Christine Haba

CCC was my pipeline to success! I was so paralyzed with fear during my senior year of high school that by the time I graduated, I hadn’t even applied to any colleges. I couldn’t decide on a major and I was afraid to move away, so I applied to CCC to give myself a year to think about my future (hot tip: you need more than a year to plan your future). I ended up getting my Associate of Arts transfer degree in 2011 while working full- time and mixing up my classes between online and in-person. CCC introduced me to Bellevue University where I finished the majority of my business degree, but I lost motivation and never completed the general education requirements to graduate. It wasn’t until 2018 when I was working part-time at the CCC bookstore and CCC I decided I need to finish my degree.

Bellevue accepted CCC’s credits, so I took a few more classes to finally graduate. I loved my job as a Volunteer Coordinator in Adult Education and wanted to move upward eventually, so I decided to get my master’s degree while still working multiple jobs. In August of 2020, I graduated, and in November of 2020, I accepted a higher position with Adult Education in Grand Island. Now I get to help students across 25 counties realize their potential and dreams every day. My supervisor in Adult Education, Anne Cannon, saw true potential in me. She was a great mentor and catalyst to continuing my professional and personal development. I would never have finished my degree without her belief in me. Our Adult Education students are also a daily inspiration. They come from so many countries and have different stories, but they all have the common goal of bettering themselves. Some students want to learn English, and some want a second chance at getting their GED® but they all share a hope of a better life. They helped me realize it’s never too late to change your situation as long as you believe in yourself.