The hard work and academic achievement of Moraine Park Technical College students was recognized during the College’s annual Student Awards Banquet held at The Golf Club at Camelot in Lomira on May 11, 2018.
May 19 was a momentous day for the nearly 350 graduates who participated in Moraine Park Technical College’s commencement ceremony, held at the Fond du Lac High School Field House. In all, the College had nearly 800 graduate candidates eligible to receive their associate of applied science degrees and technical diplomas.
Keynote speaker, John Torinus Jr., praised students for their impeccable timing, stating that the job market is heavily looking for skilled and educated workers. He also impressed on the graduates to never stop learning and challenged them to always keep moving forward.
“To be adaptable, you will need to keep on learning. Your degree is a couple of steps toward first base, but there will be other bases to round, either at the same company or in a new career choice,” said Toriunus. “Learning is fun, it keeps us young in mind and at heart. I thoroughly believe that the day you stop learning, is the day that you start hearing harp music from afar. For that reason, I never intend to retire.”
Joseph Jaeger, a nursing graduate and Moraine Park’s 2017-18 Student of the Year, was the featured student speaker at the event. He also encouraged graduates to keep learning, and through telling his own story, reminded everyone that it’s never too late to go after your dream career.
“We work too long and too hard in this world to be doing something we don’t find joy in. Every day isn’t going to be great, but why not go to work with an honest smile on your face because you really don’t mind being there,” Jaeger said. “I have come to realize that if you want something bad enough, and are willing to dedicate the time and energy it takes, you really can accomplish anything. I urge everyone to dig deep and stop ignoring the truths you know about yourself. It’s never too late to find yourself. It’s never too late to try something new.”
Dr. James Eden, vice president of Academic Affairs, presided over the presentation of candidates with the conferring of degrees and diplomas done by Moraine Park President Bonnie Baerwald. Dr. Kristen Finnel, dean of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Fred Rice, dean of Applied Technology and Trades, announced the graduate candidates. From the Moraine Park District Board, Chairperson Mike Staral, Employee Member Cindy Fields and Additional Member Cindy Laubenstein recognized the graduates.
Staral, who welcomed the Class of 2018 and their guests to the ceremony, congratulated the graduates and their families on their accomplishments and encouraged them to keep moving forward.
“This ceremony is symbolic in many ways. It does mark the fulfillment of your commitment to earn a credential. It proves that the hard work, perseverance, and dedication has paid off. It does mean a lot to those who have supported you through this journey. They’re proud of you, and today is a celebration for them as well,” said Staral. “This ceremony does not end your education. Moving forward in your career means constant learning and growing. Work hard, be open, and embrace this! You’ll be surprised where it will take you!”
President Baerwald extended her congratulations to the graduates and extended her personal gratitude to the commencement speakers, Moraine Park District Board, Moraine Park faculty and the President’s Cabinet.
Moraine Park Technical College was established in 1912 and is one of 16 technical college districts that make up the Wisconsin Technical College System. With campuses in Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, and West Bend, the College offers more than 100 associate of applied science degrees, technical diplomas, apprenticeships and certificates delivered in a variety of formats — classroom, online and blended. Training and technical assistance for businesses are also offered.
To learn more about Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
To view more photos from the 2018 Commencement Ceremony, go to facebook.com/moraineparktech.
13 students came into the spring 2018 Business Practice Firm class with great ideas and high ambition. This class requires students created a mock company, from the ground up. Everyone had to agree on one product to sell while taking into consideration the demand of their consumers.
Two Moraine Park culinary students, Cherie Becker and Gabrielle Linke, donated their time and talents to help the Shepherd of the Hills Dinner Auction in February.
The theme was Game Show Gala, and Cherie and Gabrielle used their culinary skills to make three decorative cakes. Two of them were a Wheel of Fortune theme and one was a massive Tiramisu cake decorated with Hollywood Squares.
These were beautiful, hand-created desserts, that also tasted delicious!
The cakes were used in a fundraising activity that challenged fundraising by table groups. The table that collected the most money got their first choice at a cake. The cakes created by Cheri and Gabrielle were the first three taken and overall the cake fundraising activity made almost $2,600!
Thank you to Cheri and Gabrielle for donating their time and talent, and representing Moraine Park at this community fundraiser!
For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
Moraine Park Technical College is offering Girls Rock Robotics summer camp at the Fond du Lac Campus June 18-20, 2018 from 9-Noon each day.
On May 1, 2018, Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club kids in grades 5-11 were excited to meet and learn with Moraine Park IT Network Specialist student Phil Conley!
Phil was excited to showcase desktop computer building for Club kids. He said, “it’s really fun to see the kids excited about building computers and how all the wires and cables work. Hopefully I helped them learn and explore what a great career field IT can be!”
Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club Director of Teen Services Dillon Wiese said, “Our teens had the fun opportunity to take apart and rebuild 2 computers with Mr. Phil from Moraine Park. What a fun, interactive learning experience for all those who participated! Thank you Moraine Park for this great stretch of Dream Big presentations! They were enjoyed by all and I can’t say thank you enough for the opportunities you’ve provided our teens with. I’m hoping this is something we can attempt every school year! Your clubs were all tremendous and thank you again to the students and instructors for taking time out of their schedules to help educate our youth.”
The idea for “Dream Big and Have Fun” began with the Moraine Park Technical College District Student Government President/IT Club Vice President, Phil Conley. Phil was passionate about helping kids after volunteering with the IT Club internet safety project at Boys and Girls Club last year. He had an awesome brainstorm to reach out to all the Moraine Park Clubs through Student Senate and make a plan for each one to visit the Boys & Girls Club to share some learning and fun from their programs/careers. Clubs will be featured all throughout the months of March and April. This is a great opportunity for Moraine Park students to earn service learning hours and for Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club members to get excited about future career choices!
For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
On April 24, 2018, Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club kids in grades 5-11 were excited to meet and learn with Moraine Park Corrections students!
Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club Director of Teen Services Dillon Wiese said, “Our teens were given the fun opportunity to participate in a presentation done by the Criminal Justice students from Moraine Park. They learned about careers in the police department, sheriff’s department, prisons and even about becoming a detective! The Criminal Justice students brought “Bob”, handcuffs, and fingerprinting activities for Club teens to try out. What a great experience for all those who participated! A big thank you to the Moraine Park Criminal Justice students and their Instructor Joan Barfield for providing our teens with a chance to learn about this important career.”
The idea for “Dream Big and Have Fun” began with the Moraine Park Technical College District Student Government President/IT Club Vice President, Phil Conley. Phil was passionate about helping kids after volunteering with the IT Club internet safety project at Boys and Girls Club last year. He had an awesome brainstorm to reach out to all the Moraine Park Clubs through Student Senate and make a plan for each one to visit the Boys & Girls Club to share some learning and fun from their programs/careers. Clubs will be featured all throughout the months of March and April. This is a great opportunity for Moraine Park students to earn service learning hours and for Fond du Lac Boys and Girls Club members to get excited about future career choices!
For more information on Moraine Park, visit morainepark.edu.
Have you ever wished that you had that extra bag to put your groceries in, beach attire in, or even make up? We have the bag for you!
“Hi, I’m Sarah Ninmer, Marketing instructor here at Moraine Park Technical College. I live in New Holstein with my husband of 17 years. Together we have a 10-year-old son and 20-year-old stepdaughter. We enjoy traveling and like to go to Florida almost yearly. I have a love for donkeys and volunteer at Holyland Donkey Haven located a few miles east of Fond du Lac. I have adopted a donkey named Russell.
I earned my Associate’s in Graphic Communications in 2000 and went on to earn my Bachelor’s from Lakeland University in 2004. I started my career as a Graphic Designer, working on packaging. I grew my skill sets by going back to school and taking digital courses and was promoted to Digital Services Manager. I chose this field because it’s creative, competitive and never the same. You will always be learning new marketing tactics, software systems or strategies.
Prior to coming to Moraine Park, I had been considering teaching. It worked out that I had the exact amount of work experience necessary to be able to effectively teach students about the marketing world. I have now been at Moraine Park for about 1 1/2 years, and it has been rewarding. The students have been so much fun to interact with and the best experience has been to see my students grow their skill sets. Many of them have marketing internships or part-time jobs already. It’s exciting to hear them talk about implementing what they have learned in the classroom to the real world.
My advice to those considering a marketing career? Every organization is in need of a marketing department and marketing is a vital part of business success. There are a lot of opportunities for job placement and growth within an organization. Marketing and Social Media Management requires creativity and the ability to adapt to new technology and embrace change, which makes this career exciting and never dull.”
For more information on Moraine Park’s marketing programs, visit morainepark.edu.
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