#superstudent

By: Kayla O’Leary

This month, we are happy to introduce a passionate, down to earth, and positive student! Please give a warm welcome to March’s Super Student, Rachel Heiden!

Rachel started attending CVTC in the spring of 2018 after transferring from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She hopes to begin the nursing program in the fall of 2019. Once she starts the core nursing program, she will have two years left.

One of Rachel’s passions is working with and caring for children. She has worked with kids since she was ten years old and found it was something that had a huge influence on what career she wanted to pursue. She knew that she wanted a career that involved children, and is hoping to be an OB (obstetrics) nurse for labor and delivery. If that doesn’t work out, a pediatric nurse would be her second choice.

Rachel told us that the smaller class sizes have played a large role in her success at CVTC. The instructors have been important influences in helping her get where she is today. She feels the instructors truly care about each student, which makes a big difference when getting a good education. In addition to her instructors, the tutors and staff in Academic Services have supported Rachel since she first started at CVTC. She enjoys how beautiful the campus is, and the people here make it that much better!

Originally from Edgar, Wisconsin, Rachel is very close with her family. She loves spending time with her siblings, parents, boyfriend, and friends. Rachel works three part-time jobs. One in Edgar, at a daycare, and two in Eau Claire, as a peer tutor in Academic Services and as a nanny. Rachel isn’t sure where she will end up after graduation, but ideally she would like to stay close to her family and friends. Rachel also likes to support her brother by watching him compete for the Stratford High School wrestling team. She is very proud of him and often makes it home to support him. She even drove three hours in a snow storm to make it to a wresting meet-- now that’s love! From time to time, Rachel and her mom will road trip to Concordia University to see Rachel’s sister, who can’t travel home often.

In her free time, Rachel enjoys many activities. She likes attending Cru, bible study, and discipleship. Her faith is very important to her. She told us, “being able to trust God and enjoy every little blessing is something that makes life that much greater.”

Fun Facts:

Rachel’s hobbies include singing and photography.

Elephants are her favorite animal.

Rachel is the most indecisive person in the world.

She LOVES traveling, especially to places with warm weather.

Rachel wrestled from 5th to 8th grade and took first place at state in 8th grade!

By: Kayla O’Leary

February is the month of love, and this month’s Super Student loves food, her dogs, and living life to the fullest. Introducing Jana Mattison!

Jana is now in her third semester here at CVTC. After her first semester, she decided the business management program would be a good fit for her. Jana has two semesters left and is projected to graduate in May of 2020. She has enjoyed her instructors and believes they have been part of her success at CVTC. The mentors for Student Government have also been a big help to Jana during her time in school.

Jana is originally from Chippewa Falls, where she still resides with her family. She decided to come to CVTC after spending a semester in Winona where she found herself wanting to be closer to home and to go to a more cost-effective school.

In Jana’s free time, she likes doing CrossFit and yoga, spending time with her three dogs, hanging out with her boyfriend, and eating. Her favorite spots in Eau Claire are Latitude 44, Fit Elite, and Altoona Family Restaurant (where she likes the breakfasts on weekends). On top of school, Jana works three part time jobs. You can catch her working at the IT Service Desk, Student Government in Student Life, and Menards (she’s basically everywhere). Jana is saving money to travel abroad to Spain in May. She is very excited to learn more about herself and about other cultures. While in Spain, Jana will be turning 20 years old! Happy early, early birthday (we said it first)!

We asked Jana where she was planning to go after graduation, and she told us, “into the world.” While there is not a set plan yet, she knows she will figure everything out along the way. She has even considered possibly continuing her education in the Eau Claire area.

FUN FACTS:

Jana’s favorite food (which she eats too much of and probably shouldn’t) is kettle corn!

Coffee is a must! Cinnabon flavor is the best.

Her middle name is Echo, after her great grandmother.

On Jana’s 18th birthday, she got two tattoos and pierced her nose!

Jana has always had a goofy and fun personality.

If you’ve ever been to a Student Life-sponsored event on campus, you’ve probably seen this month’s super student (whether she’s running around or enjoying the event). After 30 minutes with Emily Kovach-Erickson, I came to the conclusion that she’s nothing less than amazing.

In spring of 2017, Emily transferred to CVTC from UW- Eau Claire. She was pursuing a psychology degree, but decided that wasn’t for her. While she wanted to stay close to the friends she made at UWEC, she decided to try out CVTC and took some time to think about what she really wanted to do. She is now in the third semester of the marketing program! While Emily only planned on staying here for a semester, she said she knew in the first two weeks that she was going to stay here and complete her degree. Emily said she loved the class sizes and instructors, and it fit very well with her learning style.  

Emily is CVTC’s Student Network and Activity Programming Coordinator, as well as the Student Government Associations’ (SGA) Communications Coordinator. Whoa, right? As the right hand to our Student Life Specialist, she helps find, schedule, advertise, and plan events. As the SGA Communication Coordinator, she is in charge of managing their website and sending out meeting minutes to those in the group. I asked Emily what her favorite event was this year, and she said the Backyard Bash. “It was my favorite because it was nice to welcome students to campus and show them that even though were a technical college, we still have that community feeling.”

Jokingly, I asked Emily if she has a job outside of campus, thinking she couldn’t possibility have enough time, but she does! When she’s not in class or working on campus, she is a server at HuHot in Eau Claire.

Emily is on track to graduate in fall of 2018. She will then head to UW-River Falls to complete her marketing degree. After that, she plans to go into the event planning field!

You’re truly a rock star Emily! 

Fun Facts about Emily:

Her favorite meal is spaghetti and tacos, but not spaghetti tacos (iCarly reference?)

When she was younger, she wanted to be a country singer, AKA Shania Twain

She loves romantic comedies

With finals week lurking in the shadows, graduation right around the corner, and stressing out about gift shopping for the holidays, it’s important to stay focused (I got stressed out just writing that). December’s super student, Vichei Lee, knows what it takes to finish strong, as he’s back at CVTC for his second associate degree.

Vichei is a graduate of the pharmacy technician program at CVTC. He’s now working on completing the liberal arts program with plans to transfer to UW Eau Claire. He hopes to complete a master’s degree and pursue a career as a pharmacist. “I’m not sure how much longer I have left,”Vichei joked,” but I’ll keep coming back as many semesters as it takes!” That’s the attitude!

When I asked what his secret to success was, Vichei said, “When you think you’re stuck, you’re not really stuck. There are so many accessible resources on campus to help you, you should use them. Use them all!”

On campus, Vichei spends most of his time in Diversity Resources. He’s currently the department’s Communication Officer (aka the email king). His role includes communicating with members, the public, and staff to keep everyone up to date on news and events.

Outside of school, Vichei helps out with his family’s business, Lee Alterations (he said his mother only trusts him with the “easy jobs”). Depending on the season, he also enjoys getting outside to fish and hunt.

Fun Facts about Vichei:

Perkins is his favorite restaurant, because they’re open 24 hours.

When he was younger he wanted to be a sculptor.

He’s a plant lover. At home he plants flowers, vegetables, and orange trees!

His favorite pizza topping – everything, including pineapple (yikes!).

November is a time to reflect on the things you are thankful for -- like friends, family, and super students! This month, our Super Student is Marcelo Telleria Rojas!

Marcelo is a second semester Business Management student. In 2016, he moved to Eau Claire from Bolivia with his mother and stepfather. His family decided to make the move to the United States to help Marcelo pursue a career in software development, as he has always had an interest in computers and technology. Before coming to school at CVTC, he worked at eBay as a customer service representative.

Marcelo decided that CVTC was the first step in the right direction since he enjoyed the campus. After graduating CVTC, he is hoping to complete a bachelor’s degree at UW-Eau Claire. While he doesn’t have a certain company in mind that he would like to work for after graduation, he did hint that he loves the Eau Claire area and wouldn’t mind sticking around here. When I asked him why he would ever want to leave CVTC, he said that while his instructors are friendly and he’s enjoying his experience, we don’t have the degree he’s seeking (it’s okay Marcelo, we’re only kidding, we understand).

Marcelo’s biggest challenge since moving to the United States has been learning the language. He said that he didn’t know any English before coming to the U.S., and learning to speak the language was very important to him. He laughed and said being an outgoing and social guy, he didn’t like not being able to communicate with people here-- so he forced himself to learn quickly.

Marcelo is also a part of the “Habla en la Cabra” group in Eau Claire. The group is designed to allow others to teach their language while also learning another. He said he practices his English and also helps others speak Spanish. He has to keep up on his Spanish since he plans to travel home to Bolivia once a year to visit family and friends! Keep up the great work Marcelo, you’re a great role model!

FUN FACTS ABOUT MARCELO:

Red Lobster is his favorite restaurant in Eau Claire.

He used to play competitive volleyball in Bolivia.

July’s Super Student award is going to Danielle Grey!

Danielle is finishing up the Executive Assistant program this fall. She’ll have attended CVTC for about four years when she graduates with her Associate’s degree. She originally started out in the Liberal Arts program, but switched paths after her first year. In addition to being a stellar student, Danielle has also been working in the Student Central Scanning Center for the past three years. She makes sure that all Student Services documents are scanned into the correct student’s file so that staff has quick access and are able to help students more efficiently!

Danielle considers her most rewarding college experience to be her opportunity to work on campus. She thinks it has been amazing to see both what goes on as a student in the classroom and what goes on behind the scenes as an employee. She has gotten both valuable work experience and a deeper understanding of how an institution functions from dual perspectives.

Danielle grew up in a blended family, meaning that she had a combination of step, half, and other siblings. As the oldest of six children, her siblings are one of her biggest motivators in life. Just like she has been able to look up to her instructors here, she wants to ensure that she can be a good role model for her siblings. She wants to make sure that her siblings feel comfortable looking up to her and asking for advice.

Above: Danielle’s puppy, Bella

Because she is a family-oriented person, Danielle is hoping to find a career where she feels a strong team presence. She would like to settle down in a local Eau Claire office where she won’t feel like just a number in a crowd. She remembers an internship that she did for Queen of the Castle Magazine, where her boss and coworkers really made her feel like part of the team and worked to help her grow in her career and as a person.

Fun facts about Danielle:

Hated milk when she was younger, so she puts juice in her cereal

Enjoys crocheting, gym, and babysitting in her spare time

Loves pizza

Would love to meet Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey) from Grey’s Anatomy

Wants to be a mother to a biological, adopted, or foster child someday

Danielle’s Advice to Other Students:

“If there is one piece of advice that I would give to anyone going to school, it is DO NOT GIVE UP! Though times may get hard and it feels like things are not worth it at that moment, push through. Things will get better. Reach out to a classmate, teacher, or friend. What you are doing now will be more than worth it in the future.”