Alumni Spotlight: Pettee Guerrero (’13), Director of the National Safety Education Center

Pettee Guerrero, ’13, is a Huskie through and through.

An excellent student, Guerrero had acceptance letters and scholarship offers from universities all over Illinois. But it was NIU that felt like home – after touring the campus and meeting the associate dean,Guerrero says, she felt like she was part of a big family.

“NIU gave me a view of many fields where I can take my degree,” she said. “The professors carry not only theoretical knowledge, but technical expertise as well.”

Guerrero was an active student and joined multiple clubs and organizations. She also took advantage of the university’s many social and recreational opportunities. One of her favorite student memories is seeing the Huskies play in the Orange Bowl in 2013.

“I don’t have any regrets,” she said. “I’ve participated in a range of things – from outreach to research, tailgating and keeping up with social events. I don’t know how I did it all!”

It wasn’t all fun and games – Guerrero did her share of hard academic work while earning her B.S. in industrial management and technology. She appreciates her professors’ hands-on expertise and the opportunities she had to participate in research and work in her field as an undergraduate. She believes those opportunities gave her a competitive advantage over graduates from other universities.

Today, Guerrero is the director of the National Safety Education Center (NSEC) headquartered at NIU. The NSEC is one of 26 OSHA training institutes in the nation. Before taking on her current role, Guerrero was an educator in NIU’s STEM Outreach and played a role in developing the STEM Divas, a program to encourage girls ages 7 to 10 to take an interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

The most important piece of advice she would give to NIU students is to get involved. Join clubs, attend social events and participate in research. NIU has so many resources to maximize your college experience.

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