In 2015, the report Hunger to Learn: Addressing Food and Housing Insecurity Among Undergraduates surveyed 4,000 students at ten community colleges across the country and determined that more than half of all community college students struggle with food insecurity. Unlike hunger, food insecurity is being unable to access enough affordable and nutritious food regularly. Once knowledge of this research reached the BTC community, a committee assembled to assess our students’ needs. 

In 2018, George S. Parker and the Parker Family Foundation created the Nancy B. Parker Nursing Scholars Program at Blackhawk Technical College. The Parker Foundation made an initial gift of $250,000 to establish the program with a commitment to donate an additional $250,000 based on a challenge match to the local community. In total, this is a $1,000,000 investment into students and the community.

When you find yourself unable to log in, when your computer gives you the blue screen of death, when you struggle to boot up your classroom, who do you call? Well, when you reach for the phone or zoom into a help session, you’re talking to a member of Carrie Arnold’s crack IT team.

When you ask Victoria Bailey what she’s doing at Blackhawk, she doesn’t hesitate to say, “I am in the criminal justice program. I am going to be a police officer.”

Growing up, Victoria encountered police more than any young woman should. Every spring, her father would relapse into manic episodes due to his Bipolar Disorder. These manic episodes would require police intervention to help protect the family and transport him safely to in-patient treatment until he got stable. The police represented safety to her and her family.

When Amy DeGraw was interviewing for a job as a computer animator with Pixar Animation Studios, little did she ever suspect that she would find herself spearheading the Central Service Technician program, a new certificate option at Blackhawk Technical College. A glimpse into what her life would become in a world of impossible deadlines, forced creativity, and 18 hour days led her to step away from what she always thought was her dream career to pursue a different craft.