An ISU Alumni Story—Fiona Fleming
The current work to transform how Illinois funds its public universities and their ability to effectively support and graduate the students they enroll underscores a clear vision for our state: one where its prosperity is predicated on a healthy postsecondary landscape anchored by well-funded four-year institutions as critical engines of opportunity. In pursuing a college degree, students access a world of more opportunity for themselves and their families and their communities.
This spring, alumni of the state’s public universities, including Advance Illinois’ Office Manager and Executive Assistant Fiona Fleming, discuss how their college experience not only clarified their career aspirations but shaped their personal mission, highlighting the indispensable role higher education plays in the lives of generating opportunity that is made possible by adequate funding.
Where Opportunities Abound: Illinois State University’s Impact
As a high school senior, I had little idea what I wanted to do with my life. I had never taken a sociology class but had done well in other social science classes throughout high school, and I figured sociology was as good as a college major as any to start with. I can recall walking into my Introduction to Sociology course in my first semester at Illinois State University. I was intimidated by the large lecture hall and thought to myself that perhaps I should start looking into other majors, as I hardly knew what I was getting myself into and felt anxious in such a large class. That all changed once class got started; I still remember our first lecture about sociological imagination. From that first course, I was hooked.
My worries about large class sizes soon faded, as the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (SOA) was a relatively small department, and nearly all my major related classes after that first introductory course were comprised of 25 students or less. On a campus of roughly 20,000 students, I was able to find my niche in a smaller department and form individual relationships with my professors, fellow classmates, and other university staff. The faculty I worked with went above and beyond to support their students. In my time as an undergraduate, I was given opportunities to work as an undergraduate teaching assistant, a department ambassador, and to conduct independent research. Although my undergraduate experience was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, my professors and staff took time to build rapport and connect with students.
The academic advisors in the SOA department and the Honors College were invaluable resources for me, and with their guidance I was able to finish my undergraduate degree ahead of schedule. At that point, I still was not entirely sure about the next steps for my career, so going back to school for a graduate degree seemed like the best decision. When it came time to decide where and what I wanted to study, the choice was easy. I returned to ISU for my Master’s in Sociology where even more amazing experiences awaited. Being a graduate teaching assistant, working in research labs and supervising undergraduates, attending conferences and presenting my research were just some of the opportunities presented to me because of my time at ISU.
Outside of the classroom, I was blessed to form long-lasting relationships with my fellow students, and with several of my professors. The faculty at ISU were invested in the whole person; students were never just a name on the page, or a body in the classroom. The student health center was another amazing resource for me during my undergraduate and graduate years, providing for both my physical and mental well-being. The university also regularly uplifted volunteer opportunities in the local community, whether it be pitching in for a day to sort donations at the local women’s shelter or serving as a long-term crisis hotline operator. These resources and opportunities, along with the countless social and academic clubs, helped ensure students like me could be the happiest and healthiest versions of themselves.
I am proud to be a second-generation Redbird; my father attended ISU, as well as countless aunts, uncles, and cousins. Our family’s careers range across the business, healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors. This variety of career paths pursued by ISU graduates represents just a sample of the doors opened by an Illinois State University education, a truth reflected in the lives of alumni across the state.