My name is Heidi Jiles. This is my fourth year at Catholic East Elementary! I am from the southside of Chicago, Illinois. I earned my undergraduate degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I fell in love with the state of Wisconsin! I later earned my master’s degree in Special Education from Grand Canyon University.

In my “free time,” I love to exercise, travel, and experience new foods. I am the PROUD Head of House of the House of Isibindi, also known as the House of Courage!

“Isibindi” is a tight-knit group of individuals, like a pride of African lions, where family means everything. The House’s symbolic animals - the mute swan and the lion - serve to empower incoming members. While new students might be quiet or shy at first, the longer that they are in the House, the more they begin to display the characteristics of strength and bravery. In Zulu, Isibindi means “courage.”