By Paityn Tabor ’23
Managing Editor and Sports Editor
Camille Yale is an Associate Professor of Communication here at Lake Forest College and is also the Chair of Communication. Yale received her bachelor’s degree in communication from Ohio University, her MA in communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her PhD in the Institute of Communication Research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. After working in television production for seven years and going back to school to obtain her MA and PhD, when the job here at Lake Forest became available, Yale seized the opportunity. Stentor staff spoke with Yale about her academic interests and how she has adjusted to teaching in-person classes once again.
Stentor: Where did you study and what was your major? How did you decide on your major?
Yale: I earned my bachelor’s degree in communication from Ohio University, with an emphasis in TV and film production. My high school in Ohio had a radio station, and I got hooked on the experience of creating programming. I was also interested in photography and visual media, so studying TV and film seemed like a natural choice.
Stentor: What was the journey like that led you to Lake Forest College?
Yale: I moved to Chicago right after graduating from Ohio U. After working in television production for about seven years, I decided to go back to school for a master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I started doing research on media industries and decided I wanted to keep going and get a PhD, which I completed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Institute for Communication Research. I was working as a Visiting Professor back at the U of I Chicago and finishing my dissertation when the job at Lake Forest College became available, and I jumped on it!
Stentor: What motivates you in your job?
Yale: I love my time in the classroom, getting to know students and seeing them grow personally and academically while they’re here at LFC. The transformation from nervous and unsure first years, to the accomplished and proud individuals I see walking across the stage at graduation never gets old.
Stentor: How has your teaching style changed as a result of the pandemic and what was the transition like for you upon going from Zoom classes in the spring to an in-person semester this fall?
Yale: Everything has taken on new meaning in the context of the pandemic. And as someone who teaches about the media, I feel a real obligation to use the classroom as an opportunity to think through the ways we have had to adapt our new socially-distanced lives through new media and communication practices. But I think the biggest shift in my teaching has been a more present sense of empathy. We’re all living through extraordinary times and trying to continue on with being college professors and students, which can be incredibly demanding pursuits in the best of times. Zoom kept us all going, but it also sucked a lot of the joy out of the experience of learning. That being the case, I feel like my mission since returning to in-person classes has been to rediscover and cultivate that joy of learning again, and to truly appreciate all the positive things we take for granted about being in the classroom and on campus together.
Stentor: How do you handle stress and the pressures of your job?
Yale: When I’m feeling stressed, I can usually rejuvenate myself by spending some time at home, cooking, catching up with my watch lists on Prime and Netflix, and riding my bike through the Cook County Forest Preserves with my husband and 10-year-old son. And weather permitting, I’m also an avid gardener—nothing relieves stress like pulling weeds!
Stentor: What is one piece of advice you have for students at the College?
Yale: Be open to new experiences and ideas, and to the possibility of changing your mind. Opportunities are going to come your way that you may never have anticipated. Don’t be afraid to take a detour. As John Lennon once said, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Stentor: What’s one course that you wish you could enroll in at Lake Forest College if you were a student?
Yale: I would love to take an Art History class. ARTH 218 Twentieth Century Art sounds particularly fun.
Stentor: What did you do this past summer?
Yale: Like everyone else, I wanted to do some things I couldn’t do in summer 2020 and desperately missed. So, I took a trip with my family to Door County, Wisconsin in June, and spent the rest of the summer hanging out at the Lincolnwood pool with my son.
