The first week of classes here at SCTCC, the college’s social media guru received a DM from one of our students. In it, a pic of two students having lunch in the Commons. This is an everyday event for many, but these two were a father and daughter who were attending classes this semester.
Brandon Swart has been in the Robotics & Industrial Controls program for two and a half years, thanks to his employer paying for tuition. Since he has transfer credits from Minnesota State University Mankato, he’s also finishing up his AA degree.
His daughter, Melanie, started her first semester here after taking two years off after graduating from high school. She’s working on her generals for a year before transferring to a four-year for social work—hopefully in New York or even abroad.
“I really want to be a social worker as my career,” Melanie said. “I’m getting my generals done and will transfer. There are a few out of country programs I’m interested in because I really like to travel.”
“I’m supportive as long as you do it in a smart way,” added Brandon.
Melanie moved in with her dad recently after living in the Cities, and choosing SCTCC was and easy decision: it was close to home. She’s currently taking an online class and two in-person classes, and once a week, she and Brandon are able to connect for lunch. They also connect when Brandon walks past her classroom right down the hall from his, making funny faces (typical dad behavior).
Even if it might be a little embarrassing (like sending a photo to the college’s Facebook account), Melanie knows he’s got her best interests at heart.
“At the end of the day, it means that he cares. He’s always been very supportive and pushes me to be the best I can be. I’ve always valued him because instead of pushing me toward something specific, he just motivates me to do my own thing,” Melanie shared.
They also keep each other accountable. Both admitted to not doing well in high school, but here they have really found their interests and gone in.
“I had second thoughts about coming back to school,” Melanie admitted. Brandon added: “Learning is just another muscle. If you don’t exercise your brain, you just grow stagnant.”
The father-daughter duo’s story is a welcome reminder of how one person’s experience at SCTCC can influence another person to start their future here. It’s always a good day when we open up Facebook DMs to find a happy pic of family member or friends attending SCTCC.