Photo of Professor Marianne McGeary The Xavierite
Throughout her life, Marianne McGeary has focused on the arts.
After studying theater acting and English at Roosevelt University, she attempted to be a professional actress.
“It was wonderful,” she stated, “the years were really, really fun.” She fondly spoke of productions that she acted in, including one by Chicago-native playwright David Mamet. Unfortunately, she noted that “there’s no money in it unless you make it big.”
However, she had no interest in making it big. She moved on from her time in theater to work in business environments, but this all changed after she started a family and realized that she wanted to become a teacher.
Over the last twenty years, she has taught both in high schools and colleges. Her areas of expertise include English, journalism, speech, drama, and even education. This is on top of providing constant humor and compassion for her students.
After working for Brother Rice High School, Riverside Brookfield High School, Marine Leadership Academy, and Malcolm X College, she decided to begin teaching at her Alma mater, Saint Xavier University.
“I took classes here to be a teacher, and later while teaching high school I wanted to come back and get my masters degree,” she stated. After long days of teaching, she would take night classes here. She fondly spoke of her mentorship with Angelo Bonadonna, Ph.D., who also works in the English department.
It was he who originally mentioned the opening of a job at Saint Xavier, a job she would cherish for years to come.
Her favorite part of campus is the students. As she mentioned, “All teachers say that, but I really mean it.”
She spoke of how the majority of students being from nearby areas aids this, especially by bringing familiarity to local places and events. As she put it, “we’re cut from the same cloth.”
When it comes to the classes she teaches, there are two that stand out to her the most: Intro to Literature and Professional Writing and Communication.
Intro to Literature introduces material to students such as poetry and drama. She finds it intriguing seeing students’ reactions to the readings.
When it came to Professional Writing and Communication, she stated that “it is something different. The work that comes through every time is always so inspirational, how beautiful it all ends up looking.”
“I’m able to learn alongside you guys,” she continued, “it’s fun.” The course is group project based, and asks students to think outside the box. She noted that it reminds her of memories of working on projects for corporations in the past.
According to McGeary, the greatest award she’s ever received was from a student named Lydia Lopez in her Intro to Literature course.
It was a paper model of a can of Coke Zero. This meant a lot to McGeary, mainly because it showed appreciation to her constant humor and love for the beverage.
On a more personal note, she added that a fun fact about her is that she has many tattoos. If you’ve taken Professor McGeary for any classes, you would know that she loves them! Many of hers are from her Irish background and Celtic Mythology. As she states, they all have a purpose.
However, a piece of advice that she has for students seeking to get tattoos is, “Give it several years and think about it, they’re permanent.”
One message that Professor McGeary has for students of all ages is to be open to all opportunities that are presented to you. Especially after receiving a degree, she emphasized that students “will have way more than one profession” in their lives.
She continued to say that she’s had at least four professions over time, but did not expect to. From being an actress, businesswoman, and professor, she spoke about all the unique skills and abilities that she gained. “Keep learning, and be interested in everything,” she added.
Through growth and openness, greatness can be achieved.
About Post Author
