When Mackenzie Glass realized she wanted to be a teacher, she seized every opportunity to gain experience working with children. She joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters program while attending Brookside High. During her junior year she began working at Kiddie Kollege, a local preschool and daycare.

“I have always loved kids and want to impact their lives positively for as long as I can,” Glass says. “Working at Kiddie Kollege has allowed me to see multiple different age groups and I also am able to explore my options for the future.”

Knowing what she wanted to do early in life helped Glass get ahead on her education. Through LCCC's Career Technical Education Partnership program, Glass completed a semester worth free college credit while she was in high school. When it came time for higher education, her choice was clear. After graduating from Brookside in 2019, Glass enrolled at LCCC to earn her associate degree in education.

 

 

“I chose LCCC because it’s a college close to home and I’m not paying all the extra money for the same education,” she says.

Being at LCCC also allowed Glass to continue working full time while earning her degree, which was important to her.

“Working while in school allowed me some time away from home and helped me pay for college,” Glass says.

Kiddie Kollege was also a place where Glass could put her classroom learning into practice.

“My education has made me a better preschool teacher;  it has taught me how to write lesson plans,” says Glass.

Beyond working and attending school full time, Glass emerged as a leader on LCCC’s track team. The team, along with its coach, Jim Powers, turned into another driver for success.

“Coach Powers was always checking our grades and made sure if we needed any help he would help us get the help we needed,” Glass says. “He was by far my best coach, he’s always is there for his athletes.”

Glass has graduated but isn’t leaving campus. This fall she’ll attend Ashland University through LCCC’s University Partnership to earn her bachelor’s degree in education. And given her success at LCCC so far, Glass is confident in her next journey.

“I discovered how to juggle school and cross country on top of a full-time job,” Glass says. “It made me learn I can do more than I thought.”