IIT A CAPPELLA
OUR DIRECTORS
We could not have IIT A Cappella without our directors. Each director carefully chooses their new members and music repertoire at the beginning of each semester. They hold biweekly rehearsals for their members to learn and perfect their group's respective songs to perform at various events and our big bi-annual concert each semester end.
President
Myka Chang
Myka Chang is a 5th year Architectural Engineering Student with a minor in Engineering Graphics and CAD, pursuing a Masters in Construction Engineering and Management. She has been part of the Co-Ed Group, The Techtonics, for 8 semesters now, and is continuing on to her 9th with the new large group. Music has been a very important aspect of her and her family’s life; so much so that her and her five siblings started up a band called the Ch’Chang’s. Although she could not continue on with the band, her siblings are continuing to play gigs throughout Minnesota. She has always loved singing and the arts, but couldn’t pass up learning about the STEM field and what it has to offer, which is why IIT A Cappella serves as an outlet for her musical side. As president, she hopes to encourage music and friendship within the Illinois Tech community and beyond.
Vice President
Amy Goddard
Amy Goddard is a fifth year coterminal-student pursuing a BS in Biomedical Engineering and MAS in Medical Imaging and Signals. She has been in IIT A Cappella for 6 semesters and acted as a director in Spring 2019. With her mom being a music teacher, she has had music in her life since she was young. From singing in choir and playing handbells at church to being in band and musical theatre at school, music has always been a fun way to relieve stress for her. At IIT, Amy finds that A Cappella is a way to connect with her love of music again and relieve college stress.
Treasurer
Marcos Mercado
Marcos Mercado is the Treasurer of IIT A Cappella. He is a fourth year architecture major at Illinois Tech and is also involved in Student Government Association (Senator), Art x Architecture (co-production studio head), and SJCB (project assistant). He “loves everything pertaining to the arts; painting, making music, dancing, singing, theater, photography, etc.” He also enjoys arranging music and watching movies when time allows (which it never does).
“My favorite part of being in A Cappella is that I get to be surrounded by a bunch of people who drip talent and who share one of my greatest passions with me,” says Marcos.
Public Relations & Co-Director
Jon Olivera
Jon Olivera is a 4th year Architecture Student. He has been a member of the all-male group, The Crown Joules, for 5 semesters, and the co-ed group, The Techtonics, for 1 semester. He is now the co-director for Illinois Tech A Cappella and Public Relations Chair for the exec board. Jon has been singing all his life. In high school, he was a part of a large choir and a small a cappella group for one year and a small all-male group and a madrigals group for two years. Jon joined IIT A Cappella so he could continue his passion for music and meet new people through singing. As co-director, he is committed to spreading the joy of singing to others at IIT and to helping create a strong connection between those he sings with. He hopes, as P.R. Chair, he can also spread awareness of IIT A Cappella’s presence throughout campus so that others who share his love of music can find their outlet.
Co-Director
Keara Rigg
Keara Rigg is a fourth-year Chemistry major at Illinois Tech. She got her start in music when she performed in her first musical at the age of three. Musical theater sparked Keara’s passion for singing and performing! In highschool, Keara was in two a cappella groups, the Chamber singers and Eloquence. Her music background also extends into other instruments; she has played the cello since she was nine years old and has played guitar and ukulele for the past four years.