Greetings! Welcome to my personal page! I am excited that you chose to check out my website, where you will learn a little bit about me. The information here is all true, and is not intended for bragging. I put it here so you can get to know me, Steven Dickens. I have divided this page into the following sections:
I hope you enjoy what you read! If you have any questions about anything feel free to send me feedback or email. My name is Steven Dickens and I am 29 years old. I was born in Illinois and grew up in the Village of Hinsdale, a small town with a population of 15,000. Hinsdale is located twenty miles due west of Chicago, IL. Hinsdale is a wonderful town: close enough to the city to access the wonderful things Chicago has to offer, yet far enough away to escape problems such as crime and gangs. First and foremost, I define myself as a Christian (see my favorite Bible verses). I grew up in the Lutheran church and I try to live my life according to Biblical principles and ideals. But I'm more than just a Christian ; I'm also a Swede. Over the last three years I've traveled to some places that most people never get to. Those trips have shown me just how important cultural heritage is. My mother was born in Sweden, which makes me 50% Swedish. We still keep some Swedish traditions in our family, such as eating crayfish in August and having a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner. These traditions are important to me, and I'm glad we have them. I come from a family of five. I have one mom, one dad, a sister, and a brother. I am the oldest. We also have a dog! Jerri is a Lhaso Apso/Beagle mix. She has so much energy and personality, sometimes I think the dog believes she is really human! My sister, who is two years younger than me, works downtown Chicago for a company that makes commercials. I'm very proud of her! She is working her way up in the world of video/film/TV and hopes to make a documentary in the near future. My brother, who is five years younger than me, is currently attending graduate school in New Mexico. He's a geologist, and recently did some groundbreaking research in the Pike's Peak area of the Rocky Mountains. I am very proud of him as well. In my spare time I like to hang out with friends, have a conversation over a cup of coffee, kick back and watch a movie (or go to one), surf the internet, take photos, read a book, do some writing, or just veg. I'm not all that athletic, but I do enjoy rollerblading, downhill skiing, water skiing, golf, badminton, tennis (even though I'm not good), volleyball (for fun, never for competition. Again, not that good), and hiking. I used to be a Boy Scout, so I also like to camp. And yes, I did make Eagle. As for indoor things, I love going to the theater or museums (especially art), and I like to rubber stamp. As an English major, I also like to read and write. My journal entries from Suriname are posted on this website. You can also read my newsletters from China and Suriname, as they are online too! My favorite place to go of all is the zoo! I also enjoy eating out at restaurants, traveling, and doing things in Chicago.
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I went to Hinsdale Central High School. While there I was involved in choir, drama and yearbook. Hinsdale Central (at the time I was there) had 1,600 students. I followed a regular course of studies. After high school I went to St. Olaf College where I majored in English Education. I chose St. Olaf because it is a small, liberal arts school that is known for its high academic standards. I also chose St. Olaf because any student could be involved in any activity, regardless of major. I got extremely involved in Student Government, specifically, the Student Activities Committee, Student Senate, and the Student Organizations Committee. Within the Student Activities Committee, I planned campus events such as comedians, ventriloquists, hypnotists, etc. On Student Senate I served as a hall senator, as well as an executive committee member when I was chair of the Student Organizations Committee, a position which put me in charge of nearly 100 organizations. Additionally, my committee recognized new organizations and gave out money to existing groups who needed funds to do special projects. As a result of my work with Student Government, the president of St. Olaf College asked me to be a student representative on a task force designed to develop a strategic plan for the college. I devoted two years on committees, and met with the president on a monthly basis to discuss the progress of different committees. During my junior year I served as a Junior Counselor. A Junior Counselor lived on a hall of freshman students and functioned as a big brother, someone the students could turn to for advice, help with planning schedules, finding campus resources, or getting involved. Being a junior counselor was a rewarding experience that opened my eyes to accepting differences in others, and helped me to learn about St. Olaf College. In my senior year I got involved in the Student Congregation Council as the Vice President of Stewardship. I ran a weekly meeting where students got together to pray for students who had prayer concerns. I also helped out as a communion assistant and even gave a senior chapel talk. Toward the end of the year I was asked to go be a student representative at a conference of Pastors of Lutheran schools. I was active in choir all four years at St. Olaf. My first year I was part of the men's choir, the Viking Chorus. For the rest of my college career I was a baritone/bass in the St. Olaf Chapel Choir. Some people will remember that St. Olaf College is also well-known for its musical talent. One of the nation's best choirs, the St. Olaf Choir, tours nationwide each year, as does the St. Olaf Orchestra and St. Olaf Band. Each of those ensembles is fantastic. Music is a large part of St. Olaf College. Looking back, I was really involved! Each committee, organization, and experience that I took part in really helped to shape who I am today. I learned a lot about governance, writing, and relating to people ; I wouldn't trade those years for anything. After St. Olaf, I taught for a few years (you can see where on my professional page). After some time, I decided it was time to get my Master's Degree. So, I applied to the department of Educational Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. There I was given a full tuition waiver for my first year, leaving me to pay for just my second year. While rigorous and demanding, I graduated in May 2005 with my M.Ed. degree as well as my Illinois Type 75 Certificate: General Administrative. Basically, that means I can use my administrative certificate to be a principal, assistant principal, department head, activity director, or other leadership position at the building level. top | about me | hobbies & interests | favorite books | | ||
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