Marilyn Craig, Interview with Melissa Newman, 2022
Item
Interview Transcript
Title
Marilyn Craig, Interview with Melissa Newman, 2022
Summary
Marilyn Craig was a Business major and graduated from Mundelein in 1984. She was part of the Weekend College, so she describes her experience of being on campus Friday through Sunday. On her weekends at Mundelein, she slept with ten other women in the Northland apartments. It took her 13 years and 8 schools to earn her Bachelor’s degree, so Marilyn is very proud to have been part of Mundelein’s Weekend College, which earned her several promotions at her full-time job. Marilyn characterizes herself at this time in her life as setting herself apart from everyone else—at work and at school—she always had her nose in a book. She regrets not being able to fully participate in all that Mundelein had to offer and not getting to know her fellow Weekend Collegers as well, but she did what she had to do to succeed.
Content Note: These collections may include language or descriptions of events that may be upsetting to some users.
Content Note: These collections may include language or descriptions of events that may be upsetting to some users.
Date Created
February 24, 2022
Biography
Marilyn Craig was born and raised in Chicago with four brothers: three older and one younger. She graduated high school in 1970 and attended Greenville College, which was affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, for one year. She paid for the year in cash from all of the money she had earned through jobs, but sadly could not afford to continue. This led Marilyn on a journey of taking college courses one class at a time at various Chicago City Colleges as she could afford them over the next few years.
Then one day, she remembers seeing a large flyer for Mundelein’s Weekend College and knew that was the best path she had to finally earning her Bachelor’s degree. Majoring in business, Marilyn began taking a full load of classes in the late 1970s: one class on Friday evening, two classes on Saturday, and one class on Sunday. She stayed in Northland when she could, sharing a room with 10 other girls.
Marilyn was a full-time student, held a full-time job, and worked as part of her church’s ministry full-time, so she had to remain vigilant and dedicated to her studies in order to complete her education. Overall, Marilyn is so grateful for her experience at Mundelein. She always wanted to have the college experience, so staying on campus and taking regular classes was a “dream come true” for her. She has a deep appreciation for her instructors that were so understanding of her and her classmates’ situations and their dedication to the Weekend College program.
Then one day, she remembers seeing a large flyer for Mundelein’s Weekend College and knew that was the best path she had to finally earning her Bachelor’s degree. Majoring in business, Marilyn began taking a full load of classes in the late 1970s: one class on Friday evening, two classes on Saturday, and one class on Sunday. She stayed in Northland when she could, sharing a room with 10 other girls.
Marilyn was a full-time student, held a full-time job, and worked as part of her church’s ministry full-time, so she had to remain vigilant and dedicated to her studies in order to complete her education. Overall, Marilyn is so grateful for her experience at Mundelein. She always wanted to have the college experience, so staying on campus and taking regular classes was a “dream come true” for her. She has a deep appreciation for her instructors that were so understanding of her and her classmates’ situations and their dedication to the Weekend College program.
Interviewer Biography
Melissa Newman was a graduate student at Loyola University Chicago and a graduate assistant at the Women and Leadership Archives 2020-2022.
Time Log
0-5 Minutes: Craig’s family and educational background, her decision to attend college, and her enrollment in the weekend college at Mundelein.
5-10 Minutes: Craig’s time spending weekends on campus, the weekend college application process, the types of classes she took, and her relationship with advisors at Mundelein.
10-15 Minutes: Craig reflects on the options for classes at Mundelein, interactions with students and faculty, on campus activities, studying on campus, and her finite math class.
15-20 Minutes: Craig’s classes at Mundelein, teaching finite math, and the weekend college compared to her community college experience.
20-25 Minutes: Craig reflects on classes she took and instructors who taught them, her Bible as Literature class, and her major.
25-30 Minutes: Craig’s decision to major in business and the impact Mundelein had on her career.
30-35 Minutes: Craig’s career after graduation, her class schedule, her master’s degree, her time teaching, and her experienced living in Mundelein apartments.
35-40 Minutes: Craig’s interactions with fellow students at the weekend college, arrangements for housing weekend college students, staying on campus, the Mundelein cafeteria.
40-45 Minutes: Craig’s support system at Mundelein, working through college, and taking classes at other colleges.
45-50 Minutes: Craig’s experience getting her degree, her time at other colleges, and her graduation ceremony.
50-54:06 Minutes: Craig’s final reflections on her time in Mundelein’s weekend college.
5-10 Minutes: Craig’s time spending weekends on campus, the weekend college application process, the types of classes she took, and her relationship with advisors at Mundelein.
10-15 Minutes: Craig reflects on the options for classes at Mundelein, interactions with students and faculty, on campus activities, studying on campus, and her finite math class.
15-20 Minutes: Craig’s classes at Mundelein, teaching finite math, and the weekend college compared to her community college experience.
20-25 Minutes: Craig reflects on classes she took and instructors who taught them, her Bible as Literature class, and her major.
25-30 Minutes: Craig’s decision to major in business and the impact Mundelein had on her career.
30-35 Minutes: Craig’s career after graduation, her class schedule, her master’s degree, her time teaching, and her experienced living in Mundelein apartments.
35-40 Minutes: Craig’s interactions with fellow students at the weekend college, arrangements for housing weekend college students, staying on campus, the Mundelein cafeteria.
40-45 Minutes: Craig’s support system at Mundelein, working through college, and taking classes at other colleges.
45-50 Minutes: Craig’s experience getting her degree, her time at other colleges, and her graduation ceremony.
50-54:06 Minutes: Craig’s final reflections on her time in Mundelein’s weekend college.
Index
Buffalo Grove, IL., MC 5-10, MC 25-30,
Chicago, IL., MC 0-5, MC 5-10, MC 25-30,
Clark St., Chicago, IL., MC 35-40,
City Colleges of Chicago, MC 40-45,
DePaul School for New Learning, MC 15-20, MC 30-35,
Devon Ave., Chicago, IL., MC 5-10, MC 35-40,
Free Methodist Church, MC 20-25,
Greenville, IL., MC 0-5,
Greenville College, MC 0-5, MC 15-20, MC 35-40,
Greenville County Quartet, MC 0-5,
Mundelein College, MC 0-5, MC 5-10, MC 10-15, MC 15-20, MC 20-25, MC 25-30, MC 30-35, MC 35-40, MC 40-45, MC 45-50, MC 50-54:06
Mundelein College Northland Hall, MC 35-40,
Palatine, IL., MC 0-5,
Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL., MC 5-10,
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM),
Western Ave., Chicago, IL., MC 35-40,
Women and Leadership Archives, MC 50-55,
Chicago, IL., MC 0-5, MC 5-10, MC 25-30,
Clark St., Chicago, IL., MC 35-40,
City Colleges of Chicago, MC 40-45,
DePaul School for New Learning, MC 15-20, MC 30-35,
Devon Ave., Chicago, IL., MC 5-10, MC 35-40,
Free Methodist Church, MC 20-25,
Greenville, IL., MC 0-5,
Greenville College, MC 0-5, MC 15-20, MC 35-40,
Greenville County Quartet, MC 0-5,
Mundelein College, MC 0-5, MC 5-10, MC 10-15, MC 15-20, MC 20-25, MC 25-30, MC 30-35, MC 35-40, MC 40-45, MC 45-50, MC 50-54:06
Mundelein College Northland Hall, MC 35-40,
Palatine, IL., MC 0-5,
Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL., MC 5-10,
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM),
Western Ave., Chicago, IL., MC 35-40,
Women and Leadership Archives, MC 50-55,
Copyright
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