Professor Crystal Senter-Brown Earns Recognition by AAFPAA

Professor Crystal Senter-Brown will be honored as one of four African American Female Professors of the Year by the African-American Female Professor Award Association (AAFPAA). The event will take place at AIC on Thursday, October 5, in Griswold Theatre at 6:00 p.m.  The event is free and open to the public.  Please attend and show your support for Crystal!

“Maya Angelou said it best: ‘Nothing will work unless you do.’  It means that nothing is going to come a person’s way without any action on their part. It’s guided my life and I try to impress those words on my students,” said Crystal Senter-Brown, director of career coaching and services at the Sullivan Career and Life Planning Center (SCLP).

A professor in the WELL (We Empower Learners and Leaders) program, Senter-Brown has been teaching for nine years, primarily in the WELL 100 class. She began her teaching in the One-Day program for adult women and eventually moved to working with traditional undergraduate students.

“I love connecting with students from all diverse backgrounds and helping them to discover what they are put here to do.  In the class, we begin the career search process, discover who they are by self-exploration and personality tests, and work on strengthening confidence.  It’s the building blocks for leadership.” 

The award has special significance for Senter-Brown.  “I am a role model for younger women. They see a Black professor doing well.  That is important.  My story is inspirational to them:  I had a child at 18 and with the support of my husband, son and family, earned my first degree at 38.  My journey so far shows our students that life is full of opportunities and nothing is out of your reach as long as you are willing to do the work.”

And education was especially important in her family.  Her mother, Janice Treece-Senter, was an art teacher, painter, and muralist.  Senter-Brown is continuing that legacy.  “I love this painting by my mother because it is about community.  It is people coming together with tools they have for a common cause.  In my classroom, students are coming together to be the best they can be for themselves and to help others.  It’s a great community to be part of.”