Carissa Isenberg is the program coordinator for the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation.

Can you give me a brief timeline of how your career led you to UIS?

My undergraduate degree is in elementary education. Straight out of college, I was hired to teach fifth grade at a STEM academy in Decatur, Illinois. While I was there, I coached a LEGO robotics team, moderated the Scholastic Bowl team, and subbed in on just about any nerdy club or event that needed an extra adult including chess club, math club and spelling bee.

I became a bit bored with teaching the same topics each year, so I joined several district-level committees to allow myself to grow as a learner and work with adults. I enjoyed serving on committees that dealt with data and data-driven decisions, which led me to apply to a graduate program for research and evaluation methods in educational settings.

As I completed my final classes, I left teaching at the end of the school year for a clean transition. I spent about nine months at a lower-stress role at a nonprofit children's museum until I could find a position suited to my new degree and certifications in classroom assessment and program evaluation.

Living in Taylorville, I was open to just about anything within an hour's drive. One day, a position opened at UIS in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs. It seemed like the perfect role to transition into higher education without feeling overwhelmed. I applied, and the rest of the story is still being written!

What do you like to do outside of work?

I consider myself an "indoor nerd." It is part of my daily routine to watch the latest episode of "Jeopardy!" Every year, I take the test to be on the show, and I "train" at trivia nights with my friends — who don’t take it as seriously as I do.

I have quite the collection of board games at home, so my husband and I often have people over to play old favorites and occasionally encourage them to try something new. I love escape rooms and musicals and try to schedule at least one of each every month. And of course, every indoor nerd loves to read. I’m about halfway through my 22nd book of the year.

Have you traveled to any interesting places? Can you tell me about them?

I think the most interesting place I've traveled is China. In my first year of teaching, a handful of my colleagues were selected to go to Chengdu to learn STEM strategies from local teachers and to share U.S. strategies in return. I was a "backup," as one of my colleagues canceled just a few weeks before the flight. There wasn’t time for anyone senior to me to get a passport, so I went as her replacement — essentially because I had a valid passport. My boss said it was due to my talent as well, but I was in my early 20s with only a few months of experience.

We not only spent time in classrooms in Chengdu, but we also experienced authentic hot pot and visited a panda reserve. I always try to learn a bit of the language when I travel. Mandarin is different from any other language I've tried to learn. I only managed a handful of numbers, which came in handy when negotiating prices with merchants; it felt like a game. We spent our last couple of days in Beijing, where I even got to toboggan down the Great Wall of China — something I never knew was an option.    

Do consider yourself a morning bird or a night owl?

I am 100% a night owl. I wake up at 6:30 a.m. out of necessity for my dogs’ bladders and tummies — and to keep my job. When given complete free rein, I’d much prefer to stay up until 3 a.m. and sleep until 11 a.m.  

Getting to Know You is recurring feature in the Chancellor's Newsletter to highlight our many talented UIS employees.