FULL CONVERSATION TRANSCRIPT

Hashtag Directory: #background #highschool #dreamjob #collegesearch #collegeselection #transition #payingforcollege #uncomfortableexperience #communitycollege #transfer #people #places #advice  #gettinghelp #campusjob #careerplans  #academics #studentsupport #military

00:00 Intros

00:54 Harlan asks Abbey about her dreams. She wants to go into active military service but she also loves the special education field. She knows she can’t do both. She’s trying to figure out what to do. #dreamjob #military

2:30 Devyn talks about his dream. He is unsure of specifics but he knows he wants to be his own boss. He thinks about owning a space like a store. #dreamjob

5:50 Denarra shares her dream. She wants to become a geriatrician. She has been working towards that goal actively. She currently works as a CNA and she really enjoys her job. She talks about how she doesn’t really like to ask for help. #dreamjob

9:30 Kari responds to Denarra’s thoughts about asking for help. She worked as a student leader while at ICC. She taught supplemental instruction classes. So providing help is a lot of what she does. She continues to work as a full time staff member at ICC. #gettinghelp

13:48 Jonathan talks about asking for help. He was also part of the SI program and led a supplementary instruction class. He hosted sessions that lasted about an hour outside of class 3 times a class that are optional for students. It’s completely optional but can help students improve their grades. He talks about how he was selected and got the role as a leader. He reflects on how much fun he had and how much he learned. #gettinghelp #academics #studentsupport

18:20 Harlan asks Abbey about career resources. She talks about a veterans affairs office which has helped her a lot with career plans. At first, she didn’t want to go to school so she went straight into the military. Then she came back and thought more about it, with the guidance of Marie in the VA office, she talked about career plans and starting school. #careerplans #studentsupport #military

19:37 Jonathan talks about his dream. He really enjoys creating and making things. He is studying engineering. He really wants to build things. He shows an example of a gadget he made for woodworking and demonstrates it. He talks about some of the lofty goals he wants to achieve. #dreamjob

24:41 Jonathan talks about how he chose to go to ICC. He started in high school and got a lot of gen ed courses out of the way. He decided it would be smart to get a boost by finishing a lot of entry level courses and then continue on with a lighter load at his next school. He did about 2 ICC classes per semester in high school. Now that he’s out of high school he has focused on some science classes. For the type of engineering he wants to do he wants to get his bachelor’s. Ultimately ICC’s price was the deciding factor in keeping him close to home instead of going straight to Michigan Tech. #collegeselection #communitycollege #transfer

28:50 Harlan asks Jonathan if he feels like he has received a good education at community college. He says all the instructors are friendly and offer help. Success of the students is their main priority. #communitycollege #academics

29:30 Devyn describes himself in high school. He sort of kept to himself. He played sports but wasn’t taking classes as seriously as he should have. By junior year he wasn’t paying attention to his GPA. He wasn’t happy with the number. Second half of junior year he started taking things more seriously and improved his grades. He looked at ICC as an opportunity, and he could start over with a clean slate on grades. He did well at ICC where he studied for 3 years and then transferred to ISU.  Devyn describes transferring from ICC to ISU.  #highschool #transfer

33:58 Devyn talks about his mindset in high school and being a poor student just barely getting by and how he changed that attitude. He started attending the science labs and math labs. He talks about the process of attending one of the labs. He talks about noticing how good things were happening to other people who were doing well and that started to motivate him to do better. #highschool #academics

35:28 Devyn talks about the most difficult experience at ICC. He says seeing people drop out around him was difficult, and sticking through it and pushing to the finish was difficult to see. He talks about why he thinks people drop out. #uncomfortableexperience

37:08 Kari talks about why she thinks students drop out. Money is a big factor, it becomes easier to just work at their current job than finish schooling. A lot of students have to contribute income to the family income. COVID was a big factor this past year. She talks about one student on food stamps that had their stamps stopped because of an admin change. Sometimes classes are just difficult and then students don't know where to go for help. #studentsupport

40:15 Kari talks about what resources are there for students that need help. She encourages students to confide in a teacher, they will know where to send you. Student Life is a great place to start. You can look on the website. She recommends looking at that for any school you may go to. There’s career counseling, coaches etc. #studentsupport

42:00 Devyn remembers another reason why some students dropped out. He says they spend a lot of time just hanging out in the cafeteria, on the computer playing music, playing cards. Kari adds that a lot of students haven’t been taught how to properly take notes. There are a lot of life skills we aren’t explicitly taught unless we ask for help. #academics
#gettinghelp

47:11 Abbey talks about her high school self. She grew up in Peoria and moved to Morton and then Eureka. It was a huge change. She is a shy person until you get to know her. She played basketball for a bit. She ran cross country and track. The military was a strong thought, but she held off because she was dating. She worked for a while and then eventually enlisted. She advises people to make decisions for themselves and not based on anyone else. She wishes she had gone into the military after high school. #highschool

49:55 Abbey talks about her path after enlisting. She joined a year ago after COVID started. She completed basic training and then went to job training. She got back a few months later. She’s in the reserves right now. She started learning her job via Zoom. She’s working in supply. She gets paid to go to school but she has to be full time. She signed a 6 year contract in the reserves and 2 years active. She recommends reaching out to a recruiter in your area. #careerplans #military

52:38 Harlan asks Denarra about her high school self. She says she feels she didn’t take it seriously enough. She got decent grades but felt like she was rushing and ready to graduate. She originally wanted to go to SIUE but went to ICC to save money. Harlan asks Denarra about money and how much she saved by attending ICC. She says it’s about 10,000 cheaper per semester compared to SIUE. Abbey talks about applying for financial aid, she didn’t think she’d get it. But financial aid completely covers everything for her. #highschool

54:35 Denarra talks about working as a CNA to earn money to pay for college. She did a course for a few weeks out of high school. She talks about how she got interested in medicine. She really loves working with people. She talks about the general pay range and how you can earn more with a degree.  #payingforcollege #careerplans

56:52 Kari talks about her journey to ICC. She grew up in an abusive household, her grades weren’t great in high school. Her parents got divorced and her dad took all the college money with him. She joined the military but stopped shortly after. She had a disabled child, her husband got in a fatal car accident, and she became paralyzed for 3 years. She was able to get on disability and welfare aid for a while. Eventually she got off them as she was able to walk again. She concentrated really hard for her daughter to get an education. Her daughter got into U of I with a scholarship. Then Kari wanted to finally focus on herself. She went to ICC to take summer classes and feel out what she might like to do. She realized she loved to teach. #communitycollege #transition #background

1:03:50 Kari talks about the people who helped her along the way. She would go to group therapy and talk with them. Easter Seals was a big help with her daughter. They have a great program for christmas. Family helped a lot. When she got to ICC, she had a professor that saw something in her and she invested in her, now they’re friends. #people #places

1:08:00 Devyn talks about interacting with other students from different life experiences.

1:09:20 Kari talks about joining the military and stopping. She says it isn’t easy to get out once you’ve signed on. She had a long sit down with her instructor and she had to speak with counselors. It was difficult, but the right decision. She still credits it as a great life lesson. She has kept some of the habits she learned in the military.
#military #transition

1:12:55 Jonathan talks about being homeschooled all the way up until college. He was also enrolled in a co-op so he could socialize with other homeschooled kids. Transitioning to ICC he started making friends with people his current friends knew. He talks about how the cafeteria is a great place to meet new people. He talks about being bold and striking up conversations with strangers.  Jonathan talks about the process of transferring out of ICC to another school. #background #highschool

1:19:11 Devyn talks about transferring to ISU from ICC. He got a lot of help from the school to make sure all of his paperwork was done correctly. He also talks about paying for college. He mentions the Peoria Promise program and he didn’t have to pay for ICC. He says if you don’t know what to do, ICC is a great option. #transfer #payingforcollege

1:21:06 Denarra talks about her most challenging experience. She found learning online during COVID a big challenge because she learns better in person. #uncomfortableexperience

1:22:30 Abbey talks about her most rewarding experience at ICC. She says her work doesn’t go unnoticed. She says it’s rewarding to have the people she’s met at school.

1:23:40 Abbey shares the places she found her “people.”  She was picked to do a photoshoot by the Veteran’s office and became the “face of ICC” for the year. She met a lot of interesting people. #people #places

1:24:50 Devyn gives a tip to people coming into college. He says simply just go to class. Showing up is important to your success.  Abbey says don’t give up, just keep pushing. You’ll get what you want if you keep going.  Denarra encourages others to ask for help. Kari encourages others to go at their own pace. It’s your education. Take as many classes as you can handle, go on your journey on your own time. Jonathan would encourage others to aim for success not for perfection. If you have the mindset to get better, chances are that you will. #academics

1:31:25 Devyn gives advice to his high school self. He would tell himself to take high school more seriously but still have balance. Abbey gives advice to her high school self. She would tell herself not to care as much about what others think. Denarra gives advice to her high school self. She would tell herself to pace herself. She feels like she overworked herself and has a tendency to do so. Jonathan would tell himself to keep standing no matter what comes your way. Jonathan says the difficulty for him is indecision and not knowing what he wants to do and focus on. Kari says education is like life itself. You need to have education in your life, you’re always learning. Don’t give up and keep pushing. Forgive yourself when things go wrong. #advice