The Communique

The road to success

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Kirkwood Community College's outstanding students were recognized during a ceremony in Ballantyne Auditorium on Monday, April 28.

Floral student blossoms

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

After coming to the area to take over a lease for a friend, one woman found the road toward Kirkwood Community College.

Originally from Charles City, Nicole Buss started her Kirkwood career as a fashion merchandising major. After a few years in the merchandising major she said she lost interest and began to reflect on her background experiences in hopes of discovering a new major to focus on and complete.

Coming full circle

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

"One word to describe myself? I'd say non-traditional," Garry Bryan said with a chuckle.

Bryan is a Liberal Arts major at Kirkwood Community College. Born in Atlanta, Ga., Bryan attended Tucker High School where he was involved with band and orchestra.

Making a difference

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

The desire to help others is what brought one man back fulltime to college to begin a new career.

"Being able to help people one-on-one is going to bring a lot more satisfaction to my life," said Bill Ball, nursing major, about why he chose to leave the automotive service at a car dealership.

Finding her place

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

In January of 2006, Darla Eide decided to make her dream a reality.

Eide was working fulltime as a server at Olive Garden Italian restaurant but opted to return to college after 30 years. Eide wanted to pursue her vision and get her degree in restaurant management.

All in the family

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Three brothers living under one roof have all been selected as Kirkwood Community College outstanding students.

Hector and Nicolas Prada-Alvarez, along with their older brother Marco Prada-Rodriguez, attend classes at the Kirkwood Iowa City campus.

Although their majors are different, each of the brothers have taken classes together at Kirkwood with the hope of transferring to the University of Iowa.

A musical triumph

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

A childhood tragedy opened the path to a brighter future for Kirkwood Community College Music major Allison Offerman.

Offerman, who suffered severe burns to her arms and hands as a child, turned to music not only as a form of emotional therapy but physical therapy as well.

'A' for achievement

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Goranson's decision to study childhood education began during her years at West Delaware High School in Manchester.

"In my high school I worked at a local day care," she said. "I just love working with kids and I just always wanted to be a teacher."

Goranson attended a TGIF day at Kirkwood Community College after graduating from West Delaware in 2006 and said she really loved it.

Building for success

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Feature Editor

"Being the only female carpentry major you definitely have to prove yourself. It is definitely a male dominated field," said Joanne Abbas, carpentry major.

Carpentry wasn't Abbas's first choice; she also studied textile design at the University of Kansas and graduated with a four-year degree.

Getting the inside scoop

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

A love of sports, passion for journalism and drive for success are just some of the similarities between two Kirkwood Student Media leaders.

Chad Cooper, news producer for Kirkwood Student Productions (KSP) and Natalie Niemeyer, editor-in-chief for the Communiqué, have both been selected as Kirkwood Community College outstanding students.

Calculating a future

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Easygoing. Open-minded. Driven. Those are the three words Cody Sabotka used to describe himself.

Originally from Mount Ayre, Sabotka decided in the sixth grade to set a goal to someday become an engineer.

"I decided I wanted to become an engineer at a young age.