“I love the people at the Southwest Education Center,” says Denise Marek, the center’s site facilitator. “My co-workers, the instructors, the students… everyone is so friendly. It’s a great team environment where everyone is working together to help students achieve their goals.”
Marek says students appreciate that the Southwest Education Center offers many of the same services available at the main campus in Palos Hills, such as borrowing books from the Library, receiving free tutoring, using computers at no charge, taking the Compass Placement Test, getting student IDs, and more.
“We try to make things as easy for our students as possible.” Students also enjoy the convenience offered by being close to their homes and having flexible class schedules. “Many of our students are very busy,” she says.
Marek knows Moraine Valley offers a great education since she earned an associate degree in 1981 before moving on to get a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois. She has worked at the Southwest Education Center for almost five years now.
“I earned my associate degree back in the early 80s. And my brothers also attended there,” she says. Several years later, Marek returned to the college to upgrade her skills. She believes the same supportive atmosphere she found as a student is available at the Southwest Education Center. “It is a very welcoming environment,” she says.