Jay Pringle has his future mapped out. The Boissevain, Manitoba, Canada, resident is navigating that future with degrees from Dakota College at Bottineau. Pringle is currently completing an electrical apprenticeship on his way to earn a journeyman ticket. He started with a high school apprenticeship then returned to work with the same employer after three years at DCB. One day he plans to run his own business, where he’ll put his degrees in advertising and marketing and small business management to work. “I stayed at Bottineau for one more year and could get two more business degrees,” said Pringle. “I thought those would be the most useful for me in the future.” By opting to spend an extra year at DCB, Pringle was able to leave with all the schooling he’d need to eventually own a business.

“It’s funny you ask” might be Cody Brooks’ response to a question about how he landed his current role as a financial advisor. In an educational career that began at Dakota College at Bottineau, Brooks carried his credits on to Valley City State University to complete a Bachelor of Education, along with a minor in marketing. His first job out of college was teaching business education to high schoolers in western North Dakota. “When I was going to DCB, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do,” said Brooks. “I never saw myself as a financial advisor.”

A last minute decision led Tascha Livingstone to an experience at Dakota College at Bottineau she couldn’t be more thankful for. The Manitoba, Canada, resident, wasn’t sure about plans after high school. But today, after completing two years at DCB, Livingstone is already working a job she loves close to home.

For Chad Geisinger, his time at Dakota College at Bottineau was the perfect launching pad for an educational path he never thought he’d pursue. Now on his way to earn a master’s degree to practice as an acute care nurse practitioner, Geisinger didn’t always know that’s what he wanted to do. Thankfully, the two-year Associate Degree in Nursing program at DCB set him up for success.

Chloe Burt, 2022 Liberal Arts Associate in Science graduate is finding success in a transfer program from Dakota College. Chloe is very grateful for the experiences which made great memories of her time on campus. One of her favorite experiences is playing goal for the Ladyjack hockey team during its inaugural season. The team made it to the 2022 American Collegiate Hockey Association D2 National Championship tournament in St Louis, Missouri, where they were first runners-up. It is an amazing achievement for a brand-new athletic program.

Lacey Grade always knew she wanted to be a photographer, but it took a push from her grandmother to set her in the right direction. She got the education she needed for her career through the photography program at Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB), but not before a brief detour.

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. Following a childhood in Grand Forks and ten years in Colorado Springs, Megan moved to Rugby to live with her aunt and uncle, Helen and Rodney. “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.”

Lauren Mach’s passions are sports and teaching, and her education at Dakota College at Bottineau led her to a career in both fields. The Westhope native chose Dakota College at Bottineau because it allowed her to play basketball and softball and pursue a liberal arts degree, all while staying close to her family. “I took a few dual credit courses through DCB while in high school, and having a feel for what classes would be like also played a role in my decision,” said Lauren.

In the age of the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of healthcare workers around the United States are working around the clock and in harm’s way as they come to the aid of their patients. Two Dakota College at Bottineau graduates, Shania Brackenbury and Chad Geisinger, are among these everyday heroes on the Covid-19 front lines.

Vanessa Orlando knew she wanted to be a nurse after taking aptitude tests as a teenager. “It was clear that I loved science and was good at it, and that I was compassionate and empathetic,” Vanessa said. “So a career in nursing was an ideal choice for me.”

One thing is certain about Seth Serhienko, he knows numbers and understands them well. So much so, he is currently a member of the Widmer Roel accounting firm in Fargo, which has a great reputation for the work the company does. For Seth, he states that his place at Widmer Roel has a lot to do with Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) and the education he received there. “I learned a lot of life skills at DCB that continue to help me in my career today,” Seth said.