“My goal is to bring my empirical knowledge from working at the street level to the senior level and help enact positive policies that truly impact the community,” says Nathan Norman ’18, an Oakton grad who has been a youth advocate for almost a decade in the City of Evanston. Nathan started his education at Oakton, where he gained the skills and confidence he needed to transfer to NEIU. Now, he’s pursuing his master’s in public policy and administration at Northwestern.
His advice for students? “It’s OK if you don’t have it figured out. Most people don't, initially. Most people are building the plane while they’re flying and it’s OK not to have all the pieces together,” he says. “If you’re looking for something that’s going to prepare you and push you forward, Oakton is the place to start.”