On Friday April 5th, John Wood will be hosting JDUB Day!!!
It’s a perfect way to see if John Wood is the place for you!
By registering you will receive a free t-shirt along with interaction with current students, sample classes, lunch will be provided, and a whole morning filled with activities. AND a chance to see ME perform with the dance team along with the cheerleaders!
REGISTER HERE AT JDUB REGISTRATIONS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!
Being a first generation college student has been very difficult for me. My parents are both from Mexico and Spanish is their first language. In Mexico it’s not very common for students to earn their high school diploma and go to college. During my senior year at Quincy Senior High School while everyone knew exactly what school he or she were attending for college, I had no idea. Many times my parents would attempt to help me fill out paper work for college, but since the paper work was always in English they had trouble understanding exactly what I needed. So I had to do everything myself, I did not bother asking anyone for help. Next year I will be transferring to Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois and I am still having difficulty with the paper work and even though my parents cannot help me, I have been very lucky to have many people at John Wood who have volunteered to help so I can successfully transfer into Western Illinois University.
This past Saturday the John Wood Community Dance Team traveled to Canton, Missouri to attend a dance showcase held by Culver Stockton College. We did two of our previous dances, “Respect” and “ZZ Top.” Although it was very small it was awesome seeing what the other teams have been working on! It was a great experience and I hope we’ll be able to attend many more in the future!
My senior year of high school, my thought process about college was very different then what it is now. Many seniors in high school have the idea in their head that they have to leave their hometown and jump right into a four-year university. I was one of those students who did not want to attend any school in Quincy and chose to attend Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) my freshman year of college. Little did I know how expensive college was and how homesick I would be. I successfully finished my freshman year at SIUE and made many new friends, along with many memories. During my stay at SIUE, I did not know my parents were struggling to pay for my tuition. Coming from a family of three siblings, it was difficult on my family especially when we only had my father’s income coming in. From day one my parents encouraged me to attend John Wood Community College (JWCC), but for the longest time I did not view JWCC as an option. It took me months to realize that it was a smarter choice to transfer from SIUE to JWCC for my sophomore year of college. It was very difficult for my to adjust to the idea that I would be taking a step back instead of a step forward. There was a huge difference with SIUE and JWCC. I was very involved in my high school (Quincy Senior High School), so coming from a school where I grew up with almost everyone to a University where I knew no one was difficult for me to get used to. After I transferred from SIUE to JWCC, I began feeling comfortable with my decision. I knew many of the people that attended JWCC and unlike SIUE, my advisors cared about my future. I took a step forward towards my future by attending JWCC, instead of taking a step back like I thought it would. Now, I could not imagine being any where but JWCC for my sophomore year of college.
I love getting involved in my school! And I couldn’t think of a better way then by trying out for the 2012-2013 John Wood Community College Dance Team. The day of try-outs were very scary. Even though I have been dancing for fifteen-years now, I still get nervous during performances and auditions. After waiting for about half an hour I made the team, along with nine other talented dancers! This has been Julie Porter and Maria Richmiller’s first year as the JWCC dance team coaches and they have been doing an AWESOME JOB! We also many times combine with the JWCC cheerleaders and their coach Alyssa Hummel. After spending so much time together we all became very close with each other and are always having fun when we are together. I couldn’t imagine a better group of girls to share this experience with. Try-outs for Cheerleading are coming up soon! And Dance Team try-outs will be this fall! Make sure you get involved before it’s too late!
This past weekend JWCC hosted the Region 24 Tournament, where the Trail Blazer Basketball season came to a close. Lincoln, Illinois Central, Danville, Lincoln Land, Parkland, John Wood, and Rend Lake all competed against each other to win the Championship title. While the John Wood Community College Trail Blazers were playing their hearts out on the court, the JWCC Dance Team and Cheerleaders came together and worked in the concession stand. All three games were very intense and even though we did not receive the Championship title, the basketball players did an amazing job and made me proud to be a TRAIL BLAZER!!!
Go trailblazers! We got us some school spirit!
