Hi my name is Sonja Penney, and I am the new editor for IVCC’s student newspaper: IV Leader.

I am a junior at IVCC and am considered a nontraditional (adult) student. Previously, I lived my entire life in the South until three years ago when I moved to Illinois Valley.

I am grateful for my time thus far at IVCC; I have been aided and supported by wonderful people within the school. Both faculty and employees have been supportive of my academic journey and have truly made an impact on my life as well as my future.

I see myself as an advocate; as a nontraditional student who has been attending college for the first time, I spent the majority of my first year familiarizing myself with IVCC’s resources which I have immensely benefited from. As a result, I have been able to directly connect students with our school’s resources.

I also believe my role as a tutor over the last two years has further raised my awareness of student needs and my focus to personally make sure my support to students is accessible and inclusive. As the editor for IV Leader, my goal is accessibility and inclusion.

Changes in this month’s issue reflect those goals. Please reach out to me if you have any questions or want to share ideas for future IV Leader articles. You can contact me via email [email protected]