Diana Soriano
Lecturer
iLEAD Professional Development Program
Pronouns: She/Her/Ella
Contact
Building & Room:
University Hall 2528
Address:
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607
Email:
CV Link:
About
Diana Soriano (she/her/ella) is a Lecturer of the Professional Development Program within the Institute for Leadership Excellence and Development (iLEAD) in the College of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Chicago. Soriano is bilingual in English and Spanish and a Second City-trained improviser who incorporates improvisation pedagogy in her teaching. She obtained a Master's degree in Instructional Leadership with a concentration in Policy Studies from the University of Illinois Chicago. Soriano is a Diversifying Higher Education Faculty in Illinois (DFI) Program Fellow with the Illinois Board of Higher Education. She is involved in educational equity work and is currently a Cohort member of the Diversity Facilitation Collaborative (DFC) within the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Engagement to promote a thriving, inclusive, and diverse community at the University of Illinois Chicago. Soriano is also an Inclusive Educator Scholar and completed the educational program offered by the Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE).
As an educator within the College of Business Administration, Soriano teaches courses centered on experiential learning, improvisation, professional presence, and professional growth as students prepare for their careers in business leadership. Soriano invites students to embrace an improvisational mindset, draw from their intuition, connect and communicate, adapt creativity, and be fully present while rejecting the fear of making mistakes. Soriano's teaching experience includes Introduction to Professional Development, Business Professional Development II, Professional Presence, and Dialogue.
Service to Community
- Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE)
Conference Proposal Reviewer, (2020-2023)
AHSIE aims to strengthen practitioners in institutions of higher learning to ensure that Latina/o/x students thrive academically, professionally and personally. - Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Latinos (CCSL)
CCSL Recognition Awards, Co-founder and Selection Committee Member (2018-Present)
Co-founder of the CCSL Recognition Awards to acknowledge service to the Latinx community. - Latina Network Subcommittee Co-Chair, (2019-Present)
The Latina Network serves to improve employment and advancement opportunities for Latinas. Co-chair for the Hilda-Lopez Arce Student Scholarship. - Latinx Student Success Initiatives
Project Team, (2018-2020)
Office of Project Management for Student Success Initiatives
To consider the existing UIC data and best practices to identify areas for improvement and propose recommendations to increase retention and graduation rates of Latinx students at UIC, and also have clear and measurable outcomes.
https://opmssi.uic.edu/student-success-initiatives/completed-projects/latinx-student-success-initiative/ - Supporting Students on Probation
Project Team, (2019-2020)
Office of Project Management for Student Success Initiatives
The goals of this project are to support students’ progress to degree by enhancing the policies and practices related to the probation.
https://opmssi.uic.edu/student-success-initiatives/completed-projects/supportingstudentsonprobation/
Notable Honors
2021, Award Recipient for Professional Development Program, Academic Professional Advisory Committee Professional Development Program, University of Illinois Chicago
2018, Award of Merit, University of Illinois Chicago
2017, Staff Impact Award, College of Business Administration. University of Illinois Chicago
Education
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Master of Education, Instructional Leadership - Policy Studies
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)
Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education, Teaching of History
Minor - Latin American and Latino Studies
Professional Educator License | Illinois State Board of Education
The Second City
Improvisation Program
Licensures and Certifications
- Inclusive Education Scholars Certificate
Center for the Advancement of Teaching Excellence (CATE); Office of Diversity, Equity, and Engagement (ODEE); Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
University of Illinois Chicago
Selected Presentations
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL AND CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
- Soriano, D., Christenson-Caballero, T., and Kabbabe-Thompson, V. (2022, April). Esperanza y Comunidad: Implementing Community Strength-Based Professional Development among HSI Staff and Faculty. Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education (ILACHE) Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.
- Soriano, D., Christenson-Caballero, T., and Kabbabe-Thompson, V. (2022, March). Cultivating Corazon Campus Initiative: Implementing Community Strength Based Professional Development. Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators Annual Conference, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM.
- Soriano, D. (2019, October). Arrierros somos y en el camino andamos [Symposium]. AESA Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD.
- Soriano, D. & Thomas-Green, D. (2019, October). Preparing Business Leaders: Advising and Teaching Incoming Students. National Academic Advising Association Annual Conference, Louisville, KY.