A deep-rooted passion for prairies and unwavering dedication to students and the community are just two of the reasons Jana Svec earned this year’s Master Educator of the Year Award.

As champion and leader of the college’s Nature Study Area for the past two decades and environmental/earth science professor of 25 years, Svec exhibits the award’s qualifications as she demonstrates practical applications of instruction and institutional support, promotes innovative practices and successfully collaborates with the community.

“I’m very honored and grateful to receive this award,” Svec said. “Honestly, it’s the legacy of Dick Finley – former Moraine Valley professor who created the Nature Study Area – that is really what I celebrate. I know I’ve done my best to keep it going, but it’s my predecessors who were the ones who started the Nature Study Area, and I’m proud I’m able to keep it up.”

Restoring prairies was not part of Svec’s original career plan. Neither was becoming a teacher.

“I’m from Canada. I grew up with forests. I never lived in a prairie and knew nothing about prairie ecosystems. But after coming here, now I’m obsessed with prairies. They’re so crucial to the state of Illinois and having this Nature Study Area is a huge asset for the college,” she said.

Svec majored in science and looked forward to conducting research. “Being a teacher was not on my radar. Then, in grad school, I became a teaching assistant and loved it.

That changed the course for me, and I have no regrets.”

A highlight of her teaching career at Moraine Valley is the students. “My passion is for the subject material, and to be able to portray that passion to the students, and then see their passion in return, is really what’s incredible,” she said.

“I always do a reflective essay with the students about what the prairie means to them now that they’ve experienced it, and most of them say they didn’t know what a prairie was – that it just looked like grass to them. They had no idea what a unique ecosystem it is and how much we’ve lost. They become very passionate about it, and that brings me such joy.”

There are two reasons Svec works on the prairie. “First, I’m passionate about the land and the ecosystem in general. But the second is that it’s for the students. That is their outdoor classroom, and it’s for them to experience,” she said. “The students seed collect, they do restoration work and disperse the seeds. The students have always played a big part in the restoration of the prairie.”

Her nominator, Krista Syrup, professor of environmental/earth science and geology, said Svec goes above and beyond in her duties. “She has worked tirelessly on the prairie to maintain it for students and the community to enjoy. And she does it all without a stipend or release time,” Syrup said, noting that many disciplines make use of the Nature Study Area, including natural science, biology, earth science, geology and other classes.

“Professor Svec gives tours to the community and school groups any day of the week and on weekends. It is all volunteer work, going above and beyond her duties as an environmental science professor. She has kept the legacy of our treasured Nature Study Area/outdoor classroom for students and the community to enjoy,” Syrup shared.