“I am a proud 2017 graduate”

rachel bestor posting for graduate campaign

Want a motivating story to start your day? Rachel Bestor’s is as good as any. She’s had plenty of ups and downs in her journey to find her right career path, but her perseverance has brought her great things. Here’s Rachel’s story, in her own words:

My name is Rachel Bestor. I was born and raised in Fond du Lac, WI, where I currently reside. My family means the world to me. They supported me throughout my education at Moraine Park and helped me when I was struggling over my assessments and the rollercoaster of happiness and stress. My hobbies include spending my free time with my family and going on outings. We especially enjoy the summer where we can spend much of our time outdoors just enjoying the weather and having fun.

I have one brother and one sister who are both older than me and who both went on to bachelor’s degrees right out of high school. Then there’s me who became a single mom shortly after high school. I was 18, going on 19 when I had my first child and it was a struggle to continue on in college, but I tried it anyway.

That’s when I first chose Moraine Park Technical College.

I chose Moraine Park because it was only a two year program and right here in town. I knew I could live at home to get the help and support I needed while attending school. I also knew the Early Childhood Education program was the best fit for me since I was going to soon become a mom and my daughter would be able to attend Tiny Tech while I was in school. Tiny Tech was the amazing childcare center that used to be part of the programs so the students could get hands on experience before going out into the world of childcare.

After I had completed about a semester or so of the program, I decided to put education on hold and start working in the childcare field in a local childcare center. I eventually learned childcare wasn’t the right fit and started working in a factory setting. That especially didn’t go over well and I chose to return to school; this time in the Administrative Professional Program. My mom influenced me the most when making this decision. She works in an administration setting and I knew that’s where I eventually wanted to be too. When making this decision, I chose to go back to Moraine Park because of the influence the staff and other students here had been on me. They were amazing. The staff here is so helpful and great to be around.

I have had many great experiences since I started back at Moraine Park. During my Administrative Professional education, I have joined the EDGE program, which is for low-income or first generation students, or students with a disability. You only have to qualify under one of these options in order to join the program. The staff in the program have also been a great help towards my education. The program offers other four-year university campus tours, member outings, as well as early registration for the following semester. During my time here, I have met the most wonderful staff members and instructors, who have helped me through many assessments when I was struggling to meet the criteria.

The instructors who have most influenced me – Amy Harmsen and Joan Seichter, are the instructors for many of my program courses and taught me how to be a successful Administrative Assistant. Rob Heyrman, Maggie May, Jeff Stueber, Brenda Schaefer, and Jeremy Mauer have all helped me to become the successful and confident person I am today. I have had ups and downs in all of my classes and each one of these instructors has helped me work through them all. They have helped me to finish my education and I am a proud 2017 graduate.

I believe it’s important to complete general education courses as well as program courses. General education courses provide the opportunity to learn soft skills and from your mistakes before you enter the workforce. It’s important to know how to write papers properly and be confident about your abilities. The benefit of the Oral and Interpersonal Communications class was not only to learn how to write papers, but also how to speak properly in front of an audience. The more you speak in front of audience, the easier it becomes. I also learned that speeches should be more of a conversation with your audience rather than just reading from a script.

I currently put my educational skills to task substitute teaching within the Fond du Lac School District. This showcases and develops my administrative and organizational skills every day. No matter where I am in life, or what career I find myself in, I will always need the skills that I learned at Moraine Park. To learn more, visit morainepark.edu.

Written by admin