH_PRGM&acad=reqm&acadc=708

Newsweek just released its annual ranking of the Top 500 U.S. high schools, and several Illinois schools made the cut.

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Forbes released its 2015 rankings of the Midwest United States’ top 25 colleges, and Illinois schools are among the best.

Northwestern University in Evanston ranked second in the region and No. 16 in the entire country. The University of Chicago weighed in at No. 3 in the Midwest, climbing from a rank of 4th the previous year, and the University of Illinois ranked No. 11.

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