Focus 2025

When Brynn Drexler walks into the toddler room at Fox Valley Technical College’s Parent Child Center, a dozen tiny faces light up. As an Assistant Teacher, she spends her days with one-year-olds eager to learn, play and grow. “I love watching them grow every single day,” she says. “Seeing them pick up something new—it’s amazing

Gage Dawiedczyk didn’t set out to become a chef. At 14, he started out washing dishes at a local Appleton diner, just hoping to make a bit of spending money. But a few years later, a chaotic Friday morning changed everything. When two cooks walked out during the breakfast rush, the kitchen manager turned to

When Dave McFadden came to Fox Valley Technical College in 1974, he did not know he was about to spend the next 50-plus years helping shape one of the most respected fire protection programs in the Midwest. At the time, FVTC’s fire protection training was just getting started, “We had almost nothing,” Dave explains. “We

With the support of his family, the FVTC Clintonville Regional Center and his instructors, Gary Crawford not only earned his high school diploma, but he is also pursuing an IT career and is already employed in his field while he finishes his degree.

To address a workforce gap, Fox Valley Technical College launched a Surgical Technology associate degree program in the fall of 2022. When the first class graduated in the spring of 2024, Madelyn Sonn was proud to be a part of this historic moment. Less than one year in the workforce, Madelyn is a huge contributor to

It’s all about the tools. As an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics student, Kaiza Shepard will master more than 100 tools essential for inspecting and maintaining aircraft. “With tooling, you have to be super precise,” Kaiza offers. “We have tools that are calibrated at least yearly. We have tools called micrometers that are so specific that

Growing up in Pulaski, Lilly Dorn’s fascination with aviation was ignited by her uncle Mike. Flying with him in his Cessna 177B Cardinal introduced Lilly to a world of possibilities and sparked her passion for aviation mechanics. Kaiza Shepard of Appleton credits a family of pilots with stirring her interest in airplanes. Her grandfather and

Students Divinia Cosio and Henry Letsa are just two of the recipients of the annual FVTC Foundation Golf Outing.

In response to the ongoing paramedic shortage, Fox Valley Technical College has teamed up with several first responder agencies to create a new training program to address the workforce gap.