Meet Derek: Today’s Modern Student

“Scholarships represent one of the only viable options for the modern student to move forward without being held back by crippling debt…” 

“Yesterday's ‘nontraditional’ student is today’s modern student.”

Those are the words of Derek Eberly, a current HACC student in his 30s pursuing an Associate in Fine Arts in photography. Derek already has one HACC degree under his belt, having receiving his associate degree in communications in 2017.

“If by 'nontraditional' you mean a late 20 to early 30 year old who is working multiple jobs with a spouse and children, then I would encourage you to look at the student population at HACC to reconsider what is happening today,” he added.

As a “nontraditional” student, Derek said that the HACC Foundation scholarships he received were critical to his success. “Scholarships represent one of the only viable options for the modern student to move forward and get ahead in the short term without being held back by crippling debt in the long term.”

In addition to the financial support, Derek said that HACC’s evening classes “worked with my schedule when I first started to change paths.”

Derek was hired by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, where he gets to combine his skills as a communications major with a passion for the outdoors and clean water conservation. He said, “This is pretty much a dream job and would never have been possible for me without HACC.”

Explore your career options at HACC. Please contact an admissions counselor to visit a campus today!