# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:  Tiana Iruoje

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

Current Location: In my home office in Bloomington, Indiana (I have lived here longer than my hometown now- 17 years)

Current Occupation: Director of Student Engagement and Success at IU Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering.

What do you want to do all day?
Cook, journal, games, read, and craft and spend quality time with my husband and kids when I am not playing games or reading a book!

But what do you really do all day?
Work, teach, meetings, develop courses, mentor students, and connect with colleagues. After I have fun at work, I then spend time with my husband and three kids after all their activities around town (Daniel-15, Caleb-11, Ruth-9)

Who is your superhero alter ego?
Spiderman, love the story

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Traveling, spending time with my kids and family

Last thing you learned:  Why different nonprofits in Bloomington, IN collect EIN numbers from student organizations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Tommy and Jordan Renfro at our sister and brother in-law’s wedding 12/22

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: James “Tommy” Renfro

Hometown: Hollansburg, OH

Current Location: New Paris, OH

Current Occupation: Learning and Development Manager - Shook Construction - www.shookconstruction.com

What do you want to do all day?: Spend time playing, reading, exploring, laughing, dancing, and learning with my wife and two girls (Ava - 4 and Nora - 6).

But what do you really do all day?: Manage the learning for a company of over 450 employees in 3 states. Multimedia design. Graphic design. OSHA compliance training. Corporate executive leadership training. LMS management. Construction trades education in 7-12 grade schools.

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
My wife. She teaches and manages 3 multiple disabilities classrooms from
4-12 grades. I learn to be more empathetic everyday from her example.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: Performing live acoustic shows (www.tommyrenfro.com). Spending time with my family. Working around our 5.5 acres. Gardening with my girls. Grilling on the Blacktone.

Last thing you learned: The difference between the operation of a non-for-profit hospital and a for-profit hospital during orientation for the community well being grant board yesterday.

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Sunmi Seol

Hometown: Seoul, Korea

Current Location: Palo Alto, CA

Current Occupation: A mobile app developer at Stanford University and an EdD student at Indiana University Bloomington

What do you want to do all day?: I really want to watch Korean dramas

But what do you really do all day?: Having a meeting, writing codes, debugging, testing, writing documents, reading articles, doing assignments, leaving comments, doing home chores, gardening, riding for kids, and communicating with contractors and handymen

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
My mother is my hero. I really want to be a mother like my mother

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: crying, watching dramas, taking a walk, gardening, drinking alcohol, drinking coffee, and chatting with friends

Last thing you learned: The person I have to fight for is me and never give up whatever I try

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
MY Wife Chitapa and I on our wedding day :)

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Scott Teske

Hometown:
Eaton Rapids, MI

Current Location:
East Lansing, MI

Current Occupation:
Health Educator K-12

What do you want to do all day?
Drink coffee and play video games

Who is your superhero alter ego?
Hodor!

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Cleaning up after my wife!

Last thing you learned:
The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Karri Hamlett-Bedan

Hometown:
Jeffersonville, IN

Current Location:
Floyds Knobs, IN

Current Occupation:
Instructional Design and Technology Consultant

What do you want to do all day?:
A perfect day would involve lounging on the beach with my husband while watching our kiddos play in the sand. A cold weather alternative would involve curling up in my bed with my favorite snacks while I binge watch "Rupaul's Drag Race" on the TV.

But what do you really do all day?
On the weekends, I get to live out my bed, tv, and snacks perfect day interspersed with breaking up my children's squabbles over who won whatever game they were playing or who took whose toy that they "definitely had first." On the weekdays, I'm busy supporting faculty who have technical or teaching questions on the IU Southeast campus.

Who is your superhero alter ego?
Jubilee from X-Men was always my favorite superhero growing up. She was still figuring out how the world works and how to keep her powers from getting her into trouble. Decades later, I still find myself identifying with those themes even though I'm supposed to be a "grown-up."

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Trying to make sure my kids know that I am present and deeply invested in their lives. I'm also busy making sure my husband remembers why we embarked on this whole crazy marriage and kids thing in the first place! I love reading for pleasure, so I try to regularly read something because I want to and not because I have to for class.

Last thing you learned:
I've been working with faculty on programmatic assessment data reporting lately, which has revealed that I have some knowledge gaps in Excel that I didn't fully appreciate before, so the last thing I learned was related to leveraging Excel tools in a way that allows the program to do some heavy lifting that I was previously doing manually.

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Prisca Milliance

Hometown:
Chelsea, MA

Current Location:
Miami, FL

Current Occupation:
Fashion Design Professor

What do you want to do all day?:
Fall into Pinterest Rabbit Holes, Bake, Day dream, listen to podcasts, write in my journal and play online dominoes

But what do you really do all day?:
Work. Grade, attend meetings, mentor students, teach and take classes. Sometimes I watch movies on Netflix.

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
Django Jane

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Working on a project. Thinking about working out.

Last thing you learned:
3D software for fashion design.

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Sean Fahey

Hometown:
Paoli, IN

Current Location:
Kitchen Table at home :)

Current Occupation:
Professional Development Specialist

What do you want to do all day?:
Whatever I want!

But what do you really do all day?:
Work with K12 educators coaching and providing professional development on topics related integrating technology into instruction.

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
IDK? My favorite superheroes growing up were X-Men, specifically Wolverine and Spider-Man.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Working and with my family.

Last thing you learned:
How to minimize menus and such in Google Slides.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Taken at the Fulbright MENA Alumni Conference

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Taieb Cherif (TY-eb SHUH-reef)

Hometown:
Tunis, Tunisia

Current Location:
Bloomington, IN

Current Occupation:
PhD Student (1st year)
Graduate Assistant, Office of Teacher Education, Indiana University Bloomington

What do you want to do all day:
Listen to podcasts/documentaries/YouTube videos while playing video games

But What do you really do all day?
Working, doing chores, and chatting with family/friends back home

Who is your superhero alter ego?
My math teacher in high school

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Trying to catch up with the political situation in Tunisia

Last thing you learned:
I should have subscribed to Discovery+ long time ago!

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name:
Matthew Landreth

Hometown:
Evansville, Indiana and Ware Shoals, South Carolina

Current Location:
Ankara, Turkey

Current Occupation:
Educational Technologist (K-12 / Instructional Coach), Advanced Academic Programs Resource Teacher (K-12 but mostly I work with Gifted Elementary kids), Middle - High School Social Studies Teacher (Grades 6 & 12 this semester) for the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and an EdD student at Indiana University Bloomington

What do you want to do all day?:
Travel

But what do you really do all day?:
Wake up make coffee, teach kids (Kinder -12th) and their teachers. Make more coffee and read.

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
Iron Man – we both love gadgets

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
taking long walks, traveling the world and working 12 hour school days.

Last thing you learned:
Do not get frustrated with lost in translation, consider it a challenge (especially when speaking to someone that speaks the same language as you)

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Natasha de Marcken

Hometown: Ely, Minnesota

Current Location: Washington, D.C.

Current Occupation: Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development

What do you want to do all day?
Spend time in interesting places around the world, especially visiting classrooms. Or up in northern Minnesota, my happy place!

But what do you really do all day?
Track key events, issues, and U.S. Government foreign policy priorities in Southern Africa; supervise people; provide endless briefings; and move lots and lots (and lots!) of papers...

Who is your superhero alter ego?
Not sure, but decided a while back that my superpower is my flexibility.... and smile.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: trying to balance work, being a mom, keeping up friendships, eking out time for reading and exercise.

Last think you learned: How to create a blog--thanks, R-511!

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
On the deck at our house in Noblesville, Indiana

# data[].attributes.headline
Linda Smith (with my husband of 33 years, Mark)

# data[].attributes.subject
Linda Smith (with my husband of 33 years, Mark)

# data[].attributes.body
Full name: Linda Vervynckt Smith

Hometown: South Bend, Indiana

Current Location:
Sitting at my desk in Noblesville, Indiana, with my dog who is currently asking that I feed her breakfast.

Current Occupation: Learning Experience Designer, Anthem, Inc.

What do you want to do all day?
Something creative, renovating my doll house. hike, hunt for antiques

But what do you really do all day?
Create learning experiences within the constraints of Corporate America.

Who is your superhero alter ego?
Super dog mom or Super dog grandma.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Running/playing with my dog, Daisy, fixing up my house, drawing and painting.

Last think you learned:
How to get Daisy to run on the treadmill.

# data[].attributes.headline
Katie Dixon (pic is with my son Will on a dinner cruise on the Hudson River on Thanksgiving 2022 after his marching band performed in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade)

# data[].attributes.subject
Katie Dixon (pic is with my son Will on a dinner cruise on the Hudson River on Thanksgiving 2022 after his marching band performed in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade)

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Kathryn Dixon

Hometown: Hobart, Indiana (the Region, for those in Indiana)

Current Location: Brownsburg, Indiana in my living room with my dogs - we have a puppy that still limited to the first floor and if I’m in my office upstairs, he is destructive so I’m his couch buddy.

Current Occupation: Travel Advisor specializing in Disney, Universal, Hawaii, Cruises, and All Inclusives.  I’ve done this for 10 years (after teaching in a middle school for 6 before that). I wanted to stay home with my kids and this has allowed me flexibility to do so, but it’s time to return to education arena where my passion lies.

What do you want to do all day? Travel, read, play board games with my kids, watch them explore new places, problem solve.

But what do you really do all day? Answer phone calls, wait on long holds with vendors, drive my kids to school, from school, to activities, from activities, make food for my family (they eat a lot!), spreadsheets, right now- cancel or move vacations -again.

Who is your super hero alter ego? Batman. I’ve always been intrigued with his calm ability to handle situations and find unique solutions (usually with his amazing bat-tools) for any situation. His need to handle things in his own and resist help to a fault resonates. And capes are amazing.

When you’re not cramming your brain in class, you’re: Driving my kids somewhere or on the phone talking about a vacation. Maybe at the baseball field or a hockey game. I also volunteer in several arenas.

The last thing you learned: There are five dwarf planets - my son has a science test next week and was trying to stump me. It worked.

# data[].attributes.headline
Megan Hansen Connolly (pic from wedding in Carmel, California)

# data[].attributes.subject
Megan Hansen Connolly (pic from wedding in Carmel, California)

# data[].attributes.body
Full name: Megan Hansen Connolly

Hometown: Central Valley, California

Current Location: Bloomington, IN

Current Occupation: Lecturer, Department of Second Language Studies, Indiana University Bloomington

What do you want to do all day? Drink coffee, bake delicious things using my beloved KitchenAid mixer, go on bike rides with my husband on Bloomington's amazing trails (Rail Trail and Clear Creek Trail are our favorites), and watch Netflix.

But what do you really do all day? Teach undergraduates, grade papers (and grade papers, and grade papers), research, develop curriculum, attend faculty meetings, attend/give talks at conferences, and drink coffee.

Who is your superhero alter ego? My mother and my mother-in-law, who are two examples of brilliant, driven, and inspiring women.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: playing with my cats, Mr. Boo and Scout, baking, doing a Peleton ride, spending time with my husband, reading, and doing DIY projects around the house.

Last thing you learned: a useful piece of HTML code to use in my Canvas site for an asynchronous online course I'm teaching right now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
picture of randy in gray shirt with yellow tree in the background

# data[].attributes.headline
Randy Mahoney, Jr. (pic from recent Arizona trip at Christmas)

# data[].attributes.subject
Randy Mahoney, Jr. (pic from recent Arizona trip at Christmas)

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Randy Mahoney, Jr.

Hometown: Lynchburg, VA

Current Location: In my home office

Current Occupation: Pre-Employment Career Coach at a local nonprofit organization, where I teach high school students with disabilities on career and adult living skills.

What do you want to do all day?: Drink good coffee; Watch a good movie or documentary; Listen to a good podcast; Create a good podcast; Video editing; Find the right stock footage or sound effect; Develop a course / education experience that someone cares about and that meets learners where they are, in real life

But what do you really do all day?:
Future professional interests include...

*Adjunct Teaching on Education, Career Skills, or Other Relevant Subjects

*Interest in Student Success Roles at a college/university, especially Career Services or Advising, or Instructional Design

*Interest in Instructional Design Roles as another career path, especially in Higher Ed or for the "right" corporate setting, such as an Education-focused company

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
Probably one of the many versions of Spider-Man. He's my favorite super-hero story -- it's all on one person dealing with real-life problems, grieving loss, and taking the courage to be a hero.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are:
Watching movies, Cooking, Spending time with my wife Amanda, Working on my seasonal career podcast

Last thing you learned:
Helpful ways to color-grade drone footage in DaVinci Resolve, a video editing program I use.

More links for those interested:
1. Online Portfolio (takes you to Google Sites)

2. Links for "The Work With Purpose Podcast," my hobby career podcast:

*Homepage
*Youtube Channel

# data[].attributes.headline
Curt Bonk (pic from Day 500 running in a row with my dog Oliver on August 2, 2021)

# data[].attributes.subject
Curt Bonk (pic from Day 500 running in a row with my dog Oliver on August 2, 2021)

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Doc Jay...Curtis J. Bonk...TravelinEdMan...Purple Man (to my kids)

Hometown: Milwaukee, WI

Current Location: In my basement standing by my hydraulically lifted standing desk. I am looking out over a forest in my backyard and at the bottom of the hill is a little creek.

What do you want to to do all? Listen to audiobooks while traveling in my car or on a plane.  Or write books or poetry or song lyrics or greeting cards or daily pull off calendars. I start with the latter one soon...perhaps next month.

Who is your superhero alter ego? Obi-Wan Kenobi. But also Paul Kim at Stanford who is orginally from Incheon, Korea. Paul and I are twin sons of different mothers. https://gse-it.stanford.edu/about/team/paul-kim. Perhaps I will get him as a guest again in this class.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: jogging or reading or listening to audiobooks. Today will be my 666th day of running in a row (goal is 731 days or 2 years). 666 is the sign of the devil. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/666_(number); https://www.sciencealert.com/what-is-the-secret-meaning-behind-the-devil-s-number-666-mathematics

Last thing you learned? Well...I learned that the historic Johnson Cremery building in downtown Bloomington has been deemed not safe and officials have closed that part of the Bloomington Rails to Trails.

# data[].attributes.body
Full Name: Xiaoying Zheng

Hometown: Fujian, China

Current Location: Bloomington, IN

Current Occupation:  a doctoral student in IST program at Indiana University Bloomington

What do you want to do all day?: go out for hiking, enjoying the natural landscapes

But what do you really do all day?: publish some news and events for IST on social media, communicate with teachers and fellow students , writing coursework, reading articles, cooking for myself, do chores, online chatting with my family members

Who is your superhero alter ego?:
My elder cousin, a female entrepreneur who manages a company in US. She is smart and wisdom.

When you are not cramming your brain in class, you are: watching Youtubes, watching comedies, taking a walk outdoors, cooking new dishes

Last thing you learned: the differences between people lie in the information gap