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From a young age, Alex Willacker knew exactly what he wanted to do for his career, he wanted to be an accountant.  While attending North Central State College, he honed his skills while his passion grew stronger. Now he is working his dream job as an accountant at RS Hanline, a multi-million dollar company in Shelby, Ohio.   The RS Hanline Company is one of the largest produce distributors in the Eastern United States providing ready to eat and packaged produce to some of the most reputable food service, retail, food manufacturing and wholesale distribution companies across the U.S.

Willacker’s passion for numbers began long ago.  In 8^th grade, he had an opportunity to be a job shadow for a CFO of a company in Galion. “I shadowed him one day,” Willacker explains.  “We had a great time chasing receipts and looking for numbers.  I knew I always wanted to do something math-related.  It made it easy for me because when I began high school, I already knew I wanted to be an accountant.”

During his senior year at Colonel Crawford High School, Willacker learned about the College Credit Plus (CCP) program at North Central State College. CCP allows high school students who are college-ready to enroll in college classes while in high school.  Coming to NC State College was a great decision for him.  “I was grateful to be able to live at home while I got my degree at NC State,” he says.  “I also saved a great deal of money.  Some of my friends were attending a large four-year college and paying up to $35,000 a year.  Instead, I chose to stay close to home and take classes full-time, saving me thousands.”

It was classes like managerial accounting that helped him prepare for his future career. “I liked learning about the cost side of things,” he explains.  “In the classroom, the instructors make the assignments as realistic as possible and it was like being in the actual workplace.”

In 2012, Willacker graduated with his associate degree in accounting.  After graduation, he decided to continue his education by transferring to Franklin University as part of the 3 + 1 agreement, which allows students to complete their bachelor’s degree by taking additional classes at the Kehoe Center in Shelby or online.

Between obtaining his associate degree and bachelor’s degree, Willacker became a father.  He realized he needed to find a job to help support himself and his daughter.   “My daughter was born three weeks before my senior year of college.  That made it really tough, but thankfully I was able to take classes online,” he says.  “It was really convenient because I was still delivering pizzas at night so I could wake up in the morning, sit at the table and get my homework done.”

“After graduation, I went to interviews in Bucyrus, Marion, Mansfield…all over the area!  Those interviewing me said I was a great person, but I lacked experience.  I started to get discouraged, I thought I may have to go to a bigger city like Columbus to find an accounting position,” he explains.  Soon after, he heard about a position opening at RS Hanline in Shelby. “Thankfully they were looking for someone with a clean slate, and willing to learn about how they operate.  So, it worked out great.  I was hired.”

Willacker is responsible for accounts payable for five of the 11 companies RS Hanline operates.  “They treat me incredibly well here.  There is room for me to grow as a person and a professional.  With all of the new companies, I can’t even imagine where we are going to be five years from now.”

Sometimes we get the most out of life by not helping ourselves but by helping others.  It is that motto that makes Alyssa Long, a criminal justice major, excited about getting her associate’s degree at North Central State College.

As a single mom and a full-time employee at the Crawford County Jail, she is well aware that life does not always go as planned. “Life got complicated once I had my daughter,” Long explains.  “But at 26 years old, I decided to go back to school.”

“I was a toddler when my mom also got her associate degree at NC State College,” Long said.  “My mom brought me to class a couple of times because she needed to and the professors got me crayons and stuff to do to keep me occupied.  The professors did everything they could to keep my mom going, and I appreciate and remember what they did for us.”

Long chose the online criminal justice degree.  “North Central State College was the right track for me to take,” she said.  “I was looking at graduation rates and saw how excellent they are here.”  In addition, that is where Long has her eyes, on the prize, to graduation.

However, that is not the only goal she has in sight.  She is passionate about helping others and has experience working with human trafficking victims.  Long wants to make a difference in the community.  “Right now there are so many young teens in Richland County that are known runaways.  However, it’s important for law enforcement to look into human trafficking as well.  It’s real and I want to help be a part of the solution,” Long admits.

Long credits instructor, Anne Strouth for helping her along the way.  “I found the job I currently have at the jail because Anne posted it.  They needed two females and I was chosen as one of them,” she said.  “The classes that really opened my eyes were the juvenile delinquency and family violence classes.  At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if it’s child abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse.  It  normally steams from the same type of environment.”

Long continues to be an advocate for those who need it.  She will graduate in May 2020.

Degrees from North Central State can take you anywhere, even the happiest place on earth.  Chris Ebinger graduated from NC State in 2015 and now works as the engineering service manager at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.  He earned his mechanical engineering technology and integrated engineering technology degrees at the college, where he says he learned the analytical thinking skill set that he applies to any problem or obstacle that he encounters in his life and career.

Ebinger was already working in his field of study when he chose to advance his career.  “I was a journeyman industrial technician when I went back to school.  I took some technical classes for the program at MTD Products in the mid-’90s,” he explains.  “My wife and I decided skillset advance in my profession; I needed an edge over the competition.  The degrees I received at NC State gave me the leverage I needed not only to advance my career but aligned me for my career.”

In Ebinger’s current role, he manages a team of cast members that ensure that the attractions at Animal Kingdom are properly maintained and comply with all safety standards.  He also assists with troubleshooting problems with equipment and processes.  “Some of the attractions I oversee range from high energy roller coasters like Expedition Everest to the most highly rated entertainment venue, Festival of the Lion King,” he explains.  “Our goal is to make sure everyone that comes to Animal Kingdom will be able to enjoy all we have to offer and have a magical experience that will last a lifetime.”

While he was taking classes at North Central State College, Ebinger says the faculty was what he enjoyed most.  “I didn’t really have a favorite instructor, because all of the faculty members I had a chance to be involved with were outstanding,” Ebinger said.  “It was a very nurturing environment with most of the instructors or professors with “real-life” experiences and backgrounds in their field of study.  The teacher to student ratio gave great opportunities to be more engaged in the classwork.”

“Even though it had nothing to do with my field of study, the history class I took gave me a new perspective on how different cultures perceived the facts of the past,” Ebinger said.  “It taught me to look at a problem or event from multiple angles of perception to find the true meaning or root cause of the issue.”

For Ebinger, he believes that education was the tool he needed to get him to his current position.  He believes everyone should take the chance to further his or her education.  “Always keep education in your life,” he said.  “Degrees are not the endpoint, but rather milestones tracking the progress you make in the journey of life.  Never settle for less.”

Lauren Deese has already landed her dream job before graduation, but she couldn’t have done it without first experiencing classes at North Central State College.

Deese recently moved to Ohio from Florida, where she met her fiancé.  She chose NC State because of the smaller class sizes and affordability.  “I grew up in a small town in Florida.  When I moved here, I heard great things about North Central State,” Deese says. “With my immediate family so far away, I feel like I’m coming to my second family when I come to class.  The faculty and staff have really opened their ears and hearts to their students.”

“I have been able to grow such strong relationships with my instructors. If I need a little encouragement or wisdom they are there for me.”

One of the instructors that made a profound difference in Deese’s life is Paula Waldruff, the career pathway coordinator.  Along with her full-time position, she is an adjunct faculty member teaching a marketing class.  “She is a wonderful instructor,” Deese exclaims.  “Because of the skills and knowledge I gained in Mrs. Waldruff’s class, I got a job opportunity that I’ve always wanted.”

Deese recently accepted a position at Spire Advertising in Ashland as a sales coordinator.  She is also finishing her associate degree in marketing at NC State College.  “The classes in marketing have really helped me with time management, which is so important when you are a student and an employee at a business,” Deese explains.  At her job as a sales coordinator, Deese meets with local businesses throughout Richland, Ashland, and Wayne counties.  “I wouldn’t have been able to get this position without my education at NC State.”

Deese plans on graduating with her marketing degree next semester.