Gateway kickstarts graduate’s dream career – and more

Carly Hawkins took hold of all the opportunities given to her at Gateway and used them to earn a Gateway Liberal Arts-Associate of Arts degree, transfer to a four-year college – and take the first step to her dream career as a librarian.

“Whether it was my Academic Advisors, who helped me paint a path toward my four-year degree, getting a job at Gateway or receiving two Foundation scholarships, there were many incredible opportunities for me here,” says Carly.

“It was super easy to transfer on to a four-year college after completing my degree at Gateway.The great thing about the Liberal Arts program is that it’s designed for transferring, so it was super smooth to transfer my credits to UW-Parkside.”

Carly believes the whole environment at Gateway sets students up for success, both in their programs and future careers.

“Gateway is a very approachable campus, which makes it easier to want to be here,” says Carly. “That really affects your success if you feel comfortable. The classes are smaller, too, with just 10 to 15 students.”

“Plus, there are a lot of opportunities to go in so many directions at Gateway, and the college is more open to non-traditional students, like me. Even if you just take one class at a time, it’s super accessible for people who work full time or have children, things like that.”

Carly plans to major in English and minor in Spanish at UW-Parkside, but remains busy at Gateway where she is finishing her third Spanish course and working at the college.

“The reason I stayed at Gateway to finish the course is because I wanted to have the same instructor. I completed the first two courses and wanted to stay here because I trust him. He is really good.”

And, since she is working in the Kenosha Campus library, coming to campus for those last few classes is convenient too.

“I worked in the Gateway Foundation for almost two years while earning my degree. The Foundation team knew I wanted to become a librarian, so they connected me to a Gateway staff member who helped me get a job in the library,”says Carly.

“I now work at a front desk position in the library. I help students check out books and laptops, and show them where to find resources they need.”

Carly adds, “I’m really close with the library staff too. Like me, they are excited that librarianship has a future. They took me on knowing I want to be a librarian.”

Working in the library allows Carly to pursue her passion and helps her show students what a valuable resource it is. “I definitely used the library in my studies, especially online resources and databases for research,” she says.

And other Gateway support systems helped her thrive in the Liberal Arts program.

“I used tutoring... And I saw my Academic Advisor every semester or so to ensure I was on the right path,” says Carly. “They leaned me towards things I was interested in that would also help with transferring and earning credits.”