Meet a Program Director

Meet Michele Stefl

As one of the original US Empowered Program Directors, Michele models the five leadership principles that all US Empowered students strive to embody: professionalism, ambition, integrity, resourcefulness, and resilience.

• Professionalism
  

  Michele juggles a full teaching load (Honors American Literature, Senior Literature, and US Empowered Seminar) at ACE Technical Charter High School. Simultaneously, she differentiates support and reports data for US Empowered. ACE Tech students and staff voted Michele 2009 Teacher of the Year and nominated her for a Golden Apple Award.

• Ambition
  

  Michele currently is working towards a Master of Arts in Administration from St. Xavier University, after previously receiving her Bachelor of Arts in English from Illinois State University and a Master of Arts in Education from Governors State University. Michele instills this sense of ambition in her US Empowered students by helping them set ambitious, yet attainable goals.

• Integrity
  

  Michele says, "Too many times we hear the negative statistics regarding CPS schools and students. I wanted to be part of US Empowered to reverse this trend. Every child should be given the same resources and opportunities for success." By treating every student as a college-bound student and setting consistently high expectations, Michele garners the respect, admiration, and trust of her students.

• Resourcefulness
  

  Michele uses her US Empowered Seminar class to encourage student participation and maintain a close teacher-student relationship. "As a content-area teacher, I get to see a progress report every two weeks, which gives me the wonderful opportunity to have those impromptu one-on-one conferences during the US Empowered seminar to reflect on successes and address academic and personal challenges."

• Resilience
  

  Michele recognizes that her roles as content-area teacher and Program Director are difficult, yet she finds meaning in her work. "Knowing that I might have an impact on my students' lives - no matter how big or small - makes this less like a job and more like a journey."