By NVC Student Dina Jackson College can be overwhelming, without a doubt. Many times I remember feeling all alone in my journey especially when I see no signs or reminders of the end result. This tends to slow us down and/or we lose focus of what we are trying to accomplish. I have found the remedy – becoming active in student organizations (especially those pertaining to your field of interest). Attending speech seminars, career fairs and other school sponsored events is definitely the cure.Student organization membership not only allows us to meet new people with interests and goals similar to ours, but it also exposes us to new ideas (ideas that would have never occurred to us otherwise). The experience offers a whole new perspective and allows you to grow as an individual. I am a fanatic when it comes to attending school sponsored events. I must admit, if my schedule permits, I even attend those events that do not necessarily have anything to do with my major. Why? Simply because after each and every event, especially speech seminars, I have walked away with tons of new and useful information that I did not know before and that I can apply in my own personal life. I cringe at not being able to attend an event because I wonder what will I miss. Recently, I attended an “Accounting Stars Luncheon” at UTSA’s College of Business. It was a great experience!!! Attending this event was definitely worth my while and more productive than I ever imagined it would be. Part of the program included a panel of three former UTSA students whom are all now very successful individuals in the accounting field. The panel was made up of a gentleman happily working for KPMG, an accounting firm; Stephanie Davis, vice president of Corporate Tax for Valero and another lady who is chief auditor for Frost Bank. They talked to us about their experience at the UTSA Business School. They also talked about hurdles and their greatest obstacle(s) when they graduated and went to work in the field. They gave us advice and provided us with reassurance. According to the panel, the accounting field is an area which provides new challenges almost every day; however, it is definitely rewarding. It was very inspiring to see and hear these individuals. I was also able to get a few great UTSA contacts relating to the accounting department, which will be very helpful in the near future: Needless to say, I left this event with a new level of motivation and vigor to continue chasing my dreams. It was extremely motivating to meet successful people, working in my field of interest, that once stood where I am today. Hearing their testimonials, learning about their struggles and challenges as they moved through school and into their careers, but most importantly, witnessing their success today has definitely and positively influenced my life. I’ve always known that there would be challenges along the way, but after attending this event, I now know that everyone faces similar challenges and I’ve witnessed the success at the end of the tunnel through other people. I feel more confident than I ever have before; I am forever grateful. Dina Jackson is graduating this May with an associate degree in Business Administration. She is transferring to UTSA in the fall to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

By NVC Student Kimberly Redgate

During the semester, students may need to seek assistance from one of NVC’s Writing Centers in Juniper Hall or Redbud Hall. Instructors can refer students to one of the centers or students may come in on their own.

As a reminder, Caroline Kuyumcuoglu, NVC’s coordinator of the Developmental Learning Labs, says the labs and tutors can help students with their individual writing needs, based on the specialty of each center, but they try to avoid “fixing” a paper for the student. She added that all of the centers require students to have a Go-Print account for the printing of their assignments. Below is a summary of what each center has to offer.

JH 308 – The Advocacy Center: Lori Knight, 486-4251

• Provides one-on-one tutoring for students in developmental classes who need help with their writing skills and grammar. Students can have their work looked over and receive help from an appropriate tutor.
• Provides drop counseling for developmental English, math, and reading students.
• Conducts weekly workshops on writing and student success skills here.
• Offers placement exam preparation.

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

JH 229 – The Cooperative Learning Center: Caroline Kuyumcuoglu, 486- 4334

• Students in developmental English classes may work individually, in groups, or one-on-one with the aid of a tutor. Developmental level English classes require lab hours.

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday & Saturday: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

JH 110 – The Reading Center: Caroline Kuyumcuoglu, 486- 4615

• Students in developmental reading classes may work individually, in groups, or one-on-one with the aid of a tutor. Developmental level reading classes require lab hours. This center can also guide students with reading difficulties in other classes.

Hours: Monday –Thursday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

JH 216 – The Writing Center: John Schulze, 486-4347

• This is a center for all students in college-level English courses who need assistance with their writing assignments.
• Tutors will work with students on how to research, edit, revise, and plan papers, as well as provide assistance with MLA formatting and documentation.
• Students will sit with a tutor and work together on whatever writing challenges that the student may be facing, including difficulty with MLA formatting and documentation.

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Friday & Saturday: 9:00 AM -2:00 PM

RLC 205 – Writing Across the Curriculum Lab: Deb Rankin, 486-4218

• Help with writing assignments for any class outside of the English department.
• Writing Assistance Through Facebook – students can ask a question and will usually receive a response, featured on the WAC Lab Facebook page, within an hour for as long as the lab is open.
• Telephone Tutoring – for students who do not have the time for a sit-down tutoring session as well as for students enrolled in online courses. The student schedules a telephone tutorial and emails the paper to the Lab.
• The WAC Lab also provides assistance with papers outside of the classroom, such as resumes, application essays, and scholarship essays.
• The WAC Lab also provides resources and support for faculty who include writing assignments in their classes.

Hours: Monday-Thursday: 9:00 AM – 7:00PM
Friday: 9:00AM – 2:00PM

All disciplines (outside of English and literature) are encouraged to send students to the Writing Across the Curriculum Lab in Redbud Hall

If you have additional questions concerning the Writing Centers, feel free to call Denise Tolan at 486-4301 or Yalitza Guerra at 486-4084 [email protected].

My first semester at NVC last fall was…dizzying to say the least! I attended the college that I fell in love with, but along the way, I learned a few things that I could have done differently. Through my experience, I have a few suggestions to help faculty and staff remind students on how to successfully navigate their way from registration to the first few days of classes.

The first thing I learned started from the notion that NVC forgot about me! After applying, I checked my personal email account constantly for weeks to see if I was registered. I went to the Testing Center to see if I could take the Accuplacer while I waited; however, they told me that I was not registered yet; therefore, I could not take the exam.

After another week, I called NVC and asked them what I should do. I was then told that I had already been registered for a while! Afterwards, I stumbled upon a tiny detail that I had forgotten about. I had a new e-mail address! I checked that new alamo.edu e-mail address and behold! There was a brief e-mail that let me know that I had been registered into the NVC system! While I know that it was my own fault for having skimmed through the registration information instead of reading it thoroughly, I think that students should often be reminded to regularly check their alamo.edu e-mail accounts for registration updates and official NVC business information.

The second thing that I learned was the importance of being an early bird when it comes to textbooks. I ordered the textbooks I needed for my classes early; however, when I went to pick them up, one was missing. It happened to be the textbook I needed for my FIRST class! That experience taught me that ordering textbooks as early as humanly possible is now the goal for next semester. It is also something that I believe NVC faculty and staff should remind students of so that they are better prepared for the start of the new semester.

While I learned two important lessons the hard way before I had even stepped one foot into my first class at NVC, it isn’t to say that I didn’t have a fabulous time during my first semester. On the contrary, I was blessed to have the opportunity to learn on a gorgeous campus, to have excellent instructors, to meet the fantastic CaTS crew, and to eat some of the most delicious blueberry bagels ever from the Cyber Café. I definitely had my happy first semester ending and can’t wait to find out what lays ahead for my second semester at NVC!

By NVC Student Kimberly Redgate

‘Tis the season to reflect and recognize just what we are most thankful for. I have never quite understood just why we only do this once a year. Shouldn’t we always reflect on this? Nevertheless, we have this one special day a year that we are supposed to share what we are thankful for. So I thought I would share what I am thankful for.

As I think back over my life, or rather my educational career, I find that there are so many things that I am personally thankful for. At Northwest Vista College, in particular, I am grateful for the kind smiles from the custodial staff and their hard work to keep our campus clean and healthy.  As a disabled student, I am eternally thankful to our Courtesy Patrol staff for the countless number of rides I have been given and the wonderful conversations I have had with both those who answer my calls and those who pick me up. I am truly blessed by our fabulous staff that is there for our success and to help us through our day.

Even during this time of frustration and confusion as we register for the next semester, they greet us with a smile and work tirelessly to solve our issues. I am grateful for our president and our chancellors that work so hard to make Northwest Vista College all that she is and which always support the students. I am so very thankful for the wonderful faculty that teach us and guide us along our chosen career paths and enrich our lives each day. I am thankful for both their passion and their patience. I am more than eternally grateful to our donors that graciously supply the students such as myself with the opportunity to receive scholarships.

I am blessed each and every day that I get to look around our beautiful campus and see all of the marvelous landscaping and improvements continuously being done on our campus by the grounds crew. And last, but certainly not least, I am thankful for my fellow students, many of whom I now call friends. I am so very blessed by the friendships that have been developed here on campus and I know that I will remain lifelong friends with so many of you. Thank you for your support every day.

May this season of thanksgiving be a fabulous one for all!

Dawn Thomas
NVC Ambassador

Once again it’s that time of year; students run around asking, “Who did you have for this class?” or, “Is he an easy instructor? Did you make an A or a B?” A lot of students think if they have a certain instructor that they will make an A in that class. Northwest Vista College boasts about having the best professors in the city, but having the “right” professor is not how you make good grades. No, the key is how dedicated, focused and hardworking you are.

The question has always been, is early registration the key to success, or to get an ‘A’. I believe it’s not always the case; it’s always the individual effort that counts towards making a good grade. Whether you believe that the instructor is good or not, your effort to study and make use of the excellent English, math and science resources available is the key. NVC boasts about having the best science tutors, headed by Gabriela, the English lab headed by John and the math lab run by Debby. The only advice I can give to everyone is that you should register early so as to get the class you want and also to make sure it’s in line with your schedules at work, home, etc.

Also, remember not to worry too much, the classes you register for now don’t start for another two months.

Where to Get Help
For instruction on how to access ACES: http://www.alamo.edu/it/aces/aces_id.html
For Network or Password issues contact the Alamo Colleges Support Central at 210-485-0555.
If you need additional registration help, please go to the link:
http://www.alamo.edu/district/registration/webforstudents.htm   

– Harrison Ohiri
NVC Ambassador

Is choosing a career path stressing you out? Do you feel like you’re being rushed to figure out what you want to do? Well you’re not alone! There are so many students here on campus that are undecided or are still not sure about their major. A lot of students have also changed majors multiple times, too. But isn’t college the time for us to find ourselves and what we really want to do? So don’t fear students, you will not be viewed any differently if it takes you two years or ten years to get a degree. After all, you’ve already made the most important decision to go to college!

Luckily, we have counselors here on campus to help out any student who wants it! Our CaTS (Career and Transfer Services) center is located in CCC-200 and is open Monday & Thursday: 8am-7pm, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday: 8am-5pm, and the first Saturday of each month 9am-1pm. If you don’t have time to talk to someone on campus, there is a link on the website for career and educational planning! You can either copy and paste this website, http://alamo.edu/nvc/students/cats/assessments.htm, or you can go to the home page, click on ‘Students’ at the top of the page, then click ‘Career Planning’ under the ‘Advising, Career, & Transfer’ subtitle. This website has a lot to offer as well as our counselors, also.

My advice to anyone who is an undeclared major is to get out and find what interests you and pursue it! If you really have NO IDEA what you want to do career-wise, then it would probably be in your best interest to talk to a counselor. The last thing you want to do is waste money and time on classes you don’t need. The rest of your life is a long time, but don’t be afraid to make a decision! If you get a degree now and find out that it’s really not what you want to do, you can ALWAYS go back to school. But if you do what you love, then you will never have to work a day in your life!

– Ericka Wilder
NVC Ambassador

Recently questions have been coming, asking whether having a degree is worth it. A friend of mine in physics class told me, “I guess what we are doing here is damn crazy. It’s not worth it at all.”

I told him that for anything one is doing in life there is always an advantage attached to it, and the higher your education level, the higher the salary and job opportunities. A lot of people have this myopic view that not all people benefit from four years in college, nor do they need a college degree in order to succeed in work or in life. Going to college for four years can be an enriching, eye-opening experience. Truly speaking, to get a degree is the highest asset you can get if you want to make it in America.

Robert Longley, in the About.com Guide to U.S. Government Info, reports on new U.S. Census Bureau data that shows that "Americans age 18 and older with a bachelor’s degree earned an average of $51,554, while those with a high school diploma earned $28,645."

With this report, I don’t see why people should not care to earn a degree. The following shows the importance of having a degree.

• An individual with a degree tends to earn fifty percent more than someone who is doing the same job without a degree.

• Having a degree opens the door to more job opportunities or helps you land the dream job you wanted. For example, if an employer has a choice of two candidates with equal experience and skills, the employer will most likely hire the candidate with a degree.

• Another benefit is having promotions and rises in pay. The more knowledge and experience you have, management will be more willing to give you better positions in the company and better pay raises or bonuses.

• A degree creates personal satisfaction. By getting a college degree, you will have the pleasure of knowing that you took the steps that were necessary to better educate yourself and better your future.

Harrison Ohiri
NVC Ambassador

Science is a fundamental part of our human life in which we can’t escape or decide to live without. We wonder why people fall sick, are able to go to the moon and understand the components of our atmospheric existence. We have so many questions for Mother Nature and the only ways to get these answers are to understand our questions.

How do we Understand Our Questions?

At Northwest Vista College, science is a part of our pride and heritage and we put a lot of effort to get students to embrace it. People run away from biology, physics, and chemistry because of the multiple calculations and critical thinking involved. It is certain that our neural tissues produce neurons every time we carry out an unknown subject or deed. These neurons are memory neurons and potentially relay messages to our brain for our long-term gain. The one cause of Alzheimer’s disease is the dying of the neural cells, which cannot be replaced. Attempting challenging ideas while we are young and having the ability to create these neural cells will help in the delay or repelling of memory loss in the later years.

The Science Club at Northwest Vista is here to help students explore endless possibilities of nature; you don’t have to be a science major to be overwhelmed by science, because every day life is an experiment due to the fact that we try new ideas and things each day. We will be having fun-packed events and conferences for students and encourage everyone to participate in exploring science at Northwest Vista College. To learn more about the Science Club, e-mail me at [email protected]

Andrew Opara
NVC Ambassador
Science Club Coordinator

The benefits of an NVC Graduation!

For those who aren’t able to attend a four-year university, an associate’s degree can be a very practical and highly valuable alternative. Typically taking only two years to complete, an associate’s degree can provide more opportunities and higher pay in the job market. Three major reasons to get an associate’s degree are cost, flexibility, and time.

An associate’s degree costs considerably less than a four-year degree. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost of an associate’s degree is rising more slowly than the cost of a bachelor’s degree. Attending a four-year college can be very expensive. Many students who graduate from college with a bachelor’s degree have acquired a lot of debt. If you start your college studies with an associate’s degree in education, you’ll actually save money. You can pursue an associate’s degree and take your first two years of required courses for a lower tuition than at a large college or university. These core courses will transfer to a new school if you decide to pursue a bachelor’s degree.

Moreover, associate degree programs let you earn a degree that can be used as a gateway into dozens of different bachelor degree options. Students often enroll in associate degree programs as a first step toward a better career, sometimes even before deciding what career to pursue. You can decide on your future course of study while you’re getting your associate. Many four-year colleges and universities find that students with an associate’s degree are more mature and make better students than those who start college right out of high school. Students with associate degrees can prove that they are focused and maybe very successful in their bachelor’s studies.

This allows graduates to get into the job market and start earning sooner. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with an associate’s degree earn around $6,500 more per year than those with only a high school diploma. Associate’s degrees can stand alone or be a stepping stone to a second degree. Associate’s “Transfer Degrees” are designed specifically to have all the credits transfer towards a bachelor’s degree at a four-year university. An associate’s degree can often lead to more opportunities to advance in a career field. Also, the unemployment rate for those with an associate’s is lower than for those with only a high school education. A lot of employers prefer to hire someone with a college degree and an associate degree will open doors to higher income and promotions.

Andrea` Parker
NVC Ambassador