Name: Jim Stachowiak
Title: Director of Assistive Technology & Assistant Director
Department: AccessibleNU
Where are you from? Troy, Michigan (Detroit Area)
What brought you to Student Affairs? I was interested in the opportunity to utilize assistive technology to impact the academic experience of students with disabilities in a positive way.
How many years have you worked in Student Affairs at Northwestern? 3.5
What’s your favorite part about working in Student Affairs? I enjoy the collaborative nature of the people that work in Student Affairs. It’s awesome to work in such a supportive environment.
Who or what has had the greatest influence on your career? When I was first starting in the field of assistive technology, I interned in the Rehabilitation Engineering Department at the University of Michigan Hospital. There, I worked with several people who had often just sustained life changing injuries and got to see first hand how assistive technology played a crucial role in helping them be able to do things that they did not think they’d be able to do again. That experience and the people that I worked with over those two years have had the biggest influence on my career.
What inspires you? I’m inspired by the perseverance and drive of people who have been dealt a difficult hand in life, but work to overcome those difficulties to achieve their hopes and dreams.
What can’t you live without? Some things I can’t love without include summers in Northern Michigan, starting my day with a morning run, Detroit Tiger baseball (although they are making it a little easier to live without right now), University of Michigan football and basketball, and reruns of The Office.
How do you like to spend your free time? I enjoy spending my free time with my family. I have four young kids, so life does not offer much free time, but I do enjoy playing outside with them and coaching their baseball teams. We also have very close extended family and travel to Michigan to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins whenever we can.
What’s your favorite spot on campus? The walking path on the lake fill where you can see Lake Michigan as well as downtown Chicago
Each week a different staff member in the division of Student Affairs will be featured. Staff can opt in to be featured, by filling out the Staff Spotlight Submission form. Student Affairs Marketing staff reach out to staff from across the division asking for participation. The spotlights will be featured in the Student Affairs Snapshot e-newsletter.