By Clara Lincicome
On your way to class through the McLennan Community College campus, you might run into Morgan Wishart, a 22-year-old human development and family studies major from Mineola. Her zip-up jacket boasts the words MCC Dance Company, and she presents herself with a bright smile and excitement for a challenge.
Off the bat, you might assume she is a member of the dance company, a student at MCC, and that she came to MCC directly out of high school. What you likely will not imagine upon first glance is that Wishart spent the past four years as a corporal in the Marine Corps before arriving at McLennan Community College.
Wishart grew up in an Army family — parents, uncles, and both sets of grandparents. But after talking to an Army recruiter, she said she did not get the “homey” feeling she was hoping for. Then, Marine Corps recruiters visited her school in September 2017.
“You know how they come to high schools and you do the pull-ups and everything?” Wishart said. “Well, I did that, and I got their number from there. … I signed the papers that day.”
Wishart graduated from Lindale High School in June 2018 and left for boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina one month later. She described boot camp as nerve-wracking, especially since she was one of few females. The process of getting there was a blur for Wishart, she didn’t know where she was flown into and was without a phone or any form of communication.
“You get off the plane, then they put you on this bus. They’re just screaming at us, and we’re putting our heads down for the whole ride to Parris Island. I don’t know how long it was,” Wishart said. “It was dark, and my legs were shaking, I’m flustered just thinking about it.”
Upon arrival at Parris Island, Wishart recalled seeing the infamous yellow steps in person for the first time.
“That is your ‘entering into learning how to be a Marine,’” she said. “And there are literal yellow footsteps on the ground, every Marine has stepped on those footsteps. It was like, ‘I’m really here.’”
Wishart emphasized that the purpose of the three-month boot camp was to “break you down from individuality and build you up as a Marine.” When calling her parents for two minutes to let them know she arrived at Parris Island, she read a script, and could not use the words “I,” “me,” or “love you.” “There is no ‘I’ or ‘me’ in boot camp. No one cares about you,” she said.
The culmination of boot camp and the last step in becoming a Marine is the Crucible, notoriously the hardest three days of the three months spent at Parris Island, Wishart said. She got four to six hours of sleep total as they completed obstacle courses that simulated war, with the goal of completion without losing gear or a teammate. After completing the Crucible, recruits receive their Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, the emblem of the Marine Corps.
After boot camp, Wishart went to San Diego for Marine Combat Training.
“You’re just shooting guns, out in the field for weeks,” Wishart said. “You only get one porta-potty, and you’re sharing it with your company, like 300 people. No showers, lovely baby wipes, and sleeping under the stars. It was not the time of my life.”
From there, Wishart was sent to Jacksonville, N.C., for a short time before being stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., where she worked and attended Pensacola State College.
“They just put you wherever they want you,” she said. “You’ll hear it forever in the Marine Corps, where they need you is where they’ll put you.”
Wishart worked in supply and was in charge of a $4 million account managing the station’s money and tracking where it went, making sure students had everything they needed to complete their training.
Marines have a four-year contract, starting the day before departure for boot camp, followed by a four-year reserve. Wishart’s contract was up on July 15. She decided to fulfill her goal of becoming a member of the MCC Dance Company.
“MCC has always been a dream of mine,” she said. “My sister went here from 2017-19, and I got a glimpse that this was what I wanted. Ten-time national champions? I want to be a part of that!”
Dancing since she was 12 years old, Wishart grew up attending MCC workshops and competitions. She spoke highly of director Ashlee Keyes, as well as the alumni base of the dance company.
“So many alumni come back and talk to us, and I love that,” Wishart said. “I love to have people that have been in my shoes give me advice on how they became national champions.”
Being part of the Marine Corps has impacted every aspect of Wishart’s life, including her role as a teammate on the MCC Dance Company.
“My formative years, 17-21, I was in the Marine Corps. It’s crazy how different you become,” she said. “I couldn’t imagine myself without the Marine Corps and what I was taught. Everything I think about is from my Marine Corps standpoint. It’s all I know.”
Wishart regards Veteran’s Day as an opportunity to honor and remember those who paid the price for us to live in the United States.
“My whole family was in the military, and they have friends that aren’t with us today,” she said. “My Marine Corps brothers and sisters, my family’s Army brothers and sisters all went out there and fought for us to live this life that we have. It has always been the same for me, respecting our veterans that are here and aren’t here with us today.”
Clara Lincicome is a senior journalism major on the PR track at Baylor University from Washington state. Her minors are corporate communication and leadership studies. She is a PR intern for the Department of Marketing and Communication at McLennan Community College and a tour guide for Baylor University.
The McLennan Community College Foundation’s Highlander Alumni & Friends Association honored Mandy Loftin-Conner and Killian Hutchison recently with two MCC alumni awards. Loftin-Conner received the Distinguished Alumni Award, and Hutchison received the Distinguished Leader Award.
Loftin-Conner is a graduate of China Spring High School and attended MCC as a theatre major 1991-93. She then continued her education at Texas Tech University and has taught locally for 25 years. During that time, she earned 13 trips to the regional UIL One Act Play Meet and eight trips to state.
In addition to teaching and directing, Mandy is an established playwright. She has published the well-received play, “Lafayette No. 1,” which has been produced in 31 states, Canada, and Australia. She has also published “AGO,” “Should Not Cause Harm,” “Unclaimed,” “Dirt,” “11,” and “Rue.”
Most recently, Mandy partnered with Creative Waco to create a pair of life-sized Columbian Mammoth puppets that will be used by Mayborn Museum and the Waco Mammoth National Monument.
“Mandy is deeply grounded in her personal faith and values,” said Creative Waco’s Fiona Bond. “She embodies those values in her work and creative practice, inspiring others, and giving those who feel unseen the opportunity to find their voice and shine.”
Hutchison, of Waco, came to MCC as a Presidential Scholar. She maintained a 4.0 GPA at MCC in the nursing program, while working a part-time job, serving on the Student Advisory Committee and volunteering at several Waco nonprofits.
Killian did all of this during the peak of a pandemic. She volunteered to help vaccinate our community. Killian is an all-around incredible person, and is the epitome of McLennan’s drive to build future leaders and heroes. Killian will continue to serve our community as a NICU nurse at Ascension Providence.
By Mary Sage
Adrianna Prado, a third-year doctoral student in Baylor School of Education’s online EdD in Learning and Organizational Change, has combined her love of education and of animals to provide meaningful service to communities as part of a therapy dog team. She said her certified therapy sheepadoodle, Stella, has been the “paws of Christ” in settings ranging from library reading events to tragedy recovery.
A special education specialist in San Antonio’s Northside ISD, Prado took Stella to Uvalde in the aftermath of the school shooting at Robb Elementary in late May, serving with Therapy Animals of San Antonio to offer comfort and support.
“Having had family suffering loss on account of this tragic event and grieving such loss among peer educators, it was an honor to return to Uvalde . . . to give back to the community and support through the love and compassion of Stella,” Prado said.
When Stella and Prado visited Robb Elementary, Stella was able to provide comfort and love to many, also paying their respects to the families who daily visited the last place at which they dropped off their children. The two spent time with first responders at the Uvalde EMS station, funeral home, and flower shop where people were first responders, as well as the church gathering for families of those lost.
“I learned several lessons responding to this horrific event in Uvalde, but the most important one is that humanity is not lost,” Prado said. “A common theme among my visits to the community was the overwhelming graciousness the individuals had by the many blessings offered to them from all over the world.”
Prado has always been fascinated with the research that shows the value animals have in supporting mental health, anxiety diffusion, and emotional well-being. Prado and Stella work as a team and first worked in Lubbock when Prado was a special educator in Lubbock ISD. That’s where they completed therapy training and certification and began serving the community, attending reading sessions at the library and visiting nursing homes. They also joined the “Muttley Crew,” the K-9 therapy program of Lubbock ISD.
“I feel blessed to be Stella’s handler because she has provided an opportunity for us to be the feet and paws of Christ on the ground,” Prado said.
Prado said she continues to explore research about the effectiveness of dogs in everything from emotional comfort to improving educational outcomes. She said her first experiences in Lubbock taught her that Stella helped her students build positive emotional and mental capacity.
“Stella is a gift,” Prado said. “She can reach individuals in a way that I never could do without her. Stella has saved lives, she has built families up, she has built academic bridge gaps, and she has brought peace to those who have needed it the most. Stella is a true blessing from above that allows me to continue to serve as I was put on this earth to do.”
This story was shared by Baylor Instant Impact, news from the Baylor School of Education. Go to their site to sign up for their emails.
McLennan Community College has been ranked as the top medical administration program by Washington Monthly‘s “Vocational Program Rankings,” and MCC’s cosmetology program has been ranked second best in Texas by Best-Universities.net.
Washington Monthly is the first publication to rank America’s best colleges for vocational certificates. Rankings were released for the 10 most common undergraduate certificate programs in the U.S. Department of Education’s college scorecard dataset and are based on the median earnings of students one year after graduation.
MCC secured the top spot for Medical Administration with a median annual earning of $77,234 and a 19% debt-to-earnings ratio based on median federal student loan debt. In comparison, Ferris State University (Michigan) was second on the list with a $60,924 median earning and a 47% debt ratio.
To view the complete rankings, visit https://washingtonmonthly.com/2022-college-guide/vocational-rankings-medical-administration/.
Best-Universities.net is a leading higher education research organization. The rankings are based on three criteria with data collected from a DOE National Center for Education Statistics survey — an average annual cost of no more than $30,000, a median salary no lower than $30,000, and accredited programs by recognized bodies.
To view the complete rankings, visit https://best-universities.net/colleges/cosmetology-texas/.
For more information about these and other MCC programs, visit www.mclennan.edu.
By Katie Johnson
Every year, over 1.2 million students in the United States drop out of high school, and about 14% of high school freshmen fail to graduate on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In hopes of redirecting this trend, Education Service Center Region 12 implements three grants in Connally and La Vega, Waco, and Killeen ISDs. These three Upward Bound grants have been awarded a continuation, providing $297,600 per year per grant for the next five years to aid Central Texas high school students.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Upward Bound is an innovative program aimed at closing the gap and increasing the academic achievement levels of first-generation and economically disadvantaged students to succeed in high school, post-secondary education, and beyond.
“One of the most gratifying elements of this program is to have our Upward Bound alumni come back and work with our current participants as an ESC Region 12 Intermittent employee,” says Tammy Horner, ESC Region 12 Upward Bound project director. “Their presence in working as tutors, instructors and chaperones, while they continue on their own post-secondary education path is an encouragement to our students as they see that college can become a reality.”
Upward Bound supports participants in their preparation for college entrance and offers opportunities to succeed in their precollege performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. Projects offer academic instruction in mathematics, laboratory sciences, composition, literature, and foreign languages.
ESC Region 12’s Upward Bound program constitutes three separate grants as each contributes to helping high school students in different cities. One grant serves students at Connally and La Vega high schools. The second grant supports Waco and University high schools. The last grant is geared toward students at Killeen and Pathways high schools in Killeen ISD, and Richard Milburn Academy, a Killeen charter school.
The Upward Bound programs at ESC Region 12, which began in the fall of 2012, assist up to 60 students each year, per grant. Students are selected through an application and interview process, where report cards, transcripts, and teacher recommendations are evaluated. Once accepted into the Upward Bound program, rising ninth through eleventh-grade students are tracked through high school and six years beyond graduation to ensure completion of post-secondary education.
Since parent involvement is one of the driving factors behind overall student success, the participants’ parents also receive support during their child’s high school career and college application process. This aid and involvement includes informational meetings, financial aid and scholarship information and counseling, college requirement counseling, and financial planning.
Kick-off celebrations for each Upward Bound program is Sept. 24. Upward Bound Waco will meet at ESC Region 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upward Bound Killeen will meet at Killeen High School, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Upward Bound Connally and La Vega will meet at Connally High School, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information on the Upward Bound program, please visit esc12.net/upwardbound.
Katie Johnson is graphic design & communications specialist with Education Service Center Region 12.
By Jennifer Marshall-Higgins
The transition from high school to beyond can be challenging for any student. For students with disabilities this step can feel overwhelming without the proper support and resources.
Disabilities a range of challenges from dyslexia to language processing disorders to dysgraphia.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 33% of all students identify as having a disability that adversely affects their performance in the classroom. That’s more than 7 million students. Education Service Center Region 12 and partners will host a Transition Fair for students (grades 8-12) with disabilities 6-8 pm, Sept 20.
Without support, access to resources and guidance on advocating for oneself, it can be challenging to navigate a world that may feel inaccessible for students with a disability, be it a physical, intellectual, or learning disability. The Transition Fair’s theme is “Let your Light Shine” as it aims to bridge the gap between high school and life after school for students of all abilities. The goal is to ease the apprehension of students and their families.
Participants will learn about community resources to support their transition, career and college opportunities, training opportunities, options for independent living, guardianship and alternatives, and how to apply for certain benefits.
“Our goal is to connect students, families and school staff with service providers to facilitate success for students once they graduate from high school–something that will impact their quality of life and how they can contribute to society,” said Monica Johnson, education specialist for ESC Region 12.
The free event will take place from 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 20 at 2101 W Loop 340 in Waco. Participants are encouraged to pre-register at bit.ly/TransitionFair2022.
The event will include several partners, including Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, which provides accessible, caring and responsive support services to individuals and families coping with mental illness, intellectual and developmental disabilities, developmental delays, and emotional conflict. Additional partners include Texas Parent to Parent, Texas Workforce Commission, Communities in Schools, Heart of Central Texas Independent Living Center (HOCTIL), and Texas Able, all dedicated to the prosperity of Texas students with disabilities and their families.
Agencies on-site during the event are as follows:
- ARC of McLennan County
- Baylor Accommodations
- BCBSTX, STAR Kids
- Burgett Law Firm, PLLC Estate Planning Law Firm
- Communities In Schools
- Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas – Workforce Program
- Focus Behavioral Associates
- Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network
- HOCTIL
- Oceans Behavioral Hospital
- Sandy Hardy-Smith, Imagine Enterprises
- Superior Health Plan
- Texas Able
- Texas Parent to Parent
- Texas STAR Plus
- Texas Workforce Solutions
- Texas Workforce Solutions – Vocation Rehabilitation Services
- United Health Care Dental Services
- Waco Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilities
Jennifer Marshall-Higgins is director of customer & marketing support with Education Service Center Region 12. ESC Region 12 helps schools save money and leverage resources into the classroom. One of 20 regional service centers statewide, ESC Region 12 offers training and expert assistance to educators and school personnel to increase student achievement. ESC Region 12 offers effective, economical programs and services through professional development, expert assistance, direct services and alternative educator certification. Based in Waco, ESC Region 12 serves 77 school districts, 10 charters and private/parochial schools in Bell, Bosque, Coryell, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Lampasas, Limestone, McLennan, Mills and Navarro counties.
To support educators in their efforts to help students catch up from learning loss due to COVID-19 interruptions in instruction and continue to progress, ESC Region 12 is looking for individuals to train in the High Impact Tutoring (HIT) program (opens external link in new window). The center, which provides professional development to educators and school personnel, is looking for people interested in serving as tutors in schools in person and/or virtually to attend a one-day training on Thursday, June 9, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at ESC Region 12, 2101 W Loop 340, Waco.
Through this one-day training session, ESC Region 12 specialists will prepare you to work as a school district tutor (remote or in-person). Start the day with Best Practices for Classroom Tutors, followed by your choice of break-out session specific to the tutoring curriculum from Amplify (RLA), BookNook (RLA) and Zearn (Math). Complete the day to receive a training certificate to aid your tutor job search, for the potential to make $15-50 per hour.
To register for free or for more information, visit www.esc12.net/tutor (opens external link in new window).
By Alice Jauregui
Candiates for the Waco ISD School Board election began filing Wednesday, Jan. 19., the first day of the filing period for two district trustee positions. Filing will open Jan. 28 for an at-large WISD Board position.
Three candidates filed on the first day. Jonathan Grant and Hope Balfa Mustakim filed to represent Trustee District 4, and Emily Iazzetti filed in Trustee District 5.
On May 7, voters will elect one person in each of those districts to serve a three-year term on the Waco ISD Board of Trustees. The deadline for candidates to file for a place on the ballot is 5 p.m. Feb. 18.
District 4 is currently represented by Angela Tekell, who announced last month that she did not plan to seek re-election. Tekell was first elected to the board in 2010.
Iazzetti was appointed to represent District 5 in August following the resignation of Allen Sykes.
In May, voters will also elect someone to serve the final year of the current term for the vacant at-large seat on the Waco ISD school board. The vacancy was created when Cary DuPuy resigned in November. The following month, the school board announced they would leave the position vacant until the May election. The filing period for the at-large position will open Jan. 28 and end at 5 p.m. March 7.
More information about becoming a candidate is available at wacoisd.org/elections. Applications for a place on the ballot can be filed with the superintendent’s office at the Waco ISD Administration Building (501 Franklin Ave., Waco).
The Waco ISD Board of Trustees recently adjusted boundaries of the single-member trustee districts to equalize the number of people in each district following the 2020 Census. A map of the single-member trustee districts along with a description of those changes can be found at wacoisd.org/redistricting.
Alice Jauregui is executive director of communication with Waco ISD.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email the ALW team — [email protected].
Cary DuPuy has resigned as an at-large member of the Waco ISD Board of Trustees after 10 years on the board. DuPuy was first elected in 2011 and was re-elected to a three-year term in 2020.
In a letter to fellow board members, DuPuy wrote, “I’ve been on the board for ten years now, I no longer have children attending WISD schools, and I feel strongly that it’s time for me to step away and let someone else in the community assume this responsibility.” He noted that he made the decision to step down with “mixed emotions” and will miss the sense of camaraderie and common purpose that he has shared with fellow board members.
In his letter, DuPuy praised Dr. Susan Kincannon, Waco ISDS’s superintendent, for leading the district through a successful bond election earlier this month and for recruiting talented educators to help lead the district. He said Kincannon had positioned Waco ISD “quite favorably.”
“Lastly, I’d be remiss not to mention once more my boundless appreciation and respect for all of our classroom teachers throughout the district,” DuPuy wrote. “Your devotion to our students is inspiring.”
The board plans to discuss the vacancy at their Dec. 16 meeting. The board has the option of appointing someone to serve until the next school board election or leaving the position vacant until voters elect someone to fill the remainder of the unexpired term in May 2022.
“It is clear that Cary cares deeply about our students and educators,” Kincannon said. “While I will miss his perspective and his unique sense of humor as a board member, I have no doubt that Cary will continue to make a difference for our students and everyone else in our community.”
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has recognized McLennan Community College for its outstanding efforts to respond to COVID-19.
MCC and nine other colleges and universities were recognized as Star Award recipients during THECB’s quarterly board meeting. MCC will be recognized again Dec. 2 during the 2021 Higher Education Leadership Conference in Austin.
The annual Star Awards are presented to institutions implementing exceptional contributions in achieving one or more of the state’s higher education goals. This year, awards recognized institutions’ efforts in response COVID-19.
Criteria for the awards were “a clear demonstration of how the institution implemented strategies to ensure the health, safety, and success of their campus and local community, partnerships with community-based organizations, and the innovative and creative nature of one or more of the strategies used,” according to THECB’s webpage.
“The success of our students was due to their resilience, determination, and talent,” said MCC President Johnette McKown. “Every McLennan employee contributed to student success by tapping into their creativity and expertise to ensure our students had access to all the same services offered pre-pandemic. … The challenge is not over, but McLennan will not give up as we stand McLennan Together.”
MCC’s application provided several examples of the school’s efforts:
— Loaning ventilators, hospital beds, and PPE to community healthcare institutions;
— Developing online self-assessments, self-reporting forms, instructions on exposure and testing, and safety practice modules;
— Maintaining an online dashboard of reported, positive, and active cases updated daily;
— Providing the community with free drive-thru testing and vaccination clinics;
— Designing the “McLennan Together” communication campaign in response to student, employee, and community questions on safety protocols, instructional strategies, and student success activities;
— Implementing instructional solutions to ensure safety and success, including providing online, blended, and hyflex course formats, rotating students attending class in-person, collaborating with local partners on solutions for programs requiring clinical work, simulations, internships, and other in-person instruction;
— Providing creative solutions in response to COVID-19 hardships like a curbside food pantry service, a fundraising campaign supporting emergency fund scholarships, free parking lot WIFI, a technology loan program, and virtual mental health counseling;
— Producing virtual commencement ceremonies for all 2020 graduates; and
— Implementing a student debt-forgiveness program to encourage former students to re-enroll.
Other Star Award recipients were the University of Texas at Arlington, Houston Community College, Texas A&M University – Commerce, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Odessa College, University of Texas at Tyler, Sam Houston State University, Texas State Technical College, and Lone Star College – North Harris.
For more information about the awards, click here.
The Act Locally Waco blog publishes posts with a connection to these aspirations for Waco. If you are interested in writing for the Act Locally Waco Blog, please email Ferrell Foster at [email protected].