Finding the time to go back to school can be difficult, especially when you have other life responsibilities.

If there’s a will, there’s a way, and Brad Hetzel, of Beaver Dam, kept his goals as his main focus during his schooling. Before enrolling at Moraine Park, Brad did some general factory work but was looking for a career he could be passionate about, and that offered a fast-paced, hands-on environment.

As a father of three young children, he knew his family needed him to provide a stable life. He decided to pursue a career in Electrical Power Distribution (EPD), which offers a secure job with exceptional earning potential.

“When I started college, I had a family to support, a house, and a full-time job. I had to stay focused, dedicated, and keep at the forefront of why I was there.”

Brad graduated in May 2019, with his family cheering him on at the commencement ceremony. He was offered a job at Alliant Energy two weeks before graduating and today serves as a line apprentice.

“I know someday I’ll get to work a power outage in my area, and when the lights go back on, my kids will say ‘my Dad did that’. I look forward to that opportunity.”

Keisha Krezman, of Fond du Lac, is a survivor of many things; the struggle of possible infertility, the diagnosis and treatment of stage 3 ovarian cancer, and her miracle pregnancy with twins are just a few. Through it all, she remained an example of strength and tenacity, and always kept her educational goals in sight. Before the birth of her twins, Keisha worked in management and found success in that role. She decided to step away from work and focus on raising her children, but she had a clear goal to one day earn an accounting degree.

When her twins turned four, she decided that it was time for her to act upon that goal. Keisha enrolled in the Accounting program at Moraine Park Technical College and immediately knew she was where she was supposed to be. She leaned heavily on her advisors, tutoring services, and her accounting instructors to ensure success in the program.

Her determination helped to pave a solid career path, and it should come as no surprise that she was hired in the accounting field before her graduation in May. Keisha’s long term goal is to one day be managing an accounting department at a local company.

“Enrolling in college as an adult is scary, but it was totally worth it. Moraine Park helped to support me throughout my education and has given me the tools to find success.”

morainepark.edu/ican

Dajan Haley, of Fond du Lac, made a powerful and life-changing investment in himself when he enrolled at Moraine Park Technical College immediately after graduating from high school in 2018.

When Dajan came to the College, he didn’t have solid career plans. In fact, his goals were quite broad- he wanted to build upon his leadership and communication skills and find a career where he could use those skills to benefit others. The MPTC Career Center helped him to build upon those goals and map out his college journey to fulfill them.

Of course, this didn’t happen overnight. Dajan’s commitment to his education and future career allowed him to explore many program options at the College and eventually, he found that the Substance Abuse Counseling program was the best fit.

“Moraine Park allows me to continue to grow and build upon my goals,” Dajan said. “Their support of my pathway has ultimately led me where I am today, and I’m confident that I’ve found a program and career that I will love.”

His success at Moraine Park isn’t just confined to the classroom. Dajan’s extensive involvement in both student life and the Edge Program have opened many doors and allowed him to be a positive influence and friend to many at the College.

“I love being involved and helping people,” he said. “Being active at the College helped me find a home and extended family here at Moraine Park.”

Dajan is scheduled to graduate in May of 2022 and has goals to utilize his skills to benefit his local community.

morainepark.edu/ican

The Wisconsin Technical College System’s (WTCS) District Board Association (DBA) has named Moraine Park Technical College alumnus, Stephen Peterson, of Fond du Lac, as the 2020 Distinguished Alumni award winner.

Each year, the DBA accepts Distinguished Alumni nominations from all of the Wisconsin Technical Colleges. From the nominations, they select their winner based on five criteria: the role that a technical college education played in the nominee’s career and personal life; the nominee’s accomplishments in his/her professional field; the nominee’s community involvement; his or her support for the technical college system; and, finally, the nominee’s commitment to continuing education and life-long learning.

Peterson, a 1969 graduate from Moraine Park’s Mechanical Technology program, spent his entire career working for companies headquartered in Fond du Lac. With his degree from Moraine Park as a foundation, Peterson was able to further develop his leadership and technical skills while serving in domestic and international manufacturing positions.

After graduation, Peterson completed an apprenticeship at Giddings & Lewis Machine Tool Co. in Fond du Lac. Throughout his 36-year career, he served many capacities, eventually becoming the President and CEO in 2000. He retired from Giddings & Lewis in 2005 and joined Mid-States Aluminum Corp. as President and CEO. He retired from Mid-States Aluminum in 2016.

“My time in college offered me the opportunity to mature before entering the workforce,” Peterson said. “In addition to the technical classes I was studying, I was able to develop my interpersonal skills as well as my problem-solving skills in a structured environment.”

Peterson is also well known for his continued community involvement. Currently, he serves as a board member for Agnesian HealthCare and Mid-States Aluminum Corp., and as the board chairman for Society Insurance. Some of his past service work includes Fond du Lac Area Foundation board member and chairman, Fond du Lac Association of Commerce board member and chairman, Fond du Lac STEM Academy and STEM Institute board member, and National Exchange Bank & Trust board member, as well as various industry organizations in leadership and support committee activities. Peterson was also the recipient of the 2009 C.L. Greiber Award of Merit for Outstanding Support of Career and Technical Education and named a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Foundation in 2018.

“I am proud to be among the thousands of students who have used MPTC as their first step in the lifelong learning process,” he said. “The education I received opened the door for me to enter into the local workforce and have an interesting and stimulating career at world-class manufacturing companies in my hometown.  I also recognize the responsibility to support this fine institution so that it can continue to provide much needed technical training to the next generation of workers in our community.”

Peterson’s drive, dedication, and contributions made him an obvious choice for the DBA’s 2020 Distinguished Alumni award. He will accept his award at a virtual award ceremony.

“Steve has been a champion of technical college education all of his career and knows first-hand how education changes lives,” Dana Bourland, Moraine Park’s director of college advancement, said. “He used what he learned at Moraine Park and through his mentors to become a true servant leader.  Steve believes strongly in investing in people and communities, and I am so pleased he was chosen to receive this award.”

For more information on Moraine Park’s Alumni Association, visit morainepark.edu/alumni.

Here is why I think voting is important:

It may not seem like it, but government and policy impacts how we live our lives each and every day. I strongly believe that voting is the cornerstone of a positive society and a strong democracy. If we choose not to vote, we’re putting our lives in the hands of people we may or may not support and the policies that they create. These exact people write policies that will affect every facet of our lives like healthcare, social security, climate change, housing, poverty, student debt, and many more.

So in order to create and uphold a strong democracy, we need to choose the right people to solve problems such as these. And students such as ourselves are the most important in the election process. Our Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes recently said that if every student in Wisconsin voted this November, we would make up the second largest city in our state! That makes a HUGE impact on our election process.

It has even been proven that the lowest turnout rates in past elections have been younger voters and students. According to the Campus Vote Project, “Young adults (ages 18-29) made up about 21% of the voting eligible population in 2014, but voter turnout for this demographic has reached record lows in recent years.” Community college and tech college students matter even more because we share a close relation to the communities in which we go to school, live and work. 7.1 million students go to tech or community colleges across the U.S. With such a large student representation, we can make our voices be heard this election and help politicians create policies that help us all directly – like federal financial aid, student debt forgiveness, more funding for our school programs, and more jobs within our communities.

So get out there on November 3rd and let your voice be heard! Let’s preserve our democracy for generations to come.

WI Online Registration Deadline: October 14, 2020

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Learn more at:       myvote.wi.gov

Cortland Henning, MPTC 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellow

Next week beginning September 21 is PTK Awareness Week nationwide. PTK is an international student academic honor society for 2 year colleges.

Students with a GPA of 3.5 or above and at least 12 college credits are invited to join. Each student pays a one time – life time membership fee of $95 and can also apply for scholarships to help offset the fee. Each member is recognized the year they join with a pin, certificate and a springtime induction ceremony. PTK academic honors membership is posted on your college transcript and you are invited to wear PTK regalia at graduation. Many national scholarship and 4 year college transfer opportunities are available to PTK members and PTK looks great on your resume!

Leadership learning and Volunteer service opportunities available thru our MPTC Beta Mu Kappa group – join our facebook group here.

Please join us for a virtual leadership lunch! Grab your tasty lunch and log on:

Topic: PTK Awareness Week
Time: Thursday, September 24, 2020 11:30 AM – Noon Central Time

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95914739559?pwd=alZiUU1aZWhPcTE2NnR0V2ZQdnZLdz09

Meeting ID: 959 1473 9559
Passcode: 522172

Dial in:
1 301 715 8592 US

MPTC Associate Dean of Business and IT Bobbi Fields will kick us off with a leadership discussion, followed by Anne Lemke and Amy Harmsen, 2020-21 PTK Advisors talking about the benefits of PTK and the calendar of virtual events and community service projects for 2020-21.

Hope to see you soon on Zoom!

Moraine Park Technical College’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student chapter has received a 2019-2020 Merit Award from SHRM, a global professional Human Resources organization, for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its student members.

The SHRM student chapter merit award program encourages the development of more effective student chapters and distinguishes outstanding activities and projects. Chapters are recognized based on chapter operations and programming, as well as the professional development of members, support of the human resource profession, and SHRM engagement.

“Today’s members of our student chapters are the HR leaders of tomorrow. They are the movers and shakers of the future, and we cannot understate the vital role they play in SHRM’s success,” said Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, SHRM president and CEO. “The Moraine Park student chapter is evidence that the future of HR is, indeed, in good hands. I applaud their accomplishments and ability to fiercely move forward during a time of such change and uncertainty in the workplace.”

SHRM student chapters have the opportunity to earn an award based on the number of activities they complete during the merit award cycle, the most recent one of which lasted from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020.

The Moraine Park 2019-20 SHRM chapter, co-lead by instructors Mary Vogl-Rauscher and Cynthia Collins, consists of 14 active members; Brent Fassbender of Fredonia, Edward Gbordzi of Fond du Lac, Jamie Haas of Beaver Dam, Hannah Hansen of Fond du Lac, Starla Hiemstra of Rosendale, Shannon Netland of Green Lake, Heather Petrin of West Bend, Alley Perez of Eldorado, Leah Pietrangelo of West Bend, Alicia Redman of Winneconne, Michael Redman of Oshkosh, Tieraney Swangstu of Fond du Lac, Barbara Turner of Beaver Dam, and Laine West of Allenton.

“I am proud of these student leaders and their many accomplishments,” Vogl-Rauscher said. “We revived the Moraine Park SHRM club in 2019 after it had been inactive for several years. Through this group, our students have access to many resources and even had the opportunity to attend a 3-day conference and learn about many different topics related to Human Resources. Overall, this organization helps students grow personally and professionally. I look forward to helping this chapter continue to develop and utilize the many benefits at hand.”

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College has presented Agnesian Healthcare with its 2020 Community Partnership Award. This award recognizes a community partner organization who has gone above and beyond in their role of working with Moraine Park students in student community impact opportunities.

Agnesian Healthcare is committed to helping, healing, and comforting, with a deep compassion for the community. Moraine Park health sciences students are important members of the Agnesian team! In 2020, despite Covid restrictions, MPTC volunteers served over 550 hours! Students served at Agnesian sites of: St. Agnes Hospital, Ripon Medical Center, Hospice Home of Hope, Fond du Lac Regional Clinic, and Waupun Memorial Hospital.

Some student words of reflection include:

“I had the opportunity to volunteer in the Emergency Department at St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. I absolutely loved my time there.”

“I went to the volunteer at Waupun Dialysis. The lady that trained me was very nice and helpful. While talking with a patient, we discovered that blindness was a big challenge. The Agnesian employee is also part of the Lions Club of Waupun. She found a machine that blows everything up and can make it brighter or duller depending on the patients eyes. The patient was able to receive the machine for free from the Lions. The patient was so happy and broke down in tears! I was in tears too, because until now I took seeing for granted.”

“I really enjoyed working with the other volunteers and hearing their stories as most of them have been there for a very long time, some even with previous work experience as nurses in the ER years ago. Barb with volunteer services was also fantastic, she is so easy to talk to! I am hoping to continue volunteering for Agnesian in the future.”

“I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer with Agnesian Hospice. This has been a very humbling experience. It has provided me with insight and knowledge in what it takes to work with people who are close to death. I realized the most vital part of my experience was not mulling over death, but maintaining social relationships that brightened a patients day no matter what the circumstance. I found that just the fact that patients recognized me, even if it was just my voice in the last one or two visits, was amazing. I would find myself forgetting that the patients were at the end of life and just focus on the time we could spend together every week. I think this opportunity was a very valuable experience. I plan on volunteering with Hospice indefinitely. This experience has actually made me consider furthering my career and eventually being a nurse in hospice.”

Barb Van Egtern, Agnesian Volunteer Services Supervisor said, “Thank you very much!  We love working with your students and hope to continue partnering with you!  We are truly honored.”

Congratulations Agnesian and thank you to all amazing healthcare students, instructors and workers!

Moraine Park Technical College is celebrating over 100 students who earned their General Education Development (GED) or High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) certificate during the 2019-20 school year.

Like other celebrates at the College and around the district, this year’s ceremony had to be canceled, and while celebration details are still being finalized, the College’s Basic Education department is planning to celebrate when conditions allow.

“This is a big accomplishment, and for many, it’s a stepping stone to other educational opportunities,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “It’s important that our students feel supported and valued as they work to achieve their educational goals, and that they know we are here every step of the way.”

Students who earned their GED/HSED certificate for the 2019-20 year are Austing Albright of Pickett, David Almeda of West Bend, Idaliah Appel of Beaver Dam, Dominque Balistreri of Hartford, Steven Barlow of Carlisle, Jennifer Bateman of Jackson, Alexander Baum of Beaver Dam, Steven Beckman of Kewaskum, Nathan Bermudez of West Bend, De’Shawn Bolden-Washington of Manitowoc, Jantzen Bond of Milwaukee, Veronica Borja of Theresa, Kendall Bragg of Fond du Lac, Steven Bulawa of Cedarburg, James Carlisle of Oostburg, Aaryn Carlson of Fond du Lac, Victor Carr of Colgate, Amy Ciborosky of Randolph, Thomas Cooley of Waukesha, Alaura Copeland of Waupun, Zachariah Counsell of Juneau, Caiden Crumer-Barry of West Bend, Charmane Cruz of Beaver Dam, Erin Daley of West Bend, Ronald Dexter of Horicon, Austin Drozok of West Bend, Austin Droz of Columbus, Kristine Ellenbeck of Fond du Lac, Destinee Ellenbecker of North Fond du Lac, Brandon Ellis of Milwaukee, Michelyn Estrada of Beaver Dam, Erica Feuerhammer of Fox Lake, Nathan Gibbs of Reeseville, Jacob Gill of North Fond du Lac, Cameron Guerra of Beaver Dam, Joshua Hagenstein of Jacakson, Diana Haseltine of Milwaukee, John Hennessey of Beaver Dam, Keri Henrickson of Beaver Dam, Eva Herringa of Hartford, McKenzie Holtz of Green Bay, Lori Howe of West Bend, Alexandria Hubred of Columbus, Kylie Hurkmans of Hartford, Josheph Hutchings of Mayville, Clarissa Hynes of Columbus, Joshua Jacobs of Brandon, Kayleigh Javoroski of West Bend, Mason Karoses of Dundee, Dylan Kelsey of Hartford, Tracy Kienzle of Jackson, Justin Koconis of Hartford, Caitlin Krueger of Green Lake, Mariah Lacky of Fond du Lac, Whitley Laird of Campbellsport, Abraham Lange of Fond du Lac, Cassandra Leon of Lowell, Paige Lloyd of Omro, Richard Mantz III of Fond du Lac, Tamerik Marshall of Columbus, Branden Mayer of West Bend, Danairis Melendez of West Bend, Dakota Mickel of West Bend, Scott Mielke of Rosendale, Samantha Mills of Beaver Dam, Edward Mills of West Bend, Katrina Munro of Oakfield, Amber Murphy of Fond du Lac, Adolfo Narez Orozco of Cambria, Emma Navas of Fond du Lac, Kathryn Neibauer of Horicon, Jose Ortegon of Berlin, Miguel Perez of Fond du Lac, Dylan Pocius of Juneau, Daniel Pokrzywinski of Wauwatosa, Jerome Rahn of Mayville, Devin Ramirez of Beaver Dam, Kaleb Reardon of Clyman, Molly Reuter of West Bend, Nathan Rosbeck of West Bend, Seth Rose of West Bend, Fanny Salas of Fond du Lac, Ivan Salazar of Iron Ridge, Gloria Sandberg of Hartford, Danielle Schaeffer of West Bend, Michael Schallock of West Bend, Nicoli Scheuers of Princeton, Michael Scott of West Bend, Nicholas Serrato of Beaver Dam, Kimberly Sheffield of Beaver Dam, Brian Speake of Beaver Dam, Skylar Stamper-DeQuardo of Jackson, Adrianna Stromberg of West Bend, Cody Strong of Fond du Lac, Summer Stuker of Green Lake, Melissa Thiel of West Bend, Alex Tuveson of Fond du Lac, Lorena Vannocker of Fox Lake, Zoila Volkmann of West Bend, Samantha Warren of Theresa, Trent Webster of Kewaskum, Kayla Wetzel of West Bend, Aislynn Wiedmeyer of West Bend, Hunter Winter of Fall River, Nathan York of West Bend, Kaija Yule of Oshkosh, Alejandro Zamora of Fond du Lac, and Melanie Zander of Beaver Dam.

The GED/HSED students had to pass all four subject portions of the nationally recognized GED tests to receive their diploma. They also had to meet requirements in employability, digital literacy, health, and civics. Moraine Park’s GED/HSED instruction is available year-round and is one of the many services at the College that is offered for free to the community. For more information about Moraine Park’s GED/HSED classes, visit morainepark.edu/GED.