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Jade Sewell ’22 is no stranger to the importance of impactful mentorship. An English educator at Illini Bluffs High School, she continues to connect with ������ý��Ƶ professor Melinda McBee Orzulak, going so far as to pair her journalism students with the professor’s ENG 391 students last spring.

Dr. McBee Orzulak’s students were learning about English language arts (ELA) education, while Sewell’s students, most of whom were seniors, would share their writing and ask questions about the college experience. In return, the ������ý��Ƶ students would read and review their pen pals’ work and share stories from their time on campus.

“I think what meant most to my students was that someone cared enough to take the time to read the work that they had published,” Sewell said. “It was nice to have someone other than myself affirming my students and their great work!”

As the semester came to a close, Sewell and Dr. McBee Orzulak brought their classes together for a meetup on ������ý��Ƶ’s campus.

“It was very rewarding to bring students back to my alma mater to meet their pen pals in person. All of my students expressed how grateful they were for the opportunity to talk to the teachers of tomorrow,” she said.

Sewell’s give and take with ������ý��Ƶ is no new phenomenon. In a letter of recommendation written for Sewell, Dr. McBee Orzulak lauded the Outstanding Student in English Education award-winner, speaking to her experience both in the classroom and through extracurriculars like cheerleading and writing for The Scout, ������ý��Ƶ’s student-run newsletter.

“Rarely do I have a student whose other professors consistently stop me in the hall to applaud
their skills, extra work, academic abilities, and outstanding contributions—however, Jade’s
professors have been doing this since she first started in our major,” Dr. McBee Orzulak wrote.

Meanwhile, Sewell’s experience in ������ý��Ƶ’s English Education program shaped the kind of teacher she wanted to become.

“Dr. McBee Orzulak was a phenomenal professor and mentor,” she said. “Through her methods courses, I learned how to be a confident and culturally sensitive teacher. She showed me what it means to be someone who continuously works to better themselves as an educator, and she helped me grow as both a teacher and a learner.”

For more information on English Education at ������ý��Ƶ, explore the program or visit campus.

A Full Circle Moment

It was partway through Sewell’s freshman year when she realized journalism wasn’t the right major for her. A proud ������ý��Ƶ cheerleader, she credits the work she was doing as a middle school cheer coach for inspiring her to pivot.

“I realized that education was something I had an immense passion for,” Sewell said. “I loved seeing my cheerleaders gain new skills and grow more confident in themselves, and I realized I could do that same work forever as an educator. Writing and reading had always been my passion, so it seemed logical to make the switch into English education.”

Now at Illini Bluffs High School, Sewell pushes herself and her students out of the classroom as a cheer coach, newspaper advisor, and spring play director.

“������ý��Ƶ still influences me in many ways,” she said. “I helped restart the Illini Bluffs student newspaper, and one of my former editors-in-chief is now the assistant news editor of The Scout, the publication that really inspired my love of student news. It was so exciting to see her byline on The Scout’s website, and it really was a full circle moment for me!”

The ������ý��Ƶ ties don’t end there, however. Sewell’s partner is also a ������ý��Ƶ alum, as is her younger sibling. Plus, Sewell stays in touch with her friends from ������ý��Ƶ cheer.

“It’s hard to summarize ������ý��Ƶ’s influence on my life because it truly connected me with the people I care about most and gave me the skills to guide the next generation of learners, some of whom are currently at ������ý��Ƶ.”

–Jenevieve Rowley-Davis