Alumni

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

Travis Draeger is an excellent example of how a single class can change the trajectory of one’s career. “I originally thought I would be a political science major and maybe go to law school,” Travis explains. “At FVTC, I was taking general education classes that would transfer to UW, but then I signed up for

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

FVTC welcomed alumni Olivia Arreola, Valarie Schwartz, and Abby Frisk back to campus to help with the summer camp GirlTech. The camp empowers middle school-aged girls to explore occupations that are particularly emphasized in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), helping each participant discover their future education and career paths. All three women agree it

Like most people who work in aviation, Ashley Haase is all in. “Aviation is a passion job,” she says. “People love working in this industry. I love working in this industry.” Growing up, she recalls watching World War II documentaries and movies with her dad, developing a deep interest in the airplanes of that era. When

It’s all about safety first at Menasha Packaging As the Senior Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Menasha Packaging, Joe Lauer’s position involves many different responsibilities, but they all lead to the same goal of employee safety. Already in the workforce, Joe enrolled at FVTC as an adult student and completed the Safety Engineering Technology associate

Grad has impressive career journey as a journeyman tool & die maker Ben Rehme, journeyman tool and die maker at AriensCo in Brillion has been named the recipient of the Fox Valley Technical College 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award. Ben earned an associate degree in Industrial Welding in 2012. “In high school, I liked technical education classes but

Professional Communications grad exemplifies technical education Jessica Thiel (photo by Image Studios) Jessica Thiel, Editor of Insight Publications, has been named the recipient of the Fox Valley Technical College 2022 Outstanding Alumni Award. A 2016 graduate of the Professional Communications program, Jessica earned the award for demonstrating the value of technical education through career advancement, community service,

Holly Maas Holly Maas, an Evidence Technician for the Ashwaubenon Department of Public Safety, has been named the recipient of the Fox Valley Technical College 2021 Outstanding Alumni Award. A 2016 graduate of the Forensic Science program, Holly earned the award for demonstrating the value of technical education through career advancement, community service, continued personal and educational