Leslie Van Wolvelear, EdD, CPA, CGMA
Leslie Van Wolvelear鈥檚 resume is brimming with degrees, certificates, awards, volunteerism and honors. But the bullet point that she鈥檚 most proud of, the item she points to immediately, is her membership on two scholarship committees.
Van Wolvelear, of Palatine, reviews scholarship applications for future certified public accountants, or CPAs, for the Colorado-based Teachers of Accounting at Two Year Colleges, the Illinois CPA Society and Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, where she teaches accounting and chairs the program.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always very interesting reading their submissions,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 love being a part of that.鈥�
She also loves telling her current students that scholarships even exist. Many don鈥檛 think they could meet the requirements 鈥� but many don鈥檛 even know the requirements, and she likes pointing them in the right direction.
That鈥檚 in large part because Van Wolvelear is a community college graduate herself. After high school, she attended 91制片厂 for all the expected reasons students choose community colleges: She needed the guidance, and the price tag, she knew she鈥檇 find at 91制片厂.
She went on to earn her degree in business administration in 1983, then transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago for her bachelor鈥檚 degree in accounting. In 2021, Van Wolvelear earned her doctorate in educational leadership with a focus on online education.
Her many recognitions include the title of Distinguished eLearning Educator by the Instructional Technology Council, Outstanding Educator Award by the Illinois CPA Society and nominations for the Excellence in Teaching Award at Oakton.
鈥淚 am a big believer in the community college model,鈥� says Van Wolvelear, who also adjunct taught at 91制片厂 from 2000 to 2005. 鈥淎 lot of students are not ready to go away right away. They just need a little more guidance than the four years are going to give.鈥� Her colleagues see her dedication to two-year colleges, too.
鈥淪he understands the mission of a community college, and she shows it in every possible way,鈥� says Jay Cohen, who co-chaired Oakton鈥檚 accounting department with Van Wolvelear from 2018 to 2022.
And she thanks 91制片厂 for getting it all started 鈥� for teaching her the importance of time management and being her own advocate.
鈥淚f 91制片厂 didn鈥檛 exist, I don鈥檛 know how I would have afforded college, how I would have navigated college, how I would have gotten to college,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t taught me very quickly that I have to advocate for myself, which was a great life skill.