In recognition of April’s National Community College Month, Angela Doermann proves it is never too late to invest in education

Getting lost in family life is easy to do!  Juggling various school-sponsored activities, sporting events and handling day-to-day household chores can have anyone feel like they are lost in the shuffle.  But, no matter where you are in life, you can always change something to make it better – and sometimes those changes happen when you least expect them.

A chance encounter with a college instructor while shopping brought Angela Doermann back to where her nursing career began and took her in an exciting new direction.

The graduate of Illinois Valley Community College’s nursing and certified nursing assistant programs recently had a “full circle” moment, returning to the same campus, this time as a CNA instructor. Learning of the vacancy on her shopping trip that day sparked her imagination, and she decided it was time to change gears.

Doermann’s journey is a testament of the power of community colleges in transforming lives.  She wanted to share her passion for caring for people. “All my life I have always cared for family members and always had a passion for taking care of people. I really enjoy the medical field, helping figure out what is wrong and helping them to get better.”

Nursing also runs in the family, and several cousins work in the profession -- including Amber Robertson, an IVCC nursing instructor. “The women in my family are strong-willed personalities who want to succeed in a career and are passionate about caring.”

Throughout her nursing career, she had worked in local hospitals and sheltered workshop settings, but also enjoyed being a school nurse at a junior high. “I love the school setting! There is just something about working there,” she said.

Before then, she had been a stay-at-home mom to her four children, a period she still treasures. “I was fortunate to spend that time with my kids. I did all the wonderful fun things stay-at-home moms get to do!”

As her children grew, she enrolled in nursing prerequisite classes at IVCC. “Being an older student going to school was a challenge,” she recalled.

Studies competed with her children’s athletic schedules and a family crisis as her mother became ill. “I spent many nights in the intensive care unit with my mom, studying, or sitting in the outfield at my boys’ games with books, studying.”

Between classes on the main campus, she spent hours working with writing tutors at the Ottawa Center, a real convenience for a mom with children at home. “I was pretty nervous about that first paper. They proofread and helped me brainstorm. I felt like I learned a lot and they took the pressure off writing papers.”

Back in the classroom on her first day of teaching, she drew on her experience as a trainer, a role that had exposed her to learning styles and personalities. “You think you know what it will be like, but when you actually stand in front of a class with all eyes on you – that is a little scary!” she recalled.

Becoming a college instructor placed her in familiar territory at Ottawa Pavilion, the nursing home where she had done her own clinicals and where her CNA class was assigned for hands-on clinical rotation. In that setting, students practice what they learned in the classroom and prepare for the role they would take in the job.

She returned to the facility looking through an instructor’s eyes. Not only was she there to teach skills, but to coordinate the care of residents she paired with her students.

She enjoyed watching her students grow over the eight-week course. “The first day they were scared, and by the end, they were sad to leave. They got attached to the residents and comfortable with the facility. I watched them grow confident in themselves.”

March brought her second eight-week class and a chance to start over with a new group of students, where she will build on what she learned with the first class. She wants to try team-building exercises to cement a bond early and plans to keep passing out chocolates to celebrate the end of a successful day.

Doermann enjoys building relationships with her students. “You go in as an instructor, but you turn into a mentor. And you never know, you might meet them again as a co-worker. My instructors at IVCC left an impression, and I want to carry that on. I’m excited to be part of someone’s successful career!”

Illinois’ 48 community colleges touch lives, communities, economies and wallets. They prepare people for college, for transfer to other colleges or universities, and for good paying jobs that demand high skills. They provide adult literacy and continuing education services, and they transform lives, as IVCC did in Angela Doermann’s case.

Although any time is a good time to get to know IVCC, now is a great time! Not only is April “Community College Month, but IVCC’s campus is bustling with annual events sure to appeal to just about any interest. Here are just a few: Explore IVCC Open House, the MIMIC (Make Industry Meaningful in College) Fair, the Spring Musical and music concerts, a regional student art show, and SciFest. You can find out more about these events at ivcc.edu or about community colleges by visiting the Illinois Community College Board website at https://www.iccb.org/system-information/.