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Tell me and I’ll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I’ll understand.
– Native American Proverb ….

In a word, that’s what education guide Carol Muskin is – Involved. Involved in the Chicago Architecture Center as an education guide and exhibit host. Involved as a docent at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian. Involved in the lives of young people by serving as a host and liaison for international students for the American Friends Service (AFS) Committee’s Intercultural Programs. Involved in her synagogue, Tzedek Chicago, and involved in supporting social justice issues. And if that wasn’t enough, she also teaches yoga.

An educator’s educator, Carol is originally from Muskogee, Oklahoma. (Yes, she’s an Okie from Muskogee). With Cherokee and Russian Jewish heritage, Carol has always been attuned to different cultures, but this awareness became fully embedded in her character when her family hosted an exchange student from South Africa during her high school years. This experience was so meaningful that to this day Carol continues to be involved with AFS and other cultural exchange programs. Over the years she has served as a host or liaison to dozens of students from around the world, many of whom she keeps in contact and visits during her international travels.

Carol left Muskogee to attend Washington University in St. Louis and subsequently came to Chicago to earn a PhD in education from Northwestern. With extended family in the Chicago area, Carol stayed here for a number of years teaching aspiring teachers at National Louis University. But, when her three children were young, she relocated with her husband, education guide Chuck Pierret, to the Washington D.C. area. During her 20 years in the D.C. area, Carol continued to be an educator’s educator, mentoring student teachers at George Washington University and University of Maryland. She also remained involved with cultural exchange programs and honored her Native American heritage by training as a docent at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.

With a life-long appreciation of cultural diversity, a belief in the power of continuous learning, and a commitment to facilitating understanding through one-on-one connections, it’s no surprise Carol got involved upon her and Chuck’s return to Evanston some four years ago. She feels most energized by cultural institutions where she can share knowledge and engage guests on tours.

Becoming an education guide at the CAC, which fellow Tzedek Chicago member Hallie Rosen told her about, was a perfect fit. Carol loves the

CAC staff, the quality training she’s received, and the expertise and openness of the CAC volunteer community. And, of course, Carol loves interacting with students from across the city. In a similar vein, Carol enjoys her docent role at the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian where she also gives student tours and often encourages those she meets to volunteer at as well.

In Carol’s view, nothing opens one’s eyes to the richness and diversity of the world than connecting one-on-one with others. So, from engaging students on a tour, to sharing her knowledge with others, to hosting international students, Carol is living her commitments.