For many high school students, graduation means deciding on a college or figuring out what to do in a career. Cameron Groves, a senior at Slinger High School, is already one step ahead in achieving his career goals.

Come spring 2023, Groves will earn both his diploma from Slinger High School and his Electricity Technical Diploma and Industrial Wiring Certificate from Moraine Park Technical College. He took advantage of his schools’ dual credit programs, allowing him to earn college credits while still in high school.

“The field is continually changing, so as an electrician, I will be at the forefront of technology,” Groves said. “I can also assume that as I progress in my career, that I will accrue the knowledge and skill set that, if applied properly, will remain profitable. A switch install, hanging a light, wiring a system, and all the knowledge I attain will be mine forever.”

In addition to taking both high school and college level courses, it was important to Groves that he remained eligible to play high school football. This meant arranging his schedule to allow for flexibility during football season, and meeting WIAA credit standards. He took courses online and in the summer to ensure he could play and take a lighter course load during the fall season.

In Feb. 2023, Groves took the Milwaukee Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee aptitude test. Once he receives his diploma and test results, he plans to petition to join the Milwaukee Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee Union in spring 2023. Eventually, he hopes to achieve the title Master Electrician and own his own business.

“I would definitely recommend that everyone take advantage of the dual credit opportunity, as it will allow you to get a head start on your chosen career path while also strengthening your transcript and resume,” Groves said. “Being immersed in the electricity program has helped strengthen my knowledge, allowed me to demonstrate learned topics in a field setting, and afforded me opportunities to network with individuals in my chosen field.”

To learn more about how to earn college credit while still in high school, talk to your counselor or visit morainepark.edu to learn about other MPTC offerings.

Moraine Park Technical College named nearly 1,100 students to the Dean’s List for the fall 2022 semester. To qualify for this distinction, a student must be enrolled in at least six undergraduate-level course credits, earn a minimum grade point average of 3.5, not have a failing or incomplete grade for the semester, and be in good academic standing. 

View the Dean’s List at morainepark.edu/about-mptc/deans-list/.

Congratulations to all of our recognized students!

Moraine Park was recognized as an organization that provides innovative solutions for creating organizational structures, workplace policies and total rewards, which inclusively engage and motivate its employees.

Gallagher’s Best-in-Class awards recognize employers that excel in supporting their employees’ physical, emotional, career and financial wellbeing for better organizational outcomes.

Moraine Park scored in the top quartile of large and midsize employers who participated in Gallagher’s 2022 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey.

Moraine Park takes a proactive and structured approach to planning, developing and implementing comprehensive benefits and HR programs. We believe supporting our workforce builds our overall organizational strength and resilience.

About Gallagher

Gallagher, a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 68 countries and offers client service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

About the Best-in-Class Benchmarking Analysis

Gallagher’s Best-in-Class Benchmarking Analysis profiles statistically significant attributes of top-performing midsize (100-999 FTEs) and large employers (1,000 or more FTEs). Data from Gallagher’s 2022 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey was interpreted to identify participants that excel in optimizing employee and organizational wellbeing.

Pictured above: MPTC Dean Dr. Bobbi Fields, Experiential Learning Specialist Kim Spartz and Bronze Community Impact Award Recipient Anna Jacobs. Anna is enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at MPTC.

Moraine Park Technical College is committed to community engagement and student success. The College supports these commitments through the opportunity for students to participate in student community impact and apply their classroom knowledge to an applicable, real-world environment. We encourage students to participate in our community impact awards program where students can track their service-learning or volunteer hours, submit their reflections, and earn a Bronze Award for 25 hours, Silver Award for 50 hours, Gold Award for 100 hours, and President’s Award for 200 hours!

In the Fall 2022 semester, 21 students earned awards and logged over 1,300 hours of service!  Congratulations to our Fall 2022 award winners!

Gold Award
Completing 100-199 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Nelson, Victoria – Emergency Medical Technician

Oestreich, Victoria – Medical Assistant

Silver Award
Completing 50-99 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Anderson, Hannah – Marketing and Social Media

Gurke, Chloe – Medical Assistant

Kaiser, Marissa – Medical Assistant

Nelson, Victoria – Emergency Medical Technician

Oestreich, Victoria – Medical Assistant

Bronze Award
Completing 25-49 hours of service-learning or volunteering.

Aguilera, Silvia – Medical Assistant

Anderson, Hannah – Marketing and Social Media

Bates, Corinna – Leadership Development

Becker, Jeremiah – IT: Network Specialist

Bednarek, Courtney – Medical Assistant

Behling, Kalli – Medical Assistant

Bickelhaupt, Lydia – Medical Assistant

Bostwick, Joleen – Medical Assistant

Churchill, Kelsey – Medical Assistant

Glynn, Maura – Medical Assistant

Guell, Crystal – Early Childhood

Gurke, Chloe – Medical Assistant

Jacobs, Anna – Early Childhood

Kaiser, Marissa – Medical Assistant

Nelson, Victoria – Emergency Medical Technician

Oestreich, Victoria – Medical Assistant

Siebenaler, Rhiannon – Medical Assistant

Strohwig, Emily – Medical Assistant

Van Buren, Katie – Medical Assistant

Vera, Samantha – Medical Assistant

Williams, Jennifer – Medical Assistant

Written by Moraine Park Nursing student, Sara Henthorn

Think back to when you were just starting your senior year of high school; pondering what colleges those applications should be filled out for. I was ecstatic writing down my accomplishments and hitting the submit button. A few weeks went by, and I got that envelope in the mail that I had been waiting for–I was accepted into UW-Parkside. I graduated high school that following May in 2005 and thought in a little over two years from then that I would be graduating college, too. Well, life decided it had other plans for me. Plans that were total surprises and made me push back my academic career by 17 years.

First Go-Round

I arrived at Parkside that Fall day and thought, “This is it, time to buckle down, I got this!” Besides being a full-time student, I also had to work full-time to help pay for school. That alone was very overwhelming for me, as I have never had a full-time job before. I tried so hard to juggle all my classes and my job, but it was harder than I thought. I struggled in all of my classes and could not keep up with the assignments.  The first semester was HORRIBLE. During Winter break, I made the decision to try and tough it out until summer.  I moved out of the dorms (with hopes to save money, and maybe not have to work so much), and ended up living with my grandma. I also changed jobs but was still working 40+ hours a week. I honestly just could not catch a break. I finally hit my breaking point and just gave up. I stopped going to classes and turning in homework. I realized I just was not ready for the responsibility of college life.

Baby Dolls and Brains

After the realization that college just was not for me at that time, I decided I needed to find a good-paying full-time job. I ended up seeing an ad in the paper for a CNA class and thought “job security!” I took the class, passed the test, and there I was–19 years old and working 50+ hours a week at a nursing home in Fond du Lac. I commuted from Wild Rose for about two years and then relocated to Oshkosh. I worked at that same nursing home for seven years, but during that time something major happened. In 2011, my boyfriend and I found out that I was pregnant. I continued to work as a CNA up until the day before my water broke. The months after my baby girl was born, I had a huge awakening. I wanted to give my daughter the best life that I could, and the pay for a nurse’s aide was not going to make that happen. I enrolled at Fox Valley Technical College for their nursing program. Shortly after that, my boyfriend and I broke up, and there I was, raising a young child on my own and just starting college again. I thought I had all my ducks in a row, but once again life had other plans for me. I took quite a few online classes so that I could work and take care of her, but trying to manage all of that on my own turned into instant failure.

Hiatus 

Many years went by after I dropped out of college for the second time. I felt like such a failure and had no intentions of returning after that. I thought life had beaten me down, so I was just going to go with it. I worked my butt off as a CNA to provide for my daughter and me, but deep down I knew there was more that I wanted to accomplish in life. In 2015, I reconnected with my now husband.  We used to work together back in 2010 at a nursing home, and he knew how much I wanted to become a nurse. We talked about me returning to school, but financially there was just no way at the time. So, once again, I sucked it up and kept on working as an aide. Little did I know, 2021 would be a life-changing year for my family and me.

Motivation, determination, and a little bit of luck!

A friend of mine worked for the company that I am now employed with. She told me about all the perks of making my own schedule and being my own boss. But her last comment to me was a life changer. She said, “If you wanted to go back to school, you are able to write off your tuition as a business expense, as it will be bettering your business.”  I had an AH-HA moment. The financial burden of school was always a weighing factor for us, and now I could finally catch a break. Yes, we would have to pay for the classes up front, but we would get it back on our taxes.  I told my husband that now would be the perfect time for me to finish up my schooling. The flexibility of my job finally lets me do this. I applied to Moraine Park’s Nursing program, and when it was time to pick classes, I felt like a kid in a candy store.  My dream is finally coming true, and this time I have all the support that I need.

Conclusion

The road to getting where I am today was not an easy one. I went from feeling like a complete failure to now having so much confidence and hope that I can do it this time. I am now 18 years older than I was the first time I went to college and have learned so much along the way. I am doing very well in all of my classes, and the driving force that keeps me inspired is the constant encouragement I get from my daughter. I want her to know it is never too late to pursue your dream.

Written by Moraine Park Nursing student, Sara Henthorn

For Moraine Park, this past year has been one of monumental change, growth, and excitement. Before we jump into the new year, let’s take a look back at some of the College’s greatest hits of 2022!

In January, we kicked off our year celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, (MLK) Literacy Week where we donated more than 500 culturally responsive books to three local elementary schools.

In February, Moraine Park and Kreilkamp Trucking combined efforts to create the Wisconsin Regional Truck Driving Academy (WRTDA), a unique career opportunity to help respond to workforce shortages. The first cohort graduated in April.

With Spring came the historic decision made by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents to allow technical colleges to offer Associate of arts and Associate of science degrees. Since then, Moraine Park has signed articulation agreements with Lakeland University, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Green Bay.

In May we had almost 800 graduate candidates eligible to receive their associate degrees and technical diplomas at the Spring Commencement Ceremony.

In August, we were visited by Governor Tony Evers, who hosted a roundtable discussion on our Fond du Lac campus. 

The very next week, the College excitedly hosted the return of Tech Knowledge College summer camp. 60 middle schoolers joined us on campus for three days of hands-on fun.

In September, we announced two new programs coming to Moraine Park: IT Applications Support Specialist & Finance & Insurance Services Specialist.

To end the year on a high note, we celebrated the monumental passing of our $55 million referendum and held our first annual winter commencement ceremony recognizing nearly 100 graduates.

We look forward to another fantastic year in 2023!

Last week, Dec. 16, Moraine Park Technical College held its first annual winter commencement ceremony celebrating almost 180 graduates. Commencement was held at Moraine Park’s conference center on the Fond du Lac Campus. 

President Bonnie Baerwald presided over the ceremony and extended her congratulations to the graduates and gratitude to the commencement speakers, Moraine Park District Board, Moraine Park faculty, and the President’s Cabinet. 

“This evening we are gathered to honor the students of the graduating class of 2022–the students whose desire for learning and aspirations for a better life led them to Moraine Park,” President Baerwald said.

Paul Reetz, Owner of Integrity Saw and Tool, served as the keynote speaker; Wesley Kane, Moraine Park’s 2021-22 District Student Ambassador was the student speaker; and Stephanie Dahlke, a 2014 Moraine Park alumna served as the alumni speaker. 

“Grit is not the prettiest way to get through life, but it gets the job done,” Kane said. “Whether it was staying up for 36 hours to finish an operation or burning the midnight oil submitting that essay, grit has gotten me to where I am today–a Sergeant in the Marine Core, a homeowner, a dog dad, a graduate of Moraine Park, and a better human.” 

More photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAjvou.

December 16 is a momentous day for our fall 2022 graduates. For one student in particular, this day has been long-anticipated.

Colleen Hoth-Jaquet, of Horicon, started her journey into healthcare as a lifeguard when she was very young. Even after a knee injury and knowing healthcare requires standing for long periods of time, she still wanted to continue, but that was not the only obstacle she would face.

Growing up, Colleen never thought she was smart enough to pursue nursing, and she did not have the support to even consider the possibility. So, she found success doing other things. She became an art teacher for the Girls and Boy’s Club, worked in aquatics, and worked at a youth camp. Eventually, she came to Moraine Park to pursue the Medical Assistant program and began working as a LPN at Aurora Health in the Urgent Care unit. 

“I love helping people and showing them they have a support system in a place that can be really scary,” Hoth-Jaquet said. “I especially love working with kids and teaching them that being hurt is only temporary.”

In 2020, she returned to Moraine Park to pursue a degree in nursing. After graduation, she hopes to transition to an RN and eventually earn her bachelor’s degree.

“I want to show my kids that wherever they’re at in life, they can always achieve their goals,” Hoth-Jaquet said.

Congratulations to all of our fall 2022 graduates!

Moraine Park is much more than a technical college. For many, it is a starting point, second chance, resource, reset or road to redemption.

For Linda Huckaby and her son Mike, their decisions to attend Moraine Park were both different and uniquely life-changing.

After leaving the Air Force, Mike Huckaby struggled to find the direction and ambition to make a much-needed change. In 2015, he returned to school and started in Moraine Park’s HVAC Installation Technician program–a decision that would change the course of his life for good.

“I chose Moraine Park because it was a college with multiple opportunities,” Mike said. “When I visited campus, the staff were very encouraging and enthusiastic about future students. I am always talking about the experience I had at Moraine Park, and often encourage my employer to recruit from the College.”

Mike graduated in 2017 and began working as a technician for Johnson Controls in Milwaukee. Beyond a stable career, Moraine Park also opened Mike up to student clubs, experiences and many new friends. In his last general education course at Moraine Park, Mike met, began dating and fell in love with his classmate, April, who was in the Medical Assistant program. The two were married in 2020 and recently welcomed their first child.

Through Mike’s education, his mother, Linda Huckaby, proudly watched as her son’s life transformed by his decision to attend Moraine Park. Five years later, after the loss of her husband, she knew she could rely on Moraine Park to help her find her next path.

“After my husband died, I was on the floor for a long time,” Linda said. “Eventually, I had to get up and start setting new goals for myself. Time will go by no matter what. It is never too late to go back to school and do whatever you want to do or be whoever you want to be.”

In 2021, Linda enrolled in Moraine Park’s Accounting program because she would be able to work from home after graduation. Linda struggles with degenerative disc and PTSD, which can make traditional work arrangements difficult.

“On my first day of school at Moraine Park, I was a deer in the headlights,” she said. “After class, Steve Pepper, Moraine Park’s student veterans specialist, had to help me jumpstart my car–I was so nervous I had kept it running!”

Since enrolling in Moraine Park, Linda has been awarded multiple scholarships, received counseling, joined the Fond du Lac Area Women’s Fund Development Committee and even got her real estate license in hopes of combining real estate and accounting in a future career.

“I am really happy for my mom that she is getting her life in gear at Moraine Park,” Mike said. “It is never too late to start over, and every step you take to better your life is worth seizing.”

Read more stories like Mike and Linda’s in our Fall/Winter 2022 NEXT Magazine.