By Joe Ragusa
NORMAL – Normal West teacher John Bierbaum is being honored as Heartland Community College’s Distinguished Alumni award winner during Saturday’s commencement ceremony at the Fitness and Recreation Center.
He will deliver the commencement address for the ceremony at 2 p.m.
“I don’t have any scientific magical cure for what ails them, what the economic questions they’re going to have with jobs and all that kind of stuff,” Bierbaum told WJBC’s Dan Swaney. “But definitely, I have a message about a positive attitude and work ethic and keeping life in perspective.”
LISTEN: WJBC’s Dan Swaney talks with Normal West teacher and recipient of Heartland’s Distinguished Alumni award John Bierbaum.
Bierbaum survived burns on 30 percent of his body in a freak accident while doing chores, but came back to Heartland as a presidential scholar from 2001 to 2003.
“You just keep on getting those people, the support system. I have a very, very strong family. They’re there all the time. My friends are there. My wife, at that time she was my girlfriend, they’re there, they’re supporting you,” Bierbaum said. “That network is just invaluable, and they’re all rooting you on, so you’re thinking to yourself, ‘I can’t let these people down, I mean, my goodness, I’ve got to persevere here.'”
Down the line, he was hired at Normal West and eventually became a finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year in 2014.
Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].
