I was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, but have embraced Bloomington-Normal as my home since moving here in 1994. While the magnetism of Illinois State University was the initial draw that brought me here, the comforts of a community that respects education, promotes diversity, and seeks excellence kept me here.

A favorite of story of mine is when, for the first time, I shocked myself when I referred to Bloomington-Normal as home, which it now is. As dyed-in-the-wool a city b...