06
View from the Valley
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR: MAGGEE BLEYER
Trina Dunkel is the Coordinator of Financial Aid at WVC. She is also an adjunct faculty member, teaching classes revolving around Microsoft Office 365 programs and Pathways to Success. Trina grew up in the Allendale, IL, and Mt. Carmel, IL, area. She graduated from Mt. Carmel High School. Later, she enrolled as a student at WVC and received her Associate’s degree. Then, she obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Illinois University.
Trina started working at WVC as a work-study student in 2001. She has worked multiple jobs at WVC.
“I have worked in a plethora of positions at WVC,” Trina explained. “I worked for O&M, I worked for the Assistant to the President, I worked in the Business Office, I worked in the Bookstore, and then I worked as a faculty office assistant in the Applied Arts Building/Diesel Office for fifteen years. In 2017, I made the change to Financial Aid. It was definitely an eye- opening experience, but a good one. I believe that the positions I have held over the past twenty-three years were just preparing me for my current position.” Before holding her present Coordinator position, Trina was a Student Services Specialist in Financial Aid. “I had been [a Student Services Specialist] for five years,” Trina stated. “I loved the interaction I had with students, parents, faculty, and staff. I love that I can help a student reach their goals by offering them some financial assistance for college. I felt that becoming the Coordinator would just enhance that experience.” In the past, Trina and her first Leadership Class group built the Time Capsule bench which is currently located in Main Hall. A year later, she and her second Leadership Class came up with the idea of placing umbrellas throughout different locations on campus. The project, “Borrow an Umbrella,” provides umbrellas students can use to walk from building to building during rainy weather. The same Leadership Class also assisted the Student Senate at the beginning of the Student Lounge project. The Student Lounge has been available for students’ leisure for two years. Trina values assisting WVC students and is always present as a helping hand not only in the Financial Office but also on campus. “Being a helpful hand to WVC college students is the most important part of everyone’s job,” Trina expressed. “Without our students, we wouldn’t have jobs. Helping our students should always come first, and it’s what makes our jobs rewarding.” "It’s amazing how one small decision can literally change your life. I went to college for the first time when my youngest child started kindergarten because I didn’t want to be bored at home. Little did I know that my meeting with Judy Neikirk that fateful day would turn into a career. I thought I was just going to do something to take up my spare time, but instead found a place and a career that I love. Over the past 23 years, I have seen a lot of changes to our campus, and a lot of people come and go. I feel privileged to be one of the “seasoned” employees at Wabash Valley College."
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