Esther Uputuri is a Junior earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Certificate in Nonprofit Leadership. She is also a resident assistant, student ambassador, president of the South Asia Cultural Club, and member of the Nonprofit Club and International Justice Mission.

���I left India when I was 17 to start college.

I always thought I would come to the U.S. for my masters or for vacation, but I never expected to for my undergrad. It was definitely God-led. God, at the right time, brought people into my life to encourage me. When I arrived on my flight ten days before the semester started, it was a new beginning, and I was looking forward to seeing how my life would play out.

Living and studying in the middle of a large, world-class city has given me an opportunity to experience an urban perspective on life���to study and understand the fast-paced lifestyle and socio-economic diversity. City life gives me endless opportunities; whether they be vocational or educational, arts or entertainment, work or worship, I get to have a hands-on experience in the city. Access to more internships and other career-boosting experiences also adds to the appeal.

North Park is equipping me with resources to overcome challenges, better myself, and move one step closer to my dream every single day. My professors are amazing, especially the nursing and nonprofit professors. They are very encouraging and willing to help. Initially, it was hard to be away from home, but I was intentional about becoming involved with the campus community. As an international student, I don���t have family here, but North Park has become a family to me.

Living by yourself will challenge you in a lot of ways, spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, and it helps you reflect on who you are and what you have learned. It���s a tough world, and North Park is preparing me to be more independent.���

Sarah Hawkinson is a history and secondary education major. She is also a desk attendant, writing advisor, participates in the women���s chorale, and tutors students from Peterson Elementary school.

“North Park went from being my last choice to the perfect choice for me. My family has a lot of history and connections at North Park, so it had been in my life so much already and for a while, I was dead-set on moving away. Then I attended a scholarship event; it was my first time visiting as a prospective student. I had fun meeting other people I would potentially go to school with, and the idea of coming to North Park began to feel more real. That was when I realized that I could make my own experience here and do my own thing.

The interactions I had with professors, even before attending North Park, were really encouraging because it seemed like they already wanted to be invested in their students���to be more than just professors but mentors who are there to help you make choices. That���s what I love about North Park now. Having the opportunity to get coffee with my professors and take extra time outside of the classroom is something that I feel my friends at other schools don���t get. And now that I am getting to the core of what I want to study, my professors are ready and eager to challenge me, especially when I���ve shown that I���m invested and interested in their class.

Another aspect of North Park that I���ve grown to appreciate is its location in the city, which has helped me to continue in my faith life by learning more about cultural and religious diversity. I���m definitely growing and having positive and new experiences in this city setting. It has been important for me to get to know others and hear about a variety of experiences; it’s enhancing my faith-life and the way I see the world.

I���ve realized being close to home has more benefits than drawbacks. I can go home every weekend or once a semester. ��I���ve been very happy with my decision to go somewhere which happened to be close to home, but really my decision was more multi-faceted than that. It was the opportunity to grow at��a school where professors and students encourage faith, growth, and learning. Plus, I get to keep my winter clothes at home during the spring.”

���I am invested in the wellbeing of my students and my colleagues. Being asked to do more with little is overwhelming, but my colleagues��� dreams for our students are on my mind every single day. My wish is to make those become real possibilities.�� An investment in our faculty is an investment in our students.���

Facilitating Faculty Development

As University Dean, Dr. Liza Ann Acosta���s hope is to facilitate the work of faculty development���with a student body comprised of a diverse population and mirrored by a diverse faculty, so that all our students can see themselves reflected in the people who teach them. A new mentorship program for first-year and ongoing rising faculty and a partnership with the Faculty Senate and Office of Institutional Effectiveness for the inclusion of adjunct faculty development are among the initiatives supporting Dean Acosta���s vision of having a well-rounded, diverse faculty at North Park.

Retention and Recruitment of Faculty of Color

Dean Acosta has initiated efforts to more effectively recruit and retain faculty of color who can and do impact the student learning experience through expertise, mentorship, and role-modeling. In these efforts, Dean Acosta advises and serves on search committees, advocates for faculty and staff of color, and leads monthly meetings for faculty and staff of color for community-building.

Helping Students Have an Enriching Intercultural Experience

Dean Acosta is encouraged every day by North Park students as she observes them make connections between classroom and world. ���Preparing students to contribute in real possible ways���through the arts, life sciences, technology���is what we seek at North Park, with faculty who have a passion for planting a seed and watching students grow.���

At North Park, Dean Acosta continues to teach, advise, and mentor students. She is also part of the Council on Diversity Equity and Inclusion whose central role includes bias reporting. ���I am always thinking of ways that North Park���s faculty, as a collective, can be even better in their respective specialty fields, and how we can help students have an enriching, intercultural experience,��� said Dean Acosta. Academic programs are structured in a way to reflect both a rigorous learning experience in the classroom and experiential learning opportunities outside the classroom when engaging how the diverse city of Chicago functions and thrives.

Core principles guide Dean Acosta: encouraging creativity, providing resources for continuous improvement and innovation, documenting and learning from best practices in research and teaching, advocating for a diverse faculty, and nurturing professional development for all faculty members. Meeting the needs of both students and faculty is an ongoing process���a role that for Dean Acosta is always evolving.