Melrose Park Instructor Wins Everest College Dream Maker Award for Excellence in Teaching

An instructor who can successfully train students to understand today’s complex yet critical medical insurance billing and coding requirements, while earning accolades from his pupils, must be some kind of dream teacher.

For Jamie McKinley, a faculty member at Everest College-Melrose Park, such a designation is literally true. McKinley will be honored with the 2013 Everest Dream Maker Award for excellence in teaching in a ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 13. More than 3,500 instructors from the nearly 100 Everest campuses across the United States and Canada were considered for the award. McKinley is one of only eight in 2013 to receive the honor, given to those who demonstrate exemplary teaching practices to inspire and help students achieve their career goals.     

This love is evident from comments about McKinley on student evaluation surveys. One student wrote, “He goes out of his way to help his class succeed,” and another said McKinley is “a very kind and patient instructor; I was scared to go back to school, and now I couldn’t be happier.” McKinley was lauded by a student for “taking the time to fix my personal computer so I could complete my homework.” Such remarks led to a lofty 96.3% student satisfaction score.   

According to Brueck, McKinley also volunteers to assist other classes increase student computer proficiency and partners with the school’s career services department to help students prepare for their externships and ultimately their careers. The Chicago native often works outside of the classroom to further help students successfully complete their academic courses.

“Jamie’s presence and leadership greatly contribute to the success of our students in the field of insurance billing and coding, and our campus is truly a more dynamic place because of his efforts,” Brueck said.  

The Dream Maker Award winners are selected by Everest’s educators and administration.