College can be a very exciting and yet very overwhelming experience for most high school students. Like most new college students, Brooke was looking for help with college expenses. Textbooks were expensive and she needed money for gas since she was going to be traveling back and forth between Green Bay and Marinette.
Even though Brooke needed help financially, she was ultimately looking for guidance. As a first-generation college student, navigating the plethora of opportunities at her disposal was very overwhelming. She wanted to make sure she was making the right decisions for her future, making sure no stone was left unturned.
Brooke was just about to start the sonography program at NWTC, when she found Kathy, one of our Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Specialists, hanging around at a recent resource fair at their Marinette campus. Kathy had told her about all the things our WIOA program could help with and encouraged her to apply. While she heard Kathy, she never took the step of enrolling in WIOA. Luckily the seed had been planted.
As Brooke attended the orientation for sonography, she soon realized that it wasn’t the path for her, so it was time to go back to the drawing board. She did a lot of self-reflecting and remembered her conversation with Kathy. Brooke wanted to find a career that she actually enjoyed that also helped people. She decided to reach back out to Kathy and enrolled in our WIOA program. Together, Kathy and Brooke completed the WIOA career exploration assessment where Brooke discovered what her true passion was, Marketing.
A few weeks later, Brooke entered NWTC’s Marketing program where she was excited to learn all things marketing. Through her college journey, the WIOA program was there to support Brooke’s dream in any way she needed. When Brooke needed help developing semester goals and holding herself accountable, her WIOA Career Specialist was there. When Brooke needed help paying for textbooks, her WIOA Career Specialist was there. When she needed help deciding what classes would get her to her dream career, her WIOA Career Specialist was there. The extra support and guidance took off many of the challenges being a first-generation college student. The focus on financial assistance made college affordable and less stressful.
During the program, Brooke interned at a company where she had great real-life experience in social media marketing. She was also able to take financial literacy training which ultimately allowed her to purchase a newer vehicle and move into her own apartment! Brooke was on a roll. In a few semesters time, she graduated with her Associate’s Degree in Marketing as well as a Social Media Marketing certificate. She even left school with zero student loan debt and a 3.8GPA at graduation!
Today, Brooke continues to amaze us. After graduation, she was able to continue working in the social media field part-time as a local dealership’s Social Media Marketing Associate where she also works full-time as a Service Advisor, putting her new marketing skills to use in a different way. As Brooke continues to grow in the marketing field, she would like to work in a marketing position for a larger company. Her dream position is to be a Marketing Coordinator where she can focus more on the analytical aspects of developing online content to help a company reach their business goals.
“Brooke has grown so much from her first day with WIOA to today,” says Kathy. “She has always been goal and focus driven and will achieve anything she sets her mind to. She is independent, confident, a high achiever, and is so excited for what is still to come in her future.”
Congratulations, Brooke! We are so proud of your successes and can’t wait to see where your new skills take you!
Need help deciding what career field is best for you? See if our Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program is right for you!
