Hey, hey, hey. This is Lisa A. And you're listening to Who's That Star? On LCC Connect at Lansing Community College. Who's that Star Is a behind the scenes show where I sit down and talk with the employees at the college. This is an inside look at LCC where you will have a chance to learn about their passions, projects, what inspires them both at work and in their personal lives. I'm your host, Lisa Alexander. I'm so excited to get a chance to talk to all the people who make LCC great. This show is for you to get to know the people that work at Lansing Community College a little bit more and see what makes them tick. Are you ready? Okay, let's go see who's today's star on Who's That Star. Today we have the pleasure of having a lifelong Lansing local. She is from Bath, Michigan and attended Bath High School. After high school graduation, she then went to LCC where she was also a student athlete and her sport was softball. She transferred to MSU and earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Natural Resource Communication. She started at LCC 12 years ago as a part time support staff. She reports that she came to work at LCC during the recession and wanted to find her place in careers. This star stated that she worked under some amazing supervisors who helped her grow and discover her career path, which will be enlightening once you learn her role. She's worked her way up to an administrator in the center for Career and Academic Pathways. On a personal note, she describes herself as a busy sports mom. I describe her as an active and engaged parent who is devoted to her family. She's also a great team player. Okay everyone, are you ready to learn more about today's star? Today's star is Rebecca Sowa. Welcome Rebecca to Who's That Star.

Thanks, Lisa. You can call me Becca if you'd like.

Okay, thank you.

That way.

Yes, because I'm trying to be right. But I know you as Becca and that's gonna make this a lot easier for me to call you Becca. All right, Becca, I'm gonna get ready to ask your first question. Tell me how you got started at LCC.

Yeah, so I started my academic career here as a student, completed at msu. Had the fortune of graduating at the start of of the recession. I worked in industry for a little bit and then wanted to get closer to Lansing. Happened to kind of fall into the the position with career Services and kind of fell in love with it and have have transferred to different roles but always stayed in career Services.

Okay, what are some of the other roles that you had in career in employment services?

Yeah, so my first, my first role that I hired into was part time support for actually a grant. And then, you know, through time and learning and having supervisors and mentors that kind of pulled me along the way and gave me opportunities to get experiences, build skills, able to kind of move up. And I've worked on a couple different grants. I worked on the E Pathways grant, and then through different changes and retirements in our department, I've kind of absorbed a lot of roles to kind of get where I am now.

So tell me what your title is now in career Employment Services.

So I think my official title is internship Development Manager. But I handle most of like the employer relations for the department. So any external company who's looking to recruit or hire our students, I do all of our departmental events, manage our job board, manage the administrative functions of our department. So outside of seeing students one on one for career advising, I do most of the career services functions.

Yeah, I know you do quite a bit like. And it's very varied in regards to all the different tasks that you have to complete. I know one of the things that you did, and I wanted to shout you out about it was our career fairs that we've done since, I don't know, I can't remember. I've been a part of them, I want to say, probably for the last like five or six years. And when we had them in person, also the one that was virtual, I got really good responses from. But those ones that we had in person were stellar, you know, and I wanted to compliment you on that because we had so many employers that would come in and we so many students and how you set everything up because you logistically had to manage everything. And I was just like, man, this is a big deal and you made it run smoothly.

Yeah. You know, it's funny because when I started there wasn't like a large college community wide fair. And that was one thing that wasn't necessarily in my job description, but I wanted to do because I felt we needed it and kind of, you know, I like doing events, I like the planning aspect of it. And again, one of my supervisors was like, go for it, take it over. And gave me the freedom to run with it. And yeah, I don't, I don't know how long we've been doing it now, but it's, it's one of those things that I just said, hey, can we try this? And they said, absolutely, you know, go get it. And that's, that's what I did.

So do you actively, in your role, seek out like internships for departments or I mean, programs, or do instructors or department heads work with you to secure those type of things? How does that work?

Yeah, so it kind of depends on the students curriculum. Some of them have, you know, as, you know, that internship course component, not a lot of them do. So it works a couple different ways. We do a lot to promote the opportunities that we receive in terms of internships to the different faculty in the program areas, just to make students aware. Because, you know, completing an internship is important regardless of if you need it for credit or not. So I try to share it that way. But there are cases where students, you know, are enrolled in the class or they need to complete it and they may need some assistance locating that internship. And we do, you know, assist with that. But a lot of it is sharing it out to make sure students are aware that there's opportunities for them to gain that professional experience as a student.

So if a student was looking, because I know, like as an employee, I'll see that you send out emails talking about different jobs that employers have contacted you about and want to, you know, get student response. Like, is there a place that students can access that or does that go out? How does that work? Because I was always curious about how they found out.

So as a student and alum, as soon as, basically, as long as you have your LCC username and password, you can access student job link, which is LCC edustudentjob link. We post anything external in terms of jobs, internships, part time, full time, any employment opportunity that is not at LCC. So, you know, faculty, staff or student positions, we post those there. And then what we do because, you know, we try to share them as widely as possible. So those emails you get are, are just another avenue to say, hey, do you know, here's an accounting internship opportunity. Here's this opportunity.

So if we run into those students. Okay, got you. Yeah. Yep, that makes sense because I know, I think I volunteered one time before the pandemic to go because there were student trips too that you also kind of oversaw. And we got a chance. I think it was. Was it Jackson National? Yes, they had one that they went and set it out for the students. And I thought that was a nice way for students to get an opportunity to see what, you know, employers had to offer. Do you think that'll come back from, you know, since the pandemic and people.

Are starting to get out, you Know, I hope so. I know a lot of companies, larger companies, shifted to hybrid remote work themselves, but it, you know, I hope we can, in some capacity, get back to that, because I think there's just sometimes a lack of awareness of the opportunities available to students. You know, you maybe only think there's a few companies out there, but really, you know, you know, right here locally, there's a lot of opportunity, and there's a lot of really great physical spaces to work at. So just showcasing that, I. I do hope at some level we can get back to that. Will we get back to the Friday field trips? I don't know. You know, every Friday. But it was a fun experience, and a lot of students were really, I think, shocked to see how amazing some of these facilities are or the. Just the sheer amount of opportunity and career growth that a lot of these companies can offer.

Yeah, and that's. That's what I liked about it, because I felt like you don't know what you don't know. Right. And then when you get an opportunity to see what you can be exposed to and what the degree that you earn here can allow you to do or help get you into that direction, I think is great. So I really think you've done a really good job with the role in that you did.

Thank you.

The internship manager position. I think you really do a good job, even though I think it's way more duties as assigned. Yeah, exactly. That's a big, big part of it. Well, here's a question. It's like, in the future at LCC, if your name was tied to a process, a program, or anything else, what would it be? You know?

You know, I honestly would say nothing and not. Not that people with names on buildings or programs or processes or anything. Not. I'm not trying to downplay any of that, but that's just not who I am. You know, I don't strive to have my name being like, oh, Becca did this, that, and everything, because most of what you're going to do, and I think what we do here for, we don't do alone. Right. So maybe it was my idea or. We came up with a collaborative, and I was, you know, in charge of. Of getting something off the ground. It wasn't just me that, you know, you can't do anything alone, really. So I. Yeah, I guess I just. I don't have that aspiration to. To have something named after me or, you know what I mean? Because I think everything is just such a collaborative team effort.

Right.

That, you know, I don't know, I guess it's just not who I am.

No. And I. When I saw that answer and the question, I was. I liked it because I thought that, you know, that's not everybody's goal to have their name on some specific project or to be identified for specific deeds or tasks that they completed, but it's to be a part of the team and to work to help for the betterment of the students. And I really think that you do that well. I think you always are there to help when someone asks you to do that. And so I liked it. And I think that, you know, that's okay. Everybody doesn't have to try to strike out and have their name on everything or, you know, do this and that. So I like the question and I like your answer. So that's why I wanted to ask you that. But we know that you do a lot of work for LCC and you enjoy what you do, but what is life for, like, for you outside of LCC?

Yeah. So it's busy. So I have a husband. He's great. He's. He's a local middle school teacher. And then I have three daughters. One is a bonus daughter who will be a senior this year. And then we have a nine year old and a seven year old together. So a lot of women to tag along with my husband. But yeah, we're busy. Our girls are in activities. We're usually running to a sporting event or something. My husband also coaches. So.

Yeah, you're a sports family then.

We are a sports family, absolutely. Yes.

Because I. I get a chance because your bonus daughter, Nay is graduating, and so my daughter's graduating this year too, so we get a chance to kind of faz out about all these things that we got to get ready to plan for. And I know that your two daughters, Bryn and Kendall, like, I love them, they don't particularly care too much about me, but I love them. And I love how, you know bren and her YouTube channel. So that is gonna be my partner one day, whenever she decides to let me get in on that. But. Yeah, you're busy.

Yes, we are. And I think Bryn's been practicing for something like this since she was about three years old, creating videos on my phone of. Of her YouTube channel that is not on YouTube, but in her mind is on YouTube.

It is. And she has plenty of videos that I enjoy watching. And I know that she's going to be that star. And then I know you were talking about your children. Both are on the same athletic team this summer.

Yeah. So they both were on the U8 softball team this summer. My husband and I coached it, but they got to play together. It was Kendall's first experience on, like, a team, you know, since COVID Everything that she kind of would have been able to do wasn't happening. So this was her first experience on a team. And Bren Bryn has played a couple of years, but it was great to see them together kind of in a. Outside of just a sister, you know, experience.

Right. Teammates and getting to see how that goes.

Yes.

Well, that's wonderful also. So you said your husband is a basketball coach.

Yes.

So you guys are getting ready to start getting busy again for basketball season. That doesn't start till what.

Yeah, that'll start, I think, in November. Right now, we're. We're just wrapping up summer softball, and then Naomi plays volleyball, so that'll start here in August, and then that'll roll right into basketball season, which will push us right back into softball season.

So. Yeah, that spark that sports mom is really true because you guys have sports all around your life. And then you talked about being a sports athlete here at LCC. So it's just kind of full circle that you have, your children, you married a partner in sports, and that's just your sports mom.

Yeah.

And sports life.

We love it.

Well, I want to know what are some of the best advice that you've learned so far in your life?

That's tough. I think one of. One of the examples I gave was my dad always. Always told us, and me specifically, I think growing up as an athlete, you know, once you get good at something or have a skill, if somebody asks you for help, you help them, you know, because I know so many people helped me. Right. Like you. You need people to help you along the way. And so. And he's always done that. You know, he's a contractor. He has a lot of skill sets. But it's. It's always something, you know, And I know it's kind of cliche, but I always call my dad for help, but it's like he'll help anybody, you know, and if he can help in some way or it has a skill set, that's what he does and has no expectation. Excuse me, expectation of a return. And he's always said, you know, when you have a skill, help somebody. If they ask you for help, if they want to learn your skill, help them. And so, you know, that's kind of stuck with me. And I think, you know, even at work, it's like a lot of Times you'll see me out at the drop in desk and advising. And yes, that's not necessarily my job, but I can help because I know how that desk functions. But you know, sometimes you just forget like you got somewhere because of other people.

Right.

So you, you know, give back and kind of share that. That knowledge.

Yeah. And now I was gonna say, I would tell your dad that you take that and you model that because you do, you help out in a lot of different areas. And that's why, like in the intro, I said you're a team player because the skill set that you have and taking over student staff and just doing a lot of things, you are a team player. So good job, dad. And I wanted to ask you this is because we're getting ready to start getting to football season and like we said, sports are ramping up and you're the sports mom. So I know this answer, but I gotta go and ask go green or go blue?

Go green for sure. I mean, I got a degree from there. We live very close to Michigan State, but Naomi is going on a visit to U of M. So.

Yes.

Not sure where she'll land, but perhaps we may have to have a little go blue in us.

Right. And you know, I'm not hating on Michigan. Michigan is a great school and, you know, I have to give them that. But I'm so proud of Naomi because she is really a stellar student as well as a good athlete. And so that she gets the opportunity because don't get it twisted, everybody, don't get the opportunity to go to U of M. Yes. And so. Or Michigan State. So I want to make sure to throw that out there. So we're super proud of her and I wanted to give her her flowers now because she got options. So, you know, she can go to a lot of different places. And so we're super proud of her for that as well. But we are. Go green. Well, Becca, we're going to end our interview today, but I want to give you a chance to say anything that you'd like to say about how to contact your office and let people know that they can reach out. And if there's any employers out there that want to be able to contact you, I give you this chance to let them know where you are.

Yeah. So you can always find somebody from career services in the Gannon Building, in this career center, which is on the second level. You know, you can always pop in and ask for Baca. They'll. They'll track me down. We have wonderful student staff that work in there and that they'll definitely either pass along your contact information or get your question to me and, you know, we can connect.

All right.

Whenever.

Well, thank you. Excuse me. I'm so in awe. But. Tongue twister. But today we learned about Becca Sowa in terms. Did I say it right?

What?

Your last name.

Soa.

Okay, let me say that again. Today we learned about Becca Sowa, internship development manager. We learned about her role and what she's passionate about outside of the college and her work. I want to thank you for I want to thank you all for listening. And we'll talk to you next week on Who's That Star? You've been listening to Who's That Star? I'm Lisa A. And you can listen to this episode of Who's That Star? and other shows from LCC Connect anytime online at LCCconnect.org thank you for listening. Catch me next time to find out Who's That Star.