For nearly three decades, Charles “Chuck” Steele has been helping students at the College of DuPage (COD) discover their voices as leaders. As the director of Student Life at COD, Steele guides programs that encourage leadership, community engagement and personal growth — work that has shaped generations of students since he joined the school’s staff in 1997.

In fact, Steele considers himself to be Superman. Quite literally.

“Well, my last name is Steele. And my first name is Charles. Charles means ‘man,’ and so that makes me literally the ‘Man of Steele,’” Steele shared with me.

Before finding himself at COD, Steele began his career in the entertainment industry. His focus of study in college was in film and broadcasting, but the topics he primarily explored were in English and Arts. He eventually settled on communications, in which he transferred to the University of Iowa from Northern Illinois University (NIU) to get his degree.

In 1997, Steele decided to return to NIU to earn his master’s degree in communication, but he also needed a part-time job. He noticed a job listing to be an office assistant at the McAninch Arts Center (MAC) and applied for the position. He was told that they were actually about to hire someone, but he was allowed for an interview that afternoon. The only concern was that Steele was with his 4-year-old son at the time. Thankfully, the staff at the MAC allowed for Steele to bring his son, who sat outside during his interview.

As soon as he got home from his interview at the MAC, Steele received a call telling him he got the position. He was later told that it wasn’t only because he had experience in entertainment; it was also because Steele’s son was so well-behaved during the interview. From there, Steele would continue to work at COD for the next 28 years.

“I had different jobs, but always for about three years max. I always enjoy the challenge of things,” Steele said. “And so to have stayed at COD for 28 years, I feel that one of the reasons is that we keep evolving as an organization. There’s always something to keep me engaged in solving a problem or trying to improve something.”

After finishing his degree, Steele did PR work at the MAC on an interim basis and soon transferred to Student Activities at COD — now known as Student Life. Steele became the adviser for what was then called the “Student Activities Program Board,” but is now known as the “Chaparral Activities Board.” When going through old files, Steele coincidentally found old promotional material from his former talent management company they’d sent when searching for talent in college markets.

Being reminded of his past career, Steele remembered the skills he’d developed and how much he utilized them at his new position at COD. He figured that, because there was this connection he found between these different careers he’s had, the skills he’d developed were universally applicable and worth teaching students for their future careers.

“One of the things that I used to do in both jobs, negotiation was a big piece of it,” Steele said. “And so certainly when I was advising the Student Activities Program Board, we’re teaching the students how to negotiate, and I still will occasionally run negotiating workshops as part of the Living Leadership Program.”

Being actively involved in leadership for most of his life, Steele has learned to view things through a leader-oriented lens. Although he admits he’s a bit introverted, Steele doesn’t let the stereotypes associated with it determine who he can and can’t be as a person — especially not as a leader.

“I think it is important to realize that anybody can do anything,” Steele noted. “So just because you’re an introvert doesn’t mean you can’t be a great public speaker or can’t do karaoke. Just because you’re an extrovert doesn’t mean you can’t be contemplative or quiet. It’s really a matter of where you get your energy from. Anybody can do anything, it’s just how they approach it.”

Steele believes in everyone’s ability to be a leader. He enjoys training and helping students become strong leaders for the future. He encourages COD students to join the Living Leadership Program — a non-transcript certificate program dedicated to developing the leadership skills of students so that they can leave positive impacts for the future — and take the Leadership Development class because of how essential being a leader is not just for future careers, but for one’s role in their community.

“I like to think everyone’s a leader. The only question is the quality of leader that you are,” Steele said. “What the world needs right now are more leaders — more effective leaders. More intentional leaders who are trying to have a positive impact on all of the communities they participate in, that’s what we always are in need of, but we are especially in need of that these days.”

Being able to leave positive impacts on others has always been a key driving force for Steele. A large factor in what has led him to be the person he is today is learning and engaging with people who’ve left positive impacts on him. He credits the education he’s received and the desire for it to be a key element in growth, but he also celebrates the uniqueness of humanity for the impact it has left on him.

“There’s so much to learn from other people. I love to learn other people’s strengths, learn other people’s uniqueness,” Steele stated. “The people that I’ve interacted with have all led me to where I am now.”

It’s a core element of what has kept Steele so attached to COD for all these years. It does take a bit of effort to break out of the figurative bubble of familiarity, he admits, but it’s incredibly rewarding to those willing to step out of their comfort zones to try new things. With COD acting as a cultural hub for students and staff from different backgrounds across the globe, there is an opportunity for students to learn from other people from different backgrounds who they may not have otherwise ever met or got a chance to understand. Steele said there’s a rewarding joy to be had connecting with those seemingly different from us on the surface and learning about culture we may be unfamiliar with, and it’s something Steele finds to be truly beautiful.

“The most beautiful thing is when people are happy. It’s contagious,” Steele remarked. “I think that’s a worthwhile goal to pursue. I believe that everyone deserves happiness, and so when I see it, I think that’s beautiful.”

“We have so many international students or people from different cultural backgrounds coming to us here at COD,” Steele continued. ”All of these different people, the opportunity to grow is so tremendous here. A college is where all those things kind of come together, and it’s just so impactful.”