Selected as a Distinguished Alumni of Lake Land College

I am very proud to have been selected as a Distinguished Alumni of Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois.  I completed my Associate of Science in Agriculture there over a decade ago.  I am extremely humbled to be added on this short list of very impressive alumni.  I will be heading home on April 28th to accept the award and visit with family.

I was completing the questionnaire today for the awards ceremony and thought I would post my responses for two of the questions here:

How did your experience at Lake Land College impact your career and life?

I am very thankful for my experience at Lake Land College for several reasons.  First, Lake Land College has a top-notch agriculture program.  Not only does it have a nationally renown livestock judging program, but is also offers challenging and diverse courses.  Second, Lake Land College was the perfect transition for me out of high school giving me an environment where I was challenged intellectually.  The smaller classroom sizes for general education with approachable instructors put me in a position to excel academically.  I felt very prepared for my transition to a senior college.  Third, attending a junior college close to home gave me time to think about my next step while keeping expenses low.  I would not have been prepared emotionally to attend Texas A & M University so far away from family at the age of 18–but I was ready for that stage two years later.

I have attended several different kinds of schools around the country throughout my educational career.  I felt very rewarded from my experience at Lake Land College both academically and socially.  I may or may not have had the confidence to excel at the senior college and/or post-graduate level had it not been for my experience at Lake Land College.  Communities surrounding Lake Land College should be proud that they have such a high-class institution in their backyard.

Was there a faculty or staff member who made a positive impact in your experience at Lake Land College and why?

As the daughter of Curt Rincker, the Agriculture Division Chair, I “grew up” at Lake Land College.  I have fond memories attending classes and listening to livestock judging reasons with him on straw bales at a very young age.  I have a very short list of people who I look up to professionally in the agriculture industry and my father is on that list.  I do not think I fully appreciated his leadership, vision, and talent as an agriculture instructor until I attended Lake Land College as a student.  I can only hope that I can make such a powerful difference in the agriculture industry and young people as he has done throughout his career.  He is the type of person who is never too busy to meet with students and discuss their concerns.  He always took the time to go above and beyond–with everything–because he truly cares about the young people involved in the agriculture industry and Lake Land College.

I am a big supporter of junior/community college education programs and I am very thankful for my experience at Lake Land College.  For my readers out there who are high school students or are parents/grandparents/family of high school students, I would be happy to discuss my experience at Lake Land College (or at a junior college generally) with you anytime.