Faces of NLU: Meet Havee Makedon

A middle school teacher describes his journey immigrating to the United States from Kurdistan and explains why earning an ESL/Bilingual endorsement is especially important to him.

At National Louis University (NLU), no college is older or more esteemed than our National College of Education (NCE), first established by our founder, Elizabeth Harrison, in 1886. For over 135 years, NCE has been preparing exceptional teachers who make a difference in the lives of their students. Havee Makedon has experienced NCE’s exceptional training first-hand, ever since he decided to come back to school to earn an ESL/Bilingual endorsement. Havee  was already working as a middle school teacher when he decided to come back to school, and he had his pick of universities, as well. Havee had earned a scholarship to pay for graduate school through Illinois TESOL-BE (a non-profit organization that supports the teaching of non-native English speakers), and he chose to enroll at NLU because of the relationship they had with his school district and because of a recommendation:

“National Louis has a relationship with the school district that I work for, and it was recommended to me as the best place to earn the endorsement that I wanted to gain.”

Havee explains that learning how to effectively teach non-native speakers in the classroom was especially important to him because he had been an ESL student himself after his family immigrated to the United States:

“My family originally immigrated to the United States in the 1990s from Kurdistan. The Kurds at that time were experiencing extreme violence being committed against them, with multiple members of my family being murdered by their government within a short period of time. My family came to the United States as refugees as part of a resettlement program, and I was about a year old when my parents made the move. We moved to America in 1995, and I grew up in the US. Having once been a student that went through the ESL system in this country, and being a teacher, I realized the importance of pursuing credentials to effectively teach students of immigrant background, since I was once in their shoes and since it was only through the support of excellent teachers from my childhood that I was put on the track that I am on today.”

Havee says that his experience in the ESL/Bilingual endorsement program thus far has lived up to the reputation of the National College of Education:

“I have so far encountered nothing but professional educators at NLU in my pursuit of earning this endorsement, and I feel as though this experience is contributing greatly to my professional development.”

Havee explains that earning his ESL/Bilingual endorsement will give him “the credentials and skills necessary to be an effective educator for students that speak English as a second language,” which will make him a more effective and well-rounded educator. The ESL/Bilingual endorsement is also one of the most popular and sought-after endorsements for K-12 educators in Illinois.

Havee explains that he has always been ambitious in both his education and career, and that earning this endorsement was another way to challenge himself:

“I think determination to achieve my goals is something that has been driving me forward for many years. I earned two master’s degrees by the age of 27, and I’ve kept moving forward, constantly setting newer and more challenging goals to accomplish over the years. The greatest obstacle is time, since time is a limited resource, but I am very much someone that fully utilizes that little time that I have.”

NLU knows that teachers, like Havee, are always pressed for time, which is why a number of our degree, endorsement and certificate programs are offered via evening classes or online. This makes it possible for busy teachers like Havee to continue growing their skills throughout their career, which is something Havee recommends to his fellow NLU students:

“Earning your diploma shouldn’t be thought of as the end of your learning experience, but perhaps the beginning of it. I think learning and developing more skills is critical throughout our lives, and I recommend constantly striving to learn more and to challenge yourself.”

Learn more about all the degree, endorsement, certificate and approval programs through the National College of Education. You can also contact an Enrollment Specialist online or by calling (888) 658-8632 to talk more about your career and educational goals.