Laker Nation News

In January, the Lake Land College TRIO Destination College program conducted engaging leadership workshops for middle school and high school students across 18 local schools.

TRIO Destination College Outreach Advisors Tara Schaljo and Codi Julius led the workshop events, which included collaborative activities to enhance leadership, teamwork and time management. Following these exercises, Schaljo and Julius facilitated insightful discussions on leadership styles and teamwork dynamics, which are integral skills for both college and career pathways.

The leadership workshop is part of TRIO Destination College’s ongoing commitment to equip students with the tools and skills necessary to thrive in their future education and career goals. In addition to workshops, TRIO advisors meet individually with high school students to help them explore career and college pathways, complete financial aid applications, apply for scholarships, navigate college orientation and register for courses.

TRIO Destination College is grant-funded through the U.S. Department of Education and is dedicated to supporting junior high and high school students in successfully graduating from high school and enrolling in the college of their choice. To learn more about TRIO Destination College at Lake Land College, contact Director of TRIO Programs Lori Ohnesorge at 217-234-5007 or lohnesor@lakelandcollege.edu.

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Lake Land College will host Laker Visit Day on Monday, Feb. 17 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Luther Student Center. The event is designed for prospective students to learn about Lake Land College and the resources available to help them succeed.

Attendees will tour campus with a student ambassador, who will share information from a student perspective. Participants will also meet with faculty to learn more about specific programs.

Representatives from many services, including Counseling Services, Career Services, Student Accommodations, Student Wellness, TRIO Student Support Services, Financial Aid and more will be available to provide information and answer attendees’ questions.

Attendees are also welcome to bring their parents or guardians to the event. A session will be offered to provide information relevant to parents or guardians of future Lakers.

“Laker Visit Day is the best way to experience the College and see if Lake Land is the right fit for you,” Pam Hartke, Associate Dean of Recruitment & Enrollment Management, said. “Whether you’re interested in a full-time course load or just wanting to take a few classes, Laker Visit Day will help set you up for success.”

For more information or to register, visit the Lake Land College visit page at LakeLandCollege.edu/visit.

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Lake Land College is pleased to announce the students who graduated following completion of the fall 2024 semester. The Fall 2024 graduates are:

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Lake Land College will host the St. Louis Cardinals Caravan at noon on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 in the Lake Land College Field House.

This event gives fans the opportunity to interact with members of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, including current and former players, broadcast talents and other familiar faces. Current players Iván Herrera, Victor Scott II, Drew Rom and Tink Hence, as well as Cardinals alumni Jason Simontacchi and Scott Cooper will be in attendance at the Lake Land College event. Play by Play Announcer Polo Ascenio will serve as the event’s emcee.

The first 400 fans ages 15 and younger to come through the doors on the day of the event will receive a ticket that guarantees one autograph from each current and former player in attendance.

Doors will open at the Field House at 11 a.m. with the event beginning at 12 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, and admission includes two hot dogs, a drink and a bag of chips.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance at the Lake Land College Field House Athletics Office. Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

No preferred seating will be available.

The event is sponsored by Lake Land College Athletics and Mattoon High School Baseball.

For more information, visit call Lake Land College Athletics at 217-234-5333.

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Lake Land College is accepting nominations for the Distinguished Service Award, Pacesetter Award, Retiree Wall of Fame, Distinguished Alumnus Award/Alumnus Achievement Award and Distinguished Alumni Society. All nominations for the listed awards will be accepted until February 1, 2025.

Nomination forms for all awards are available on the College’s website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Alumni/Award-Nominations/. Physical copies of each form are available by calling the Foundation at 217-234-5376.

The recipients of the following awards will be honored at the annual Foundation & Alumni Awards Ceremony in October.

The Distinguished Service Award is presented to an individual whose exemplary service and contributions have benefited Lake Land College or its affiliated organizations. Current paid members of the faculty and staff and current members of the board of trustees are not eligible for this award.

The past Distinguished Service Award winners are:

The Pacesetter Award is an Illinois Community College Trustees Association (ICCTA) award that recognizes the accomplishments of Illinois’ more recent community college graduates. Nominees must have completed a recognized program of instruction or attended at least 30 semester hours at an Illinois public community college.

The past Pacesetter Award recipients are:

The Retiree Wall of Fame Award recognizes retired faculty and staff who have made significant contributions to the College or those who have made contributions through their profession or community at the local, state, regional or national level that reflect positively on Lake Land College.

Recipients of the Wall of Fame status must have been employed at Lake Land for a minimum of 15 years and must have been separated from his or her position for a minimum of 5 years.

A candidate for consideration may be nominated by another person, or may submit his or her credentials directly to College Advancement.

The past Retiree Wall of Fame recipients are:

The Board of Trustees presents the Alumnus Achievement Award annually to an individual who has attained outstanding success and distinction in his or her field of endeavor, has gained favorable statewide or national recognition or has performed service that has proven beneficial to society.

The recipient must hold a certificate or a degree from Lake Land College and be active in the endeavor in which he or she has achieved distinction.

The recipient of the Alumnus Achievement Award will be nominated for the Distinguished Alumnus Award with the Illinois Community College Trustee Association (ICCTA). The Distinguished Alumnus Award recognizes the many success stories of Illinois’ community college graduates.

Nominees must have completed a recognized program of instruction or attended at least 30 semester hours at an ICCTA member college. Currently serving trustees and presidents are not eligible for nomination. Posthumous nominations are not eligible for submission.

The past Alumnus Achievement Award recipients are:

The Distinguished Alumni Society recognizes alumni who have utilized the Lake Land experience to make an imprint on their profession or community. An alumnus is anyone who has graduated from Lake Land College or has taken classes.

The past Distinguished Alumni Society inductees are:

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Lake Land College will host the St. Louis Cardinals Caravan at noon on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025 in the Lake Land College Field House.

This event gives fans the opportunity to interact with members of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, including current and former players, broadcast talents and other familiar faces. Children 15-years-old and younger will also receive one autograph from each current and former player in attendance at the event.

Doors will open at the Field House at 11 a.m. with the event beginning at 12 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, and admission includes two hot dogs, a drink and a bag of chips.

Tickets for the event can be purchased in advance at the Lake Land College Field House Athletics Office. Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event. No preferred seating will be available.

The event is sponsored by Lake Land College Athletics and Mattoon High School Baseball.

For more information, call Lake Land College Athletics at 217-234-5333.

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Lake Land College announced the hiring of Kate Bushue as the head coach for the men and women’s cross country and half marathon teams. The board of trustees is expected to approve the appointment at the regular January meeting, making Bushue the first Lake Land College cross country head coach since the new teams were announced in October 2024.

A native of Mount Vernon, Illinois, Bushue attended Eastern Illinois University, where she competed in both cross country and track & field. For cross country, she earned Ohio-Valley Conference (OVC) first-team selections each year from 2020-2022. She also earned first-team All-OVC honors for the 10,000 meters track event in 2021 as well as for the distance medley relay in 2020. She was named second-team All-OVC twice in 2022 for her performances in the mile and 1,500 meters events. Bushue previously served as the cross country head coach at Mattoon High School from 2023-2024.

“I’m excited to be here and build a family-like culture,” Bushue said. “I want to build an environment that allows students to succeed and prepares them for opportunities to continue to grow and peak even after they graduate from Lake Land.”

Among the first sports offered at the College, the Lake Land cross country teams last competed in 2005. In October 2024, the Lake Land College Board of Trustees voted for the cross country teams to return after nearly twenty years.

“It’s exciting to be joining now, with the program going from 0 to 100,” Bushue explained. “It can be challenging to fill someone else’s shoes, so I’m looking forward to the opportunity to build something from scratch.”

Bushue will make her Lake Land College coaching debut when both the men and women’s teams begin competition in Fall 2025.

“We’re looking forward to seeing cross country return after so many years, and we’re one step closer to that now by having Kate here as head coach,” Director of Athletics Bill Jackson said. “We’re excited to welcome her to Lake Land College and see what she is able to build for the cross country program.”

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Graduating nurses received their pins at the 2024 Lake Land College Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to Associate Degree Nurse (ADN) Bridge program pinning ceremony.

The LPN to ADN Bridge program provides a pathway for current LPNs to advance in their careers by becoming a registered nurse with one additional year of coursework.

Mackenzie Koester, Effingham, received the Peer Award for demonstrating excellence in both the classroom and in clinical through professionalism, a caring nature and a cooperative spirit.

Corinne Coad, Toledo, received the Marilyn Fuqua Thompson Nursing Award, which is given each year to a graduating student who is considered to be the all-around best student in the class. Selected by faculty vote, the recipient must be professionally superior and morally responsible, capable of using a strong scientific knowledge base to make and communicate wise decisions with compassion, care and composure, often in crises situations. Coad’s name will be engraved on a plaque that is located in the nursing skills lab in Neal Hall.

The following students received pins at the ceremony:

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The staff of the Lake Land College Navigator News earned awards at the 2023-2024 Illinois Community College Journalism Awards (ICCJA) in Palos Hill, Illinois.

Viv Ard, Windsor, and Darrius Frazier, Charleston, earned first place for Best Page Design. Ard also received an honorable mention for Best Front Page Design.

The students also earned multiple team awards, finishing second place in the Mike Foster General Excellence Award category and third place in the Best Student Media category for the Navigator website design.

“We are so proud of the work our students do every year to run the Navigator,” said Student Life Specialist Tim Stolz. “It takes a lot of effort from talented students to manage everything that goes into the Navigators’ production, from interviewing to writing to advertising and more. It’s great to see these efforts be recognized with these awards.”

Multiple Lake Land College staff members also earned awards for their contributions to the Navigator. Business Adjunct Faculty Brett Sawyer earned first place for Best Editorial Cartoon for his “Laker Louie Goes to College” comic strip. TRIO Student Support Services Advisor Faisal Tariq earned the second-place award for Best News Photo.

The Lake Land College Navigator News staff consists of the following students:

To learn more about the Lake Land College Navigator News or to read the students’ most recent articles, visit the Navigator News website at TheNavigatorNews.com.

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The Lake Land College Alternative Education Club recently donated $432 to the College’s Opportunity Fund, a financial reserve available to help students overcome barriers in education. The donated money will be used to cover the cost of GED testing for three students in the College’s Adult Education Program.

To raise the funds to cover GED exam costs, members of the Alternative Education Club arranged goodie bags and sold them to students, staff and faculty on campus. With the money raised through these efforts, three Lake Land College Adult Education students will receive full funding to cover the $144 GED exam cost.

“For most, if not all, of us in Alternative Education Club, taking the GED test is an experience we’ve gone through,” said Deanna Clark, President of the Alternative Education Club. “To be able to lift that financial burden and allow students to expand their opportunities is what the Alternative Education Club and Lake Land College are all about.”

The Alternative Education Club supports Lake Land College students who followed non-traditional pathways to pursue higher education, including GED, homeschooled and international students. In addition to its recent fundraising efforts, the club regularly hosts activities and organizes networking opportunities to help alternative pathway students throughout their college journeys.

“The work these students are doing shows outstanding commitment to the Laker Community and will leave lasting impressions on the College long after they graduate,” said Kim Hunter, Director of Student Success Services and Alternative Education Club Advisor.

The Lake Land College Adult Education Program provides GED preparation courses throughout the College’s district, helping students develop the skills they need to pass the state-issued exam. Lake Land’s preparation courses are provided for free, with the GED exam itself being the only charge the College does not cover.

“One of the most common hurdles for our GED students is finances,” Director of Adult Education Dustyn Fatheree explained. “Fronting the cost of GED testing can be overwhelming, frustrating and, in some cases, impossible for students to navigate. Receiving donated funds from the Alternative Education Club will help a number of our students achieve their goal of passing the GED and receiving their high school diploma.”

To learn more about Lake Land College’s GED preparation courses, visit the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Adult-Education or contact Adult Education at 217-238-8292 or adulteducation@lakelandcollege.edu.

To learn more about campus clubs and other opportunities for student engagement at Lake Land College, visit the Lake Land College website at LakeLandCollege.edu/Student-Life.

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