Madison News
Campus News & Events
Finding Something More
Daniel Burton had been working temporary positions in customer service and hospitality, and thought that it was time for him to look for something more. He had considered going back to school for some time but "I kept procrastinating," he admitted, until a friend who was studying at the Madison campus inspired him to check National College out. He enrolled in the computerized office applications diploma program and graduated about a year later.
In the following months after graduation, he continued to visit the Madison Campus Career Center, searching for jobs and catching up with friends and faculty. Career Center Director Elizabeth Neal kept her eye out for positions for Daniel, so when a position opened up at the Madison campus, he was the first person she called. "There's a position open here," she told him, "You're the perfect candidate for it." Daniel came up to the campus for his interview and within a week he was hired as document specialist.
Now Daniel works on the other side of the desk, handling the paperwork for every student that comes in: scanning, filing, and routing all documents to where they need to go. He also fills in as a receptionist, often serving as the first “face” that people encounter when entering the campus. It's been an eye-opening experience for him to be on the administrative side of the college: "I see both sides now," Daniel says, "from the student's point of view and the faculty-staff's point of view." And it's definitely been a learning experience. "Every day I may get a new document and I will enhance my skills in knowing what the documents are," shares Daniel, and it's given him a whole new appreciation for what goes on behind-the-scenes to make education possible.
Daniel shares that his best experiences as a student were in his classes with Instructor Erin Perry: "She was one of those teachers that taught on behalf of the students." He remembers clearly that she came to school on one of her days off and spent the whole day with some of her students, helping them with a research paper. Not only was she dedicated to her students but, "She enhanced English," Daniel says, and even made it fun in a way that was a completely new experience for him.
Two years ago, when Daniel first considered going to National, he never thought that he would someday sit on the other side of the desk with a National College business card – now, it has become a home away from home.
