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Amie Jatta is a multilingual (Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Wolof and English) higher education professional with more than ten years of experience working in post-secondary education. She has dedicated her career to the creation of pathways to success for underrepresented students, and to the development of support structures within the institutions they attend.

Amie began her career at the University of North Dakota where she interned with five TRIO programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Educational Opportunity Center, Student Support Services and Ronald McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program). She then became the Team Wellness Coordinator at the UND Wellness Center where she was in charge of the hiring, training and development of all student employees. Coming to Northeastern Illinois University in January of 2011 and working for TRIO SSS was a full circle moment for her as she now was working for the program that sparked her passion for higher education. 

Enrollment coordinator and student advisor for TRIO Achieve (2014-Present); Teacher (grades 7-9) of Natural Sciences and Language Arts in CPS and Noble Charter Network (2011-2014); College and career advisor for middle school and high school youth through GEAR UP (2005-2012); Youth enrichment programs and youth/adult job training programs supervisor (various projects/positions); Adventure education/team-building facilitator.

William “Will” Escalante is a bilingual (English/Spanish) educator with 10 years of experience in post-secondary education. Will began his career at Nevada State College where he worked in College Admissions, Recruitment and Academic Advising. The interactions he had with students in the Las Vegas area motivated him to pursue graduate education in order to better understand the historical and social contexts in which students live and pursue their education. During graduate school, Mr. Escalante was involved with multiple research projects that focused on topics of migration, identity development, assessing the needs of Latino/a communities, and Latino/a business ownership. These experiences reinforced his dedication to working with students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in U.S. higher education. With the completion of his master’s degree, Will began working at NEIU in the summer of 2015. Prior to TRIO, he worked in the Admissions Office as an Admissions Counselor and Recruiter. As an Academic Advisor, he strives to meet students “where they are,” help them identify “where they want to go,” and develop a path to achieve their academic, professional and personal goals. Will approaches each appointment with an empathetic ear and a genuine desire to help students succeed. 

Rachel is originally from western Pennsylvania, which is where she earned her bachelor's degree in international studies at Allegheny College. Between 2006 and 2018, she taught English as a second language to diverse groups of students in Seoul, South Korea, Istanbul, Turkey, and here in Chicago. Rachel loves working with students and learning every day. She earned her master's degree in higher education leadership here at NEIU in 2018.

Marcial graduated from NEIU with a B.A. and M.A. in Business Administration. Passionate about his students, Marcial has been working in higher education since 2008. As an academic advisor for the TRIO Student Support Services-Teacher Preparation program, he helps students create an individualized success plan each semester so they have a clearer picture of their goals and how to achieve them. Marcial helps students develop an academic course plan, select the appropriate classes, and graduate in a timely manner. As a proud alumnus and academic advisor, Marcial encourages students to develop strong long-term ties with NEIU staff, administrators, fellow students and the community.

Erin has always loved working with students and her 10-year teaching career took her across the U.S. - from Western Colorado to San Antonio, Texas, to Kansas City! She relocated to Chicago to be closer to her adorably goofy nephews and graduated in June with her Master of Social Work from DePaul University. She earned her LSW in November 2018. Erin is excited to connect with NEIU students on their educational journeys. As coordinator of TRIO's Access program, Erin hopes her office will be a place everyone feels comfortable stopping by. She’d love to chat with you about your interests … feel free to ask about her time as a National Park ranger or what podcast she’s listening to lately.

Richie's experiences in postsecondary education are firmly rooted in understanding the complexities of students’ academic and personal lives and assisting in the development of those students in a college setting. His passion for working in student services has kept him particularly engaged with both traditional and nontraditional students throughout his career. Richie believes education is the best investment in the future, paying great dividends to students and to society as a whole.

Administrative work, office support, customer service, receptionist

Vernon is dedicated to providing first-rate customer service to students participating in the TRIO Student Support Services program and to all NEIU students. He specializes in office administration and furthering the mission of TRIO.