Wright College Professors Prepare for a Farewell

By: Kyle Chmielowski

As you traverse through Wright College next fall you will notice a couple faculty offices in the events building are empty. Chairman of the Music Department Ismail Mehmeti will retire at the end of the spring semester, and Speech Coordinator Susan Colon and English professor Yolanda Nieves will retire after the summer semester. 

Mehmeti has taught music at Wright College since 1996. An alum of Wright College, he transferred to DePaul University to earn a Bachelor's and Master’s Degree in Music Composition. Additionally, earned a Graduate Certificate in Community College Learning and Teaching from Loyola University. Mehmeti described his retirement as “bittersweet.” 

“I have sweet thoughts about enjoying the fruits of my efforts, that I’ve worked hard doing the best that I could. The bittersweet is I’m going to part with a part of my life that’s almost 30 years of service, I’m gonna miss the students and the colleagues, and this beautiful institution,” Mehmeti said. 

In addition to teaching, Mehmeti is a composer for a music project, the Northwest Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While Mehmeti is taking a break from teaching he does not intend to retire from music, as he plans to record music and work on composition projects.

“This would be my golden opportunity to contribute to society with my works. Just because I retire doesn’t mean I’m gonna lay back and wait,” Mehmeti said.

One of Mehmeti’s students, early education major Angie Gonzalez, said about Mehmeti, “I think he’s very personable, he’s understanding, he cares about his students passing and he understands that they have things going on in the outside world, he’s very kind and genuine.”

Located down the hall from Mehmeti’s office in the events building is professor Susan Colon, the Speech Coordinator in the department of visual and performing arts. She has worked at Wright College since 2011. In addition to teaching, she served on the Faculty Council and was involved with the Cook County College Teachers Union. 

She graduated with a Master of Arts in communication and holds a doctorate in health communication from the University of Kentucky. Colon has taught at prestigious institutions like Kentucky, UIC and Northeastern.

Colon said watching her students grow at Wright College was memorable.  “It really excites me when I see students taking chances, doing something new, because that’s how we learn in life, so to see students really grow from that first week of the semester through the end of the semester, that’s been a stand out,” Colon said. 

She will continue serving students in a new position in Michigan, she chose not to disclose details. “I will still be connecting with students, that’s in my heart so deeply, it’s hard to walk away from," Colon said.

Colon said she will miss seeing the friendly faces around campus. “Walking into a building and people saying hey from across from one building to another, or good morning things like that, that really welcoming nature of the place I will miss, and going into that classroom every day with the students.”

Jocelyn Castro, who took Colon’s Speech 101 class in the fall, said “I thought she was pretty nice and encouraging. Her class was one of the classes I really liked. She always brought a good environment, it was really nice. It was never awkward around her, in some classes it could get very quiet, but in her class it was always talkative, that’s what I like about her.”

Another of Colon’s students, Jason Gerstmayr, said, “As a teacher, she always had a way to lighten up the mood, she always had a really good sense of humor, with her assignments she always had it very well structured and laid out for us, very well organized. So she knew how to efficiently go about her lesson plans and how to make sure it was executed as easily comprehendible to us as possible.”

Colon reflected on her legacy. “I want to be remembered as someone who is trustworthy and possibly as a mentor for students and that professor who nudged them to try something a little bit different,” Colon said. “I want to be remembered as the professor who brings positive energy, and who is fun but also firm.”

Professor Susan Colon holds some of the cards students have given her throughout the years. Photo Credit: Kyle Chmielowski

     Yolanda Nieves, who was unavailable for comment, has worked at Wright College since 2003. An alumna of National Louis University and a poet and playwright, her work was characterized by a commitment to equity.  

William Marsh, the chairman of the English department, said, “She’s very interested in racial justice, gender justice, gender equity, and that’s one of the things that she would often bring to our meeting.” Marsh reflected on the legacy Nieves leaves.  “What's good and warmhearted about the department, I think she represents that. She’s always brought an honesty and a directness to the job and to the work we do as a department.”