Gateway, where
careers are realized

Gateway is a place where dreams really do come true.

This becomes very evident at this time of year, when we celebrate the graduation of Gateway students and congratulate them for a job well done. Their hard work and dedication have resulted in gaining the knowledge and skill for them to enter, and succeed in, their career.

We have a lot to be proud of with our graduates. As they enter their career, you will know them well – our graduates are the ones who keep you safe, keep you healthy, keep you informed, provide you with the means to do your job and live your life well. They've been trained in more than 65 career options at Gateway in a variety of industries. And if this group of graduates follows in the path of the last several, 86 percent will be employed within six months of graduation and 57 percent will be employed in the exact career for which they've trained.

Education is a journey, and as I reflect on the journey that many of our students have taken, I am humbled to have been a small part of their dream.

Moran keynote
at graduation

Jean Moran, CEO of LMI Packaging Solutions Inc., told Gateway Technical College graduates they need to eliminate the negative stories in their life which hold them back from success – and embrace those stories and opportunities which empower them to succeed.
 
Moran delivered the keynote address at Gateway Technical College’s Associate Degree and Technical Diploma Class of 2013 Commencement May 14 at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Sports and Activity Center.
 
The ceremony recognized 753 prospective candidates for graduation from the Spring 2013 and Summer 2013 semesters. About 340 participated in the ceremony.
 
“I think you graduates are courageous … you have more courage now than when you first began,” Moran said. “You will have some rich stories because of what you’ve accomplished over the past few years.”
 
Other commencement highlights included the presentation of the 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award by the Gateway Technical College Alumni Association, to Nate Skewes.
 
Skewes, of Yorkville, earned an associate degree from Gateway Technical College’s Fire Science program in 2006. He is a firefighter/EMT for the Waukegan Fire Department. 

Gateway to put on
patent workshop

Have a great idea for a patent, but don’t know how to begin the process of making it a reality?
 
Gateway Technical College’s Workforce and Economic Development Division will hold a three-part workshop series designed to provide insight and direction to anyone seeking to obtain a patent.
 
Among other skills, attendees will learn how to develop an understanding of the patenting process, protect their ideas by making sure how to properly file them and gain the knowledge to duplicate the process they have with other ideas in the future.
 
The series will be presented by Mike Bergnach of Promotory Research and presented at Gateway’s SC Johnson integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant. The first workshop will be held 8 a.m. to noon July 13.

Gateway presents
leadership course

Gateway Technical College’s Innovation Center will present Rapid Innovation and Growth, a daylong workshop geared toward top decision-makers and key executives who are focused on fueling business growth with new products. The June 26 seminar will be held 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Gateway’s SC Johnson integrated Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Center, 2320 Renaissance Blvd., Sturtevant.
 
Cost is $695, which includes workshop materials, lunch, refreshments and a complimentary copy of Dalton’s book, “Simplifying Innovation.” 

Students honored
at BPA event

Seven Gateway Technical College students captured honors at the national leadership conference of the Business Professionals of America (BPA) held in Orlando, Fla.
 
Gateway students took first through third place in the following categories, competing against students from across the United States: 
 
First place: Web Design Team: Kasey Knudson (Elkhorn), Kelly Kendra (Genoa City), Nicole Rugen (Delavan)
 
First place: Financial Math and Analysis: Mark Short (Kenosha)
 
Second place: Presentation Management Team: Elizabeth Klinzing (Elkhorn), Holly Anderson (Waterford), Magan Lawrence (Elkhorn)
 
Rugen also placed fourth in Graphic Design Promotion, Short placed sixth in Insurance Concepts and Klinzing took 10th in Interview Skills.
 
The event was held May 8-May 12. Students were judged by industry professionals who are able to also share their expertise with students.

Lakeview, Paris school
students win Sumo Bot

Students from Lakeview Technology Academy and Paris Middle School tied for first place at the 10th Annual Sumo Bot Competition hosted by Gateway Technical College on May 2.
 
Student teams built a sumo bot robot which competed in a sumo-style wresting event. They also competed in three other events, including a design portfolio, which is a poster and oral presentation; a time trial and a time tasked event. Students gained hands-on engineering experience as well as having fun in a competitive environment.

Complete GED tests,
officials urge

Gateway officials are urging those seeking a GED to complete all five tests in the program prior to a December 31 deadline which will cause all tests passed short of completion to be deleted.
 
Those who pass all of the five required tests and meet a minimum combined score by the end of this year will successfully earn their GED. Any of the five required, individual tests which students may have successfully completed in the past will be disregarded after Dec. 31 -- and students will need to take all five again.
 
To give all those interested in obtaining a GED the best possibility of doing so, Gateway will boost its course section numbers, staff time and even offer an intense, weeklong tailored GED boot camp program.

Permaculture course
at Kenosha Campus

Gateway Technical College will offer a Permaculture Design Certification course at the Pike Creek Horticulture Center on the Kenosha Campus, 3520-30th Ave. The class meets 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. one Saturday a month beginning in June and ending in November – June 8, July 13, Aug. 10, Sept. 14, Oct. 12 and Nov. 16. 
 
Permaculture draws from several disciplines, including organic farming, agroforestry, integrated farming, sustainable community development, alternative and natural building and applied ecology.
 
This course will teach participants ways to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and increase the long-term sustainability of their homes and communities. Integrating organic food production into urban landscapes is a major focus of the course. Students will learn techniques for managing urban landscapes and food systems sustainably throughout a growing season and will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate upon successful completion of the course and a design project.

HPOP program
holds celebration

Gateway’s Health Professions Opportunity Program held a graduation celebration May 10 at the Madrigrano Auditorium of the Conference Center on Gateway’s Kenosha Campus.
 
A total of 43 college graduates are also part of the HPOP program, the largest group of technical diploma and associate degree graduates of the program in its three-year existence. Those programs include EMT-Basic, Health Unit Coordinator, Nursing, Dental Assistant, Physical Therapy Assistant, Health Information Technology, Surgical Technician and Community Pharmacy.
 
HPOP operates on a federal grant. Established by the Affordable Care Act, the Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program provides funding for projects that will prepare Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and other people with low incomes for careers in the health care sector.  These are jobs that pay well, have potential for advancement, and are expected to be in high demand.

Lake Geneva, Gateway
in dual credit event

Gateway Technical College and Badger High School celebrated and demonstrated the many benefits of dual credit opportunities for high-schoolers by participating locally in one of several statewide Do the Dual events.
 
The event was held at Badger High School, one of several sites to take part in an announcement to be made by Governor Scott Walker proclaiming the day as Dual Credit Day in Wisconsin. 
 
Dual credit allows students to earn course credit toward their high school graduation and a Gateway degree – in the same course, delivered at their high school. Students gain college credit for free and have a way to begin earning their college degree in high school – and enter their career earlier.

Floral designer
conducts workshop

Award-winning international floral designer Neil Whittaker conducted a hands-on workshop on European wedding bouquets recently at Gateway’s Pike Creek Horticulture Center on the Kenosha Campus.
 
Sponsored by the Gateway chapter of the Student American Institute of Floral Designers, Whittaker, of Manchester, England, provided a full-day workshop featuring wedding bouquets and body flowers.