Live, learn, and embrace fresh starts. That was the exact mindset that Josh Strnad, of Rio, had when he came to Moraine Park. As a first-generation college student, with a lifetime of real-world experiences and circumstances under his belt, he knew that the opportunity of obtaining a degree was his ultimate goal.

“I’ve lived a rough life,” Josh said. “I’ve made choices that haven’t always had a positive result, but when I came to Moraine Park, I immediately felt welcomed, regardless of my past.”

Josh found the College through the Department of Vocational Rehab, as he was transitioning from his life in prison back to civilian life. He was able to meet with the Career Center staff at Moraine Park and take a career assessment. Through that, he discovered that the civil engineering path would be a good fit for him.

When he began classes that fall, it didn’t take long for him to find a second home at the Fond du Lac campus. He joined the Student Senate and the District Student Government, where he served as Lt. Governor and then Governor.  It was through these groups that he developed a strong support system.

“We are like a family,” Josh said. “Moraine Park and my peers have helped to give me a new life direction.”

Josh will graduate this May with his associate degree in Civil Engineering.

“I’m proud of myself,” he said. “Everything I’ve done up until this point, I’ve never finished. I now can eliminate that negativity and say that I’m a college graduate!”

Josh’s college journey wasn’t always easy. He utilized many resources, from the student success center to student life, to help make graduation possible.

“I’ve learned so much more than I ever thought,” Josh said. “Overall, I’ve learned how to be a team player, a good communicator, and how to adapt in different work atmospheres.”

Anyone who knows Josh understands that his life transformation didn’t happen by chance. He was given opportunities and took advantage of them all, from college courses in prison to opportunities to give back today.

“I believe that everyone deserves a second chance,” he said. “According to most statistics, I shouldn’t be where I am today. Now, I’ve learned not only how to be successful, but that I deserve to be.”

At the College, Josh is known to many as a father figure, giving endless advice, guidance, and a shoulder to lean on if necessary.

“Surround yourself with good people,” Josh said. “Ask for help, never give up, and focus on what motivates you. One of my main motivations is my daughter, Emma. I hope one day that she will see what I’ve done and be motivated to do well her life, too.”

Josh has aspirations to continue his education, with an overall goal to work as a plumbing design engineer.

 “You never know the best you, until you’ve seen the worst you,” Josh said. “I’m proud to say, that today I’m the best version of me.”

Moraine Park Technical College has announced Rick Parks, President & Chief Executive Officer of Society Insurance, as the keynote speaker for the 2019 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18.

Parks is from the small farming town of New Washington, Indiana. He earned an academic scholarship to attend Indiana State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, with Cum Laude recognition.  Parks is a first-generation college grad, and his father was a first-generation high school graduate.

He joined Society Insurance as Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer in 2005, was elected to Society’s Board of Directors in 2008, and assumed his current role in 2011.

Parks currently serves the community as a member of the Fond du Lac Noon Rotary Club, a chair for Governor Evers’ Property Casualty Insurance Advisory Council, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Property Casualty Insurers of America, and serves on the Workers Compensation Council for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.

Moraine Park’s 2019 Commencement Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the Fond du Lac High School field house. Nearly 800 graduate candidates will be receiving associate of applied science degrees and technical diplomas, with approximately 350 graduate candidates expected to participate in the Commencement Ceremony. Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, will preside over the ceremony.

To find out more about Moraine Park visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College carpentry student, Chad St. John, recently participated in the 32^nd annual National Craft Championships (NCC) during the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) 2019 convention in Long Beach, Calif.

The NCC event allows for skilled trainees and apprentices from across the country compete for top honors by demonstrating their superior skills, training, and safe work practices. It features a field of 168 craft professionals competing for top honors in 14 competitions representing 12 crafts, from electrical and plumbing to carpentry and welding, as well as a team competition with journey-level competitors from four different crafts working to complete a joint project. The competition included a two-hour written exam and a day-long, hands-on practical performance test.

St. John, a carpentry apprentice for Northcentral Construction Corporation, took the bronze award in the competition’s residential-commercial carpentry division. St. John had advanced to the NCC after receiving the top score in carpentry during ABC of Wisconsin’s Skills Competition on Jan. 25 in West Bend.

For more information on Moraine Park programs, like carpentry, visit morainepark.edu.

Moraine Park Technical College will host Tech Knowledge College, a summer camp for students entering grades 6 to 8. This event gives participants an interactive look at the skills and careers needed today and in the future. Registration is now open for this annual three-day camp, held August 6-8, at Moraine Park Technical College’s Fond du Lac campus.

The sessions for this year’s event are Animation Studio; Art & Soul; Auto Repair; Be Your Own Cake Boss; Beyond Band-Aids; Cooking Nutritious & Delicious!; Fix it, Tune it, Ride it!; Get Amp’ed Up About Electricity; Intro To American Sign Language (ASL); Just Breathe; Law and Order; Lego Sumo Robots; Pasta Chef; Salon Techniques; Using Social Media to Sell. These are available on a first come, first served basis, and early registration is encouraged.

The cost of Tech Knowledge College is $115 and includes a choice of two interactive career sessions, a t-shirt, and a morning snack and lunch each day. The camp is held from 9 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.  Bussing is available from Moraine Park’s Beaver Dam and West Bend campuses; seats are offered on a first-come, first served basis.

For session descriptions, availability and registration information, visit morainepark.edu/tkc. For questions, contact Amy Meyer- Bremer, Moraine Park recruiter, at (920) 924-3201 or ameyer17@morainepark.edu.

President Bonnie Baerwald attended an Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Bosslift last week.

The KC‐135 Stratotanker Air Refueling Mission departed from Madison’s Truax Field. Employers learned about the 115th Fighter Wing and received a Base tour. Bonnie joined other employers of the 115th Fighter Wing members – Wisconsin Air National Guard on a 2 ½ hour mission to conduct an In‐Flight Refueling of US Military Aircraft. Employers received information about the Wisconsin Air National Guard and its crucial role in our nation’s defense mission and why employer support is critical to the success of our reserve forces.

Employers also received a short briefing on the services provided by ESGR and roles performed to support them and their military employees to better understand their employee’s vital role in todays’ military.

“The purpose of the ESGR Boss Lift Program is to provide employers and supervisors the opportunity to better understand what their employees do when they are away from their civilian occupations for military duty,” said Scott Lieburn, MPTC’s Dean of Students and current member of the 115th Fighter Wing.

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

“As a college student, you are urged to obtain all of your necessary credits, but you’re not really sure why you need to take some of the courses. As I enrolled in the Think Critically & Creatively course for my first semester at MPTC, I remember telling myself, ‘I’m glad it’s only an eight-week class.’ I figured this class would be the longest eight weeks of my life and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Now that this class has concluded, I realize I gained so much useful knowledge and tools to help me become a stronger critical and creative thinker.

Following the first day of class, I knew this course would be beneficial to my life experiences in the real world and my goal of becoming a nurse. Too often individuals don’t realize how much critical and creative thinking that occurs every day with family members, fellow classmates, and co-workers. Being a good critical and creative thinker will make me stand out in a crowd.  

From this course, I will always remember to identify the purpose of a major decision and how the outcomes from that decision can affect others, too.  Furthermore, being more accepting and open to new ideas can greatly impact my career success, as well as following the critical thinking process when making decisions or solving problems.  I’m so glad that I took this course.  I know that it will only help me to be a great nurse when I graduate.”

Written by Victoria Schimming, MPTC Student.

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

Moraine Park’s Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Carpentry Apprentice classes have been busy this year! Recently they completed a project for the West Bend VFW, by constructing a new brat stand.

“The Brat Stand project came about when Norbert Carter, a Korean War veteran and Flag Day Committee member of the West Bend Veterans of Foreign Wars, made contact with me about the possibility of the Carpentry classes assisting in the construction of a new stand to replace their existing building,” Gary Roehrig, MPTC carpentry instructor said. “From that initial contact, it was determined the building would be a project the classes could construct. A plan was developed, and construction began in December.”

The electrical work was installed and completed by one of the electrical apprentice classes at the West Bend campus. Drexel Building Supply of Campbellsport and Atlas Roofing donated materials for the building.

Construction was completed the week of March 25. The VFW club members painted the structure in Moraine Park’s carpentry lab, and the building was moved the week of April 1 to its permanent location at the intersection of Highway 33 and 15th Avenue in West Bend.

“Class projects similar to this have been a part of the curriculum for the carpentry apprentice classes throughout the years,” Gary said. “They provide an opportunity to use skills being taught in class and putting them into immediate practice in the class laboratory activities. It also allows the classes to engage in community service activities that should be an essential component of any life-long career.”

Other carpentry apprentice class projects include:

• The construction of new closet storage cabinets in the Carpentry lab at the West Bend campus.
• Third and fourth-year carpentry apprentices constructed cabinets for the new Gas Technicians class at the Beaver Dam campus. These cabinets were installed in two of the eight buildings that were constructed last year. (Construction of those eight buildings was the in-class project for the 2017-2018 school year.)

For more information, visit morainepark.edu.

Holly Luehring, of Fond du Lac, has the motivation to move mountains. She came to Moraine Park in 1995, with a determination to find success, and turned what could have been a roadblock into a driving force for her educational, professional, and community pursuits.  

“During high school I was told I wasn’t college material,” Luehring said. “I couldn’t believe that anyone would say something like that, but I used that as motivation moving forward.”

Determined to prove her capabilities rather than let someone else limit them, Luehring enrolled at Moraine Park and graduated two years later with an associate degree in marketing. She then transferred to Marian University, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing. In May, she will graduate from Concordia University with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

Luehring’s education at Moraine Park helped launch her career. After graduation, she worked as a teller and marketing intern at American Bank (now known as National Exchange). Her all-in attitude and solid work ethic further influenced her rise to her current position as Director of Marketing and Communications at Michels Corporation. This role allows her to develop and guide a nine-member team that oversees all marketing, public relationships, events and culture management for the company.

“I have an incredible team,” she said. “We share a vision, and together we have worked to make that vision a reality. I am proud of how we have grown.”

Luehring’s leadership extends into the community as well, where she volunteers her time on the YMCA Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Membership Committee; Fond du Lac Charity Club; Fond du Lac Festival’s Board of Directors; and Fond du Lac Marketing Professionals, which she helped to establish. In 2016, she was honored as the Fond du Lac Young Professional of the Year.

She also remains committed to Moraine Park, serving as a speaker at the 2017 Commencement Ceremony, and currently serves on the Foundation Advisory Committee. Luehring’s drive, dedication, and contributions made her an obvious choice for Moraine Park’s 2019 Distinguished Alumni. She will accept her award at the May 17 recognition reception.

 “Don’t let someone tell you that you can’t do something,” Luehring said. “Had I believed in my doubter’s vision for my future, I’m sure my story would be much different. I’m proud of where I am, and I hope I can inspire others to set the course for their journey.”

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

On April 10, 2019 Tri-County Boys and Girls Club kids in grades 5-11 were excited to meet and learn with Moraine Park Medical Assistant student Merinda Chamberlin!

Experiential Learning Coordinator Anne Lemke said, “Our MA student Merinda did a great job with the kids! She taught them about healthcare careers at MPTC and shared her own Nursing Assistant and Medical Assistant journey. They had their pulse ox checked and learned what all the breathing oxygen numbers meant and played a fun game of Medical Assistant Word Search. A big thank you to the Moraine Park Medical Assistant students for providing kids with a chance to learn about medical careers and the many jobs in healthcare available all around us!”

The Dream Big project started last year with Boys and Girls Club of Fond du Lac teens learning more about the over 100 careers available through MPTC.  This year, Dream Big is expanding throughout the MPTC district to include Boys and Girls Club of the Tri-County Area (Berlin, Green Lake County) and Boys and Girls Club of Washington County (West Bend).  This is a great community partnership opportunity for Moraine Park students to showcase their careers and practice service learning  and for Boys and Girls Club members to get excited about career choices!

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