National Louis University Announces its Student Speakers for 2021 Commencement
Students to share their personal journeys to graduation and offer inspiring words for the NLU class of 2021
NLU Illinois Commencement 2021
Saturday, October 09, 2021
Graduate Students attend at 10 am
Undergraduate Students attend at 2pm
Location: Arie Crown Theatre, 2301 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Il 60616
Marlena Little, Ed.S candidate of the National College of Education at National Louis University, was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago. Defying the odds connected to her zip code, Marlena Little graduated from Whitey Young Magnet High School and began her collegiate journey at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It was in Birmingham, the mecca of the Civil Rights Movement, where Marlena recognized the inequities that existed in education. This ignited her passion to positively impact the most deserving students through education.
After completing her degree in Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Marlena chose the path of education after the passing of her mother, who cared for countless children in the neighborhood they lived in growing up. Her journey in education began first as a paraprofessional, while she completed her degree in Elementary Education from Trinity Christian College. Thereafter, she served as a teacher in the neighborhood of Englewood in Chicago and in 2013, her life’s work led her to Memphis, TN for seven years, where she also earned a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia University Portland. Marlena has created frameworks for academic intervention and teacher coaching and development for both public and private schools, coached teachers and leaders on the impact of cultural competency in the classroom, and was the Founder of Life Prep Academy of Excellence, a proposed charter school in Memphis.
Returning back to Chicago and the community she loves, Marlena Little continues to serve in Englewood as the Assistant Principal of King Academy of Social Justice, Co-founder of JustUs Ed, an organization committed to social justice and diversity and inclusion, and as Founding President of Tri-Alpha National Honor Society, a first-generation honor society here at National Louis University. Marlena’s published works of advocacy include editorials with Citizen Education, and most recently she is the published author of “I Choose You”, a children’s book highlighting the joyous choice of being a single parent. Marlena Little is continuing her educational journey as a Doctoral Candidate at Concordia University Chicago and when she isn’t advocating for students and families, she is the mother of a teenage daughter who follows in her footsteps in the fight for excellence in education for all students everywhere.
Roi’Ana Johnson, who also goes by Crystale, is a first generation student who is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Human Services. She was born in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to Chicago’s west side when she was still young. For high school she attended Legal Prep Charter Academy located on the west side of Chicago. Tragically, Roi’Ana lost her father to colon cancer when she was 7 years old. His passing caused her and her mom deep pain, but it also gave Roi’Ana the strength to turn into the woman she is today.
Although only 23, Roi’Ana has been through some very difficult things, which inspired her to choose psychology. From the start of losing her dad, to her mom going into deep depression, and then to experiencing sexual assault by people close to her, she still remains a strong young woman. She has also fought hard to support some of her friends who were contemplating suicide. These experiences led Roi’Ana to finding her purpose which is wanting to help people escape the self-destruction mindset by providing a strong support system in hopes for a positive outcome.
Being a first generation student, Roi’Ana tends to put pressure on herself because she promised herself and her dad that she would get straight A’s, and she kept her promise by staying focused, goal-oriented, organized, confident, self-disciplined, and by being a leader. Throughout her college years, while studying psychology she has learned about the things that are ignored and has utilized them through psychology, which allows her to see things in a different light, helping her learn about the reward of reaching self-actualization and learning to live a virtuous lifestyle. Roi’Ana has been able to establish professional and personal relationships with her peers, professors, and other alumni on campus. During her sophomore year, she was recognized for multiple accomplishments and was featured in the Eagle Newsletter as a Student Spotlight for Professional Development. In addition, she was recognized in another Student Spotlight opportunity during her senior year which was for the Psychology issue of the student-produced Communications Quarterly Magazine.
While attending National Louis, she has managed to maintain a 4.0 GPA every term while being enrolled full-time for four consecutive years. In addition, she was nominated for the National Society of Leadership and Success Program due to her exceptional academic performance and leadership skills. Roi’Ana has also been selected to obtain a Soaring Eagle Award certificate for embodying NLU values of leadership and for being involved on campus. Furthermore, she became a Student Council Member where she became a voice for her peers to help them address any concerns they have and had the opportunity to develop new activities for students. During her free time she enjoys meditating, going skating, which she’s been doing since she was a kid, reading obsessively, hanging out with her friends who are her support system, and experiencing new fun and exciting things. It is an honor to say that Roi’Ana is destined for greatness and this is just the beginning of her new life’s chapter.
