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Cecelia was elected to the Board in 2021 to finish the 2-year term left vacant by the passing of Gregg Chadwick. She worked at Heartland as a program developer to increase services and support to marginalized students and students in crises. In 2017, she helped Student Support Services launch a life coaching program to support high-risk students. During the pandemic in 2020, she worked with College administration to set up a crisis intake process and student emergency fund to help students struggling with barriers created by COVID-19.

Cecelia is a community college alumna, graduating with with an A.S. in environmental sustainability. She also earned a B.S. in Intercultural & Interpersonal Communication and M.S. in Communication from Illinois State University, with a focus on poverty studies, community well-being, and collaborative leadership.

Cecelia has served close to a decade in social services, working directly with a diversity of people in the area including in Unit 5 and District 87 school systems, in mental health and crisis response, homeless services and housing issues, and with students at Heartland and Illinois State University. She is committed to advocating for students' and community members' unmet needs and uplifting their stories of struggle and achievement to better inform board decisions. Cecelia completed 4 hours of Leadership Training in 2021.