Dakota College at Bottineau

As a child growing up in Lakota, North Dakota, Mahalia Cruz knew she wanted to work in health care. “When I was 11, I wanted to be a pediatrician, but when I found out schooling takes an average of 13 years, I thought nursing would be a better fit,” said Mahalia. She enrolled in the nursing program at Dakota College at Bottineau in 2016, but her career goals soon took another path. “I got interested in the business side of health care, so I switched to the medical administrative assistant program. My ultimate career goal is to be a hospital administrator.”

Her grandmother’s garden and her mother’s many houseplants were the inspiration for a career in horticulture for Megan Goodell. “I knew I wanted to pursue horticulture after cannabis became legal in Colorado,” said Megan. “That caused a cultural shift with more people becoming interested in plants. They want houseplants and gardens, and with COVID-19 last year the whole industry saw a major boom.”

After settling in Willow City, Jessie started looking for nursing programs in the area and discovered the programs offered at Dakota College at Bottineau. “I was very blessed to have such a great resource nearby, almost as if it fell into my lap,” Jessie said. “The nursing instructors were very helpful because they encouraged us to learn as much as we could academically, and they also taught us the importance of a good bedside manner.”