Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne’s Hospitality Administration students are cooking up another lunch series open to the community at Coliseum Campus (3800 N. Anthony Blvd.). It’s an opportunity for students to get real-world experience in a professional restaurant atmosphere.
The dates and their respective lunches are as follows:
Apr. 13 – Greece & Turkey
Apr. 20 – Korea & Japan
Apr. 27 – South & Central America
May 4 – India (buffet-style)
Seating times are available in 15-minute intervals from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. for $20 per person. Guests must reserve their spot beforehand. Lunches are limited to 40 people, so those interested will need to RSVP as soon as possible by visiting link.ivytech.edu/lunchseries.
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne is hosting an Instructor Recruitment Fair at the Keith E. Busse Steel Dynamics, Inc. Technology Center on Apr. 12 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. looking to attract passionate, part-time educators.
At the event, attendees can learn more about available adjunct faculty opportunities and what it’s like to work for Ivy Tech. Programs in need include Engineering Technology, Advanced Automation and Robotics Technology, Machine Tool Technology, HVAC, and many more. Previous teaching experience isn’t required if individuals are skilled and knowledgeable in their field.
Benefits to being an adjunct faculty member include:
Flexible schedules (work as little as 10 hours per week, starting at one class per session)
Earn extra cash
Inspire the future generation of an industry by sharing first-hand knowledge and experience
For questions about the event, contact Tracy Davis at tdavis457@ivytech.edu or call 260-480-2016. Those interested in attending can RSVP by visiting link.ivytech.edu/TEACH.
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne is hosting a Health and Wellness Fair on Wednesday, Apr. 5 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Life Center Gym (3701 Dean Dr.). Students, employees, and the public are invited to learn about community wellness resources available to them and win prizes.
Several local vendors attending include:
Allen County Homeland Security
American Red Cross
Bowen Center
Fort4Fitness
Positive Resource Connection
YMCA
Many more!
All attendees can enjoy a free salad bar and enter to win Fitbit prizes. Plus, Ivy Tech’s Massage Therapy program will be participating with chair massages and nursing students will perform BP screenings.
Pre-registration is encouraged. Those interested can visit link.ivytech.edu/healthfair2023 for more information and to RSVP.
Alumni, friends of Ivy Tech Community College, and all Hoosiers can help the College develop a new generation of leaders by contributing to Ivy Tech Day, the College’s first-ever Day of Giving on Apr. 11.
Starting at midnight on Apr. 11 – for 24 hours – people everywhere can support the College’s 19 campuses, including Ivy Tech Fort Wayne and Warsaw, and the 150,000 students in Indiana who are building brighter futures for themselves and for those around them. The goal is to reach 600 gifts in celebration of the College’s 60th anniversary.
“Our campus has a mission to help our students create a better tomorrow for themselves and their communities,” says Beth Clemens, Ivy Tech Fort Wayne & Warsaw Director of TRIO Student Support Services. “The first-ever Day of Giving is a new opportunity for us to come together with the community and develop more resources to guide our students on a path towards success.”
Ivy Tech Day is part of the Foundation’s 5-year, $285 million campaign. Leading up to the Day of Giving, the Foundation will share stories of impact across the College with the community that capture how Ivy Tech is changing the lives of Hoosiers across the state. Participants can give to the College through the Ivy Tech Foundation by visiting ivytech.edu/giveday.
Ivy Tech, founded on March 15, 1963, is the largest singly accredited community college in the U.S. and has been an indispensable lifeline to Indiana communities for 60 years:
8 of 10 people who graduate from Ivy Tech do so without student debt
93% of graduates stay in Indiana to work in industries that help drive the state’s economy
$3.9 billion is contributed annually from the College to Indiana’s economy – including a net impact of $3.6 billion from alumni alone
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne invites area high school students to Go Ivy Day on Apr. 14 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Student Life Center. At Go Ivy Day, students can learn about campus life and opportunities at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne.
Activities include a free lunch and allow participants to:
Explore degree and certificate programs
Meet with faculty
Tour campus
Meet current and other prospective Ivy Tech Fort Wayne students
Learn about scholarships and financial aid
And so much more!
Students can sign up for the event at link.ivytech.edu/ivyday. Pre-registration is required to get a free lunch.
Taunts from boys wouldn’t phase Lea Gamble when she walked into her high school engineering and construction classes. Two degrees and seven years in the construction field later, she’s living a full life and making her impact in local architecture equipped with tools she earned from Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne.
“In the beginning, it was definitely a struggle being a young girl in construction,” Gamble says. “A lot of women end up having to work a lot harder just to earn respect on the job site.”
Lea Gamble, BIM Technician at Moake Park Group & Ivy Tech Fort Wayne alumna
Gamble started her career with a general contractor when she was just 20 years old. She says getting the respect she has now took time, but after several years in the local industry, she’s built a network and garnered a well-deserved reputation. Whatever pushback she’s seen in the past, she says she didn’t experience any of that during college.
“Everyone at Ivy Tech was very accepting.”
Ivy Tech introduced itself to Gamble through her high school classes. She says it attracted her because it offered everything she wanted to do and was close to home. It was after her experience meeting with a professor at Go Ivy Day that she decided to commit.
“I liked how a lot of it was hands-on learning and small class sizes. And all of the instructors had real-world experience. Many of them had second jobs, so they could actually teach us things that they have learned first-hand.”
She also values the connections she made with her classmates and professors, many of whom she still speaks to today. She says former Building Construction Management program chair Jim Brunson continued to be a mentor to her after graduation, and she’s still in contact with adjunct Design Technology instructor Richard Washburn.
With all the support in college, Gamble graduated with an associate’s degree from the Construction Management program in 2016. That’s when she went to work for a general contractor for four years before going back to finish out Ivy Tech’s Design Technology program. This allowed her to see the more technological side of the industry and led her to her current career with Moake Park Group.
“I still love the construction side of things, and that’s still very much a part of what I do, but I’m also able to bring the technology part that I love into the mix as well.”
Working as a BIM (Building Information Modeling) Technician, Gamble not only gets to create 3D models based on a building’s structure but also showcases how a space can be used. Her current work focuses on educational institutions with projects ranging from something small like planning a secure entry for an elementary school to building an entire new school.
In the future, she hopes to focus on more sustainable construction. Last year, she became an LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Associate which can help advance her career in the green building industry. Right now, she’s studying for the LEED AP BD+C— the next step in LEED credentialing— and hopes to take that exam this year.
In case you missed it, March 5-11 was Women in Construction Week. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women make up nearly 11% of the construction industry, and that number is growing. Gamble is passionate about the work she does and offers this advice to any woman seeking a similar path:
“Don’t let anybody stop you from doing what you want to do. Especially when you’re in high school, what somebody else says is not going to matter five, ten years from now.”
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne will host a 21st Century Scholars Sign Up event on Mar. 25 at its Coliseum Campus (3800 N. Anthony Blvd.).
At the event, students can complete their 21st Century Scholars requirements to maintain their eligibility for their scholarship. All students will be able to explore local college options, and seniors can file their FAFSA.
To meet the needs of each student more effectively, times vary by grade:
Grades 7-8: 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Grade 9: 11 a.m. to Noon
Grade 12: 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Representatives from the Commission for Higher Education, Ivy Tech Community College, and community volunteers will be available to assist students. For more information about the 21st Century Scholars requirements visit learnmoreindiana.org/scholars.
In just over a month, hundreds of students across Indiana will be showcasing the skills of their chosen trade in the SkillsUSA state competition happening at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Apr. 14-15. Getting to the state level is no easy feat, and dozens of local students recently competed for a chance to snag a spot at state during two different regional competitions at Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne.
“SkillsUSA is a trifecta of educators, business and industry leaders, and students working together to close a skills gap we’re seeing nationwide,” says Kelley Baker, the Indiana State Director for SkillsUSA. “It gives students the chance to showcase their learned skills and allows them to network with professionals in their chosen trade.”
Through this national competition, middle school, high school, and postsecondary students can win scholarships and trips to competing locations to further develop their craft. SkillsUSA promotes skilled trade education throughout the US and works with WorldSkills International to shine a light on these individuals.
Students compete in the Automotive Service SkillsUSA competition at Ivy Tech Fort Wayne
Thirty-six high schoolers competed to see who has the skills needed to become an outstanding technician during Regionals for the Automotive Service category.
“The SkillsUSA program is a great opportunity for local high school students to show off their skill sets within the automotive trade,” says Nick Goodnight, Ph.D., assistant department chair of Automotive and Diesel Technology. “The automotive profession is a great industry to get in and creates a great career.”
The top five students of each regional competition move on to the next round. The winners were chosen based on how well they performed in the various categories. Students competed in skills like electrical soldering and meter usage, HVAC identification, automotive transmission and engine component identification and application, and braking and suspension systems diagnosis.
Automotive is just one of 88 trade areas that compete. Ivy Tech Fort Wayne also played host to the Baking and Pastry Arts competition. Snider High School and Anthis Career Academy Senior Celeste Julian placed second in the competition.
The culinary competition requires students to make clear soup, fabricate a chicken, cook chicken breasts, make sauces, and cook vegetables. Thirteen culinary students were competing, but only the top six move on to the state finals.
With any SkillsUSA competition, students have the chance to move from regionals to state to nationals and then possibly to worlds. The national competition for every program is happening June 19 through the 23 in Atlanta, GA.
Anyone interested in future competitions can visit the SkillsUSA website to see the exciting opportunities available. Again, this is open to middle schoolers, high schoolers, and postsecondary students.
From left: Island Scrubs owner Lynn Haffner and Dean of the School of Business, Logistics and Supply Chain and the School of Public Affairs and Social Services Eric Allmon
Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne recently received a donation of chef uniforms estimated to be worth $1500. Dozens of chef jackets, pants, aprons, and hats were included in the donation from Lynn Haffner, owner of Island Scrubs and Ivy Tech alumna.
“We are extremely grateful for the gifts from Island Scrubs,” says Aaron Parkinson, Program Chair of Hospitality Administration. “Because of their generosity, we have been able to provide several uniforms to students who have been unable to purchase their own.”
Haffner attended Ivy Tech Fort Wayne in the 90’s as part of the former Medical Assistant program. She took over Island Scrubs five years ago selling medical and culinary scrubs but decided last year to keep the store’s focus at its new location on medical. While she tried to figure out what to do with the extra culinary uniforms, she thought of her alma mater.
“Ivy Tech gave me a push to find out who I am and what I could do and really changed the trajectory of my life,” Haffner says. “30 years later, I realized there was an opportunity to pay it forward and help current students who may need extra assistance.”
When Helina Mcphail came late into her Automotive Technology class one day, she didn’t know she was in for a big surprise. Just the day before, a tire had blown out on her car—luckily, she was safe, but she started to worry about how to afford a replacement.
From left: Automotive Technology student Helina Mcphail and Belle Tire Director of Retail Operations Dustin Young
“I started joking about it with my classmates,” says Mcphail. “I was saying things like ‘hey, want to go fix my tire?’”
During class that day, Dustin Young the Director of Retail Operations at Belle Tire had been speaking about job recruitment for the various Fort Wayne locations. He happened to overhear Helina’s conversation with her classmates.
“He came over to me and was like, ‘you need a tire?’ Then next thing I know, I have two free tires.”
According to Young, they both went to check out the situation with Mcphail’s car. Upon further inspection, not only did they find one but two blown out tires. She explains that she had been driving on the rims of her tires due to an issue in alignment which caused quick wear and tear. Young ran over to the Lima Rd. Belle Tire location and paid for two new tires that he gave to Mcphail.
“When you’re a college student, you just have so much going on,” says Young. “We always try to help people out that need help, and thankfully I have the ability to go get some tires and give them to people that need them.”
Mcphail is now working to realign her tires to make sure the blow outs don’t happen again any time soon, and she positively beams as she remembers Young’s generosity.
“It was a blessing,” says Mcphail. “I was so thankful for it. It made my whole day.”
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