Powell Named LCC November Student of the Month

Student Support Services, of Labette Community College, announces the November Student of the Month, Michael Powell, of McCune, KS. Powell is a Business Administration who is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the International Honor Society of the two year college. Powell intends to enter the workforce and use the skills and knowledge he’s gained from his education to improve employer / employee relations. “I feel having the experience I’ve obtained over the last 25 years combined with my degree will give me a unique perspective in achieving this goal,” Powell said.

Michael is a non-traditional student who began his studies at LCC last fall counts his family among his greatest inspiration: “Two years ago 16-year-old son was contemplating dropping out of high school,” Powell relayed. “The fact that I was a high school dropout and seemed to be doing fine in his eyes made him feel that I had encouraged that thinking. So I made a deal with him: he finishes high school, and I will go to college. And it has been an amazing journey. 27 years ago when I dropped out of high school I was at best a C average student. In my first year at LCC, I finished with a 4.0 GPA,” Powell said, with pride. “The faculty are amazing and have a passion for teaching students that I never experienced in high school,” he continued.

Powell joined SSS at the beginning of his college career and has found the program’s services and interventions to be vital to his continued success. “The book loan program has been a real blessing.” He continued, “Two individuals have encouraged and guided me the most: Academic Advisor Rikke Mitchell, who has worked with me from day one, and Academic Coordinator Sam Jack, who is an amazing math tutor who never turns a student away.”

Powell concluded, “Everyone at LCC has been essential to my success from my instructors, to the business office staff, and of course everyone in the Student Success Center. But honestly the most important thing that SSS has given me is the encouragement to succeed.”

Student Support Services is a TRIO Program funded by the United States Department of Education to improve the persistence, transfer, and graduation rates of first-generation and income-eligible college students at LCC. Student Support Services serves 200 students each year with an annual budget of $280,000.