By Stevi Kay Berry, OTC Class of 2022 In the spring of 2020, the pandemic altered the course of my life forever. I begrudgingly enrolled here at Ozarks Technical Community College. After being told by nearly everyone that community college meant giving up on myself, my success and my dreams – something I’m sure we’ve…
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.” – Former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson For Ozarks Technical Community College student Cecily Wright, the help, hope and belief came from a couple of OTC employees. Wright grew up in Archie, Mo., a small town south…
Jack Stack, the founder, president and CEO of SRC Holdings, will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 19, at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University Campus. Stack has been called the “smartest strategist in America” by…
If you drive through Kennett, Missouri, you won’t find an ice arena, and nobody’s playing hockey even if the local pond is frozen over. Kennett native Drew Porterfield grew up a St. Louis Blues fan despite that lack of local hockey action. And a few days after he graduates from Ozarks Technical Community College, Drew…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will stage its first-ever Lineman Rodeo on Tuesday, May 10, beginning at 10 a.m. The OTC Lebanon Center is located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. The event is free and the public is invited to watch. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. First-year students from OTC…
Once solely the domain of students at four-year colleges, Ozarks Technical Community College graphic design students recently brought home awards from the American Advertising Federation’s Heartland Addy Awards. In 2021, Elijah Prewitt earned a silver Addy for his brand style guide. This year, Danielle Hartzler brought home a silver Addy for logo design. “Everyone in…
Five Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 28, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon. At the event, hosted by Stephens College in Columbia, one OTC student was recognized for his leadership; four other students were named to the Missouri All-Academic Team.…
To meet the demand for Certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Ozarks Technical Community College and CoxHealth are partnering to offer the community EMT apprenticeships. Students receive the instruction and training free of charge, get paid an hourly wage as CoxHealth employees during the apprenticeship, and those who satisfactorily complete the program are guaranteed employment. There…
Multiple OTC students brought home the gold earlier this year in the regional Southwest Missouri SkillsUSA District Competition. On April 7-9, the SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference was held at State Technical College in Linn, Missouri. The conference gives students the opportunity to put their technical skills to the test in over 70 career…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host a job fair on Wednesday, May 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Student Plaza at the OTC Springfield Campus. The event is free and open to the public. The job fair is designed for both career-minded individuals and those seeking seasonal or part-time employment. Several local employers will be…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will host a job fair on Wednesday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The job fair will be inside Casey Hall located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. OTC students, alumni and the general public are welcome to attend. The job fair is designed for both career-minded individuals and…
Ozarks Technical Community College Mathematics Instructor Melissa Wittmer earned the “Teaching Excellence Award” from the Missouri Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MOMATYC). The award was presented at MOMATYC’s annual conference held April 7-9 in Union, Mo. According to the MOMATYC website, the criteria for selection for the MOMATYC Teaching Excellence Award are: Instruction effectiveness and…
Next time you’re sitting with a group of people, look at the person on your right. Then look at the person on your left. Ask yourself, “Which of us will it be?” Sadly, one in three women and one of every four men experiences intimate partner violence in their lifetime. All year, every year, OTC…
Ozarks Technical Community College today (April 15, 2022) announced that it was the victim of a cyber fraud incident that robbed the institution of nearly $900,000 this spring. The college notified law enforcement authorities as soon as the fraud was discovered. Loss of the funds will not affect students, classes or any college operations. The…
Film-making in Hollywood may be the ultimate glitz and glamour profession. The term “The movie industry” brings film stars, red carpets and fancy awards shows to mind. Those images may tell the story of big-budget Hollywood film premieres, but the process of actually making movies, especially independent films, involves long days and hard work. Around…
At 48 years old, this is not David Walden’s first time pursuing higher education. After graduating high school in the early 90s, Walden began college at a small, private four-year university, but “I wasn’t ready for college,” he said. Later, Walden made his way to the now-defunct, for-profit Vatterott College in Springfield, where he first…
According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in 2021, more than 3,500 teaching positions in the state went unfilled or were filled by candidates without the proper qualifications. To help alleviate the teacher shortage in the state, Ozarks Technical Community College is updating its teaching degree to remove barriers and increase accessibility…
Inside the office at Abel’s Affordable Roadside hangs a decorative sign with a small sculpture of a sea captain, and next to him are the words, “Coil up your ropes and anchor here till better weather doth appear.” For Abel’s Affordable Roadside owner Garry Shidler, that small office and OTC Cares served as his port…
You might have noticed a slender magazine hit the shelves across the Springfield campus last week. That’s The Pinnacle, the newsletter for the OTC Honors Program and Honors Council student organization. When you open it, you’ll be greeted with a showcase of student ideas, designs and hard work. “The best thing about The Pinnacle is…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States are for technicians who can install, maintain and repair wind and solar equipment. Ozarks Technical Community College’s Alternative and Renewable Energy course in the Electrical Trades program trains students to work on wind, solar and other forms of renewable…
Crystal Brinell, a student at Ozarks Technical Community College, has been named a 2022 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. Brinell, a 2001 graduate of Troy Buchanan High in Troy, Mo., is enrolled in OTC’s Pre-Dental Hygiene Program. This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate…
Certainly, we’re in agreement — money is good to have, right? A scholarship from OTC can help you keep more of it in your pocket. Apply anytime until June 1 for summer and fall 2022 scholarships. Awards range from $500 per semester to a full ride. But, before you jump right in, some pre-planning could…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2021, less than 14 percent of all registered nurses were men. While the percentage of men in nursing has grown over the decades, women still dominate the field. However, five of the seven graduates are men in the latest cohort of students graduating from Ozarks Technical Community…
OTC students have a new online tool to help plan and monitor progress to graduation and program completion. Starting March 1, 2022, uAchieve degree audit is available to show learners exactly what they’ve accomplished in their academic or training journey at OTC, and what remains. Clear graphics, specific information and easy access through the myotc.edu…
The TikTok video starts with a closeup on the face of a young 20-something, then a makeup brush tickles the lens obscuring the brush’s holder. The brush retreats, and we see the 20-something again, and the brush flicks the lens again, filling the frame. However, when the makeup brush pulls back, the young person on-camera…