Ovid-Elsie Area Schools provides our students with the skills they need to succeed in the real world. This feature helps show how we do that, in addition to being able to keep in touch with some of our past graduates. This month’s feature is Joe Hebeler. Joe is an O-EHS graduate, class of 2005.
Since my graduation from Ovid-Elsie in 2005, I moved on to attend the private business college Northwood University in Midland MI. In my four years at Northwood, I studied and majored in Business Management and Entrepreneurship and minored in Language Arts and Economics. Upon my graduation from college in the Spring of 2009, I received a job offer at a Jimmy John’s franchise in Grand Rapids MI. I am now the general manager of my unit and oversee all aspects of the business.
Ovid-Elsie played a key role in getting me to where I am today. Looking back on my experiences in high school I can depict three different ways that Ovid-Elsie helped shape my life. The first, and the most important, is the staff. Not only did my teachers have the general knowledge to pass along, but also the knowledge of current trends in the industry/field and many times real life experiences. It was the staff/teachers at Ovid-Elsie that helped me find Northwood University. The second way that Ovid-Elsie provided me with an advantage is through their wide variety of class offerings at a high school level. Knowing that I was interested in business at a young age, I took every business class that O-E had to offer and it literally paid off for me. Again, not only was I able to take the skills and knowledge I learned with me to college but it also opened up doors that allowed me to obtain $40,000 worth of scholarships at Northwood. The last thing that O-E was awesome about was their ability to offer me college credits for classes that I took while in high school. Many of the teachers at O-E are accredited/certified instructors through Baker college of Owosso. I was able to rack up 32 college credits before ever entering the doors of my college. Also with this dual enrollment, I saved thousands of dollars because with all my credits, I didn’t have to take several classes at Northwood.
Ultimately, O-E set me up for success. It provided me with the doors to opportunities and all I had to do was step through.
Should you know of anyone who would make a good feature for this column, please send contact information to: Bonnie Ott, Ovid-Elsie High School, 8989 Colony Road, Elsie, MI 48831, or e-mail it to bonnieo@oe.edzone.net. We look forward to hearing from our Ovid-Elsie Alumni!
