Nicolet College highlights commitment to students and community during Community College Month

 

About a year and a half ago James Kieweg was driving late at night, speeding too quickly down a windy road.

“It was like midnight. I was going too fast. I went off the road, and I wrapped my truck around a tree at like 60 miles an hour,” said Kieweg.

The accident lost him his leg, an eye, and put him in a coma for two weeks.

Not long after that as he was working towards recovery, Kieweg lost his housing. He spent three weeks sleeping in the bushes outside the grocery store.

“I was in a bit of a rough spot,” he said.

Eventually Kieweg was able to stay at the local shelter, which then connected him with local agencies to try and find work.

That brought him to Nicolet College.

“I hadn't thought about school since like 2010, since I got done with high school, but like I said, just taking the next, right step and trying to keep your head above water for the positive mindset. It's kind of the hardest part, but it's the most important,” said Kieweg.

The Nicolet College Foundation was able to support Kieweg, not just with classes, but also with bus fare to get to school and the security deposit for his place.

He’s now participating in the year-long welding program Nicolet offers.

“It's been an amazing experience. I've been really, really blessed for all the help I've gotten,” he said.

Kieweg was nominated and chosen to be an ambassador for the Nicolet College Foundation. He was one of two ambassadors that spoke Monday morning as part of a short presentation at Nicolet College to begin Community College Month.

“April being Community College month, we thought, April 1, let's just kick it off right and make sure that people are aware of the good work that we do, the lives that we transform,” said Nicolet College President Kate Ferrel. “The stories that you heard this morning from our two ambassadors are just two small snippets of the work that we do every day at Nicolet.”