Join us on Friday, March 29, 2019 at 11:30 am in the Moraine Park Technical College cafeteria as we hear firsthand from several Fond du Lac Hmong community members as they talk about their service during the Vietnam War and, the struggles they face to be accepted as veterans, as well as the effects it has had on their families.

America hasn’t always been thankful for Hmong veterans who risked their lives in secrecy in Laos during the Vietnam War. These veterans, trained by the CIA, played a critical role during the Vietnam War, and Wisconsin is home to the third largest concentration of Hmong in the U.S. after California and Minnesota and almost 50,000 Hmong were living in Wisconsin during the 2010 Census.

March 29th is also significant because it is Vietnam Veterans Day. A national day of recognition when we honor the nine million American men and women who served on active duty from November 1st, 1955, to May 7th, 1975 during the Vietnam war and solemnly remember the more than 58,000 whose names are etched into the Vietnam Memorial’s polished black granite—constant reminders of the price of freedom.

For additional information contact Steve Pepper, Moraine Park Technical College’s Student Veteran Specialist at spepper1@morainepark.edu or 920-924-3489.

Bruce Forciea, anatomy and physiology instructor at Moraine Park, has had a career journey that has taken him around the world.
Early on in his career, he was an international ice skating coach and a director of skating programs in both the United States and Australia. He later worked as an electrical engineering technician, and then went to college and become a Chiropractor.
“While working in my chiropractic practice, I began presenting at seminars and found that I love teaching,” Bruce said. “One of my patients was a dean at MATC and asked if I would be interested in teaching at the College.”
Bruce eventually left his practice to pursue teaching full-time. He has been with Moraine Park for 16 years, and his worldly experiences have made him the knowledgeable leader and mentor that he is today.

“I feel my life calling is to help others,” Bruce said. “It is rewarding to see students develop the ability to understand complex material, and I love discovering new ways to teach using technology.”

Bruce works to keep the Moraine Park on the forefront of teaching technology. He led the College in implementing an Anatomage Table.This comprehensive 3D tool allows students the opportunity to see all aspects of the human body on a virtual screen. It is now used college-wide by many of the health science classes. Technology like this also allows Bruce to keep his teaching methods fresh each semester.

“I really enjoy helping students learn the difficult content in my courses,” Bruce said. “I find it a real challenge to break down difficult concepts and present them in a way that is as simple as possible without lowering the rigor.”

It is this exact drive and motivation that makes Bruce a staple at Moraine Park’s West Bend Campus, and an inspirational instructor for many students.

“I think of every semester as a challenge to teach the best course I possibly can. Sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t, but the point is to continue to try and never give up.”

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

**Fun Fact** Bruce has also written six books, both non-fiction and fiction. You can find those here!

“As a Website Design/Developer student at Moraine Park, I need to know how to code and design websites, and how to troubleshoot issues by thinking critically and creatively.  I recently completed the Think Critically and Creatively class with Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss at MPTC and learned how to really think outside the box. 

Throughout the course, I learned how to get to the focus of an issue by using the Elements of Thought model.  This model proves essential for solving problems by making sure you are concentrating on the correct issues and not only the facts.  Failure to identify what you are trying to achieve for a purpose and the problem or issue to solve will lead to poor outcomes.  Website Design and Development for clients requires this type of critical and creative thinking throughout the entire process of designing and building a website to be the most effective for a business.  The actual design and development of a website represents only a small part of what is needed when working with clients.  For instance, you must identify the audience a business seeks to reach, conduct research, and determine how you are going to design a site that will attract customers.  Critical and creative thinking plays a significant role in this process. 

I’m looking forward to graduation in May, 2019, and I know that this course has only enriched my knowledge in this area for career success.  I suggest anyone pursuing any type of degree take this course to help improve your problem-solving and decision-making skills.”

Written by Catherine Ziegler
MPTC Student

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

“I completed this class as a successful writer,” Lauren Schwefel stated.

“I believe that our instructor, Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss, provided us with quality writing tools so that we can achieve career success in the future,” Natalie Graff concluded.

Natalie Graff and Lauren Schwefel decided to share their experience in the English Composition I course to let other students know about what to expect.  “When I enrolled in the English Composition I course, I thought I already knew what we needed to know about writing. Turns out I was wrong,” said Graff, who will be graduating from the Accounting program in May, 2019. 

Lauren Schwefel, a Nursing student, also found that she would learn a lot from taking the English Composition I course.  “Dr. Rebecca Leichtfuss taught our class and emphasized to students the importance of learning the 4 C’s of Writing.  We practiced the 4 C’s of writing of clarity, conciseness, completeness, and correctness with every writing activity and assignment.  Every class period we drafted, revised, edited and proofread our writing, which helped me construct higher quality work,” shared Schwefel.

As the course continued, these students focused on learning about different types of writing, including creating professional business e-mails, completing communication case studies that required critical thinking, analyzing research studies, writing a blog, and preparing a research paper.  “Initially I was not looking forward to writing the research paper, but it became easier when our instructor taught us how to follow the writing process, which included writing an annotated bibliography, a plan and outline, and a rough draft,” recalled Graff.

Schwefel recalls that while writing the research paper she learned the importance of organization, time management, and how to determine credible sources. “When all was said and done, I could confidently write a research paper that I initially had dreaded,” she said.

Overall, these students emphasized how the English Composition I course taught them more about writing than they imagined. 

For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.

Did you know that general education courses taken at Moraine Park Technical College transfer to many four-year colleges?

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It’s time to be thinking of spring…even before our first “real” snowfall.

Why?

Because those spring 2019 classes will fill fast!

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Nervous, Surprised, and Now Confident about her Education. Meet Jesse Lance. 

“I was extremely nervous going back to school at the age of 38.  Some people said it was a waste of time.  Others said I wouldn’t make it. I worried the professors wouldn’t be understanding. Boy, was I wrong!

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Meet Delilah Hernandez, nursing student at Moraine Park Technical College.

“I chose to attend MPTC for two reasons.  First, the nursing program ranks number 2 in the state.  Second, I absolutely love their focus on the core value of student success, which is amazing.  Everyone from faculty to staff to advisors offers support and resources and genuinely cares about student success.”

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Moraine Park Technical College will be expanding their 2019-20 Promise program eligibility guidelines to benefit more students at one time.

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