Fulfilling Passions and Changing Lives

Joanna Czopek says she knew Illinois Tech would be the right fit for her to pursue her passion in mathematics. An eagerness to share knowledge with others landed her a job as a high school math teacher.

“My favorite part about teaching is the students. They come to you every day, regardless if they are struggling or not, to see your bright face smiling back at them, and they are ready to learn,” Czopek says. “I am able to make a change in someone’s life. That is what I look forward to every day.”

Czopek says her academic experience gave her a strong understanding of mathematics, but teaching it requires a different approach.

“I had to reconstruct my own thinking in order to become a facilitator and guide my students to find their own way through a productive struggle to reach their ‘eureka’ moment,” she says.