Normandale graduate Benjamin Mattson sees a future in communications.
At this stage in his life, Benjamin Mattson says he doesn't have a dream job in mind.
What he does have, however, is a firm sense that it will involve a career in the
communications field, possibly in public relations or sports broadcasting. He credits his
Normandale experience with helping him focus on those realms.
Growing up, he was always interested in sports--baseball, football, and basketball, in
particular--but he says he never had a firm idea of what he would do with his life. Before
starting at Normandale, he considered learning a trade, but that changed when he got to
the college. As he took classes and participated in group projects, he began to understand
the value and power of clear communication. "One instructor at Normandale, Jennifer
Isaac, helped me a lot by getting me interested in communications," says Mattson. "She
helped me decide to stick with it."
And he has. Today, Mattson is a student at the University of Minnesota's College of
Liberal Arts, where he is pursuing a communications major with a political science minor.
As Isaac and other instructors were inspiring him, Normandale's student support services
were helping him find the right classes and stay on track to transferring to the U. They
also opened the doors to volunteer activities with the elderly at Martin Luther Manor, a
short- and long-term care facility in Bloomington. "The instructors and staff at
Normandale really want you to succeed," he says.
While he's still not set on a future career, he's confident that he's on the right track. He
also has the right attitude for long-term success in any job field. "I really want to have a
career that I can have fun with--something I know that I'll really enjoy doing," he says.
dream job
PATRICKKELLY
The Normandale Theatre Department and the Phi Theta Kappa
international two-year-college honor society teamed up this spring around
the Theatre's production of Nickel and Dimed, a play based on a book by
best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich. Phi Theta Kappa's Honor Study
Topic, "The Paradox of Affluence," was used to shape the activities they
planned to help draw attention to the play and its primary question: How
can an individual survive when he or she is earning the minimum wage?
An inspirational book
The inspiration for the project was Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting
By in America, Ehrenreich's New York Times bestseller. In February, Phi
Theta Kappa led two campus workshop discussions on the book,
exploring its purpose and holding an open discussion about issues related
to minimum-wage jobs, real-life stories, and economic changes taking
place around the world.
Normandale gives back
Students and community residents were offered multiple other ways to
participate in the project. Phi Theta Kappa held a two-week-long canned
food collection throughout Normandale's campus and the Bloomington
area in mid-February. All collected items were donated to Volunteers
Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP), a local nonprofit agency.
People also could enter a drawing upon donating a can of food while
purchasing a ticket to the production of Nickel and Dimed. Three lucky
winners received a copy of Ehrenreich's book after the last performance
of the play, which ran from March 4-7 in Normandale's Fine Arts
Theatre.
Spreading
awareness
The college also hosted a
trio of guest speakers
representing different
aspects of the project:
Nickel and Dimed play
director Kathleen Bagby
Coate; Kim Dickey, an
employer liaison from
Minnesota's Dislocated
Worker Program; and
Susan Freeman, VEAP
agency representative.
All three spoke from a
local perspective about
how their work is related
to minimum wage and
unemployment, along with the importance of education.
"The project was a great opportunity for students to get involved" says
Gabrielle Jurcyte, a Normandale student and Phi Theta Kappa public
relations representative. "The intent was to spread awareness to youth
and motivate them to make wise choices when voting for lawmakers and
economic policies--which is extremely important in these economically
tough times."
Maximum Focus
How can you make it on the minimum wage in today's world?
A Normandale event explores answers to that question.
5www.normandale.edu
KARLACASPARI

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