Dancing To A New Beat

Transcript

Let’s make our way to Mesa Community College, the largest of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges to meet Heidi. Heidi’s been a dance school owner, preschool teacher, and a full-time mom, but is now getting a real charge out of pursuing a completely new career. Okay, Heidi, give us the details on your new career choice.

– Thanks, Alex. Hi, everyone. When I was younger, I struggled in school and didn’t know what I wanted to pursue in my education. My mother was a dance teacher so when school got frustrating, I stopped and opened another dance studio. That lasted about 20 years. While I loved teaching dance, getting to own my own studio, and teaching preschool for two different school districts, I also had an urge to learn new things. When the pandemic began and the school that I worked for went online, my husband and I felt it was the right time for me to make a dramatic change and to go back to school. I wanted to learn new skills that would help prepare me for an exciting technical career. I researched different educational pathways and ultimately decided on electronics. I love learning how things work, getting to be creative, building, designing, and troubleshooting. Mesa Community College came highly recommended for their electronics program. I found that it’s affordability, smaller class sizes, in class, and online flexibility, and knowledgeable professors were a good fit for me. When I first began my classes, I had limited electronics experience and was very nervous, but because of the professors helpful and positive nature, I have always felt comfortable asking questions and getting the help I need to thrive as a straight A student. MCC also helped me succeed by offering me a paid internship at a nearby semiconductor chip manufacturing plant. The smooth process successfully gave me firsthand experience in a clean room. Having the education and work experience has built my confidence in this new field. After realizing how successful I could be at going back to college, I hope to inspire others to pursue their educational dreams and maybe even a new career path. That’s my story. Back to you, Alex.

– Heidi, what an inspiration to hear how you are succeeding and earning straight A’s with the support of everyone at Mesa Community College, your paid internship, and opportunity for hands on experience in the electronics industry is an incredible boost. Thanks for sharing your story with us. That was awesome.