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For many of us, watching the U.S. Olympics evokes reverence and admiration beyond words, as top athletes across the world perform against each other with unmatched vigor and stamina. We watch in awe as athletes perform on the global stage with grace, grit, and near perfection. 

Educators have always been the definitive influencers and motivators in my life. Because of them, I have learned to know my marks and to own them, I have learned to tell my own personal stories, and I have learned that relying on others and forming true connections with my mentors is an invaluable resource.

Over the years, data has shown that the demand for skilled workers in various industries is ever increasing. How do we, as an educational institution, fill the employment gaps that exist in our region? Community colleges are the beginning of a pathway.

Embarrassment pierces like a hundred pinpricks.

Without question, I felt them slice into me many years ago in the stale sunlight of a late afternoon. I was a Writing Specialist at a university. I dispensed my duties with relative comfort after several years of both teaching and studying writing. Not only that, but I was the product of an interdisciplinary curriculum. I liked to think I knew a little bit about everything.

I changed my college major three times and transferred once. Eventually, I just picked a major that looked like it would require “easy” classes. When I graduated from college I had no idea what job I wanted much less what career. I would never have predicted that I would spend more than 20 years helping others select a college major and start or change careers nor how valuable my early lack of direction would eventually be in that role.

All of us are on a journey, and at different points along our journey, we must change our course and reset because the world around us has changed, or we have changed what we want to be in that world.

The holidays are here which means the push to shop local and support small businesses is ever strong. What's all the fuss?  Why does it matter if we celebrate and support our small business community?  

I first became acquainted with Waubonsee Community College after my wife Doreen and I moved to the area in the late 80s. Over the years, my family has attended many lectures, community events, and even taken courses at Waubonsee. 

The holiday season is upon us, and as I reflect on another year affected by a global pandemic, I think of the extraordinary efforts of members of our college community and those in our local community.

Waubonsee students have a long history of volunteering generously in the community through the Lucile Gustafson Scholarship program, which began in 1979. Since 2015, there have been approximately 2,153 Waubonsee students who have given 6,785.25 volunteer hours in the community, and this dedication to service continues today.