Students work on homebuilding project in St. Paul
Rotaract Club at Dakota County Technical College (DCTC) sponsored a volunteer day with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity at The Heights in St. Paul Friday, October 17, 2025. Twelve students, eight from DCTC and four from Inver Hills Community College, helped work on building mid-density, affordable homes on the 12-acre site.
“The Heights is the largest project in the history of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity,” said Brett Kolles, DCTC English faculty and Rotaract Club faculty co-advisor. “Nearly one hundred and fifty townhomes and single-family homes will be constructed with mortgage payments not exceeding thirty percent of each homeowner’s income.”
Brett added that the homes, each costing between $350,000 and $400,000, are built for sustainability and include heat pumps and solar panels. No gas lines will be installed as everything will be electric. The site is huge—the size of four city blocks. Major donors include Whirlpool, Toro, and Andersen Windows. The development project will be completed by 2028.
“The day was a lot of work, but a lot of fun,” Brett said. “It was edifying to see students meeting other students and developing friendships. Every student told me they want to do this again.”
Inver Hills is looking at starting a Rotaract Club for students on the college’s campus in Inver Grove Heights. Lance Davis, communications faculty at DCTC and Inver Hills, also serves as a DCTC Rotaract Club co-advisor. Lance is enthusiastic about establishing a Rotaract Club at Inver.
“The addition of an Inver Hills Rotaract Club highlights the shared passion of DCTC and Inver Hills students to actively assist those in need,” he said. “We are proud of our students and the important work that they do.”
Rotaract Club at Habitat for Humanity gallery
More about Rotaract Club at DCTC…
Rotaract is a club for students who volunteer as a team, plan activities and projects, motivate, inspire, and socialize. Rotaract is a division of Rotary International.
Rotaract Club goals include:
- Serve the community
- Create professional development opportunities for students
- Network with our Rotary Clubs by inviting speakers and mentors
- Be part of an international network of young leaders
- Most importantly: Have fun!
The DCTC Rotaract Club Board of Directors consists of elected students who decide how to organize and run the club; the board also chooses what projects and activities to carry out. Elections are held each year; terms last one full year, fall and spring semesters.
Rotaract Club Blog
Stay current with Rotaract Club news, announcements, and events plus view club activity photos and videos.
Learn more about Rotaract Club activities by reading the following DCTC News stories:
DCTC Hosts Rotaract College and Community Expansion Initiative Luncheon
Student perspectives
Chris Smith
Chris Smith
Rotaract Club Member
Dakota County Technical College
Age: 41
Hometown: Farmington, Minnesota
Current town or city of residence: Eagan, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Proudly earned GED after overcoming some significant life challenges during his early years
DCTC major and degree earning: Network Administration A.A.S.
DCTC scheduled graduation date: March 2027
DCTC extracurricular activities: IT Club president, Rotaract Club
Transfer plans: Transferring to fully online four-year university to earn a bachelor’s degree
Career plans: Long-term career as a network engineer and will continue to develop IT support skills and my experience in cybersecurity while earning my bachelor’s degree and certifications in software development and cybersecurity to round out my technical knowledge.
Three words that describe you as a college student:
DEDICATED. AMBITIOUS. RESILIENT.
Chris Smith • Q & A
What inspired you to join Rotaract Club?
I was inspired to join Rotaract because my late father always did all he could to help others. He taught me to do the same, and Rotaract was a way I could follow his example and try to pay it forward by helping to make a difference in our community whenever I could.
How has your experience in Rotaract Club benefited your overall college education?
I’m only in my first semester at DCTC, but Rotaract has already helped me to grow by connecting with other students who also have a lot of motivation to work hard and a real desire to make a difference.
What did you like best about your time volunteering at Habitat for Humanity?
Habitat for Humanity stood out to me because it combined teamwork with lots of laughter. The “self-reflection” experience we had with Lance was hilarious, but it summed up the group perfectly. We were all learning, joking, and growing as we were helping to make life better for others. It made the whole volunteering experience so much fun.
If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
My greatest wish for Earth today would be to provide every human being with dependable access to technology and the internet. For me, technology was a lifeline during my darkest moment, and allowed me to learn, heal, and build a new life. No one should be denied that chance to connect, grow and find new opportunities.
One word that best describes your experience at DCTC:
EMPOWERING
Stasia McKinney
Stasia McKinney
Rotaract Club Director of Event Planning
Dakota County Technical College
Age: 23
Hometown: Prior Lake, Minnesota
Current town or city of residence: Prior Lake, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Mayer Lutheran High School, Class of 2020
DCTC major and degree earning: Early Childhood and Youth Development A.A.S.
DCTC scheduled graduation date: May 2026
DCTC extracurricular activities: LEGO Club president, Phi Theta Kappa, Rotaract Club director of event planning
Transfer plans: N/A
Career plans: Opening her own family childcare business
Three words that describe you as a college student:
HARDWORKING. ORGANIZED. RESILIENT.
Stasia McKinney • Q & A
What inspired you to join Rotaract Club?
I hadn’t known about Rotaract Club until I took a Composition course with Brett [Kolles]. He encouraged the class to join. I volunteered at the Chili Cook-Off event and had a lot of fun and decided to join!
How has your experience in Rotaract Club benefited your overall college education?
I would say it’s definitely benefited me in time management. Rotaract is something I enjoy doing, and I make sure I stay organized and on top of my time management to be able to participate in Rotaract!
What did you like best about your time volunteering at Habitat for Humanity?
I really liked the people that work for Habitat for Humanity. They were fun to work with and made the experience memorable!
If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
I would make it so that everyone has access to their basic rights such as food, water, home, safety, and healthcare.
One word that best describes your experience at DCTC:
SUPPORTED
Vian Guerra
Vian Guerra
Habitat for Humanity Volunteer
Inver Hills Community College
Age: 19
Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota
Current town or city of residence: Maplewood, Minnesota
High school and year graduated: Tartan High School, Class of 2024
Inver Hills major and degree earning: Pre-Social Work Transfer Pathway A.S.
Inver Hills scheduled graduation date: Fall 2025
Inver Hills extracurricular activities: Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Omicron Beta vice president of service, Psi Beta, Student Senate, The Bee’s Knees Committee, Dead Theatre Club, Latinos Unidos, Volunteer Club, LGBT+ Club
Transfer plans: University of Minnesota Twin Cities for spring 2025
Career plans: School social worker
Three words that describe you as a college student:
AMBITIOUS. CREATIVE. HARDWORKING.
What would be the benefits of having a Rotaract Club at Inver Hills?
More volunteer opportunities for students to explore their community and develop leadership skills doing community service.
What homebuilding jobs were you assigned at the Habitat for Humanity?
I worked alongside Chloe Anderson-Moore to build a floor for an upstairs room, while others worked on painting doors and building other things for the house.
What did you like best about your time volunteering at Habitat for Humanity?
Volunteer work is always exciting for me, so I enjoyed helping others out and building homes for future families. I also got to meet some cool people from DCTC, so that was nice.
If you could make one thing happen on Earth right now, what would it be?
To provide everyone with the resources and love they deserve.
One word that best describes your experience at Inver Hills:
FULFILLING
Learn more about Rotaract Club at DCTC by contacting:
Brett Kolles
English Faculty
DCTC Rotaract Club Faculty Co-Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
651-423-8395
brett.kolles@dctc.edu
Lance Davis
Communications Faculty
DCTC Rotaract Club Faculty Co-Advisor
Dakota County Technical College
Inver Hills Community College
lance.davis@inverhills.edu
