Profiles COTC Sept 2020
A trailblazing new partnership is forming in central Ohio that will build dreams and careers. Park National Bank, Habitat for Humanity-MidOhio and Central Ohio Technical College have collaborated to help some Licking and Franklin County residents change their future for the better by offering free education for in- demand careers. Through the new Build Your Dream; Build Your Career initiative, Habitat MidOhio homeowners and partner family members may choose to enroll at COTC in a certificate or degree program that will lead to an in-demand career at no cost or at a reduced cost. Short-term certificates, which can be completed in one or two semesters, are effective in significantly growing earning capacity because they are designed to get students started on a career path quickly. “We are dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty by working closely with our partner families to create decent and affordable housing with them, while also pointing them toward personal and professional growth opportunities,” explained Habitat MidOhio’s President and CEO E.J. Thomas. “Our partner families Newpartnership offers hope with free career training Mike Johnson had a motto: Always do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Perhaps that is why all of his children pursued careers protecting and caring for others. And they all began at COTC. “That (motto) transferred over to the career field I’m in. You have to maintain high integrity,” said Kyle Johnson, the eldest, who was named chief of the Fredericktown Police Department in October 2019. He completed his peace officer training at COTC in 2009, which set him on the path to the pinnacle of law enforcement near his hometown after spending a decade in the banking industry. “It was a drastic change for me, but from day one at the academy I loved every minute of it,” Kyle said about starting a new career in his 30s. “In policing there’s a very high expectation, and that stage was set very early on in the academy at COTC. The instructors expected it and demanded excellence, integrity and professionalism.” His sisters, Jackie Neighbarger and Sarah Vaida, completed the nursing program at COTC and each went on to earn a master’s degree and work as nurse practitioners. Neighbarger is employed at the Knox County Health Department while Vaida currently resides in New Hampshire. Mike’s legacy continues today at COTC with the Mike Johnson McDonald’s Scholarship. “He would help anybody. He would always give back, teach others,” said Brian Mortellaro, who established the scholarship in Mike’s memory after his unexpected death in 2015. “Education is the most important thing in the community to get everyone to a higher level. The more and easier access to education, the better the community.” Mike was employed for more than 20 years as a physical plant supervisor at Mortellaro’s McDonald’s, but the two were also close friends. The scholarship is very personal and purposely designed as well. It starts with COTC, where Mike’s children graduated. It is awarded to students in skilled trades The right thing SEPTEMBER 2020 Central Ohio Technical College PROFILES Watch our campus grow Once completed, the three-story, 60,0000 square-foot John and Mary Alford Center for Science and Technology will allow COTC and Ohio State Newark to expand academic programming, increase enrollment, enhance student success and better meet local workforce needs. This facility will pay tribute to the Alford’s incredible legacy of community involvement and support. Watch the progress here: (Continued on page 3) (Continued on page 3) go.cotc.edu/alfordlive
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