EICC Success Stories

Inspiring stories from our community.

Not the expected timeline. Still the finish line | Rachel White

May 27, 2026

She was class president, one of 58 students in the Class of 2020, and had already been chosen as a speaker when COVID changed the ceremony. Then Basic Training changed the timeline again.

From one club to the commencement stage | Clarissa McNally

May 27, 2026

During McNally’s graduation from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), she took the podium as a commencement speaker, a role she once would not have pictured for herself.

First-Generation EICC Graduate Leads With Purpose | Ezequiel Alvarado Jr.

May 27, 2026

A Muscatine High School graduate, Alvarado arrived at EICC with dual enrollment credits already earned. What he thought would take two years took one.

Student in a lab coat and blue gloves examines a petri dish while an instructor in a white lab coat looks on in a science laboratory.

The Study That Refused to Stay Small

May 22, 2026

The slime mold didn’t care that it was being watched. In the soft glow of the microbiology lab at EICC’s Scott campus, students in white coats leaned over a row of Petri dishes, whispering predictions the way fans might around a racetrack.

Portrait of Jonathan Huddleston smiling in front of a background filled with chemistry formulas, scientific diagrams, and oil pump illustrations.

From the Oil Field to the Classroom

May 22, 2026

Jonathan Huddleston did not come to EICC looking for a fresh start. He came with experience, direction, and a clear reason for being here.

Chris Bolin smiles while wearing a blue graduation cap and gown decorated with medals, honor cords, and stoles, holding a diploma at commencement. Text overlay reads, “Chris Bolin — Where He Is Now, and Why.”

Chris Bolin: Where He Is Now, and Why

May 22, 2026

“Most of my days revolve around class,” he said. “I’m taking 17 credit hours, five classes. I work three part-time jobs, and I’m also on the Formula SAE race team.”