The Department of History will honor Katie Lopez and Simon Rodriguez as Distinguished Alumni at a special ceremony at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, October 13, in Schroeder Hall, room 130. The recipient of the Frederick Drake History Teacher Alumni Award, Lopez teaches at Normal West Community High School. Rodriguez is the Youth Services Manager for the City of Aurora. The event will include presentations from both recipients and is open to the public.
Katie is a local social studies teacher who has been teaching in Unit #5 schools for the past 12 years. She currently works at Normal West High School, where she teaches U.S. history and AP psychology. In addition, Katie also teaches a course in the Teaching & Learning Department at Illinois State each semester.
Simon is a proud son of parents from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. As a student, he was an admissions ambassador, member of Phi Alpha Theta, Association of Latin American Students, Alpha Psi Lambda, National- Inc., and a Fulbright scholarship recipient studying abroad in Mexico and England.
Simon went on to teach bilingual social studies at East Aurora High School and is the current the youth services director for the City of Aurora, where he advocates for all the youth of Aurora. He is also on the board for the Boys & Girls Club Aurora, president of the Illinois State Latinx Alumni Network, mentor for Waubonsee Community College’s Triumph program, and US Army veteran.
