Developing a Passion … or Two

When Nevada (Iowa) High School graduate Beka Bell enrolled at DMACC Ankeny Campus, she was clear on her career goal: Earn her Bachelor’s degree and return to her hometown to teach high school Spanish.

"My junior year of high school we got a new Spanish teacher and she brought a new energy into the program," Beka says. "It was a real eye-opener that this was something I was good at, and something that I enjoyed. She helped me to see that."

Beka followed the Liberal Arts track at DMACC. She says the support provided by the DMACC Foundation Scholarship she earned helped her put school first.

"The scholarship was big for me," Beka says. "It allowed me to focus on my studies, not on finding the hours I would need to work to pay for my studies."

In focusing on her studies, Beka uncovered another passion. In addition to studying Spanish at the University of Northern Iowa, she also plans to complete coursework toward a degree in Sociology.

"I came in thinking I was Spanish all the way," she says. "But in taking a sociology class here, I found that I also have a passion for that. So, I made the decision to pursue that at UNI as well."