Maricia Zaharuk is a long way from her native country of Romania but the 32-year-old feels very comfortable in her new location in Springfield and at OTC. “I feel like I was born here. Here is where I belong. I like it here,” Zaharuk said. Not only is Zaharuk trading countries but careers, too. The…
Shelby Ammerman learned a big lesson after being featured in a News-Leader series of stories about poverty and its impact on local residents. “Family means a lot, especially when you’re struggling,” said the OTC freshman. Ammerman, along with her mother and younger sister, was profiled in the newspaper project that went into detail…
Until last week, Jeff Jochems had never stepped foot outside the U.S. But now, the president of the OTC Richwood Valley campus can show a passport stamped with the country Brazil in it after spending a week in the South American country on a weeklong education mission representing the state’s community colleges. “Brazil…
Cooking to please the family can be a tough task, but cooking to please the palates of thousands of students, faculty and staff can be next to impossible. But Nora McAmis-Payne, food service manager at OTC, has faced the challenge head-on with positive results. McAmis-Payne, who came to OTC last year after six years of…
Becky Crocker’s work in Haiti has earned her a trip to Vienna, Austria. Crocker, director of the Ozarks Technical Community College’s Physical Therapist Assistant program, will co-present a poster to the Third European Congress on Physiotherapy Education next month. Crocker has made two trips to the Caribbean country that was devastated by an…
Artist copes with speech impediment
Student grew up watching her grandfather work on cars.
Chris Davis could win sound editing award
The start of the fall semester at OTC also means the start of new art exhibits at the OTC Fine Arts Galley in the Gillioz Theater. This Friday, the new season kicks off on the third floor of the Gillioz with works from Melissa Szymanski, who was the Best of Show artist at the 2011…
At first glance, it’s hard to imagine that the remains of the gleaming white vehicle could be good for anything. But thanks to some talented OTC students, working in partnership with Mercy Hospital, the new Mercy Orthopedic Hospital being constructed at U.S. 65 and Evans Road now has a unique new piece of rehabilitation equipment.…
Dr. Sherry Taylor moves into position head by Dr. Steve Bishop
It may just be a flower made out of duct tape to some but to Victoria Johnson, it symbolizes much more. Johnson, who just graduated from OTC after taking classes at the Waynesville Center, has been selling her handmade duct tape items for about a year. The money she makes for the sale of her…
Dylan Durrington can’t wait for next year’s SkilsUSA competition when the OTC student wants a chance to defend the gold medal he received a few weeks ago at the national competition. “I cannot wait to compete again next year. It’s one of those things that I will be doing again,” he said. Durrington and 11…
The new hybrid courses being offering at the OTC-Richwood Valley campus came at just the right time for Christina Polosky of Springfield. Polosky, who is studying to become a teacher, was looking for a more convenient way to take a number of education courses and not spend too many long days at Richwood Valley, her…
With four years of unemployment between them, Ron Vazquez and Mohamed Issolah were desperate for work when they turned to the Missouri Career Center for help. And now, thanks to the customized aluminum-welding program offered at OTC, the two will soon be earning a living with Polar Tank Trailer LLC in Springfield. “It’s going well…
While Saturday marks the first time “American Idol” auditions have been held at the OTC Richwood Valley campus, it won’t the first time some OTC staff have been involved with the highly popular talent show. Ryan Farmer, customer service manager of the OTC Bookstore, and Dana Mason, the college’s coordinator of public relations, have both…
New ensemble choir to be created.
Chelsea Joy hasn’t used the phrase “free time” much over the past three years while at OTC. That’s because Joy has had very little time for any else but taking classes, volunteering and working. Since coming to OTC when she was a junior at Parkview High School through the college’s Career Center, Joy has taken…
Bishop reflects on career so far
OTC student is from the Ukraine
Wishing wall has room for 12,000 wishes
First student to pay back Foundation loan
Dr. Lawler came to OTC 15 1/2 years ago
Thursday’s Ozarks Technical Community College commencement will have a little extra meaning for a group of employees from Springfield Remanufacturing Corp. The 16 workers will be the first class from that company to have completed more than three years of classes in a program customized for them by taking the classroom to the work site.…
For a military veteran, transitioning from their former life to one that includes time spent on a college campus can be a challenge. To help ease them into their new surroundings, Ozarks Technical Community College developed an English course designed especially for veterans. A section of English 101 was offered for the first time this…
