Business, Management and Administration

Karmen completed her first technical college degree from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in 1987 and went on to take an entry-level position at Wisconsin Public Service Corporation (WPSC). In 1994, Karmen returned to college part-time to advance her education and career, gaining an associate degree in Marketing. The next step on her educational path landed her a bachelor’s degree from Lakeland College in 1998, and her career has advanced along with her education.

"You could call me a lifelong learner." Karmen says. "I am a very proud technical college graduate and often tell young people about my career path and how NWTC was the door to many new opportunities. I am so thankful to NWTC and the many instructors who helped me over the years. They taught me the importance of a good, hard work ethic and it paid off."

Mark started his business a few years after graduating from Moraine Park Technical College. Over the years it has grown from a small, community-based business into one that serves customers all over the world.

Mark credits Moraine Park for helping him gain the critical skills to run a business through classes like business planning, economics, financial planning, forecasting, accounting, marketing and communications. Empowered with the confidence to move forward, his company is competing successfully worldwide.

"It’s nice to see that almost 40 years later, Moraine Park is still a valuable resource for students who want to continue their education in the Fond du Lac area," Mark says.

Yolanda was married and employed immediately after graduating high school. She says Northcentral Technical College (NTC) helped pave the way for her return to school. "NTC gave me the best options to accommodate my job and family. I had two sons in school, and could work around their schedules by attending evening and daytime classes," she explains.

"I started working at Aspirus as a receptionist. Once I was in school I was promoted to employment assistant, then employee relations specialist, and now I’m the director of volunteers. So my education helped me quite a bit."

Yolanda’s education not only developed her leadership abilities and advanced her career; her experience provided opportunities like serving as president of the Wisconsin Rural Leadership Program, a two-year University of Wisconsin-Extension program. Her group visited India to study health care education, tour hospitals and colleges and meet with local officials.

Margo initially didn’t think of herself as "college material." A single mother and the first of her family to attend college, she not only attended Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (Southwest Tech), she also went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Defying her earlier image of herself, Margo spent 14 years in upper management of the parent company of American Girl products.

"Southwest Wisconsin needs Southwest Tech because the institution provides educational access in a rural setting. If this college hadn’t been there for me, I wouldn’t have been able to attain the life I now enjoy," Margo states.