friday takeout

Vanessa Blatnik

Student Services Assistant | Peosta

What is the best part about your job that makes you excited to go to work every day?

Getting to see all of my lovely coworkers, as well as the students. I get to help everyone out to the best of my ability. I also enjoy processing communication, which is sending out the material to students to either tell them they have been accepted to the College, or to just give them some more information about a course.

What was your favorite class or subject in middle school or high school? Did it influence your career in some way?

Math class. I always enjoyed trying to solve complex problems. (Solving problems is very fun, enjoyable and exciting for me.) I also enjoyed challenging myself by doing math problems in my head, even though that was not always the best decision. This did not really influence my career, as I do not deal with numbers or math that much. However, I am still in the training process, as I am still quite new.

What was your favorite afternoon snack as a kid?

Goldfish, or fish crackers as I always call them (I enjoy the extra cheddar ones the best). I still eat them from time to time when I am looking for a cheesy snack.

How do you get yourself out of the house and to work? Aside from using the front door. Do you need an hour or 10 minutes to get ready?

I used to be a night owl and wake up around 1-3 p.m. (I know, that is bad, but I would always stay up until 2-6 a.m.) Because I have started working here at NICC, I have started to enjoy going to bed early and getting up earlier. I like to see the sun rise and start my day, rather than seeing the sun rise right before I go to bed. I believe this is because I have a huge drive for working, and this makes me want to put forth my best effort, even if I am tired. I also look at all of the successful people around me, and those people really do motivate me to be the best coworker and friend that I can be. The time I need to get ready varies. It all depends on how late I stayed up, or how busy I was the day before. Even if you get a lot of sleep after a really busy day, you can still be very tired when you wake up. Normally I only take 20-30 minutes to get ready because I have started to eat breakfast before work. Working without breakfast is impossible for me because I need that energy boost. Some days, on the days where I sleep in because I keep hitting the snooze button, I wake up 15 minutes before I have to leave. Those are the worst days because I already started my day out on a bad foot where I did not get enough time to eat; plus, the feeling of being rushed always puts my day off.

What is the biggest problem in the world that, in your view, needs a solution?

Selfishness, in my opinion. Yes, there are a lot of other problems in the world, however, a lot of the problems stem from selfishness. Take, for example, wars. Wars can stem from the selfishness of materials or because of the fact that both parties want something a certain way and they are unable to compromise with each other. Poverty also stems from selfishness. Some people are born into poverty, and they have a hard time getting out of that situation, as their parents do not have the money to support them and others. However, I do see a lot of people who are not selfish at NICC, and that is one of the reasons why I love working here and being in the community. Give and you will receive. You will get help in return if you help someone else out, even if it is a stranger. There is nothing better, to me, than to see someone's face light up with joy because I helped them, or even if someone else does.