What’s your name and occupation? My name is Katie Kannokada. I am the AVID coordinator and AVID 12 elective teacher at Niles North.
Can you tell me a little about yourself? I am married to a teacher at Niles North, Mr. Kannokada. He teaches Special Ed and math. I’ve worked here for 11 years but I’ve been a teacher for 18 years. I used to teach math both in Evanston and here. I have two kids, they both go to the preschool here as well. The whole family essentially goes to Niles North, actually. Other than that, I am a huge dog lover.
Where did you go to high school? I grew up in the West Suburbs. I went to Downers Grove North, even though I grew up on the South Side.
What can you tell me about your family? My family is from Oaklawn and I spent the early part of my life on the South Side so a lot of my family is still southsiders. I’m a White Sox fan, can’t hold it against me. A little bit more about my family, a big thing is they’re really involved in the deaf community. My mom and all my uncles are involved with public service within he deaf community. My mom’s a sign language interpreter, and both my grandparents were deaf so it’s a really big part of my family culture.
Where did you go to college and what was it like? I did my Undergrad at Indiana University and I got my first master’s degree at UIC. I’m currently getting another master’s degree at Concordia. Indiana was big, rural, and really pretty. It was a beautiful campus and that’s actually why I picked it. I was a first generation college kid, meaning I was the first one in my family to go to college. I wasn’t sure what to look for when it came to picking a college, but I knew my parents wanted me to go. I went to visit Indiana with my best friend’s sister because she ran track there. It was the only campus I had visited and because it was really pretty and gave me a little bit of money I chose to go there. I studied abroad and taught at Sydney, Australia and I was there by myself, before people had cell phones. UIC was amazing, I would teach there in the mornings, have class in the night times and commute.
What resources do you wish you had to pick out a college? I wish I would’ve known how my personality, how my learning style, and interests fit the school. So I went to Indiana and it was a huge school, I felt like I was just a number my first two years. It wasn’t until my junior year that I was in a class with 25 people, where I got to know my professors and then I thrived. But if I would’ve known in high school that relationships were important to me, maybe someone could’ve shown me a mid-size or a smaller school. I would’ve known that an in-state school has the same opportunities, but for half the price. I wish I had someone there to guide me which school to select based on my personality.
What do you like most about Niles North? I like that in the Niles North community there’s so many ways to get involved. There’s so many clubs, organizations, sports, charity, and leadership opportunities. Students here really care about things, I see activism, connecting, whether that be culturally or racially
What are you getting your second masters in? I’m getting my second masters degree in administration. A lot of what I do as an AVID coordinator feels like I’m leading, but still as a teacher. I want to have that experience in running something bigger.
