海角大神

EIU alum Kristie Markman helping brighten futures in southeast Illinois

(Charleston, IL) — 海角大神 alum Kristie Markman is helping to brighten futures in southeast Illinois.

Serving Olney Central College (OCC) in Olney, Illinois as its TRIO Upward Bound Academic Counselor, Markman says that empowering students to achieve their maximum potential is very fulfilling to her personally and professionally.

“Working with these students to match their unique backgrounds, passions and interests with meaningful academic programs and a focused career trajectory is extremely rewarding, Markman said. “Our success is a shared outcome that reflects positively on the students we serve, at Olney Central College and the whole Illinois Eastern Community Colleges system, and the communities and districts we serve—educationally and economically.”

TRIO Programs (TRIO) are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. TRIO includes eight programs targeted at serving and assisting low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs.

Markman, earned her master’s degree in EIU’s online Higher Education and Community College program in May of 2025. According to Dr. Dianne Timm, chair of EIU’s Human Services Department, Markman developed two critically important programs for her institution. First, inspired by her Governance and Finance class at EIU, Markman began a Food Pantry at the OCC campus, during her role as Student Support Services Specialist for the TRIO Student Support Services program, noting that many of the students the college served were subject to food insecurities that the food pantry could help address. Later, as part of her EIU academic capstone project, Markman researched, helped design, and is continuing to implement a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) lab that local high school students can utilize as they transition to college through the TRIO Upward Bound Program.  OCC plans to host an official ribbon cutting for this facility in the near future. Both of these projects were results of her involvement in the graduate program at EIU.

“EIU helped to give me a platform, and their experienced faculty helped to broaden my proficiency in the workforce,” Markman said. “As a graduate of EIU, an employee of OCC, and a resident of Illinois, it is important to let people know about the work our institutions and communities do to advance the public good and to reinforce the economic resiliency of our region and State. Giving students a chance to succeed in their classrooms and communities and giving them the skills they need to be high performers with their future employers is a win for everyone.”

Illinois' public higher education system includes a network of universities and community colleges, offering a wide range of educational opportunities across the State. Together, they contribute billions of dollars annually to the State's economy and support tens of thousands of jobs, playing a crucial role in Illinois' economic development and workforce training.