Here’s a bit more about each of the gentlemen joining our team:

 

Nebojsa Stanic

Mr. Stanic was raised and educated in Germany, completing a degree in Architecture, Diplom Ingenieur – Architektur from the Fachhochschule Augsburg, Germany in 2000. For over 20 years, Mr. Stanic has worked for highly esteemed architecture firms including Murphy/Jahn, in Chicago, where he worked with Helmut Jahn on designs for airports, convention centers, supertall high rises, iconic buildings and masterplans around the globe.

Mr. Stanic has mentored high school students, as part of a Chicago Public School program, having taught how to communicate designs through sketching, building models and computer drawing with AutoCAD. He has trained employees on a variety of computer programs, including Adobe Suite, AutoCAD, Rhinoceros and has implemented CAD standards for offices. Mr. Stanic is fluent in German, English, Serbo-Croatian, and has studied Latin and French. His hobbies include photography, mixed martial arts and sailing. His wife Despina is also an architect and they have three sons.

Mr. Stanic has a deep appreciation for art and drawing and believes that art and architecture programs encourage creative and critical thinking, improve memory and concentration, and help students strengthen their communication skills.

 

Mike Stangel

Mr. Stangel grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago, and attended Northridge as a freshman and sophomore before family circumstances required him to finish his final two years at Maine South High School. Mike earned his bachelors of science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign, and spent five years as an engineer.

While working in industries including manufacturing, LED lighting and RF microwave amplifiers, Mr. Stangel found the most enjoyable parts of his jobs to be the sharing of knowledge amongst his coworkers. Inspired by his past teachers, his own experience teaching at the Midown Education Program, and his love of Math and Science, Mr. Stangel switched careers and the core values led him back to Northridge.

In addition to spending time with his wife and two young daughters, Mr. Stangel enjoys playing guitar, building/repairing electronics, playing basketball and 16-inch softball.

 

Tim Kane

Mr. Kane, born and raised in Chicago, attended Brother Rice High School, earned a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Notre Dame, and obtained a J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Most of his career was spent in law, working in private practice, government, and, finally, in-house at a financial services firm where he was exposed to cybersecurity issues and developed, in an untraditional fashion, a deeper understanding of the technology in need of safeguarding.  He believes that, if taught from fundamental elements, mastering how computers are built, operate, and programmed provides unparalleled skill in reasoning and problem-solving.

He and his wife have sent seven sons to Northridge and four daughters to The Willows.

Mr. Kane teaches part-time at Northridge; otherwise he writes on a variety of topics for clients.

 

Connor Boyle

Mr. Boyle attended Richwoods High School (their mascot is also the Knights!) in Peoria, Illinois, where he completed the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 2016 with a B.A. in Biological Sciences, specializing in neuroscience. During his time at UChicago, he completed research in a developmental cardiology genetics lab, worked as a teaching assistant in a biology lab, and led a theology discussion group. He first connected with Northridge the summer after graduation.

In 2017, Mr. Boyle took a technical support job with Epic, an electronic medical records (EMR) company in Madison, WI. During his time there, he worked with cardiologists across the country, including those at 2 of the top 10 cardiology hospitals in the U.S.: Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s, both located in Boston. Additionally, he taught classes on cardiology billing and software coding, as well as mentoring many new employees.

In 2021, this sustained interest in teaching and mentoring, from his undergraduate days through his corporate work, brought Mr. Boyle back in contact with Northridge, where he teaches chemistry and math. Beyond these, he loves philosophy and theology, enjoys playing ultimate frisbee and chess, and knows various dance styles, from waltz to salsa to swing.

 

Nick Blanchette

Mr. Blanchette is a recent graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign where he majored in Engineering Physics and minored in Business. Topics he studied included Biophysics, Quantum Theory, and advanced Electricity & Magnetism. During his junior year he specifically coded simulations on the statistics of how mutations occur in colonies of E. Coli as well as studied the effects of an optical trap on specially mutated E. Coli. 

Upon graduation in 2020, he taught Honors Physics and AP Chemistry at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community high school, where he graduated from in 2017. There, he discovered the joy of using his knowledge to help students grow in STEM, leading him to join the Northridge community.

Mr. Blanchette enjoys baking bread, catching up on the latest physics research, watching hockey, and playing strategy games.