‘It’s fun to learn,’ says

WWCC student

 Rock Springs____Twenty years after graduating from high school, Green River native Rita Lucero decided to enroll in college classes at Western Wyoming Community College.

            The mother of four—two boys out of high school and two girls still at home—Lucero wants her children to pursue a college education. Her oldest son received a WWCC scholarship and planned to major in engineering but decided to accept a position with one of the local trona mines instead. “I tried to talk him out of it, but he responded, “If you think it’s so important, why don’t you go?’” she said. “So I did.”

            In 2005, Lucero registered as a part-time student, believing she would feel “out of place.” She discovered that she didn’t feel that way at all and in 2006, she became a

full-time student. “It was easier coming back than I thought and it’s a lot better now that I care. Now, everything they tell me I want to remember forever,” she said. “In a perfect world, people would go to college when they’re older and understand the importance of it.”

            With her daughters in the first and fifth grades, Lucero takes primarily traditional classes during the day. “My kids are my first priority,” she said. “I stay up late to study if necessary. My husband and children are very supportive but I am in no hurry to finish. We have plenty of time for everything. You don’t have to race through life,” she added. “I think that comes with having faith.”

            Lucero hopes to get accepted into WWCC’s nursing or radiology program and would like to become a nurse missionary eventually. “Nursing is a profession where I can make a difference,” she said. In the meantime, she is “enjoying learning everything.”

            According to Associate Professor of English Rick Kempa, one of Lucero’s favorite instructors—she took his English 1010 course last semester and is braving his online technical writing course this semester—she is an excellent student. “Rita’s love of learning and her high standards were an inspiration to the other, mostly younger, students. Also, her life experience added a valuable dimension to our class conversations,” he said. “The chance to work with students like her is one of the big reasons I love teaching at Western.”

            As for Lucero, she describes all of her instructors as “wonderful” and “knowledgeable.” Asked what she likes best about Western, she responds, “I like learning everything—I’m not here to be social.” Her social activities involve her family and include snowmobiling, ice fishing, hunting and camping. “We’re an outdoor family,” she said.

            After earning her associate’s degree at WWCC, Lucero plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree online. “It’s fun to learn and, now, I know it’s important,” she said.             

 

 

 

Rita Lucero, left, a Green River mother of four and a full-time student at Western Wyoming Community College, visits with WWCC Bookstore manager Jetta Kragovich.

 

 
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