Author: NVC Public Relations

Wildcats Represent at HEB Alamo Runfest

Posted on by NVC Public Relations

The NVC running team took on the H-E-B Alamo Runfest this past weekend – racing with 3000-plus other runners!

NVC had three runners run the half marathon

  • Jason Hunt was the first finisher, finishing in just under 1 hour and 42 minutes. He was third in his age group, 58th overall male out of almost 500 and 65th overall runners out of 1000 runners!
  • Omar Martinez followed closely behind, finishing in 1:42:26. He was 4th in his age group, 62nd overall male and 69th overall.
  • The lone female runner for the Wildcats was Briana Saldana! She finished in under two hours, at 1 hour and 55 minutes. She was fourth in her age group, 56th out of 500 female runners and 218th overall!

In the 10k, NVC had 8 total runners

  • Rebecca Castor was the Wildcats first finisher, finishing with a time of 51 minutes and 05 seconds. She was second in her age group, 12th overall female, and 47th overall out of 571 10k runners!
  • Linda Cabada was next placing 3rd in her age group with a time of 53 minutes, 23rd overall women and 71st overall!
  • Anna Alfaro was 3rd for the team, finishing well under 1hour, 4th in her age group and 38th overall female.
  • Beth Martinez came in three seconds behind Anna, placing second in her age group, 39th overall women and 97th overall.
  • Rounding out the 10k finishers were Robert Dreamkowski, Matthew Vasquez, Natalie Guevara, and Andrea Vazquez, all placing in the top half of 10k finishers.

In the 5k

  • Ryan Gutierrez was the only runner for the Wildcats, finishing 10th in his age group, 56th overall male and 71st out of 541 5k runners.

It was a great day to run and the Wildcats raced really well! Now the team starts preparing for the Fiesta Fandango 2.6-mile run where NVC will be represented in the Fiesta Fandango parade!

 

Contributed by NVC’s Cross Country Team Coach Staci Krueger

Balancing Everything

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Part of the challenges of college is that you are now an adult with more responsibilities. Many college students have to hold a job while going to school in order to pay for school and other bills.

I had to figure out a way to balance school with working, family, heavy involvement at church, and any other thing that comes up. I’m a married woman with four teenagers at home, and I definitely play the full-time role of a mother in every way. I do most of the cooking and cleaning inside of the home.

Going back to school has made my family more aware of the role that I have played all these years. They have now had to step up and start helping more. It’s also made me realize that I had to teach my kids to have more responsibility and not do everything for them, especially at their age.

I have had to make difficult sacrifices. I have had to miss out on some big things, such as a weekend road trip to one of our favorite spots and then a week-long trip to Florida last summer. They both landed during a time when I had finals during my summer session. I hated missing out, but I had to prioritize.

One of the things that helps me to organize my schedule is keeping a planner. I write all of my assignments and due dates as soon as I have my syllabus for each class. This helps me plan around things throughout the semester. I love how Canvas is laid out as well. It gives a “To Do” list and a calendar to see what’s coming up.

Being an older student has given me more focus and determination to finish than when I was younger. I took the privilege of a college education for granted, which I now see as a priceless gift.

By NVC Student Monica Lopez

NVC Men’s Soccer Team DOMINATE

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For the second time in two years, the NVC men’s soccer team went undefeated! The team finished with 5 Wins 1 Draw and 0 Losses.

Here are the results:

NVC 4- Trinity 3
NVC 1- St. Edward’s 1
NVC 3- UTSA 0
NVC 5- UIW 0
NVC 5- TAMU-SA 0
NVC 8- PAC 2

The team outscored opponents by 20 goals! (Very impressive!)

Hector Sandoval, Captain of the team, was voted MVP for the second time. He will be transferring to UTSA in the fall.

Coach David Galindo said he’s very proud of the team, and they will reconvene in mid-August for preseason camp and tryouts that will take place during the first week of school. You can follow the team on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nvcsoccer/ or their Instagram account at NVCSoccer.

Go Wildcats!

Being the Older One….on a School Field Trip

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As I started back to school in August 2016, I tried hard to only take online classes. The intimidation that I had in being a non-traditional student had really set in my mind. However, there was one class that was not available online, so I had to take it at the campus.

To my surprise, the class was not very interactive. I didn’t feel as intimidated as I thought I would be because everyone stayed to themselves. I really only talked to one other person in that class, and it was only to discuss upcoming assignments, homework, and tests. 

A year-and-a-half later, I am taking my third class on campus – an Editing and Layout class. This class is extremely hands-on and very interactive. In this last year, I actually have felt like I have formed better relationships with my classmates, even if it’s just there in class and occasional texting.

Just last week, I went on a trip to Dallas with my Editing class. I was able to have a great experience as I learned so much from the workshops in my field. But what I enjoyed most was the unity and friendships formed on this trip. I was able to get to know everyone on a more personal level, and I was able to share more about my own story.

Being a 44-year old on a trip with mostly 20-something-year-olds, I definitely felt like the “mother hen.” I was always looking around, making sure everyone was taken care of. But the absolute best part of my trip was the very end when my husband and I were giving someone else a ride home. She told me that she and the rest of the class really liked me a lot. She said that she and some of the other girls were talking about me and saying how much they liked me and looked up to me.

This trip just gave me the confidence I needed to reassure myself that my age doesn’t matter. No one is ever too old to continue learning or to start a new career path. These younger adults helped make me feel young, appreciated, and admired. They made me put all those insecurities about being the older one to the side…because in reality, age is just a number. It’s all what’s in your heart!

By NVC Student Monica Lopez

Don’t Worry About Other’s Success. Stay Focused

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Going back to school can be a challenge for individuals who put school on hold to pursue other things. Most of the time we try and rush through our goals, looking to the future instead of dealing with current issues – especially when you look to social media and see others you went to school with or served in the military with, getting degrees or promotions and just living life to the fullest.

It’s great to get motivated or encouraged from other’s success, as long as you stay hungry and keep your eyes on your prize and not let anyone’s success interrupt your path.

Balancing life after returning to school can seem like a piece of cake until things don’t go the way you planned. Pray for the best and plan for the worst is the best advice one can give when it comes to college.

We all have our own lives to live. A few things to consider before returning to school after some time off!

  • Daycare– If you have children or most important, if you don’t have a daycare provider established this may be on the top of your list. It’s important to leave our children with the best available sitters possible that are affordable.
  • Time management– This is vital also if you have to leave early to drop children off at a daycare. Traffic and construction is something that may be avoided if caught early. GPS can be a time saver.
  • Stay in YOUR lane– This depends on You! Stop worrying about others and their success. Remember your goals and the people relying on you. Take the classes that you feel comfortable with and remember there is no race. No point in taking classes you’re going to fail, plus it’s just wasted money

By NVC Digital Video Student Jacob Aragon

Tackling Fear – Going Back to School Years Later

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In August 1992, I was an 18-year old getting ready to start a new chapter as a freshman in college at UTSA.

I was nervous, yet excited about seeking my independence and taking steps toward my goal of getting my degree. But life obstacles hit me, and I wound up not returning to school the following year. As the years rolled by, marriage and motherhood all took priority in my life for the next 24 years.

In August of 2016 and at the age of 42, I realized that there was an opportunity for me to use my husband’s veteran benefits and to return to school. I was nervous and so scared of failure once again, but I decided to take the plunge and go back for my degree.

I decided that for my associate’s degree and getting all of my core classes completed, I would take as many of these classes online. It helped me not to feel so inadequate around other students, who I knew could be my own children.

One of the hardest parts of going back to school has been taking a few classes that I have to take on campus. This is when I feel the most intimidated. I am surrounded by people, most who are half my age. Stay tuned on my journey as I share with you how hard it has been to be the “oldest” student in my classes.

By NVC Student Monica Lopez

NVC Psychology Club Receives National Recognition for Event

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Mental Health HeaderLike most students, I wanted to be a part of something on campus and I finally decided to join the NVC Psi Beta chapter. Integrating yourself into a club for the first time is hard, but this was worth it; I walked into a tight-knit group who invited me in!

For months before, some key club members, advisors, officers and club vets alike, had worked to put all the pieces together to get the Mini Mental Health Summit (see national award at bottom) up and running. It was amazing to see the well-oiled machine they had scheduled. On the day of the event, there was a photobooth with a cutout filter, artwork done by students, an inkblot station to tell us how it made you feel, a variety of local agencies all dealing with mental health and wellness, a panel of speakers, videos, and food!

Still a newbie in the club, I stayed close to the few I knew by the photo booth, took pictures and saw some of the artwork we collected, with our members playing music and singing across the hall. It was there I saw representatives from Clarity Child Guidance Center, and got to chat them up about future opportunities. I even painted an inkblot that students could respond to – it seemed to make people feel happy or hungry! The panel though, was my favorite part. Hearing from our counselor, from some of the agency representatives and our own students tell their stories and offer wisdom was insurmountably inspiring. I began to see some of these quasi-strangers differently and I wasn’t shy anymore.

Our mini mental health summit was a defining moment for NVC, Psi Beta, and myself. It was MY first big event that I worked with the clubs, and showed me what we could do! The officers that put it together showed me what we were capable of; this club and our amazing advisors helped to introduce me to one of the communities where I fit best and has astronomically improved my college experience.

The panel we held supplied to the conversation we were having around mental health and contributed to creating a safe space on campus. It allowed students and teachers to see that we weren’t afraid to have the conversation in the first place! The summit was a trend setting, award-winning event that was put together with the goal of simply educating; it was a selfless act that has driven me to want to give back and provide the same opportunity for our club and our school and our community. It’s success has made me determined to gather the troops and hold an event to inspire and teach people here, too. Holding such an event on campus so shamelessly added a brick to the pavement on the trek to breaking the mental health stigma.

I have had some amazing professors here at Northwest Vista, and they have aided in my growth, as well as this organization. To have a community this open minded surrounding you, we grow close and have meaningful friendships because of it. We help each other and accept each other because of it, too. We were able to open up our community to the whole campus during the summit, and by making the discussion of mental health visible and accessible, we shed light on the topic. I believe that there are students out there who made strides to talk to someone about their feelings, and we made people unashamed to ask for help. That is why we need events like this: so people don’t feel so alone. We stay silent out of fear of being rejected and ostracized, but when people get up on stage and draw attention to their survival and their strength it shows the rest of us what is possible.

By NVC Student Diane Goguen

Note: 
Psi Beta National Honor Society awarded the NVC chapter the 2016-17 Community Service Award for its Mental Health Summit last November at NVC. Read News Release Community Service Award 16-17.doc.

Mental Health Header

A Lesson in Patience

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I was never sure on what I wanted to major in when I got to college. I had an interest in many fields of study and I thought that if I could just set my mind to one thing I would finally find my place in the world. I thought that once I got to college that somehow, someway, my major would just fall into my lap and all would be well.

Maybe some well-meaning teacher would see me as a diamond in the rough and take me under their wing or I would stumble upon a skill I never knew I had. Then I fall in love with a field that would give me both financial security and a permission to live a creative life. As you can probably tell, I wanted my college career to be a skillfully written and a heartwarming coming of age story. It wasn’t long until I found out how unrealistic that mindset was.

The truth is that sometimes you aren’t immediately sure of who or what you want to be. Most of the time there is no personal mentor to help you or even a magical twist of fate that is going to tell you your true passion in life. I’m writing this to tell you, whoever you are, that it’s okay not to have it figured out. It’s okay to be stuck in the middle. I was always filled with shame and embarrassment because it seemed as if everyone had an idea of what they wanted out of their education and I felt clueless. It wasn’t until my second year that I realized that I wanted to go into graphic design.

There was no lightbulb moment, no poetic clarity – I just took the time to look at what was available to me, layout my interests, and analyze my strengths and weaknesses. While I did my core classes I read about fields that interested me on web articles, in books, and in hobbies I decided to pick up. I learned about who I was and what I loved to do. Now, you don’t need to do the same thing I did to figure out what it is you want to do for the rest of your life. You don’t even need to have the rest of your life figured out. I surely don’t. The point is that you must be patient and kind to yourself, because if you were to take the time to ask those who seem to have their lives together, you’d find out that there was no moment for them either. Some of them have even changed their major multiple times.

You don’t need to be ashamed for not knowing. Life is big and scary enough as it is, but the one thing you have control of is yourself. Know yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be patient. We all have a path and all our paths start at different times. You’ll get there, I know you will.

By NVC Student Kimberly Ferguson

 

 

Why NVC Wants You to Complete a Degree?

Posted on by NVC Public Relations
NVC President Dr. Ric Baser

You may have heard Northwest Vista College faculty and staff members say that earning your associate degree before transferring to a university gives you confidence and motivation to complete a bachelor’s degree.

Completing your associate degree also ensures the acceptance of your general education or “core” courses. In addition, getting a degree from NVC will increase your earnings while pursuing a bachelor’s degree. If you are enrolled in one of NVC’s outstanding Associate of Applied Science programs, completion of the degree increases your employability and opportunities for promotion.   

NVC faculty and staff understand and care about your success and they want you to transfer successfully. We also know that the costs of attending a university are much higher than attending a community college like NVC.

We know that if you complete your degree at NVC prior to transferring, you will receive an exceptional education that will save money. These are just some of the reasons why you should get an associate degree from NVC, which is the No. 1 ranked community college in Texas.

NVC faculty and staff wish for you to stay at NVC long enough to earn your degree, which usually means a minimum of 60 credit hours. If you have 60 credit-level hours or more, I urge you to speak with your academic advisor today or in the next few days. Set up an appointment with your academic advisor.  The deadline for summer degree completion is Thursday, June 29. 

Remember that the awarding of degrees is not automatic. You have to apply with your advisor who will evaluate your transcript and degree plan.

To find out who your advisor is:

  • Go to ACES
  • Click on “My Page”
  • Your advisor’s picture and contact info will be there

To find out how many hours you have completed at NVC:

  • Go to ACES
  • Click on “My Page”
  • Click on “Unofficial Transcript” to get completed hours
NVC President Dr. Ric Baser Congratulates Recent NVC Graduate

NVC Male Students Learn About Discipline Thoughts

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On May 6, nine Northwest Vista College students attended the 7th Annual Empowering Males to Build Opportunities for Developing Independence (EMBODI) conference at St. Philip’s College. The theme was: Disciplined Men with Disciplined Thoughts Taking Disciplined Actions.

The nine students who attended the conference came from NVC’s initiative to empower young men, called MSI for Male Success Initiative. The group has 28 members and started with only 10 at the beginning of the spring semester. NVC’s Daniel Johnson is the advisor of the group.

All of the nine attendees summited a scholarship essay and completed a minimum of six hours leadership training. Each of them received a $200 scholarship.

Daniel says, “Our guys stood out at the conference in several ways. Initially, by the way they looked. All of the guys, except two, were wearing MSI Polos and received several compliments from conference sponsors; and during the break-out sessions, our students asked and answered questions and participated in the discussions through-out the sessions.”

Norberto “Norbe” Salazar, who’s back at NVC working on an associate degree in Personal Fitness, said it was worth his Saturday to go to the conference.

“It was very informative from learning about leadership skills to being disciplined in order to get stuff done,” Norbe said. “I always thought of the word discipline as punishment, but the conference opened my eyes to see it differently.”

The attendees were:

  • Robert Medellin
  • Camron Bowman
  • Christopher Jones
  • Gustavo Salinas-Pinal
  • Jeffrey Long
  • Norberto Salazar
  • Troy Martinez
  • Alejandro Mendez
  • Robert Shaw

 

NVC Men