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 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. Today on Who's That Star we have the pleasure of having another Michigander on the show. She is a proud Flint native. We'll have to find out what high school she graduated from later. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degree from MSU. Her master's degree is in public health. She has 10 years of experience in curriculum development and training that includes reviewing, researching and preparing educational materials for non credit offerings. Before coming to LCC, she was employed with the state of Michigan. This star says when she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband and Goldendoodle Wellington. She's also a big fan of horror movies, Halloween, anything 80s related and conquering escape rooms. I'm excited to learn more about today's star. So we're going to get our drum roll. Today. On who's at Star we have Chantel Patton, adult enrichment coordinator for the Lifelong Learning. Welcome, Chantel. We're so glad to have you here.

Well, thank you. Thank you for that introduction. I'm excited to be here.

Yeah, I'm excited to have you here too. So what high school did you go to when you was Powers? Powers. Okay. Because I used to work in Flint and I worked in Beecher. Beecher area. So I was familiar with Beecher, Northwestern and then Southwestern and a couple other schools. But I always love Flint because I love the food.

Oh yeah. Flint has the best food and the best people. The best people come from Flint. I always say that.

Yeah, my daddy, we got relatives from there. So. Yep. A Flintstone kind of, you know, for those who are not from Michigan, people that live in Flint. Okay, so I want to get started. I wanted to get to know a little bit about you. Can you tell me who you are and what's important to you right now in life?

Okay, well, you know, you kind of already summed me up a little bit. A Flint native. A Spartan, twice. Go green. Go white.

All right.

Yup. I'm excited to be here. I love working at LCC and meeting new people and talking to students. What's important to me right now has always been my passion is helping people. Especially low income and minority populations. Those are my passion. Those are my people. Because being from Flint, that's what I was considered. That's how I grew up.

Right. Yeah.

That's what motivates me.

No, I understand that. And when I read that, I thought that was. I like that. Because you really identified that as something that's important to you. And so that's on your mind and it's something that you out trying to do to help people. So I thank you. I like that. Well, I want to know a little bit more about your role here at LCC. What do you do?

Okay, well, my role is twofold as the adult enrichment coordinator for Lifelong learning. So on one half I do all the adult enrichment classes. Those are the four fun non credit classes. So like creative welding, a concealed pistol. Also we had a gift wrapping class this past semester. So things like that. On the other side of it, I also owe over the motorcycle safety program.

Oh, okay.

Yep. So people who are interested in learning to ride a motorcycle can take our course. Or if you already got some kind of training but need more help, there's a course for you for that. And then we have our advanced rider course for people who already have their endorsement. May be a little rusty, want to learn some new things. So. And that program runs from April to September, so that keeps me busy.

See. Yeah, I'm totally like shocked cause I didn't even know we had nothing like that.

See, that's why I'm so happy to be here. So I can talk about those things.

Because. Okay, so you got a motorcycle you don't know how to ride. We come check you out.

Correct.

Because then you gonna help us. Now is there certain licensings that you have to have?

You have to have a driver's license, of course, to take our class.

I didn't know. See, I didn't know if you had.

To have to have a driver's license when you get done. Let's say you've never had ridden a motorcycle. You take our basic rider course. It's a two day course. Our coaches are phenomenal. They teach you like safety and how to get on and off a motorcycle. You take a test at the end and you get your Endorsement which you can take to the state of Michigan.

Okay.

You know, to ride your.

So then they add that, like, to your regular driver's rider. Oh, okay. I never knew because, see, I don't know, I feel some type of way about motorcycles. Like, on one hand, I really feel like, you know, I could have that look, right. The look for the motorcycle. But then as soon as I feel no protection, all that, it goes down the drain. But I'm glad that there's classes like that so people know what they need to do. So now on the other side, you talked about where the fun courses.

Yes.

How do people find out about those courses? Is there just a long range? Is there a list? Does it change? How does that go?

I'm glad you asked. Wonderful question. So Adult Enrichment actually has its own website through LCC, which is www.LCC.edu. Keeplearning.

Oh, okay.

Okay. And when you go on there, you can see the courses that we have available. They're broken up into different segments like creative arts, health and wellness, Finance. So whatever you're interested in, you click on that category and you can see what classes are available.

So say I'm just a regular community member, but I have a skill and I think it's important. Could I facilitate, like, could I work with MCC to try to teach my class?

You absolutely could. And that is a wonderful question because right now I am looking to hire adjunct instructors. So if there is a niche or a passion that someone is really, really passionate and want to teach people about, definitely check out LCC's careers website. You can see the posting apply.

Wow. Okay. I really. This wasn't a setup question, but I just think that's so interesting because there are so many things that, you know, skills that people have that could be worthy and other people would want to learn. So if you guys out there, you know, got a skill, check out the website and do a little research and see if this is for you.

Yes, please.

Yeah, I think that's. That's the one great thing about a community college because you got so many opportunities to learn so much stuff. So that stuff excites me. Okay, so what really lights you up, like, makes you excited in your life?

Oh, my goodness. There are so many different things. But as I mentioned earlier, my passion is low income and minority population. So my dream, my dream is to open my own farm. And with that farm, I want to bring in other minorities who are interested in farming, teaching them farming skills. And I want to go to urban. Urban neighborhoods and set up urban Farming locations, healthy lives. That's so important.

Yes.

I want people to live longer, healthier lives, and that's really my passion.

And that makes a difference because if you are eating right and health as well, I just find that as getting older, I, you know, a lot of stuff money can buy, but it can buy health.

Exactly.

And so I just, I think that's a great idea. And I think just exposing people is so funny you talk about that. Because Head Start, they do a lot of, like, exposure. So I was a parent in my daughter's Head Start class. Mangoes. Never had mangoes. First time trying it through Head Start.

Wow.

So I'm saying those type of programs, those type of things get people exposed to different experiences. And I think just like, just vegetables, like a lot of people, a lot of kids nowadays don't want to eat vegetables. So. Yeah, I think that's a great job.

Exactly.

Love that you got a lot a good, good idea.

Thank you.

I like that. So you got here. How long you been at LCC?

I'm still a baby bird. I'm in my 10th month here.

Okay, so you haven't made it a year yet?

Not yet. Not yet.

But at least you got here once we got back.

Yeah.

So you didn't have to figure out and learn people, you know, at home online.

Right.

So that's a good thing. What did you do before you got here? What type of jobs did you have before?

So before, immediately before I came here, I was a public health consultant with the division of HIV STI programs. Oh, wow.

Okay.

Yep. So the bulk of my work was training and facilitating. So I trained the people who actually work directly with those living with hiv. Wow. I made sure that they followed the federal guidelines on what they have to tell people and how to treat them. So it was very interesting work.

Wow.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yep. And before that, state of Michigan work as well. The Department of Health and Human Services. I worked at the local office, Ingham County. So where you would go to apply for food stamps, things like that, like.

Assisted payments worker thing. Yeah, I love. Yeah, we need those. That's a hard job, though.

Yes, it is.

It is. So we thank you assistant payments workers out there. If you listening.

Yes. Especially my husband. He's one right now.

Oh, okay. Yeah. Cause I, you know, that's a. It's a difficult job, but it's needed, you know? Yes, it is. So do you live by any piece of advice or a motto?

Yes, I do. Take your time and do your best. My mom used to say that to me. And my brother every morning before we went to school. Cause I was the type of kid who would get so nervous about taking tests, and I didn't want to do bad. And she's like, just take your time and do your best. That's all I ask of you. And I just keep living by that. That got me through grad school, undergrad, all of that. So that's my favorite saying or motto.

Hey. And it sounds good, you know, Take your time and do your best.

That's all you can do.

That's all you can do.

All you can do is your best.

Yep. And after that.

Right.

Rework it. And if you got to do something else, you take your time and do your best again. I like that motto. So what is your favorite season and why?

Oh, my goodness. Fall. Fall. Fall. Fall. Listen, I'm a big Halloween. I call it Halloweeny. I'm a big Halloweeny fan. So October 1st, I decorate the inside and the outside of my house also in October. It's sweetest day. My wedding anniversary is in October. My mom birthday is in October. The changing of the leaves. Like, I just love October. I love fall.

Yeah, that's one of my. I like it because it's cooler. Like, it's cooling down and I can layer up and stuff. I think I dress better in the fall.

Me, too.

I already know this, but I'm gonna ask you because it's my favorite question. One of them. Go green, Go blue.

Go green.

Of course, I would be like, no. You went to Michigan State? Both. Did you get your. What did you get your undergraduate degree in Michigan State?

I got it from a bachelor's of science in physiology.

Okay. And then went to the health. Okay.

Yeah.

So Michigan State. I love Michigan State. What drew you there from Flint?

Oh, my goodness.

Or did you come from Flint to Michigan?

I came from Flint. Honestly, and this is going to sound crazy. Michigan State wasn't even my first pick. I wanted to go far away. I wanted to go to Texas.

Okay.

I didn't get accepted. And I'm such a mama's girl anyway, so being that far away from my mom would have drove me nuts.

Right.

So I'm like, I'll go to Michigan State. It's fine. And I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Grade school.

I did. Yeah. Like, I went there for my masters, but I like Michigan State, too.

Yes.

You live in Michigan. But okay. Anyway, so this question. I was funny. I'm interested to hear what you're gonna say to this. If you could hire someone to help you, would it Be with cleaning, cooking or yard work?

Oh, my husband does all the yard work. So can I have a person do both cooking and cleaning?

I would have both too, but yeah, if. Nope, you gotta pick one.

Oh my goodness. Oh, cleaning.

Yeah, I, I, yeah, yeah, I agree with that. It's enough said on that.

Yeah.

Are you a good cook?

I think I am. I think I am. I don't like to cook. Takes too long. I like to eat.

Right. Me too. We have a lot in common. You know, this is our first time meeting and I'm just super excited because that's one of the best things I like about my doing this show is that I get to just learn so much about people and just how more alike we are than we are different. And so, yeah, I love to eat. I don't want to cook, but I will. And I would have picked cleaning too, because, oh, I hate that. What is your proudest accomplishment?

Oh, my goodness. I think graduating from college twice, being where I'm from and the circumstances surrounding me, being able to do it twice is the most thing I'm most proud of for myself.

Yeah, that's because it's not easy.

It's not.

And you have to have some perseverance and, you know, believe in yourself and follow your mama's motto.

Yep. All of that.

Because it's not. But it's doable.

Yep.

And that's the thing about it. And I think that every time that people are able to see someone do that and make it, that is the proudest moment. Okay, what's one thing that can instantly make your day better?

Hugs from my husband.

Okay.

Yes, instantly.

That's not, that's, that's, hey, enough said. But tell me about Wellington.

Oh, my goodness. Wellington is a spoiled medium sized golden doodle. He's so, so smart, but he's so, so hard headed. He's a mama's boy. If both me and my husband are at home and he needs to go outside, he'll only look at me. He won't go to my husband. If my husband tries to let him out, he'll come sit down and look at me like, no, you're going to let me out.

Oh, really?

Yes, yes. It's my fault. I spoiled him.

You spoiled him? Oh, yeah. How long you had him?

Oh my goodness. We got him during the pandemic, so we've almost had him his whole life.

See, that's the thing about it. It's like dogs. I found that when they've been in the pandemic, they were home with you guys all the time. And now like, is he having adjustments with you?

He's horrible. He loves to put a guilt trip on me. He'll go sit in our living room window and stare out the window while I'm bagging out the driveway.

And you just see him.

I feel horrible. Why do I feel so bad? He's at home with his dad. There's no reason for me to feel bad. But he gets me every time.

And he looks at you like, mom,.

Why would you leave me here with him? That's what he's looking like.

Because pets are like that. I just love them because they are. They were great companions.

Yep.

And yeah, Wellington is funny. What's your favorite way to unwind?

Naps.

Oh, you're a napper.

I'm a napper. And I don't like 20 minute naps. Like, give me an hour more because if you wake me up before an hour, I'm grumpy. Oh, yeah, I gotta have a full on hour nap.

Oh my. Do you have any other ways that you like to unwind beside napping?

Oh, my husband talks about me and calls me a nerd. But I like solving puzzles. So I have a book of logic problems and I feel like doing that distracts me from whatever I'm upset or worried about. To me at that moment, it's important to figure this out and to solve this puzzle.

Is it? Could you explain that a little bit to me more? Like, I don't understand, like when you say a book of logic problems, what does that mean?

Like, oh, so like they'll give you a scenario like there's five people going to a picnic. From the clues, can you tell which what time each person arrived, what color shirt were they wearing and what food item they brought to the picnic? So they'll give you like Jim has on a brown shirt. Jerry sat next to Mark. Like, you have to figure out from those clues.

From those clues?

Yes.

Oh, wow, that's hard.

It is. What? I love doing them.

Well. Yeah, you said too that you like, like those escape rooms.

Oh, those are my favorite.

How did you get into that?

Man, I can't even remember the first one I went to. I think my friend had introduced me to it. It was during Halloween and she had saw it was like a haunted corn maze and an escape room. Like, I don't even know what that is, but okay, let's do it.

Right.

From that point on, I was hooked.

So is it? I've always wanted to know, but I've been nervous about skate rooms because I was like, they will eventually let you out.

Oh, yeah. You're not like.

I feel like I might not be able to escape.

No, you're not, like, padlocked in the room or anything like that. Most of them, there's like, a little code you have to put in to open the door once you solve all the puzzles. Or it's just a regular doorknob that you just open at any point. If you feel like you need to get out, there's always a button to push. And most of the time, the people who are running the escape room, they're watching you. So you can say, like, hey, you know, I want to get out if it's freaking you out, but. But you're not trapped in there.

Oh, okay, cool. Cause I was like, I thought, okay, well, man, if you don't get out, I know they're gonna let you out eventually. But I was like, you feel some type of way or if someone had a claustrophobic attack or something.

But some rooms are, like, the size of this room I've been in somewhat kind of smaller. But it's not like you're in a coffin trying to get out. We'll have to go to one.

Yeah, I want to. I want to go to one because I want to see. I like mysteries, and so I want to see if I'm able to figure, you know, by the clues. I know I'm not gonna mess around with the logic books. I'm not that that makes my hair, but I really do. Like, I was interested in doing that, and then you said that you like scary movies.

Oh, yeah.

How did you get into that?

My mom. My mom is a big horror movie person. I remember when Stephen King's. It came out, like, back in whatever, 1980, whatever. She bought the. The big hard copy of it, and she read it to me and my brother, and we were so scared, but I'm like, oh, no. Read more.

Right.

So from that. And then we would. We watched the movie, still terrified. But I watched it, and that's the way I think that my mom and I bonded over horror movies.

Wow. Yeah. Cause, see, I am. Yeah, I'm super scared of horror movies. Like, I don't watch them. And I ended up watching that. That movie with Samuel L. Jackson and Chris Rock. It just came out. And I was like, okay, well, this ain't. It was Saw. The Saw series.

Yeah. They called it Spiral or something.

And I was like, well, it's Samuel Jackson and Chris Rock. It's not gonna be scary.

It was.

And it was And I was like, you dumb? And I was like, why did you watch this? Because you knew what it was. And I was just. Just. I. I just don't. I stay away from them. My mom made me stop watching them. I watched Angel Art.

Okay.

And Angel Heart had a lot of symbolism in it.

Yeah, it did.

And. And that fan kept going around, and. And it was just a whole bunch of stuff. And after that, I said, you know what? Why do this to yourself? So I don't watch it, but I have a lot of people in. My daughter. She loves them. She loves the whore movies. I think that's funny, though. Okay, well, what's your favorite thing about your current job? And we're gonna end this out on a high note.

My favorite thing about my job is going out into the community and talking to people. I always been, like, a social butterfly, so it never scares me to talk to people or reach out. So I love going out into the community and finding out what the community needs are.

Well, that's great. I'm glad. We're glad to have you here at LCC. I think. One, I learned something new about LCC, which I knew we had the department, but I didn't really know what it did. And so I'm so glad that you came on to explain that and then to give our audience an opportunity to know how they can be more engaged with LCC. If they have a skill or if they want to learn a new skill, they can come to the department. Tell me your department again.

I am with lifelong learning, which is under the Division of Community Education and Work Workforce Development. Big, long one. Seaweed is what we call it.

Seaweed. Okay.

Yeah.

All right. And. And you got a great boss.

I do. Nancy is the bee's knees. If you've never met Nancy Dietrich, you're missing out.

I'm gonna try to get her to come on here, too, because I think Nancy's great, and she was one of my first bosses when I got on campus.

Really? Wow.

Special affinity to her, so. But, Chantel, thank you again for coming on Who's That Star? And audience. I look forward to talking to you again soon. You take care, and have a great day. 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.