By Karlee Thompson
Lamp writer
SPRINGFIELD — As the end of the semester nears, Loggers’ futures are only beginning.
Students are not only anxious about summer, but their new life journeys as well. Many students are choosing to stay local longer, while others plan to go far from home. Student’s come from all different backgrounds with many different life and career paths in mind.
The Lamp recently caught up with five Lincoln Land student moving on this fall to find out where they’re going and what they liked about their time here.
Alyssa Koger
Alyssa Koger is a pre-health major at LLCC. She plans to go to Missouri Southern State University.
“I plan on becoming a labor and delivery nurse, but my ultimate goal is to become a Labor and Delivery travel nurse and travel the states,” Koger said.
While Koger is excited to get the rest of her education rolling, she had nothing but good to say about choosing Lincoln Land first.
“I think attending a community college benefitted me greatly. I saved money, got to live at home and eat home-cooked meals every night, and got a great education,” Koger said.
She said she chose her future school based on the fact that it is six hours from home and has a beautiful campus.
Ryan Larson
Ryan Larson is also going far from home after he finishes up his time as a Logger.
“I am going to the University of Central Florida,” Larson said. “My major at UCF will be entertainment management. This major focuses on PR as well as event operations, and the business side of the entertainment industry.”
Larson took classes at Lincoln Land that will help him excel in his studies at UCF and beyond.
When asking students, all mostly had the same views and reasoning behind choosing Lincoln Land as the first leg of their higher education path. Price and location were key. Students also said that being a logger was a good choice because they were saving money while figuring out what they wanted to do, along with still getting the college experience.
Larson added, “The affordability and quality education that you receive with professors that actually care about you. At LLCC, you are not just a number. You are a student with goals, and everyone at LLCC has been right by my side helping myself achieve them.”
Megan Aubuchon
Megan Aubuchon, a criminal justice major, plans on staying close to home still by going to University of Illinois Springfield. She was a part of the softball team and says she wishes Lincoln Land was a four-year university.
She had a helpful tip to those attending Lincoln Land: “Get to personally know your teachers and get involved.”
Her favorite part about being a Logger was being an athlete and making friends. Aubuchon has plans of using her criminal justice degree to become a law enforcement officer after she graduates from UIS.
Parker Ryan
Other students plan to further their education farther from home as well. Parker Ryan is looking into Purdue, Illinois State University or Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. He is looking for a school with a bigger campus, Greek life and intramural sports that he can become involved in. Ryan plans to pursue a degree as a physician’s assistant and get a job in the medical field after graduation. Lincoln Land wasn’t Ryan’s first choice as he attended Purdue for his first year then transferred to Lincoln Land to save money and get back on his feet for his second year.
Sean McRae
Sean McRae is also looking down the path of becoming a physician’s assistant. He is going to major in biology next fall at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
He wouldn’t have changed anything about his time at LLCC and offered a little advice: “Get involved, and don’t just come to class and go home, stay and make some connections.”
McRae was involved in the Honors Program at LLCC as well as the Quiz Bowl team. Making new friends from the Honors Program was his favorite part about his time at LLCC.
As these students and the rest of the Lincoln Land graduates spend their last weeks on campus others are still enjoying their time here. The biggest piece of advice students have to offer with choosing Lincoln Land is to get involved and make friends. Whether that be with sports, clubs or sticking around campus to make friends, students have a lot of opportunities here at Lincoln Land.
Community college offers a great education while saving so much extra money over attending a four-year university right after high school. Class sizes are small, the professors are personable and it’s all close to home. Loggers have a lot ahead of them whether they continue their education or head straight into the workforce. The choice is theirs.
Karlee Thompson can be reached at [email protected].
