Profiles from the Pack: Christa Duren

If you don’t know Christa Duren from her “day job” at Human & Protective Services (HPS), you might know her from the yoga class she teaches. Or perhaps you’re one of her ESL students. Christa is all about creating opportunities and taking advantage of opportunities at Madison College.

Talk about your journey to Madison College.
After undergrad, I taught English for three years at a university in Ankara, Turkey. While there, I earned a credential as an English language instructor, and I wanted to keep working with English language learners when I moved back to the states.

I started at Madison College’s School of Academic Advancement, testing ESL and GED students. I transitioned into academic advising for HPS students and technology and trade students. Then I made the leap over to HPS.  

Recently, I started teaching ESL part-time for the School of Academic Advancement – it’s come full circle for me. 
Madison College is amazing for providing support to pursue interests like my part-time ESL teaching, and I’ve even had the opportunity to teach yoga through our employee wellness program. I've also been taking Spanish classes and use that learning every day.

Tell us about your role at HPS.
I refer to myself as a Jill of all trades. My responsibilities include budget management, student support initiatives, data analysis, supporting faculty and working with the Madison College Foundation on scholarships and emergency funds for HPS students. 

I also help develop new initiatives. For example, I've helped our paramedic program transition its admission processes, and I'm working with all our programs to prepare for the transition to wait list processes in alignment with new guidance from the state and Wisconsin Technical College System. Right now, I'm working with the Center for International Education to develop study abroad and virtual exchange programs for our school. Currently, we are the only school that doesn't have any. 

What accomplishment at Madison College are you most proud of? 
I feel proud and privileged to show up for our students every day because they show up for all of us, whether it's teaching our children, saving our lives, or serving as substance abuse counselors.

And those outcomes can be really meaningful. For instance, my niece was recently in a terrible car accident. She's fine now, but I think about the law enforcement personnel who were out on a country road in the middle of the night searching for her. The paramedics showed up and helped my sister calm down and provided the care my niece needed.  That’s what our students do out in the world.

You recently won a Selfless Act of Kindness award. Can you talk about that?
My colleagues nominated me for the award. It was less about a specific act, but more of a way of being.
One thing I've tried to prioritize for myself and for my team is culture. We're always going to have stressors, but at the end of the day, we need to treat each other with kindness and respect and continue to row the ship in the same direction.
What would surprise others to learn about you?  
People are surprised that I grew up as a country girl. I spent my childhood out in the sticks with my siblings and dogs, living a small-town life. Put me outdoors, put me on a farm with the animals, shoes off, in the dirt — that is my zone. 

What is your super skill?
One thing I excel at and enjoy doing is taking disparate pieces of information or people that don't have an obvious connection and bringing them together to create something new.

For example, I'm a certified yoga instructor and recently started teaching our Law Enforcement Academy students yoga and it's been a meaningful experience. The students’ comments about the impact it has had on their state of mind, well-being and their ability to relax were insightful and powerful. Now I’m offering yoga classes to anyone working in protective services to help them navigate their well-being while serving in stressful, difficult jobs.