Madison Testimonials

It has taken me 17 years to complete my college education but the journey has been worth the final product. After bouncing from job to job while being a stay at home mom for five years, I knew it was time I finally, finally, finish my degree and start a career.

Herzing University appealed to me because I was able to take both on-line and on-campus courses. With many of my precious college credit courses transferring, I was able to complete my associate of science medical office administration degree in one year. I am happy to say that I found an awesome job helping patients in a medical setting! I am now working the hours I want and I have time to spend with the family. I look forward to coming back one day to complete my Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management.

– Cindy Beuthin, Patient Resources Agent, UW Medical Foundation

Prior to attending Herzing University, I was living in a small town working at a local newspaper office that offered no room to grow professionally. I was doing graphic design at my job and really loving it. I decided to research schools, and came across Herzing University. Several people that I knew had either been attending or had attended Herzing in the past, and said it was a great place to get your education. I found out that there was a graphic design program and came to Madison to sign up! I loved the class sizes at Herzing! Having attended a large UW campus in the past, I was adamant on finding a school that had small class sizes so I could get the one-on-one attention that I needed. One of the things that Herzing University is known best for is the hands-on experience, and for me, that's the best learning method. All the professors know you on a first-name basis and are more than willing to help out with any questions or concerns that you have.

I think Herzing has prepared me for my future in the sense that they provided me with hands-on experience that will benefit me in real-world situations. My internship program gave me the opportunity to take what I had learned and apply it to everyday work.

Prior to my graduation, I was offered a full-time job as graphic designer/administrative assistant at my current place of employment, Complete Mobile Dentistry, Inc. I was offered a great starting salary upon graduation and my position is focused on the field I was enrolled in.

– Laura Heider, Graphic Design

I am a graduate of the Drafting and Design program at Herzing University. Prior to attending Herzing, I spent two years at Milwaukee Area Technical College and graduated with an associate degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. After graduating I had a slight change of heart about pursuing a career in this field.

Growing up I always had an interest in my dad’s line of work. He was a part-time architect for two home construction contractors. Inspired by my dad, throughout high school I took drafting classes as electives. I began researching different universities and degrees. I was intrigued by the drafting and design program at Herzing University. What made it stand out was the diverse curriculum offering various software including both architecture and mechanical drafting. I wanted the chance to explore architecture with the opportunity to have mechanical drafting combined with my electrical engineering background. I thoroughly enjoyed my education at Herzing University.

I received excellent in-depth instruction on various software and learned architectural and mechanical concepts. The general courses, including the speech and career development class, were very helpful and imperative toward my growth as a person and professional. With the help from the career development team including extensive guidance from the director, Jeff Westra, I was fortunate enough to land my most ideal job as an architect drafter with an expanding contracting firm in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Jeff really went above and beyond my expectations to help and assist me throughout the entire process and was incredibly encouraging the whole way. I am most satisfied with my decision to attend Herzing University and grateful for the opportunity and my achievements.

– Cory Delfosse

Prior to attending Herzing University, I was a full-time single parent and the primary caregiver for my children, who all have special medical and behavioral conditions. My life was devoted to them, and I came to the realization that I had very few goals for my own future and success. Although I love caring for my children, I didn’t know how to define myself as anything but a mother.

I had a friend who attended Herzing University and obtained a master’s degree. I had observed some of her course assignments, and I realized that continuing my education was something I was more than capable of. When my children were both enrolled in school on a full-time basis, I knew that this was the time I was waiting for. I enrolled in the Criminal Justice and Homeland Security program through Herzing University. I was a bit nervous to dive right in full-time, but the staff who had been supporting me since the first day I inquired about the university did something that very few had done: they believed in me. They never gave up on me.

The staff at Herzing’s Madison campus made me feel like I was capable of accomplishing anything. They gave me the tools and motivation I needed to be ready for this next chapter in my life. The instructors guided me, reassuring me that if at any time I needed extra support or accommodations, they would help me succeed. I don’t believe I would have come this far without my team behind me.

Although I am not yet finished with my degree, I am confident that I will be able to graduate and accept my diploma in an area of study that I am passionate about. I have been able to reach out to my community to establish connections that will help me have the option to work in a career that I will love. Not everyone can say this, and I feel privileged to have the opportunities I have been given, despite the barriers in my life. I feel like I can be the role model that my children deserve, and that they will live a better life because of the educational opportunities I have been blessed with.

I am honored to be able to call myself a mom, and now I am honored to be able to call myself a Herzing Student.

“…Your confidence in me and your assistance, along with the guidance and support of admissions advisor Carolyn Kent, helped me get to where I am right now, and I have a lot of faith in Herzing University. I have been more than impressed with the quality of my online instructors and how invested they are in their students. I am glad that I have a plan and team in place that is specifically designed to support my success, even with the barriers to education that I struggle with. Thank you for believing in every student who walks through the doors of Herzing University.”

– Christina Stanek

Even as a kid, Rick Smith, now 49, always worked. Whether it was a paper route or cooking at Crandall’s, a restaurant in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, Smith preferred a paycheck to the kind of extracurricular activities that normally attract college bound high school students. So it was not surprising that after a year of general studies at Madison Area Technical College, he was ready for something a bit more practical. When Smith realized that acquaintances at Wisconsin School of Electronics were attending for two years and getting great jobs upon completion, he was ready to make the switch.

Smith recalls that his high school work ethic helped frame his higher education goals: “I saw a fast path to pertinent education in electronics…not containing the extra fluff that had no bearing on a focused education. That was really appealing to me,” he says.

Smith graduated from Wisconsin School of Electronics, now Herzing University, in 1983 with an associate’s degree. Sure enough, he got that first good job as an X-ray technician, repairing equipment for the next year. By 1984, Smith found himself at the right place at the right time with the right skills. The Internet was just beginning to break out into popular use and the search for people that could help computers and other devices “talk” over data networks was intense.

Smith moved to the University of Wisconsin for a job in network engineering.

“Computer networking was in its infancy,” Smith recalls. “UW was tying its computers together on the administrative side. [The WSE program] prepared me for that. There are all kinds of courses now but back then the only thing that employers could look for was electronics degrees. An electronics background gave me the skill sets to get into computer networking. The electronics engineers were looking to work at bigger corporations, not be in the trenches at the UW”

Smith worked at the university until the year 2000. During his time at the institution, his experience creating computer networks led to his involvement with the InterOp trade show. InterOp is something of a Mecca for computer network techies. While interoperable computer networks are taken for granted today, in the early 1990s they were the stuff of prototypes and trade show demonstrations. Smith got involved with a University of Wisconsin team demonstrating such a network at InterOp and later, perhaps leveraging some of his original familiarity with X-ray equipment, began working at a vertical industry conference on a network specifically designed to support radiologists. Smith says much of that work took place in the open systems environment, particularly with tools created to monitor network reliability and performance.

One thing led to another and after several years Smith and colleagues from the radiology show network had the basis for forming their own company: INOC.

Smith calls quitting his job at UW and starting his own company a “big gamble.” It appears to be paying off, however. Today, he is Vice President of Operations of the 40-person company, headquartered in Northbrook, IL, with core operations in Madison. Smith is responsible for all NOC operations and service deliver work at the firm. Since starting INOC in 2000, Smith admits that the going has not always been easy. After a fast start, the bursting of the dot.com bubble produced hard times felt far beyond the Silicon Valley.

INOC has endured, however, and Smith continues to give back to career education. INOC made internships available for Herzing students over the years and has hired 12 Herzing graduates as full-time employees.

– Rick Smith

Latoria Payton understands the value of self-reliance. As a single mother with six children, Payton is accustomed to caring for her family on her own. But even the most self-sufficient people need a hand sometimes. Payton knows, though, that help often is hard to find. “It is not easy to get support when others know that the support you need is greater than great,” says Payton, an accountant with Creative Financial Staffing in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. “If the weight on your shoulders gets too heavy to carry, you have to find the strength within yourself to stand and continue.”

Just a few years ago Payton confronted such a weight herself. Back then, Payton was living in Illinois. But her home was condemned, leaving Payton and her children homeless. As an only child, Payton had no siblings or other family members nearby to help her. Her children’s father, meanwhile, was incarcerated and could not support the children either.

Payton turned to charitable organizations and social services for help, but they told her that her needs were “too great,” she says. In desperation, she called the Illinois governor’s office for assistance only to receive an apologetic call stating that the office could not help her. “We had no where to go and no one offering to help,” she says. “I felt like I was in the middle of a fire looking for a way out.”

Payton and her children spent a night at a shelter and a friend offered her home to the family briefly too, Payton says. But for most of that year, the family lived in Payton’s van. “I begged for people to let my children stay with them, but everyone has their own problems,” she says. “What changed it all for me was when my youngest son cried the night we drove past the house we were living in just days before. He said that he was tired and wanted to go home. It took all I had not to let them see me cry. That day made me see that what I was doing was not enough.”

Desperate and determined to change her life, Payton relocated to Wisconsin where she and her children stayed with her mother until she secured a new place to live. She found a job at a grocery store, but still wanted something more for her family, she says. Payton always wanted to earn a college degree, but she had postponed her goal to raise her children. With no other options, Payton decided she no longer could afford to defer her education.

“I knew if I did not go out and better myself my family would suffer,” says Payton. “By not having my degree I couldn’t get anything. I couldn’t support my family. I have children who depend on me and it is my job to provide a life for them.” Payton enrolled in the accelerated bachelor’s program at Herzing College in Madison, Wisconsin. The school’s small size appealed to her, she says, and she valued the personal attention she received from her instructors. Juggling the demands of school, family, and two part-time jobs wasn’t easy, she says. Fortunately, Herzing offered an array of student support services that encouraged Payton to finish her education, she says.

Flexible class options let Payton complete her coursework on campus and online, which helped her balance her multiple responsibilities. She also found support through the college’s counseling service and received referrals for childcare and other community services.

In 2008 Payton realized her goal and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in accounting and in March she received CCA’s GREAT Award. The GREAT (Graduate Recognition for Excellence, Achievement, and Talent) Award recognizes recent career college graduates who have overcome extraordinary difficulties and circumstances. Now Payton hopes to pursue a career in either forensic accounting or law and has applied to the online program at Concord Law School of Kaplan University. She also is studying to become a Certified Public Accountant.

“I have a strong desire to show my kids that hard work pays off. I want them to see that they need to work for everything they want and not to depend on anyone,” says Payton. “I kept going because I had something to prove to myself as well. I needed to know I could make it despite all the bad things that held me down. I’m not done yet, though. There is more of me to come.”

– Latoria Payton
bachelor’s degree in accounting

Choosing to attend Herzing University is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. I was working a dead-end job, worrying about getting shot and killed every day as I delivered large sums of money to area financial institutions. I finally decided that I wanted something better for myself; I deserved something better from my life. With the blessing and support of my girlfriend, I chose to take the tour of Herzing University. After a preliminary screening, I decided to enroll in a Bachelor’s degree program. I had my meeting with Jodi Mergener on July 5th and began classes on the 11th.

I chose to attend Herzing University because of the success stories I had heard from other former students. I was also truly impressed with the curriculum, and I found a topic of study that suited my personal interests. At the time, there was no other location area that offered any programs similar to the ones I was able to study at Herzing.

My Herzing experience was the best I could have asked for. In addition to being a student, I was able to work as a student assistant in the IT department at the Madison campus. Through this position I was able to gain excellent experience in the IT industry I wanted to specialize in. I was also able to establish lasting relationships with my coworkers, professors, and Herzing staff.

My education has helped me in numerous ways, both in my professional career and in my personal life. I have developed a confidence in myself and my abilities that I did not possess before I began school. I have also developed my skills to a degree that I have become a valuable asset to my department and organization. I have begun to earn professional certifications, which is the next logical step in developing more skills to add to my portfolio.

I would recommend the Herzing experience to anyone I meet who is looking for an education in the IT industry. The skills I have developed, and the hands-on training I received, are invaluable assets to anyone interested in this career path. The instructors are well-versed in the foundational areas of the IT industry, and I was able to research and specialize in the skills I wanted to attain; not just the classes required in the course register. I also found the flexibility of a hybrid learning experience to work well with my work schedule. All of these factors contributed to my success at Herzing, and will continue to do so as I move forward in my career.

– Josh Colvin
August 2010 Graduate

Before I started attending Herzing University in 2008, I was working at a factory job where I'd been for 13 years. I had done a pretty good job of rising through the ranks, but I felt like I'd hit a plateau and was at a bit of a dead end. I chose to go to Herzing because I had always wanted to go to college, I thought it would make me more marketable for jobs, and because my boyfriend had graduated from Herzing in 2006 and had a positive experience. I liked the flexibility of classes and was able to attend night and online classes while working a full-time day job.

My personal experience at Herzing was a good one; I enjoyed and benefitted from all of my courses and was happy with the up-to-date technology offered in my CAD classes. All of my teachers were very passionate about helping the students learn and excel, and they gave 110% to make sure we did. What I liked best was the reassurance that I could, in fact, complete the awesome feat of getting a college degree 14 years after graduating high school. It has given me a great sense of pride and has made me feel like I have a better chance of succeeding in this terrible economy. I was laid off from my job in November, but I was recently called back for a new job in the same company, where I'm putting some of my AutoCAD knowledge to use as an estimator. One of the main reasons for my re-hire is because my employer respects the initiative I took in going to Herzing to get my drafting and design degree.

– Kerry Hadden

I’m enrolled in the Computer Networking and Security program at Herzing University. I’ve always been pretty computer savvy, but I wanted to expand my knowledge of networking. I hope to eventually be a networking administrator for a small- to medium-sized business.

The online classes are a godsend because they allow me to go to school full time and work full time. With Herzing, I didn’t have to go through the runaround that was involved with the four-year colleges, and the curriculum was more specific to what I wanted to learn.

When I went in for orientation, the staff was really eager to help me embark on my professional journey, which gave me a sense of comfort. They treat you like a person, not just another rat in their maze.

– Stephen Fichter

I’m enrolled in the BS in Technology Management program with a minor in computer networking and security technology. I chose Technology Management to meet my personal goal of attaining a bachelor degree and also enhancing my current career.

What I like most about my experience at Herzing University so far is that the program has both online and on campus classes. This enables me to keep my fulltime job and gain hands on experience. Also, the instructors are interesting and the staff has always been helpful.

I chose Herzing University because it’s well respected in the IT industry. They offer an accelerated program that has both evening and online classes. Through the Herzing College program, I’m enhancing my current career as a server administrator.

– Ya-Quin Childs

I graduated from Herzing University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Technology Management with a CAD major, and I’m currently a CAD technician at Affiliated Engineers. I chose Herzing because I could get a bachelor degree in three years. The thing that stands out for me was the variety of software programs Herzing offers. Herzing has almost all of the CAD program that are used in the industry.

It’s a real small classroom atmosphere, so you get a lot of individual attention from the teachers, and you get to work with other students. You’re not getting ignored by your teachers and it’s just not a big class atmosphere. Herzing is mainly ‘hands on’ for their classes.

– Ryan Kinney

Affiliated Engineers has a great working relationship with Herzing University. I would rate the skills of the students extremely high. They come out with a great business sense and the communications skills that we look for in individuals…overall the whole package. The professors, staff, and career services staff have been extremely accommodating for our needs.

Scott Fanello
Electrical Designer & CAD/BIM Coordination Facilitator
Affiliated Engineers Incorporated
Madison, Wisconsin