Born in Hayward, California, Ambika Dubey is an undergraduate student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (B.S., 2018). In this this interview, Dubey describes her childhood growing up in California and India, experience as a Computer Science student, involvement in student groups and the local SWE (Society of Women Engineers) chapter, among other student groups, as well as her intellectual path that led her to want to pursue a career in computing.
Andreas Cangellaris, Departing Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Oral history conducted for inclusion in the COVID-19 Documentation Project, a collaboration between the University of Illinois Archives and the University of Illinois System.
Carol Easton Lee (Safisha Madhubuti) first went off to college from the Chicago Public School System to Illinois Wesleyan University in 1962. She visited the University of Illinois for Homecoming freshman year and recalls that the 200 black students on campus, which far outpaced the 10 on the Wesleyan Campus, made her feel in heaven and she transferred to the U of I her sophomore year - 1963. When she met an Alpha Nu at her kitchen work-study job, she was introduced to the black sorority and fraternity social network from which she found ample social support. She credits her ties to Delta Sigma Theta, Alpha Nu and their socialization of her into a culture of academic excellence with her success as an undergrad and her impressive post-grad career which includes a Master's Degree, a PhD, founding multiple elementary schools, and an impressive social justice record.
Connie Rolison Corbett came to the University of Illinois as a transfer student in 1963, majoring in medical technology. She came to Illinois because she felt lonely at Ohio University, where she spent her freshman year, to join a high school friend who was pledging Delta Sigma Theta. Her pledging semester's 4.9 (out of 5) GPA earned her an appointment to the Office of the National Second Vice President which afforded her opportunities for travel. In one such opportunity she went to Los Angeles and was able to meet Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the mid 1960s.
Raised in Carbondale, Illinois, Debbie Fligor received her bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1991. During her time as a student, Fligor joined the Network Design Office in the Computing Services Office (formerly CITES and now Technology Services) and also worked in network administration for the School of Life Sciences. She continued working for the CSO/CCSO/CITES/Tech Services, and is currently Lead Network Engineer in Tech Services. In this this interview, Fligor describes her childhood and education, as well as her professional path that led her to network engineering.
Jeffrey Roberts was the only black student in the journalism program when he came to the University of Illinois in the fall of 1968. The passion for writing he brought with him to Illinois stemmed from high school experiences as a bat boy for the Chicago White Sox. In this interview, he recalls his varied experiences as a young black man at Illinois in the 60s and 70s, including: his dating life, his involvement with Project 500 and the Black Student Association, and his "Black Vibrations" column with the Daily Illini.
Karl Huff earned his Bachelor's degree in Music Education in 1972 from the Department of Fine and Applied Arts. In this interview, he recalls his role in the 1968 Union Demonstration: voicing support of black students' concerns while acknowledging that he himself had adequate housing. Huff was active on campus in the Black Student Association, Dorm Councils, and the Student Advisory Council to the Dean.
Kimberly (Kim) Bertini, Director of Nursing Excellence and Magnet Program Director, University of Illinois Hospital & Health Science System. Oral history conducted for inclusion in the COVID-19 Documentation Project, a collaboration between the University of Illinois Archives and the University of Illinois System.
