Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat ’86 MA ’89
Dr. Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat first learned about Bradley University when Bradley recruiter Johnny Turner came to visit her high school in the Virgin Islands. Five other St. Joseph’s High School students were recruited as well, along with students from Puerto Rico, Barbados and the Bahamas. She said she liked Bradley because “they were prompt and they made it affordable for me.” At that time, she worked at a jewelry store that was frequented by many cruise ship travelers during their Virgin Island stop. She remembers that people from all over the world had positive things to say about Bradley when she mentioned where she was going to college. She knew then that she had made the right choice.
Her first impression of Peoria was that it was big. In fact, at the time she thought the Bradley campus was big, too! While in college, “Bradley was her life” and she spent most of her time on campus. She worked in the computer science department all four years to help pay tuition and was involved in the Black Student Alliance. Her favorite hang-outs were Avanti’s (which was located across Main Street from their current site) and the Madison Theater.
Desmoulin-Kherat received her BA degree from Bradley in 1986 with majors in history and secondary education. In 1989, she graduated with a master’s degree in education administration. She went on to earn a doctorate degree in education administration in 2006 from Illinois State University. She was one of a group of local educators who worked on their doctorate degrees together and Illinois State accommodated them by teaching many of their classes at Richwoods High School in Peoria. She completed her dissertation on “Meaningful School Leadership from the Perspective of African-American Parents.”
Upon graduating from Bradley, Dr. Kherat began her career as a middle school teacher and has since held a variety of positions in the Peoria area including Assistant Principal at Roosevelt Magnet school, Principal of Whittier Primary School and Adjunct Instructor at Bradley University. In 2008 she was appointed Principal of Manual Middle and High School. She was hired to facilitate a unique restructuring to “improve student academic achievement and enable the school to make adequate yearly progress as defined by the State’s accountability system.” Although her professional life is marked with many accomplishments, she considers her first year at Manual as her biggest success. “Thus far, we have experienced improvement in the following areas: students’ enrollment, increased attendance, an increased course passing rate, lower suspension and expulsion rates, and an increased number of student graduates.”
As it celebrates its 100th anniversary, the new Manual has created four academies to drive student success, increase academic performance, and foster a sense of belonging among its students. Manual Middle and High School believes in high expectations for each student and offers a curriculum grounded in that principle. “We have adopted the three new “Rs” of education: Rigor, Relevance and Relationships.”
Dr. Kherat has found it very exciting and challenging to take a theoretical model and put it into practice. “We are flying the plane while building it. Everything is new - from the staff, new practices, to the curriculum to the academies. Yet the process has been embraced by the students and staff and progress is being made. As we raise the bar for Manual, we must continue to raise the level of support for our students and their families.”
Desmoulin-Kherat has won numerous awards and honors including Principal of the Year (2008); Blue Ribbon Award (Whittier Primary 2005); National Center for Urban School Transformation Award (2006); Professional Advocacy Award (Children’s Hospital of Illinois 2005); and Peoria’s 40 Leaders Under 40 (2001). She is still involved with Bradley, currently serving as a member of the College of Education and Health Sciences Educational Advisory Committee. She likes traveling and the outdoors, and especially likes to visit the Virgin Islands every Christmas. She feels that she has a good sense of humor and loves comedy. She is married to Dr. Sam Kherat (also a Bradley Graduate, 1985) and they have one son, 11-year-old Walid.
Dr. Kherat feels very fortunate that she came to Bradley. She advises Bradley students to “graduate with the degree of your choice. Then give back and help others. Make a way for someone else.” She has certainly followed this advice as she continues to help “make a way” for thousands of students in the Peoria area.
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