{"id":78,"date":"2026-04-15T05:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/?p=78"},"modified":"2026-04-15T05:58:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:58:01","slug":"college-of-stem-faculty-member-receives-2025-distinguished-alumni-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/nwtc\/stem\/college-of-stem-faculty-member-receives-2025-distinguished-alumni-award\/","title":{"rendered":"College of STEM faculty member receives 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Karen Krejcie will be honored with the 2025 NWTC Distinguished Alumni Award during Alumni Night on November 19. For the first time in the history of the College, two graduates will be recognized with the distinction which celebrates outstanding personal and professional achievements, commitment to the College\u2019s values, and community involvement.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krejcie, a 2006 graduate of NWTC\u2019s\u00a0Electrical Engineering Technology<\/a>\u00a0(EET) and Electronics programs, is a full-time EET faculty member at the College. After graduating from NWTC, she went on to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in EET from Milwaukee School of Engineering and is currently pursuing a master\u2019s in engineering at UW-Platteville.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy NWTC education laid the foundation for everything I\u2019ve accomplished professionally,\u201d said Krejcie, who also supports the College\u2019s Electro-Mechanical Technology, Automation Engineering, and Biomedical Electronics programs.\u00a0
Learn more about NWTC’s College of STEM programs.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A first-generation college student, Krejcie <\/em>overcame multiple obstacles to pursue her college and career goals. \u201cMy journey reflects the heart of NWTC\u2019s mission, not just in my accomplishments, but in my story,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of academics, Krejcie is a published author and actively working on future book projects. When she\u2019s not teaching or writing, she enjoys composing and performing music, sailing with his family, staying active, reading and learning, photography and painting, pursuing entrepreneurial ideas, and taking on hands-on projects ranging from car restoration and home renovation to electronics and design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more about Krejcie\u2019s journey and her perspective on the award, in her own words, below.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming full circle<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I grew up in poverty, lost my father when I was young, and made serious mistakes early in life. Before I could graduate high school, I was already a mother, and I had experienced both incarceration and homelessness. But I never let those obstacles define me. I managed to graduate high school near the top of my class, earned two degrees from NWTC, and kept pushing forward; academically, professionally, and personally.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I teach at the same college that helped turn my life around. I lead student success programs, train new faculty, coach award-winning student teams, and show others, especially those facing hardship, what\u2019s possible. I\u2019ve served my community as a youth wrestling coach and board member, a volunteer search-and-rescue leader, and an on-campus medical response volunteer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This award isn\u2019t about a title. It\u2019s about the journey. What I\u2019ve done since getting the opportunity to study at NWTC isn\u2019t just about degrees or titles, it\u2019s about coming full circle. I\u2019ve gone from student to instructor, from being mentored to becoming a mentor. I serve my students, my community, and my college with the kind of passion that only comes from someone who knows what it’s like to need a second chance, and to try and make the most of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NWTC advocate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I advocate for NWTC every day, through my work, my leadership, my story, and my visibility in the community and beyond. I mentor students not just in technical skills, but in life skills, especially those who come from nontraditional or challenging backgrounds like mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my community, I\u2019ve shared my story with prospective students and others who may not have thought college was within their reach. I remind them: If I can do it, so can you, and NWTC can be the place where that transformation starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ripple effect of opportunity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My short- and mid-term goals focus on being the best instructor and mentor I can be. I want to continue developing innovative teaching strategies, collaborate on curriculum development, and help adjunct faculty grow into their roles, just as others helped me. Long-term, I\u2019m open to the idea of moving into a leadership role at NWTC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter where my path leads, I remain focused on three goals: keep growing, keep giving back, and help others transform their lives, just as NWTC helped transform mine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This award is incredibly meaningful to me, not because of personal recognition, but because it validates the journey. I\u2019ve faced more barriers than most people will ever know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My life could\u2019ve gone a very different direction. But I didn\u2019t just survive, I changed course and rebuilt. And I\u2019ve made it my mission to help others do the same. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve coached, mentored, volunteered, and led. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to be the kind of person I once needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve had the privilege of seeing students I\u2019ve mentored graduate, enter the workforce, and truly change their lives\u2019 (and their families\u2019 lives) for the better, proof that the ripple effect of opportunity is real. If this award shines a light on stories like mine, and encourages someone else to apply to NWTC, or stay in school, or change course for the better, then that\u2019s the real win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karen Krejcie will be honored with the 2025 NWTC Distinguished Alumni Award during Alumni Night on November 19. For the first time in the history of the College, two graduates will be recognized with the distinction which celebrates outstanding personal and professional achievements, commitment to the College\u2019s values, and community involvement. Krejcie, a 2006 graduate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stem"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78\/revisions\/79"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mheldt.bitweb1.nwtc.edu\/webmgmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}