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April is Community College Month — a time to recognize the powerful role community colleges play in transforming lives, communities, and futures. For me, it’s not just a professional observance. It’s deeply personal. My life, my family, and my career have all been shaped by the belief that education should be accessible, meaningful, and rooted in community. That’s why I’ve dedicated my work to the community college mission — it reflects everything I love about education itself.

I come from a family of educators. My parents were both lifelong educators — passionate, dedicated, and relentless in their belief that every student matters. My brother followed in their footsteps, building his own career in the classroom, currently a Technology Education teacher. Growing up, I learned early that teaching isn’t just a job, it’s a calling. Our dinner table conversations often revolved around student development and the deep satisfaction of helping someone discover their potential. Also, there may have been some bickering about administration!

Regardless, education was our family’s love language.

But despite that foundation, my own path in education wasn’t a straight line. In high school, I was fortunate to take concurrent enrollment courses through Iowa Western Community College. Those classes opened doors for me as they were small, personal, and challenging. I still remember the faculty, Ms. Parrott, who took time to learn my name, push my thinking, and make me feel like I belonged in a college classroom.

And yet, like many students, I felt pressure to jump directly into a four-year university experience. I enrolled at the University of Iowa — a great institution, no doubt — but one where I quickly found myself adrift. In giant lecture halls, I was more of a number than a name. I lost confidence, direction and most importantly, my spark.

Looking back, I wish I’d continued my education at a community college.

That lesson stayed with me, and it fuels my leadership today. I know firsthand how easy it is for students, especially first-generation college students, rural students, working parents, or career changers, to feel invisible in large colleges and universities. I know how critical it is to have spaces where they can be supported, celebrated, and known.

That’s what community colleges do.

They offer more than affordability — they offer belonging. They offer the same academic rigor as other higher ed institutions, but also flexibility, relevance, and connection. Community colleges meet students where they are and help them get to where they want to go, whether that’s a career, a bachelor’s degree, or a better life for their families.

Here at Iowa Valley, we serve students from all backgrounds including high schoolers earning college credit, adults retraining for new careers, new Iowans learning English, and lifelong learners pursuing new passions. We serve veterans and working parents. We believe every one of our students deserves the chance to improve their lives in the way they see fit.

April is Community College Month. But for me as an educator, a daughter, a sister, and a once-lost student who eventually found her way, it’s more than a celebration. It’s a love letter. A love letter to my parents, who taught me the value of education, and a love letter to the community colleges that allow every student to see their potential.