Mary Cowen Program Director
In the spring of 2012, Mary Cowen had the opportunity to take a group of homestay kids on a seven-day road trip spanning through seven states from the Colorado Rockies to the Arizona Grand Canyon. Through this cultural immersion experience, not only did it open the eyes of her students to a world beyond their own, but it also helped Mary realize that a child’ s education and development could expand beyond the confines of the classroom.
Having taught high school math in the Chicago Public Schools for over 15 years, Mary sought to create an educational experience that would not only set students up for academic success, but also immerse them in the culture of the United States. C2Elite is the culmination of that vision. Mary graduated as Valedictorian from Korea University with a BS and MS in Mathematics. She continued her higher education by receiving an MS from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON in Canada and a MA in School Counseling from Northeastern University in Chicago, Illinois. She has three lovely children and resides in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.