Lori Redding is a Clinical Lecturer who is a passionate advocate for undergraduate students in theBA Urban Education teacher preparation program and the campus community at UIC’s College ofEducation. Prior to joining UIC in 2013, she taught in public elementary classrooms in variousschool districts throughout several states for a total of 19 years. She has also held adjunct facultyappointments at the University of Delaware.For 7 years, she has had the fortunate opportunity to learn from and enhance the first-year collegestudent experience for every student entering the BA Urban Education program. Redding believesthat all students should be a part of an environment that promotes opportunities to engage insuccessful relationships which are ultimately tied to successful learning experiences and educationalsuccess. Focusing on students’ lived experiences and strengths must come first and the developmentallevel, especially of the first-year college student, deserves respect and nurturance.For the last two years, Redding has also served as the coordinator of the BA Urban EducationField Placements working closely with Chicago Public Schools, Calumet City SD, and BerwynDistrict North. She continues to strengthen meaningful relationships with administrators and facultyin Chicago communities by linking pedagogy and coursework with clinical fieldwork taking place inelementary classrooms within these neighboring urban school districts. She enjoys working toimprove the quality and sustainability of teacher candidates through on-site observation protocols andwill always hold a deep interest in educational programs that partner with the communities andprofessionals, who, together, ensure that every child has the certainty of gaining college readiness.She continues to work in university settings supporting first-year students who ultimately progressinto teacher candidates, where she then supports them as pre-service teachers and beginning teachersthroughout Chicago communities. As both an educator and a Chicagoan, Redding has observed first-hand that students, families, and teachers all benefit when they work together to focus on empoweringALL students, enhancing student growth, and the cultivation of higher ed scholarship.