Doug Williams came to OTC in search of a language class and left with a new career. Williams, who has an undergraduate degree in English, is now working on his master’s degree in deaf education at Gallaudet University, the world’s only university for the deaf, located in Washington, D.C. While Williams is not deaf, the…
Normally, you wouldn’t give your toothbrush to someone once you’re done with it, but now you can, and for a good cause. The OTC dental programs are collecting and recycling used dental products, such as toothbrushes and empty toothpaste tubes. The programs will receive money for the items and those funds will go to Project…
Na Pham’s five-year wait is over as she takes the first step towards a dream she brought to the Ozarks from her homeland of Vietnam in 2010. She wants to be a pharmacist. The program was developed in response to current and projected shortages of pharmacy professionals in the state, particularly in underserved rural areas.…
Don’t tell Michaela Cate she can’t do something because she loves to show people she can. Cate has used her A+ scholarship to become a physical therapy assistant even though, at one point, it didn’t look like she was going to get through the program. “I wouldn’t have made it through financially without A+,” the…
OTC has student ambassadors who show prospective students around the college’s various campuses and centers. But Jay Rauhoff has become the type of OTC ambassador who spreads the word about the college around the world. Rauhoff, who attended OTC from 2007-2009, is now in Finland where he will work for four years on his doctorate…
A group of young minds from OTC’s Middle College recently got the opportunity to study science with local researchers and professors. OTC’s Middle College offers high school students, challenged by traditional education settings, an alternative education opportunity in a variety of program areas including science. Selected students met with professors from Missouri State University and…
Keith Crisman has expanded the boundaries of OTC’s “Start Here, Go Anywhere” motto. The 2011 OTC graduate doesn’t want to go anywhere on Earth because he has his eyes on the stars. “To become an astronaut,” the Ozark resident replied when asked about his ultimate goal. Crisman began working towards that goal while studying at…
Wade Southwell rode into Springfield on a bus 2½ years ago; last week, he left the Ozarks on another bus. What happened to the OTC student between the two bus rides is a tribute to Southwell’s personal determination and academic perseverance that few might dare to attempt. The 25-year-old battled homelessness and addiction issues while…
The OTC Richwood Valley Campus was filled with energetic and inquisitive middle school students enjoying the presentations and demonstrations that made up the college’s first STEAM event on Friday, June 19. STEAM – which stands for Science/Technology/Engineering/Arts/ Mathematics – allowed more than 60 middle school students to get a sampling of academic subjects with a…
Ozarks Technical Community College may not have any athletic programs, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any athletes walking the halls. Take Adam Arnold ― American ninja warrior. Arnold, who holds degrees in manufacturing, construction and industrial management technology from OTC, is scheduled to appear in the Orlando, Fla., regional qualifier of “American Ninja Warrior.”…
The mission of OTC’s diesel technology program is to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to be successful in careers within the diesel repair industry. And the program recently added a big piece of technology – a very big piece – to help students with their training. Deep inside the Industrial Transportation and…
Tyler Sederwall and Juliana Drayer have future plans that don’t stop with the upcoming national SkillsUSA competition in Louisville later this month. The two OTC electronic media students are planning to take their talents to Los Angeles soon after the competition to begin their careers in filmmaking. The two students, who took first place at…
David Lian flashed a wide smile after he received his Associate of Arts degree at OTC’s commencement. Lian was a happy graduate because he knew how far he literally had come to earn his honors. A refugee of Burma, Lian left his homeland came after being persecuted as a Christian. Fortunately, his sister and brother…
Nathan Thomas traded his blue police uniform for a set of black physical therapy assistant scrubs and he hasn’t regretted the decision for a minute. Thomas, with nearly 15 years of experience on the Springfield Police force and a U.S. Navy veteran, graduated from OTC last week with a physical therapy assistant’s degree. He recently…
Nathan Thomas traded his blue police uniform for a set of black physical therapy assistant scrubs and he hasn’t regretted the decision for a minute. Thomas, with nearly 15 years of experience on the Springfield Police force and a U.S. Navy veteran, graduated from OTC last week with a physical therapy assistant’s degree. He recently…
Brandi Keltner came to OTC a few years ago thinking she would just be one of the thousands of students who would quietly go about getting her degree. That didn’t happen. Keltner went from wallflower to an active member of the student body, thanks to her involvement in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. She…
Sophia Arvizu-Rice will graduate from OTC’s Middle College next week with much more than a certificate for her two years of hard work. Middle College showed Sophia her path to the future. “Without Middle College, I would have been unmotivated to go to college,” she said. “I am a lot more motivated now. I feel…
The OTC Hearing Instrument Science classroom took its mobile lab unit on the road recently to gain experience in screening hearing patients, specifically Greene County employees. Students and the mobile lab recently spent several days at the Office of Emergency Management screening Greene County deputies, phone operators and highway department employees. “The partnership with the…
After working for 25 years as a fitness director on a cruise ship, Janice Zerbe was ready to stand on some dry land for a while. Janice didn’t get that far from the water, choosing some dry land near the lakes in Branson, where she is studying at OTC Table Rock to become a physical…
When 21 OTC dental students returned from spring break, they had big smiles on their faces because of the hundreds of smiles they left behind in Nicaragua. For the third year in a now, a group of dental students gave up their spring break vacations to take much-needed assistance to residents in and around Masachapa…
There are a lot of ways to describe Jeff Schrag: entrepreneur, beer maker, innovator, real estate investor and businessman. But the title the 48-year-old Kansas native likes the most is a simple one: friend. “How about Jeff Schrag is my friend?” he asked during an interview. “I’ll take that one.” Lots of Schrag’s friends and…
If local residents were asked what single act has had the most impact on the region over the past 25 years, what happened on April 3, 1990, has to rank near the top. A quarter-century ago, voters approved the formation of the Junior College District of Central Southwest Missouri. What has taken place as a…
Matthew Hernando remembers the first time he came across a group called the Bald Knobbers. “I rode ‘Fire in the Hole’ at Silver Dollar City and read ‘The Shepherd of the Hills,’” said Hernando, an instructor at the OTC Table Rock Campus.
Brie Jenkins has never shied away from competing against the best when it comes to displaying her skills as a welder. The OTC student earned a job as a machine shop welder at the Paul Mueller Co. by being a standout student. Then, she wowed a lot of experienced welders by finishing second in the…
Kevin Kloppenburg likes to joke that he is “a giant in his field” and one of OTC’s newest adjunct instructors is just that. At 6-8, 300 pounds with a size 17 shoe, the long-time Springfield Public Schools art instructor is making an impact at OTC in just his first semester working for the college and…