EICC Success Stories

Inspiring stories from our community.

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February 1, 2021 | Johnna Kerres

“I can” leads to state-level appointment It’s one thing to be told it’s never too late to chase your dreams and something else entirely to see someone actually doing it, barriers and all. That’s what you get when you meet Megan Linzy, a Scott Community College graduate and Office Coordinator for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges'…

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In a world of Lebrons and Beyonces be a Monifah

February 1, 2021 | Johnna Kerres

With a beautiful smile and personality to match, Scott Community College student Monifah Ponton has a way of making those around her feel at ease. Within minutes of meeting two things are clear: 1) Ponton cares deeply about helping other people. 2) Under that bright smile is a fierce determination to do something great. For…

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A Woman to Watch

February 1, 2021 | Johnna Kerres

EICC’s Diane Stanley honored by Iowa Restaurant Association Ten years ago, if you had told Diane Stanley where she’d be today she would have laughed and said “yeah right!” Never did she dream she’d be running successful college programs in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management, let alone being recognized for her work. Yet here she…

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Answering the Call

April 20, 2020 | Johnna Kerres

From Business Owner to Medical Student Very few of us know what our true calling is when we’re 18-years-old and tasked with choosing a path. For those who miss the mark, or who don’t figure out their passion until later in life, starting a new career isn’t often an option. Tyler Gibson didn’t always know…

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The Art of Healing

April 20, 2020 | Johnna Kerres

Scott Community College alumnus turns passion into purpose On any given day, Kenneth Cunningham can most likely be found with a paintbrush in hand blasting music in his art studio, his cat observing the paint strokes from a table, or even perched on his shoulder, while his dog lays happily at his feet. The scene…

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Watch Me Fly TCC

January 23, 2020 | Johnna Kerres

SCC student, faculty member and local musician make an impact through music Music has a way of expressing how we feel in a way words alone simply cannot. And, when cranked up loud for all to hear, it has the power to amplify – both literally and figuratively. A single lyric or melody can catch…

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Timeless Tavern

June 26, 2019 | Johnna Kerres

Since the beginning of our society, few things have remained the same. The way we talk, dress, travel and work all look drastically different than they did 100 years ago. But there is one thing that has been a mainstay and it comes in the form of an open room with a tall countertop, serving…

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Training sparks a new life

February 7, 2019 | Johnna Kerres

In the Scott Community College (SCC) welding lab, sparks fly overhead as an instructor strikes an arc, cutting into a thick piece of metal. Within a few minutes the red and blue flashes of flame and light subside. The instructor lifts their helmet to inspect the work, revealing long brown hair underneath. For some, the…

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Higher learning for a higher cause

February 7, 2019 | Johnna Kerres

Sometimes a chance meeting is all someone needs to change their life. For Claudy Pierre-Charles, that moment came during a shared coke on a Haitian beach. From that single conversation blossomed an opportunity the second-year Scott Community College Auto Tech student never could have imagined. “It sounds a little crazy, even watching movies or TV,…

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Light the Lights

July 20, 2018 | Johnna Kerres

Even in the quietest of places, the world is still full of noise. The stroke of a keyboard, whistle of a bird, or soft pitter-patter of footsteps, are all sounds that make their way into our daily lives without so much as an afterthought. Now imagine a place where those very sounds can mean the…

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