(Left) Dee-Etta Wright and (right) Wendel McCollum are two IU Northwest Education graduates who are leaders within the Gary Community School Corporation and Michigan City Area Schools, respectively.
IU Northwest graduates serve as top school administrators in Northwest Indiana
Meet two Indiana University Northwest School of Education alumni who are leading the way in local school districts: Dee-Etta Wright, Chief Operations Officer at Gary Community School Corporation; and Wendel McCollum, superintendent of Michigan City Area Schools.
A freshman class can be divided into two camps: those with a decided major and those who want to do some exploring.
For Dee-Etta Wright, accounting was the path of choice. She worked diligently toward that degree her first few years at Indiana University Northwest. That is until a geology class taught by Emeritus Professor Robert Votaw changed her mind.
“The way he taught his class really grabbed my interest,” Wright said. “At that point, I decided I wanted to be an earth science teacher.”
Wright dedicated the rest of her time at IU Northwest to education courses, graduating in 1989. In 1993, she found herself back in the classroom to earn her IU Northwest master’s in education.
Since then, Wright has had a storied career as an educator. She taught for 25 years and has served as a principal and superintendent. Now, Wright is the Chief Operations Officer at Gary Community School Corporation.
“Both my accounting classes and education classes really prepared me for this operations role,” she said. “I use a lot of the critical thinking skills I learned in the education and business departments.”
Much like Wright, fellow IU Northwest School of Education alumnus Wendel McCollum originally saw himself in business. However, while coaching high school football, he decided to switch to an education major.
McCollum earned his degree in secondary education in 2000, a master’s in 2005 and an administrator certification in 2006.
With multiple degrees in hand, McCollum went on to become a middle school social studies teacher. After that, he served as an assistant principal, principal, associate superintendent and, finally, the superintendent of Michigan City Area Schools.
“I did not initially see myself in administration,” McCollum said. “But unlike many first-time administrator experiences, I had the opportunity to impact students with instructional practices and strategies. From those initial experiences, I enjoyed supporting everyone as an administrator.”
McCollum said that the relationships with teachers and coaches were instrumental in his decision to pursue education. During his years at IU Northwest, he found several mentors who helped him along the way.
“Dr. Pam Sandoval encouraged me to consider education as a major. She provided me with the right amount of encouragement to get through courses,” McCollum said.
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How the School of Education shaped Northwest Indiana leaders
Wright is quick to mention that the School of Education has played a major role in her outstanding career, too. She said that IU Northwest’s location, for one, was immensely helpful — the campus was only a 10-minute drive from home.
“It was a campus that I just grew to love,” Wright said. “I had every opportunity possible to be successful. I had great staff, support and financial aid. I owe a lot to it as far as my success.”
Both Wright and McCollum are prominent examples of School of Education alumni making a real mark on local communities. And the best part? They’re far from the only ones.
IU Northwest grad Jovanka Cvitkovich, who earned her master’s in special education, serves as director of human resources for Gary Community School Corporation. Every day, in Northwest Indiana and beyond, hundreds of classrooms are led by teachers with IU Northwest degrees.
“There are many paths to becoming a teacher and administrator. But you must have a passion for working with and supporting students,” McCollum said.
McCollum and Wright each elected to change their original paths, finding themselves in the classroom instead of the boardroom. Because of their changes of heart, they’ve gone on to do the School of Education proud as top achievers in their field.