MSC Southeast to offer 8 Workforce Development Scholarships valued at $3500 for Minnesota students entering college this fall

Application Deadline extended to March 15

This spring, eight lucky students will receive $3500 Workforce Development Scholarships from Minnesota State College Southeast. The scholarships are available to students who will start college next fall in a field that will help meet the area's workforce needs, including manufacturing, health care, information technology, and agriculture (see list of programs below).

Workforce Development Scholarships are intentionally targeted to recent high school graduates and adults coming to college to train for a new career. They are designed to help prepare the next generation of workers in high-demand fields. Only eight (8) $3500 scholarships are available, and applicants must be Minnesota residents.

"This is an incredible opportunity! A $3500 scholarship will cover more than half of a full-time student's tuition," said Casie Johnson, Minnesota State College Southeast Foundation Associate Director. "Plus, students who are admitted for 2019-2020 are still eligible to apply for other scholarship opportunities through the MSC Southeast Foundation."

Workforce Development Scholarships are made possible by the Minnesota State legislature, with additional funding provided by donors to the Minnesota State College Southeast Foundation. 

The deadline to apply for a Workforce Development Scholarship is MARCH 15, 2019. Awards will be announced on April 1, 2018. 

For detailed information and an application form, please see: www.southeastmn.one/wfs

Qualifying Programs at MSC Southeast

Manufacturing

• CNC Machine Tool
• Welding Technology
• Bicycle Design & Fabrication

Health Care

• Medical Laboratory Technician* (Must be accepted into the MLT Program)
• Medical Support Careers
• Nursing* (Must be accepted into the Nursing program)

Information Technology

• Cyber and Information Technology
• Network Administration and Technology
• Software Development and Support

Agriculture

• Sustainable Food & Farming

MSC Southeast student now a volunteer in Peru with the Peace Corps 

With a name like Rivers, it must be natural for Brian Rivers to work with water systems. The 2011 graduate from Cotter High School in Winona earned a degree in civil engineering from UW-Platteville in December 2016. 

After college, Brian returned to Winona and applied to serve in the Peace Corps. He was assigned to work in Peru. Knowing he was headed for South America, he thought he should brush up on his high school Spanish. 

He began with a free online class but didn't find it very helpful. "I thought, I'll try Minnesota State College Southeast -- maybe they'll have something, and they really came through!"

He emailed instructor Lynne Rabuse to determine whether he should start with Spanish I or II. That's when he discovered that she had been a Peace Corps volunteer too. It was exciting that both student and teacher had that experience in common.

Most language courses are all about memorization, but Brian says Lynne's course was much more active. "From the beginning, she's getting you to listen, and repeat, and speak. She spoke to us in Spanish from the get go. You get used to hearing the sounds and carrying on a conversation. You get over the hump of being afraid to speak the language." 

Being close to home and affordable were factors, too. "I live about a mile from here. I was super impressed that I could ride my bike down the road to Southeast, take a very progressive, effective Spanish course, and learn so much so fast. And of course, it was relatively inexpensive compared to other colleges."

"It was great having someone in class with a specific goal," said Lynne. "Brian knew he would be applying his new skills in a real world environment, which can be very motivating when one is tackling the challenge of mastering a new language." 

Partway through his second semester, it was time for Brian to leave for his Peace Corps assignment. "Even though I didn't finish the class, it was still worth it!"

When Brian was home for a visit over the holidays, he spoke to a large group at MSC Southeast and shared some of his Peace Corps experiences. Now living in a small, remote mountain town, Brian's work is helping people obtain clean water and promoting sanitation and hygiene. 

"Basic things like washing your hands are not as intuitive there. They have access to water, but it's not continuous, and not always clean," he said.

He explained that the Peace Corps doesn't do construction projects. "You don't need bulldozers or shovels to change behaviors. You need time to build relationships, and that's how we bring about change. We are working with communities to take care of the water themselves." 

As Brian returns to Peru this week, we wish him all the best! 

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Med Lab Tech major provides a great return on investment

Have you ever had your blood drawn? Or taken a strep test? When you need medical care, 70-80% of the time physicians order some kind of lab test to find out what's going on. They are counting on the test to be accurate -- patients' lives depend on it.

"Medical Laboratory Technicians perform the lab work behind the scenes," according to Carol Canton, an instructor in the Med Lab Tech Program at Minnesota State College Southeast. "They do the detective work that makes it possible for health care providers  -- nurse practitioners, physician assistants and doctors -- to accurately diagnose and treat their patients."

Karissa Kluzik is one of the "detectives" in the lab at Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center in Wabasha. She graduated from the Med Lab Tech program at MSC Southeast in 2015 with a job offer already lined up. Now only 26 years old, she is well established in her profession and even owns a house!

She is seeing a great return on her investment in a degree from MSC Southeast. "When you get a two-year degree, you may not expect much, but I've got an exciting job with a good salary and benefits. Every day is different, and that makes it fun."

She also appreciated that MSC Southeast was affordable and accessible. "I am so thankful that I had the two-year option so close to home! I know some people my age who have four-year degrees and their student loan debt is incredible. I lived at home while I was in college, so I didn't have to pay for college room and board -- that saved me money too."

Saint Elizabeth's has a relatively small department with only seven Med Lab Techs and three phlebotomists. The lab is bright and clean, with high windows shedding plenty of natural light into the well-organized space. The hospital's connection with Minnesota State College Southeast is strong. Besides Karissa, there are two other MSC Southeast grads working there and a current student doing clinicals.

"We get a lot of emails from potential employers asking if we have anyone graduating that they can hire," said Carol Cantlon. "Once you have an associate degree, the opportunities for advancement in this field are great. You can go on to a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, or even a Ph.D. The associate degree can be just the beginning of a life-long career."

Learn more about Med Lab Tech at MSC Southeast

Apply now for admission

Download the December 2018 edition of Campus Connect to read the full story (PDF)