Home › Success Stories ›

Kathleen Szczepanek

"Live and behave honorably with kindness” is the motto that Kathleen Szczepanek, a faculty member in the NTID Business Studies Department, strives to model for her students and in her life every day.

“That is how I want to be remembered,” she says.

Currently a faculty member in the Administrative Support Technology program, Szczepanek has held several positions since joining RIT/NTID 12 years ago. She worked in NTID Alumni Relations and the NTID Vice President’s office, and then worked for five years as an NTID admissions counselor.

“I think my varied roles within the institute have helped me become an effective teacher today,” she says.

A graduate of RIT/NTID, Szczepanek earned an associate degree in Office Technologies, a bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design and two master’s degrees in Secondary Education and Multidisciplinary Professional Studies with concentrations in Human Resources and Management and Secondary Education.

“My professors at RIT/NTID were big influences on why I went back to school to get my teaching degree and seek a job here,” she says. “I enjoyed my experience at RIT/NTID so much that I wanted to give something back to the institute.”

Her students motivate and inspire her.

“They get me up and going every day,” she says. “My goal is to teach them how to be flexible and adaptable to the fast-changing technology that is all around them, and help them understand good business practices and ethics so they can be successful when they get out in the real world.”

Her Business Ethics course has been approved by the NTID curriculum committee as a permanent course in the Business Studies Department—one of the proudest achievements in her career.

Szczepanek serves as the cochlear implant mentorship coordinator at RIT/NTID, and pairs students with cochlear implants with mentors—other students, faculty and staff who are cochlear implant users—for social events and learning experiences throughout the academic year.

More Success Stories

John "JT" Reid
Former RIT wrestling champion John “JT” Reid, now in his 10th year as an admission counselor, knows how to pin down prospective students.
Regina Kiperman-Kiselgof
Kiperman-Kiselgof, a senior employment advisor in NTID’s Center on Employment, was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) Russia, and emigrated with her extended family to Buffalo, N.Y., in 1994.
Christine Sun Kim
Sun Kim is currently a freelance educator at the Whitney Museum in New York and a digital archivist at a publishing company.
Mark Feder
“I learned how to be approachable and to be fearless, and I learned how to keep my deaf identity in a hearing world.”
Helen Yu
A second-year student in NTID’s Associate+Bachelor’s Degree Program in Business, Yu plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Management in RIT’s E. Philip Saunders College of Business.
Kaela Mangiaracina
This 20-year-old from Livingston, N.J., will graduate this spring with an associate degree from NTID’s Art & Imaging Studies program, but that won’t be the end of her academic pursuits.
Alvin Boyd
Boyd encourages his students to embrace learning—whether it’s basic business principles or everyday issues.
Stacy Bick
Stacy Bick writes, directs and produces videos for a living, but her career “Aha!” moment was completely unscripted.
Alesia (Howard) Allen
Allen, who now lives in Hatboro, Pa., graduated from RIT’s College of Liberal Arts in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology—Human Growth and Development.
Michael Anthony
Ask 10 different people what their dream job is and you’ll get 10 different answers. For Michael Anthony, it’s summed up in one word: Microsoft.
Renishia Williams
Growing up in a hearing family, Williams attended mainstream schools transferring around the country until she decided on RIT/NTID after graduation.
Samuel Sandoval
This tech-savvy, second-year student recently completed an NTID associate degree program in Applied Computing Technology, and this fall will begin a bachelor’s degree program in Information Technology.
Maya Ariel
This Business Administration student transferred to RIT three years ago looking for more exposure to the deaf community and options for her future.
Brandon Adamany
This Mechanical Engineering Technology major plans to pursue a career designing high-end automobiles.
Christopher Samp
Christopher Samp started on one path in his quest to make a difference, but found a new major at RIT and an exciting new career in Washington, D.C.
Christopher Jappah
Growing up deaf among his hearing family and friends in Liberia, Jappah chose RIT/NTID because he wanted to meet other deaf people.
Sean Forbes
Forbes, a 2008 RIT/NTID grad, never let being deaf get in the way of his love for music.
Yesenia Ballasteros
This Advertising Photography major always knew that she wanted to pursue a major in photography.