Meet the Staff!

Diana Pavón is the Program Manager for the Math and Science Learning Center (MSLC).  She oversees the operations of the MSLC and supports all academic programming to ensure students have the best experience.  Before joining the MSLC, Diana completed her Fulbright grant in Madrid, Spain where she was an English Teaching Assistant at a local high school and was able to research the effects of COVID-19 on Spanish public schools.

Diana attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison for undergraduate school; she majored in Political Science and Latin American, Caribbean & Iberian Studies with a certificate in Chican@ and Latin@ studies.  She also earned her MPA from La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison.

Diana was born and raised in the Southwest Side of Chicago alongside five siblings.  She is passionate about education, social justice, mental health, and human rights.  In her spare time, Diana loves to cook new dishes and practices self-care by exercising, reading new books, and exploring new parks.

Debra Levine is the MSCS Program Coordinator. She leads the Math Learning Assistant Program and does the MSCS communications and coordination.

Jennifer is the MSLC’s graduate assistant. She’s here to help with the day-to-day operations of the MSLC and support students visiting the center! Her schedule varies a bit, but you can often find her working in the breakroom.

In addition to working at the MSLC, Jennifer is a first-year graduate student in the entry-level Occupational Therapy Program (located on the West campus!). She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Montana where she studied Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; Political Science; and Spanish. She has worked in early childhood education, mental and behavioral health services, and student support services.

When she’s not on campus or doing classwork, Jennifer enjoys going for walks, laying around with her cat, eating good food, watching tv, and making stained glass.

Danielle has dedicated her career to increasing student access, persistence, and success in STEM programs.  Prior to coming to UIC as the Director of the Math and Science Learning Center (MSLC), she served in a variety of professional roles ranging from interdisciplinary course coordinator, to tenured, community-college faculty member, and Dean of a STEM Center for Teaching and Learning.  Over the past 15 years working in higher education, Danielle has taught various biological science courses at 2-year and 4-year institutions, launched a campus-wide initiative to incorporate undergraduate research into introductory STEM curriculum (CUREs), strengthened the K-12 to college pipeline through outreach programs she fostered, and facilitated professional development workshops for STEM educators at various career stages.  Her scientific training was in the field of evolutionary developmental biology, and she earned a Ph.D. in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, a M.Sc. in Developmental Biology from the University of Chicago, and B.S. in Biology with a Math minor from Fairfield University.  She was the recipient of Fulbright (Australia) and NSF (GRFP) student research fellowships, served on leadership teams for various institution-wide grants including NSF S-STEM, was the project director for Department of Education HSI and PBI STEM grants, and has experience in public science communication.

Grateful for the outstanding adventures and opportunities her biological science training and research offered, Danielle continues to focus on initiatives that provide students exceptional learning experiences.  Together with a talented staff team, she currently leads the MSLC which provides a welcoming study environment, sense of community, and equitable academic support for students, including a Peer Learning Assistant program in collaboration with faculty across various departments.  She has collaborated with colleagues on Student Success Innovation Fund and LAS Diversity Initiative Projects, served on the launch committee for UIC’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE), and is a learning community facilitator for the CATE Inclusive Education Scholars Certificate Program.  She looks forward to continuing to learn and further develop the Peer Learning Assistant program while partnering with STEM instructors throughout curriculum updates.

Off-campus, you may find Danielle volunteering, cheering, or coaching at various paratriathlon / triathlon endurance events or exploring a new trail somewhere!