Erin Carder Passes On Her Love of Education at Carl Sandburg College

Erin Carder ’17 grew up on the Knox College campus, attending classes with her father, Jon Gallagher ’94, inside Old Main. So when it was her turn to decide on where to pursue her degree, it made sense for Carder to follow in her father’s footsteps and attend Knox.

Carder, a non-traditional student, came to Knox after getting her associate’s degree at Carl Sandburg College. Since graduating from Knox in 2017 with a degree in anthropology and sociology, she continues her passion for helping students pursue higher education, working as the TRIO Student Support Services Academic Advisor/Retention Coordinator at Carl Sandburg College in Galesburg.

What brought you to Knox? Did having a family member attend impact your decision?

My dad is also a Knox alum. He was a non-traditional student, so I was preschool-aged when he attended Knox College. I have many fond memories of attending class with him in Old Main and meeting some of his favorite professors, including (Philip Sidney Post Professor of English) Robin Metz. My dad's English literature reading assignments became my bedtime stories, and I was entranced as he used funny accents and acted out different scenes from the books. Some of my core childhood memories center on my dad's studies at Knox, and his decision to attend Knox certainly impacted my decision. 

When I sat down with my advisor at Sandburg for the first time, she did some degree planning with me, and she asked about my future plans after Sandburg. I confidently informed her that I would complete my associate's degree at Sandburg and transfer to Knox to finish my bachelor's degree. I am incredibly lucky that my advisor listened to me and helped me effectively plan my classes at Sandburg, so that I was on track to complete my degree within four years when I transferred to Knox. 

Did you have an intended course of study when you came here, or did it take time, a specific course, or experience to help you find your path/passion?

I took a non-traditional path to get to Knox College. By the time I started college, my late husband and I had been married for five years and had a three-year-old son, Noah. We decided that when Noah started preschool, it would be a good time for me to go back to school, too. Both of my parents were educators. My dad was a high school English teacher, and my mom was a preschool teacher throughout my childhood. I've always known I wanted to work in a helping profession, and I am passionate about education, but I have no desire to teach in a traditional classroom setting. 

I had some really great professors when I was a student at Sandburg. I participated in an honors learning community that blended English composition and a 1960s history course during my second semester at Sandburg, with professors Lara Roemer and Kylie Price. This honors learning community gave me a foundation to flourish. Lara and Kylie became my mentors. I was fortunate to form life-long friendships with several peers within the learning community. 

Lara was also the advisor for Phi Theta Kappa, so she encouraged me to join, then to get further involved, and, before I knew it, I took on the leadership role of president for the organization. Lara helped me realize that I didn't have to be a teacher to be an educator; I didn't have to stand in front of a classroom to make an impact. I attribute much of my student success at Sandburg to Lara because she invested her time in building meaningful relationships with students and creating a sense of belonging for them, and I work hard in my current role as an academic advisor to provide TRIO students with a sense of community in the same way that Lara did for me. 

How did attending both Carl Sandburg College and Knox College impact you both educationally and as a person? 

I am very grateful for the opportunities afforded to me through Sandburg and Knox. I am especially grateful for the relationships I have been able to build. In addition to the wonderful mentors I had at Sandburg, I had equally amazing mentors at Knox College. Nancy Eberhardt (Szold Distinguished Service Professor Emerita of Anthropology) was my faculty mentor, and she had a tremendous amount of wisdom to impart. I was so grateful for her assistance in navigating coursework at Knox College to meet all of my graduation requirements. She went to bat for me with the Registrar's office to ensure the classes I took at Sandburg and Knox fulfilled the element requirements. 

I also had a phenomenal professor in the education department at Knox. His name was Dr. Nate Williams, and I took his Foundations of Educational Psychology course. Dr. Nate is a brilliant educator, and even now, 10 years after sitting in a classroom with him, I can vividly recall multiple lessons he taught us. I have adapted one of his educational games, a tarp maze, to use with my TRIO students. 

I also had a phenomenal French professor at Knox, Schahrazede Longou, who was incredibly understanding of my circumstances. There were a few times when I needed to bring my son to class with me, and Schahrazede welcomed Noah with open arms. She even taught him colors in French and numbers up to 10. Once, she even bought him a LEGO Batman set, and he had hours of fun putting it together. Her simple act of kindness truly made an impact on me. 

I could talk all day about how much I learned from my professors at Knox. All of that to say, I am who I am today because of the amazing educators and mentors who took the time to pour into me. 

What has kept you in town?

I am very family-oriented, and I have a large family, most of whom still live locally. It's nice to be able to visit frequently. 

You are the TRIO Advisor at Carl Sandburg College. How have you seen that program impact individuals and their families as students pursue a college education?

TRIO is very near and dear to my heart, and I find it very personally and professionally rewarding to provide support, resources, and encouragement to students along their educational journey. Last year, when federal TRIO funding was in jeopardy, I submitted a grant proposal to the Sandburg Foundation and received a Sandburg Foundation Innovations Grant to take three TRIO students to Washington, D.C. to attend the COE Policy Seminar and participate in lobbying efforts for TRIO funding. 

My students and I were able to meet with staff representatives for Senator Dick Durbin's and Senator Tammi Duckworth’s offices, and, through this experience, we were able to strengthen our connections with members of COE and Illinois TRIO and share our passion for and commitment to the positive outcomes of TRIO programs. 

I've been working with TRIO programs since 2018, first with Upward Bound and now with TRIO Student Support Services, and it's really awesome to witness a student's growth from freshman year of high school through their college graduation. I had the pleasure of mentoring Makenna Schwab ’23 in the TRIO Upward Bound program, and it was a very proud moment when I cheered for her as she crossed Knox's graduation stage in 2023. 

TRIO has a lot of crossover with the Gale Scholars program, which ties together the Galesburg School District with Carl Sandburg College and Knox College. How have you seen the impact of that program in your community and at Carl Sandburg?

The Gale Scholars program is so much more than a fantastic scholarship opportunity. Not only does the Gale Scholars program provide a tuition-free college experience, but it also provides students with a built-in support network of goal-oriented peers and knowledgeable staff, as well as opportunities to get involved and stay engaged in their community. Gale Scholars Director Steve Cheesman ’80 is incredibly passionate about the mission of the Gale Scholars program, and I have personally witnessed the positive impact he has on student success. 

Along with TRIO, you are also the retention coordinator. What do you think is the most important thing you can do/say to students who need that encouragement to stay the course in pursuing a college degree of some sort?

One of the most important aspects of my job is meeting students where they're at and helping them create a roadmap to get to where they want to be. I try to tell students that success won't happen overnight, and you won't always feel motivated to work toward your goals. However, if they remind themselves WHY they set this goal and are actively taking small steps toward it, they're winning. I've worked hard to adopt a mindset of progress, not perfection. We can't allow fear of failure, fear of the unknown, or fear of not being good enough to stop us from taking small steps of forward progress toward our goals. Remember your why! Why are you here? Why are you doing this? How will this benefit you in the future?