At Northeastern Illinois University’s December 2023 Commencement ceremony, Dored and Johnny Shiba did something few fathers and sons have the chance to do — graduate together.
Dored, an honorably discharged U.S. Army Reserve Soldier, earned his Master of Arts in Human Resource Development. Johnny, an aspiring writer and web content creator, earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. Both crossed the stage, one after the other, in caps and gowns with family and friends cheering them on from the stands of Credit Union 1 Arena on Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023.
“It brings me to tears,” Dored said, thinking about Commencement. “Plus it’s my birthday, plus I’m getting my master’s, my son’s getting his bachelor’s. It’s really special.”
Dored is a double alumnus of Northeastern, having earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University in 2019.
“I came to NEIU because it’s close to my house,” said Dored, who lives in Skokie. “When I started I knew several people — my brother was one of them — who attended and graduated from Northeastern. My brother-in-law, as well as two of his children, and my older son also graduated from Northeastern and he is now in law school. I thought it would be a great opportunity to join the gang!”
Dored’s older son, Tony Shiba (B.A. ’20 Political Science), is currently enrolled at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law. Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, he did not get the opportunity to walk in a Commencement ceremony that year because it was held virtually. However, he was able to attend Sunday’s ceremony and was thrilled for his father and brother.
“To see my father and brother walk the stage together was an amazing feeling,” Tony said. “It really is a once in a lifetime experience and the fact that I saw it during my life says it all.”
All three of them had their educational experience impacted by the pandemic. For Dored, COVID-19 meant that he had to learn to transition from taking courses in person to having many of them be held remotely. Johnny felt that his major made the transition a bit easier.
“Since my major was Computer Science, if I were taking classes in-person, I would be on a computer anyway,” Johnny said. “So, in a way, I lucked out.”
Yet, Johnny — who transferred to Northeastern after earning his associate degree from Oakton Community College — had to learn how to adapt in a different way.
“I had kind of a procrastination mindset when I came to NEIU,” Johnny said. “I was a couple of semesters in and I realized I couldn’t do the procrastination mindset anymore. I had to change. I started working on my homework early and my tests, my quizzes, everything just became easier. You have more time to focus on different aspects of your life.”
In his newly found spare time, Johnny developed a love for writing and has begun producing a webcomic, “The Unyielding Bonds of the Kuramochi’s.” It’s a story about a family trying to survive a zombie apocalypse.
“I really started writing more when I came to Northeastern,” Johnny said. “Right now, it’s just a hobby, but I’d like for that to be my job and just wake up and write a novel and have everyone read it.”
Both mentioned that, while coming to Northeastern felt sort of inevitable given their family history, they didn’t know they’d have such a positive experience.
Dored shared that Associate Professor of English Marcia Z. Buell was a big support to him, through both his undergraduate and graduate studies.
“There were a lot of staff who helped me when I felt that I would not make it, when I felt overwhelmed,” Dored said. “Dr. Buell was my first teacher in my undergraduate program and she took the time to speak with me. She’s a great motivator. She really motivated me to look at things differently.”
Buell recalled conversations with Dored, and how he worried that personal challenges might have an impact on his ability to earn his degree. That communication helped her support him in some of the more specific ways he needed.
“We worked carefully together,” Buell said. “He would meet with me outside of class to consult about his work. Sometimes he would ask for my take on a difficult situation and we would talk it through. He sought out multiple perspectives on ways to approach his work. In the end, this strategy was effective. Though very difficult at times, he was able to go beyond what he had imagined he could accomplish.”
Johnny, too, found professors he really enjoyed working with, like Assistant Professor of Computer Science Ahmed E. Khaled.
“Dr. Khaled was a straightforward professor,” Johnny said. “He would always answer questions and was super helpful. His lectures were straightforward. His quizzes were straightforward. He is, overall, an amazing professor and made things smooth sailing.”
Khaled was pleased to hear he'd made such a positive impact on Johnny.
"Johnny was a student in my Operating Systems course and he did excellent work," said Khaled. "He was engaged in the conversations and participated in questions and answers. I'm happy that he achieved his goal of earning his bachelor's degree and look forward to seeing what he will do next!"
Now that they’ve graduated, both Johnny and Dored are looking forward to what comes next. Johnny has been accepted into the Computer Science master’s program at the University of Illinois Springfield. Dored has been working with the Department of Veterans Affairs to find a job for some time, but it’s been challenging. He’s trying to keep his options open. He has been accepted into the Doctor of Education program in Human Resource Development at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. While he has dreamt of becoming a lawyer, Dored is considering furthering his education in other routes, as he waits to take Law School Admission Council test next year.
“I have a military background and there are several positions I would like to get into, but it’s hard,” Dored said. “The VA has said it’s harder to get older vets into the fields they want to work in. A lot of people are just saying to get into what you can, but that’s not fun.”
No matter what comes next, Dored and Johnny are thankful for their time at Northeastern and are proud that they didn’t just earn their degrees, but that they did so together.
“When I first came to NEIU, I never thought I would be graduating with my dad,” Johnny said. “The biggest reason I came to Northeastern is because my dad was here and I had other relatives and teachers from high school who’d graduated from here. It was super exciting.”
Dored also shared some words of wisdom for continuing students and appreciation for his time with both of his sons at Northeastern.
“As a father, there’s so much to say,” Dored said. “I always tell Johnny and always told Tony the military has trained me: Look at how much time is left. Going to school is only a temporary thing and hopefully, when you’re done, you’re going to get a career out of it. You have to maintain focus, be ambitious. Motivation is the number one key. Don’t focus your thoughts on ‘Oh I have to do this and that.’ Those are small things. Being motivated, to me, is everything. Having that mindset got me through. I just want to say thank you to NEIU. Thank you for everything.”
Top photo: Johnny Shiba (right) and Dored Shiba (left) in their caps and gowns at Northeastern's December 2023 Commencement.
