2023 - Take Five With…Carrie Gorr

Carrie Gorr came to Elgin Community College as an academic advisor in 1995, but that wasn’t the start of her career in higher education. Before joining ECC, Gorr began working at Harper College, where she was also a student. “I began working as a student orientation leader, the gateway drug to a life in student services,” said Gorr with a laugh.

During her ECC career, she has advised and counseled ESL and International students, GED students, and new students, helping students explore careers and creating university transfer guides. Read on and learn more about our colleague, like her favorite spot on campus and the mouthwatering meal she loves to cook.    

Where is the best place you’ve traveled, or where is somewhere you dream of going, and why? Glacier National Park and Paris have been my favorites so far. I love walking through nature and towns/cities and photographing them. I also like getting immersed in a different culture, so I dream of traveling around Europe, exploring towns, nature, and coastlines.

What is your favorite meal to cook or favorite dish to eat out? I make this casserole of black beans, turmeric rice, spinach, and cheese and then wrap it in corn tortillas with homemade guacamole. It’s so good! As a bonus, my hands smell like cilantro and corn tortillas.

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be and why? My parents. So much has happened since they passed away, and it would be great to catch up around the kitchen table and hear their wise and funny commentary again. 

What’s your favorite spot on campus? The ponds, walking path, and the flower garden on the roof of Building B. I’ve seen beautiful butterflies in the roof garden and deer and sandhill cranes pop up a few feet away from the walking path. I’ve seen those cranes in forest preserves, but I’d never been so close – they’re huge! 

What’s on your playlist/podcast list? Bruce Springsteen, Jason Isbell, and podcasts like Freakonomics and Hidden Brain (both about human behavior), Splendid Table (about cooking), and Dolly Parton’s America are about pretty much everything. They go off on so many tangents that it’s just brilliant.