Alumni Spotlight
Altynay Bekbossyn Graduated 2021 with an Associate in Science - Accounting degree, and an Associates in Arts - Early Childhood Education degree with honors
Why did you choose WCC? Before coming to the US, I was looking for an affordable and safe place to study. Back in 2016, I Googled “what is the safest place to study in the US?” and WCC was listed as one of the top five safest places to study (4th place nationwide). What did you do after graduating? I graduated in 2021 and worked in a daycare center and in January 2023 decided to join WCC as an employee. While at Whatcom I received multiple
scholarships and emergency funding through the WCC Foundation which helped me to graduate, so I thought it was my time to pass on kindness people had shown to me by helping others, so I decided to work at WCC. What was your favorite memory of WCC? Being part of the student government: I felt empowered, we planned and threw fun activities on campus, engaged with students, and met with the college President and the Board of Trustees (It was an honor for a student, not everyone gets that chance!) Did you have a favorite professor? My Favorite professor at Whatcom was Katherine Burns, my English 101 instructor. I was an English Language Learner (ELL) and when I took an English 101 class, I felt insecure about writing an essay in a different language. I had so many concerns about passing the class with a good grade, but thankfully, I had a great teacher. She had an individual approach to each student, and she helped me grow a lot. We connected on the personal level and the conversations I had with her helped me to shape part of my identity. What does Whatcom Community College mean to you? WCC became my “second home.” I spent five years at WCC and when I arrived as an international student, I didn’t have friends or relatives at WCC and everyone I met along my journey became my new family.
2020-23 Triennial Report | 19
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