Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

Meet Our Students

Photo of student Everett Butzine

Photo and article provided by Everett Butzine, 
Executive Director, Sherman County Economic Development Inc., NE

 

Photo of student Katie Storm

Photo and article provided by Alison McGaughey,
Public Information Specialist, University Relations. 

Katie Storm, graduate student in
Community and Economic Development

If I told you that I went to the French Pastry School Program in Chicago and that I used to work for a Parisian pastry chef, would you believe me when I say that I found a way to connect those experiences with what I have learned from work with the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs (IIRA)?

I first became interested in the Community and Economic Development (CED) program at WIU-QC after speaking with Chris Merrett, IIRA director. The program resonated with me--as a person who is interested in helping others. Read more...

Everett Butzine, graduate student in
Community and Economic Development

While working in the public sector I have established some core values that I carry through my work daily and through life in general. I believe it is a human right to have access to quality housing, resources to find sustainable employment, be offered efficient public services, have maintained recreational facilities in the communities where they decide to live, and to be able to achieve economic stability to therefore live meaningful lives. Overall, the beginning of my career really sparked my interest in economic development and has caused me to passionately pursue my involvement in communities and cities in greater ways.

Read more...

 

 

 

Originally published in Western Magazine, Summer 2018