EICC Success Stories

Inspiring stories from our community.

Turning Dreams into Reality: Pedro Gomez's EICC Success Story

January 22, 2024

Struggles in life are real, but when you couple a dream, hard work, education, and a never-ending stream of inspiration, a new path appears, as it did for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges’ (EICC) graduate Pedro Gomez ‘06.

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Breaking Barriers: Jennifer Solis Takes a Giant Leap Towards Her Legal Career

September 1, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

Jennifer Solis is one step – really, two years – closer to a degree in criminal justice and her future career as an immigration attorney.

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From Cancer Diagnoses to Commencement: Briana Hesse's Resilient EICC Graduation Story

August 18, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

Briana Hesse knows the vital role support and encouragement play when striving to reach a goal. And she got lots of it, at home and at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC).

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Rekindling Learning: Crystal Forest's Vet Tech Degree Pursuit at EICC

August 18, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

There’s always more you can learn and do, even if it’s in a field in which you already hold some expertise. The desire to do just that is what spurred Crystal Forest to return to the classroom after 20 years and earn a third college degree.

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Turning Passions into a Degree: Gunter Schlueter's Success Story from EICC's Graphic Arts Program

August 18, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

Gunter Schlueter found more than a path to a degree at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC), he found so many opportunities to excel.

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A Father's Motivation: Ronald Epping's Pursuit of a Culinary Arts Degree

August 18, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

Words sparked action, and what followed for Ronald Epping was a great achievement and a great example for his children.

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Seizing opportunities leads to many rewards for first-generation MCC graduate

August 10, 2023 | Dawn Neuses

Fernando Carrillo is an expert at embracing new opportunities and the unexpected rewards that follow.

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EICC Empowers Grad to Think Globally

March 8, 2023 | Nicole Eastern

TRIO is a nearly 60-year-old set of federal programs designed to help America’s low-income and first-generation college students gain access to and complete their higher education.

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Woman in Charge

March 17, 2022 | Griffin Wagner

EICC graduate finds success in Supply Chain program Karen Bell is a busy woman. As a manager for Promotion Fulfillment Center, a local product fulfillment and promotional services company, she’s on the go 24/7. “We’re a third party center,” she said. “Clients send their inventory and we ship it out. We work with leading brands…

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Voices of Diversity

March 17, 2022 | Griffin Wagner

Bridging social understanding, cultural awareness and inclusivity With a geographic area reaching more than 120 miles from north to south and multiple learning sites, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges features a vibrant combination of urban and rural landscapes. This creates an incredible diversity of ages, ethnic backgrounds, experiences and cultures among our students and the communities…

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