Bethany Holtegaard

Bethany Holtegaard Balanced School and Family with Online Classes

Published 10/15/2012

Bethany Holtegaard came to Winona for the small town atmosphere. She wanted to be close to home – Lanesboro, Minnesota – and be able to live on her own. Minnesota State College – Southeast Technical provided that small town feel she was looking for with high quality programs to prepare her for her career.

Many single parents struggle with balancing home life and school. Southeast Technical alumna, Holtegaard was no exception. When her daughter, Sommer, was born Bethany knew that she needed a career that she would enjoy, but would also help to pay the bills. That is when she turned to Southeast Technical to begin training for her future career in medical coding.
Bethany found that the small class sizes and personable teachers offered a strong support structure to help her succeed. In addition the online course offerings played a significant role in helping her to balance work, school and family. "My daughter went to bed about 8 or 8:30 and I would do my homework then," Bethany recalls.

As a full time mom, full time student and full time employee earning her degree was challenging, but Bethany says she has been working in the Health Information Department at Winona Health for five years now, and it was worth it. "I love what I do now," she says.