Joliet Junior College professor motivated by students, community

When Maria Anna Rafac is asked how she motivates her students, she tells them their energy and desire for learning are what motivates her.

Rafac has been a professor of architecture at Joliet Junior College for 28 years, but it’s a career she never trained for initially.

Before working at JJC, Rafac worked for the architectural firm Healy, Snyder, Bender & Associates. During her time with the firm, Rafac said she was one of the drafters for the T Building at JJC, where she now teaches.

Rafac said she then “retired” at 28.

Rafac said she was hired for an adjunct position at JJC in the spring of 1997. By the fall term, she was hired for a full-time position.

Since then, Rafac has not only brought new programs to the college but has become more involved in the community, something she did not imagine for herself when she was younger.

“I really enjoy architecture, but I never realized how much I enjoy teaching,” Rafac said.

Rafac has seen her students from 10 to 15 years ago become licensed architects and make a difference in the community.

When it comes to teaching, Rafac said she does not see her role as an orator dispelling knowledge to people. She said she sees herself as more of a shepherd.

“You’re moving along and I’m just kind of guiding,” she said.

This year, Rafac received the 2025 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition from the American Association of Community Colleges. The winners are recognized for making a difference in the classroom.

Rafac said she was hired to teach an architectural drafting class at JJC, and she started the architectural program at the college. She is also the club adviser for the American Institute of Architecture Students at JJC.

“Every day you need architecture, from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed. Every job you have, you need architecture. I hope you don’t need a brain surgeon, I hope you don’t need a lawyer, but you need an architect,” Rafac said.

Rafac said people are born in architecture, and their lives are celebrated in architecture when they die.

“What’s left of the Mayans? What’s left of Greek culture? Their architecture. Their music is gone, their games [are] gone, their language has changed, but what is still here? Their architecture,” Rafac said.

Rafac said architecture is a complex subject, and teaching it has become even more challenging with the rise of computers.

She said she used to draft her designs by hand, but today’s students are expected to create all their work using computers.

“Some students nowadays, they’re savvy with that,” she said.

Rafac has helped address environmental issues and advocate for sustainability efforts inside and outside the college.

In 2017, Rafac was appointed to the city of Joliet’s Environmental Commission. The commission was created to address future groundwater shortages, and it ultimately backed a plan for Joliet to switch its water source to Lake Michigan.

Rafac described Joliet as a “giant small town.” She said she plans on making her community a better place for her students and her children.

“Everything I do is for a student, a former student, a future student and definitely for my kids and for my family,” Rafac said.