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Cynthia Heckman

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Cynthia Heckman encourages any nontraditional learner or hesitant student to try Sauk. “Sauk gives you the personal attention and chance to find your niche, while learning to be a great student.”

In 2008, after her family “settled”, and she found out that her current job was starting layoffs, Cynthia decided to go back to school. She became involved in ABC AmeriCorps and also worked as a tutor in the Learning Assistance Center (LAC). Cynthia says that working in the LAC was one of her best memories of Sauk, “The information I tutored kept me educated and sharpened my skills, especially when I tutored math. I teach a lot of fractions, decimals, and so on in my current job.”

After Sauk, Cynthia transferred to Northern Illinois University and received her bachelor’s degree in special education. After subbing for a semester, she became the Ashton-Franklin Center Middle School special education teacher. Cynthia believes the value of the education she received from her time at Sauk helped considerably. “There is real academic value for the cost at Sauk,” shares Cynthia.

Cynthia also gives a piece of advice to any nontraditional or hesitant student, “Dive in and give it your all, while making sure you stick with it. You have to overcome the nerves, not because you are a nontraditional student, but because that is college.”