Moving like a bullet train crossing the Japanese countryside, two Dakota County Technical College graduates are opening a new travel agency less than four months after completing their studies at DCTC.
Carrie Caldwell and Darlene Mongoven, who finished their Travel and Tourism degrees at the Rosemount campus in December, have created Book It! Travel in Minneapolis. Book It! will hold a grand opening and open house on March 8 from 3-7 p.m. at 215 E. Hennepin Ave.
“For both Carrie and I, returning to college and taking these courses was a direction change,” Mongoven said. “Judith helped me get registered, and she was a big part of why it worked. Her personal involvement was very valuable, and that’s what makes the DCTC Travel and Tourism program so great.”
After raising children and working in other positions (Caldwell was an attorney, and Mongoven earned a degree in German and International Relations), both students met at DCTC and decided to enter business together after graduation.
“Both Carrie and Darlene were exceptional students, so it doesn’t surprise me that they’ve decided to open a business so quickly after graduating,” said Judith Sparrow, DCTC Travel and Tourism instructor. “I’m very proud that so many of our graduates go on to become successful in the travel industry.”
Another interesting fact about this new agency, is that Book It! is located inside Kramarczuk’s Deli, owned by Caldwell’s husband Orest Kramarczuk.
For more information about Book It!, contact Caldwell or Mongoven at (612) 253-3383. And to learn more about DCTC’s Travel and Tourism program, contact Sparrow at (651) 423-8397.
