Networking and exploring with other business professionals
Several students in Office Careers programs at DCTC attended the 2010 MBEI Spring Conference, “DigiTeacherZ,” in mid-April at the ITT Technical Institute in Eden Prairie, Minn. Five students, Susan Prom, Leslie Taylor, Melody Johnson, Shanta Lall and Xiangyang Liu, reported having an exceptionally interesting time at the conference, which is hosted by Minnesota Business Educators, Inc., and provided many opportunities for learning, networking and public speaking.
Susan Prom
Susan Prom, a resident of Farmington, Minn., and a member of the All-Minnesota Academic Team, plans on attending Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to complete a bachelor’s degree in business administration/management. “I had gone to the conference the year before so I served as a mentor for the other students,” said Prom, who graduated in 2010 with A.A.S. degrees in the Medical Adminstrative Assistant and Executive and Administrative Assistant programs as well a Medical Receptionist certificate and Medical Transcriptionist diploma.
“I found that it was a great experience to actually practice the professionalism we’ve learned in our business classes,” she added. “I really enjoyed volunteering for the conference, which brought together everything we’ve accomplished during our education.”
Leslie Taylor
Leslie Taylor is double-majoring in the Legal Administrative Assistant and Medical Administrative Assistant programs. Originally from Seattle, Wash., and married to an active-duty member of the 82nd Airborne Division, the storied U.S. Army unit based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Taylor works in the Flextime Lab in the college’s Instructional Technology Center, better known as the ITC.
“The MBEI conference serves to educate teachers about what their students need to know to be well-rounded business professionals,” she said. “Because I work in the FlexLab, I was interested in what’s new for software and I learned about program updates included in Microsoft Office 2010.”
Melody Johnson
A resident of Cannon Falls, Minn., Melody Johnson plans on graduating from the Executive and Administrative Assistant program in spring 2011. She loved all the different classes at the conference, but was especially impressed by the networking and public speaking opportunities. “I met for an hour with a job recruiter from Malt-O-Meal in Northfield,” Johnson said. “I was also surprised and pleased that they had us introduce ourselves in front of a large audience.”
Xiangyang Liu
Born in the People’s Republic of China and a former 10-year resident of Shanghai, a megalopolis of nearly 20 million people situated on the mouth of the Yangtze River in eastern mainland China, Xiangyang Liu studied to become a practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine while living in her homeland. Fluent in both Mandarin and English, she also has several years experience as an executive assistant and is earning her degree in the Executive and Administrative Assistant program.
“I’m a full-time college student and I plan to go on to Saint Mary’s University to pursue my bachelor’s degree,” said Xiangyang, who met and married her American-born husband in Shanghai before moving to the U.S. “The conference was a great way to meet other students and learn about what’s happening in our field.”
Shanta Lall
Shanta Lall and her family left their birth country of Guyana for New York City nearly 20 years ago. She settled in Apple Valley, Minn., in 1995 with her husband and is now a full-time student at DCTC in the Medical Administrative Assistant and Executive and Administrative Assistant programs.
“I didn’t know what to expect from the conference,” said Lall, who explained that Guyana, located on the northern coast of South America, was once a colony of Great Britain called British Guiana, a heritage that makes English the national language. “The overall experience was great. I jotted down notes and enjoyed the chance to introduce three people to a large group.”