Dena Farlee – Alumni Profile
What year did you graduate? 1985
What program did you graduate from? Computer Programming
Where are you currently employed? 1st Financial Bank, USA
When was the last time you visited Campus? 1990
Why did you choose Lake Area Technical College? Computers were becoming a big thing back in the mid 80’s. I took a computer class my senior of high school (T.F. Riggs High School/Pierre) and I became hooked on the technology and wanted to learn more. Lake Area had a fairly new computer programming class and I also had family that lived in the area, so I chose Lake Area Technical College.
What was your favorite thing about Lake Area Technical College? Looking back on my time there, I would have to say my favorite thing about Lake Area would be the way I felt like I belonged there. Every teacher I had, really cared about my education. They made it fun and challenging at the same time. I also made great friends there and all these years later, I still keep in touch with many of them.
What was the biggest lesson you learned at Lake Area Technical College? Hard work pays off (Mr. Deuter our instructor stated that to us often) 🙂
What made you want to continue your education? I always knew I wanted to continue my education after high school. We had a day at high school where college and tech school people came and visited with us about different careers. I met with one of the people from Lake Area Technical College and they talked to me about their computer program. I knew it was what I wanted to do.
What advice would you give a current Lake Area Technical College student? You are setting yourself up for what could be a good life in your future. Take your classes seriously and do your best, but don’t forget to have fun and make as many new friends as you can.
What makes you proud to be an Alumni of Lake Area Technical College? It was a great school back then and it still is to this day. Lake Area grads are a huge contributing factor to the workforce in our State. The staff really cares about their students and it shows. I graduated with a degree in computer programming and although I never continued on years later in that field, I was able to use that knowledge I gained from Lake Area Technical College to work in different aspects of state government and now the private sector. I’ll never regret choosing Lake Area Technical College and I encourage any young person graduating from high school to seriously consider a tech degree at Lake Area Technical College. It could be the best thing you ever do for your future.
