2nd career for KCC’s Stevenson ranks first

Several minutes before the introduction to psychology class began in the third-floor classroom at Kankakee Community College, Professor Cari Stevenson left herself a set of instructions.

She scratched down a series of reminders on the classroom’s whiteboard. There are several items she noted to address.

As the minutes to the start of the 12:30 p.m. class neared, she made sure she was ready with the fully armed Smart Board.

Students offered a few comments as the free-flowing, energetic class began.

The 48-year-old New Lenox resident is in her element. She most certainly could not have ordered up a more fitting career.

Just ask any of the nearly 20 students in this early afternoon class.

“She brings a great energy to this school. She always checks in with us,” said Melaina Tholen, a freshman from Bradley.

Tholen puts her coursework to use in life. She said if she is having an issue, she refers to the information Stevenson pressed upon them through the classes.

“She always says, ‘Here are some examples that you can use,’” Tholen said. “She wants us to do well in life.”

Stevenson has been a KCC staff member for 13 years. Her husband, Keith, is also a KCC English instructor.

A 1994 graduate of Tinley Park High School, she earned her psychology degree in 1997 from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington.

However, she was far from finished with her advanced education.

In 2000, she earned a master’s degree in Industrial Organization Psychology from Illinois State University. She completed her doctorate in 2017 from National Louis University in Chicago.

And she is not finished. She still signs up for advanced courses.

Coming out of college, however, working in education was not at the top of her list.

An admitted extrovert, Stevenson jumps headfirst into the class session.

“I build my own energy,” she said after her third class of the day had concluded.

“I had not intended to become a teacher. That is not what I was going to do,” she said.

She first turned to human resources and management, a path she followed for 15 years.

She might have stayed on that path, but the company where she worked was being sold. She began to make other plans.

She replayed her career. What did she enjoy most, she asked herself. The answer was coordinating internships with college students.

The light bulb went on.

“I would enjoy working with college students,” she thought.

She taught a class at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills.

It fit like a hand in glove.

“Within the first two weeks of teaching, I discovered this is what I wanted to do,” she said.

She taught a few other courses. Her feelings only intensified.

She gained a position on the KCC staff, where her husband had already been teaching.

“There is something magical about the community KCC has created,” Stevenson said.

“This is not just a place to work, but a place to be part of a community,” she said. “KCC is about making this area a better place to live.”

Simply put, she said, KCC’s mission states it all: Enhancing the quality of life through learning.

“I was attracted by this mission,” she said.

And she is far from finished with learning. She said not one single person should ever be finished learning.

“I’m a lifelong learner,” Stevenson said. “I love teaching. I love being in academia.”

She also confessed. While she instructs and works with her students, they work for her.

“I learn from students every day,” she said. “I don’t fill them up with knowledge. I work to inspire discovery within them.”

Seated at a student’s table, she summed up what teaching means to her.

“Impacting lives. That’s my goal,” Stevenson said.

It appears she has found her mission. She said retirement is far off into the distance.

“I love this job,” she said. “I came into this (profession) right when I was supposed to. I believe the experiences I had before have helped me.”

Education, she reasoned, is about empowering people.

“It’s one of the most powerful tools we have,” Stevenson said. “It can change the course of our lives. That is what education is for.”