Des Moines Area Community College recently issued the following announcement.
Saenz Will Work to Remove Barriers so that Perry Area Students Can Complete Education After High School
- Saenz will Provide Career Readiness While Meeting Workforce Needs of the Local Perry Community
- Saenz will also Continue to Advise Adult Students at the VanKirk Career Academy in Perry
- The Local Program Has Been Titled Future Ready Perry
The goal of LCANs is to increase postsecondary education rates and create a college-going culture in communities across Iowa. This supports the Future Ready Iowa goal that 70% of Iowans will have an education beyond high school by 2025. The VanKirk Career Academy received a five-year grant to use the collective impact framework that brings leaders together from all sectors of the community to increase college readiness, higher college enrollment, and develop a work-ready population. The local program has been titled Future Ready Perry.
As LCAN Coordinator, Saenz will be developing a cross sector team of local community leaders to collaborate and promote a college-ready culture. The goal is to provide for career readiness while meeting workforce needs of the local Perry community. In addition to serving as the DMACC LCAN coordinator, Saenz will continue to advise adult students at the VanKirk Career Academy.
“No single organization can tackle the educational challenges alone. Connie’s experience as a GEAR UP Advisor, her two years with DMACC, and her relationship-building skills make her the perfect candidate to bring together leaders to help tackle some of these challenges.” said Eddie Diaz, Site Director at the VanKirk Career Academy. “We would like to acknowledge the help we received from Perry Economic Development, the City of Perry, Perry community schools and our funder, Iowa College Aid in obtaining this grant.”
Anne Thomas from Iowa College said Saenz will be a welcomed addition to the Perry community.
“We at Iowa College Aid are really excited to support Future Ready Perry through an LCAN grant, Thomas said. “We feel like this could serve as a model for LCAN in addressing the intersection between higher education and workforce needs.”
Saenz is a graduate of the University of Denver with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. She obtained a Master’s in Business Administration degree from Purdue University. In the field of education, Saenz served as the College Access Counselor at Perry High School leading the GEAR UP program. She joined the DMACC at Perry VanKirk Career Academy staff in 2020 as a part-time Academic Advisor for adult students.
“I’m a big believer that college is for everyone and that’s exactly what this initiative does; it bridges the gap between high school and postsecondary education,” Saenz said. “By helping them prepare, we make it possible for students to reach their college and career goals.”
Saenz said one of the first items she intends to tackle is building a leadership team to implement the collective impact framework championed by LCAN.
Saenz can be reached at 515-428-8100 or caoliversaenz@dmacc.edu.
Original source can be found here.
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