COD student selected as ICCB student advisory committee student representative
College of DuPage student Ugne Narbutaite has been selected as the student representative for the Illinois Community College Board Student Advisory Committee.
The Aurora resident will begin her yearlong term of service on July 1 and fills the seat previously held by COD student Stephanie Torres. Stephanie Quirk, coordinator of Student Activities at College of DuPage, said this is only the second time that back-to-back terms have been served by students from the same institution.
"To say we are thrilled is an understatement," Quirk said. "Ugne will be a wonderful student representative to ICCB."
Narbutaite didn't even know the position existed until speaking with Torres. Over the course of several conversations, Narbutaite learned how the student representative works on initiatives that help all community colleges in the state.
"I'm the type of person who goes for an opportunity when it presents itself," she said. "I hope this experience makes me more aware of issues that schools face and how these issues can be addressed."
Narbutaite initially wanted to enroll at the University of Illinois at Chicago. However, her brother attended College of DuPage, and she realized that a community college would allow her more time to determine what career to pursue as well as find out more about herself.
For example, when she started at COD, Narbutaite obtained a job in the Student Life office and learned more about the Student Leadership Council. She decided to run for vice president of SLC while submitting her application to become the student representative on the ICCB Student Advisory Committee, hoping that she would obtain one of the positions.
"No matter what happened, I knew I wanted to involve myself as a student," she said. "So far I've surprised even myself in terms of how involved I've become at COD."
As a lifelong athlete, Narbutaite wants to pursue a career in physical therapy and major in kinesiology.
"I do enjoy interacting with people," she said. "I've seen friends go through surgery and recovery, and I've helped out however I could to help them get on their feet. I want to help people regain their strength and get their confidence back."
Narbutaite is grateful that she chose College of DuPage and is looking forward to her new position on the Student Advisory Committee.
"I was so scared my senior year in high school when I thought about college. Now I'm excited about the future," she said. "Spending two years at a community college are an extra two years that helped me explore who I am and what I want to do.
"My experience with ICCB will be one that I can take with me when I transfer to pursue my bachelor's degree. I always want to be open to try new things, and I want to continue putting myself out there to see what I enjoy doing."