Welcome to The Catalyst, an exciting and insightful podcast produced by Northeast Iowa Community College. I'm your host, Lasack. Together, we'll explore the people, programs, and partnerships that make Northeast Iowa Community College unique. From student success stories to behind the scenes info about athletics, innovation, and industry collaboration, each episode dives deeper into your community's college. Get ready for an inside look at the impact of community driven education at NICC.
Amy Lasack:Hello, and welcome to the Catalyst, everyone. Today, we're highlighting one of the most important voices on any college campus, our students, our student leaders that help shape the culture of the college. They bring ideas. They bring energy and perspectives that help institutions grow and better serve the people that they're here for. So in today's episode, we're talking one of our student leaders about their experiences and what motivated them to get involved and what leadership looks like from the student perspective.
Amy Lasack:So I want to welcome Dolan Geerts Dolan is a second year student at NICC in Piazza and is a first semester nursing student. He works in lots of different activities that we're going to talk a little bit about, but I'm super excited to have you here. Welcome, Dolan.
Dolan Geerts:Hello, Thanks for having me.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. So I mentioned you have a lot of things on your plate. So you're a nursing student. Went from the 2025 Emerging Leaders Program. You are part of the CAT team, which is the Cougar Activities team.
Amy Lasack:You're a member of TRIO. You're part of HOSA, the Health Occupation Student of America, and Student Leadership Council. Wow. Yeah. That is a lot.
Amy Lasack:So I want to first learn a little bit about you and what brought you to NICC.
Dolan Geerts:Well, I'm originally from Illinois. I live about an hour away from here. And my senior year of high school, I was really doing that final search for colleges. And I was talking to one of my former schoolmates that graduated a year before me and she was going to a community college in Iowa and I wanted to know more about it. So I came over and visited her one day and she was talking to me about it and she gave me like a little unofficial tour of NICC and I really just loved it.
Dolan Geerts:I felt like it was just another high school and I loved the environment. And then I got it with the enrollment advisor and like the money, like that really just pulled me right in how more manageable the cost is compared to a four year university for me. And that really is just what brought me here.
Amy Lasack:Makes a big difference. Did you did you participate in a lot of activities while you were in high school?
Dolan Geerts:I did. At high school, I was a Cats for Character advisor. So that is like a student organization where we do like behind the scenes stuff. So if we get a notification that like a student doesn't have like food at home, we go out, get some food and then just drop off food in their locker and they don't know who did it or anything. So I was kind of one in charge of that my sophomore, junior year.
Dolan Geerts:And then I was also in student council for seven years, three years in middle school, four years in high school. I was in our SAD organization, so Students Against Destructive Decisions. I was part of that for four years in high school. I was also part of the Homecoming and Prom Committee, all four years of high school. I did seven years of band and choir and theater, and I think I got it all.
Amy Lasack:So you've always been busy. That just is built into you.
Dolan Geerts:Yeah.
Amy Lasack:So now that now that you're at college, how do you balance your time with all of the responsibilities you have and going in in your first semester in the nursing program?
Dolan Geerts:So I think how I balance it the best is we have class for nursing from 9AM to 12PM or noon. And a lot of things happen like right at noon o'clock to 01:00 or afternoon. So I tell myself, like, I can do this. It's just given my brain a little brain break and I can just do what I like doing. And then later tonight, I'll go back and do my schoolwork.
Dolan Geerts:And so far that's been working out really well. And I still get to be part of my leadership personality and helping out people and everything. Yeah.
Amy Lasack:So you've just really figured out how to balance and structure your day
Dolan Geerts:Yeah.
Amy Lasack:To get everything done. How did you, did you know you always wanted to go into nursing or how did you end up on that path?
Dolan Geerts:I've always had a feeling that I wanted to go into something healthcare wise. I've just always not known what I've tossed around like laboratory or being a CNA for the rest of my career but then watching a couple close friends and family members that go through the hospital and everything It just really pulled me closer. Then once I worked as a CNA back home for about three years now, I'm just like, yeah, nursing is what I want to do that 100%.
Amy Lasack:That's fantastic. And I can tell already, you're going to be a fantastic nurse.
Dolan Geerts:Thank you.
Amy Lasack:Just some of the activities that you've been in, and you can just tell you have a very caring heart. So that's that is good for the world of us that need nurses. Fantastic. So you also live on campus at the college suites.
Dolan Geerts:I do.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. Talk a little bit about that experience and and has that helped being so close to the NICC campus like that?
Dolan Geerts:It definitely has helped being so close to the campus. I've made a lot of friends over here and I found out that a lot of them are in the same area somewhere in the healthcare field for the program at NICC. And then some of them are also in the same classes as me. So I've done like study groups over here and reviewed topics before tests and then this semester with me starting the actual nursing program and doing clinical at the area hospitals. The day before our clinical, we go in and get a clinical prep and everything and fill out paperwork.
Dolan Geerts:And being so close to campus, I get to print for free being part of Trio. So that is one thing that I really like also because I'm like, if I would be at home, I would have to buy the paper and buy the ink. Yeah, it'd only be like every two months, but free printing right here, I wouldn't have to wake up super early to go to clinical or even be to school at all. And I just love the environment here.
Amy Lasack:Yeah, so you mentioned TRIO.
Dolan Geerts:I did. So you were
Amy Lasack:a big part of that. That is a very important part of NICC. You talked a little bit about your experience with the TRIO program.
Dolan Geerts:Yeah, so I joined TRIO my second semester here at NICC and I did apply for my first semester, but since I was going for nursing, I had to pass A and P one anatomy physiology one first before I was able to join TRIO. But once I was in TRIO, it's such a friendly environment in there. If you have any questions at all, I've asked about like tutoring, I've asked about helping with my, like, interview paper or something, anything like that. They help with anything in there. And sometimes I go in there and I just keep to myself and I study in there, helps me focus.
Dolan Geerts:I print off stuff in there. Then this semester before nursing classes, I'll go in there early in the morning and do notes from the day before his lecture to prep for the quiz that day or anything like that. And it's just, it's always open as long as the campus is open and they're there for the students benefit. And I love that because there are so many resources that I didn't know that I would be using if I wouldn't have been in TRIO.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. They have wonderful staff there too. So supportive of our students. So shout out to the TRIO team. They do a lot of fantastic things.
Amy Lasack:I I know you know, I have a 17 year old who'll be going off to college here in a couple years, and, I have an older son that went off to college. And one of the the hardest things was figuring out how to fit in and how to meet new friends and, you know, just acclimate to a whole new environment. Has your involvement in all of these activities, has that helped with some of that?
Dolan Geerts:Oh, it definitely has. When I first came to campus, I didn't know anybody and I just basically kept to myself for the first week or two. And then I got talking with a couple of my friends who were in HOSA. And then I showed up to a couple meetings and really made friends from there. And I just blossomed after that.
Dolan Geerts:So just getting involved in campus really helped make my campus experience 100% better than what it would have been if I would have just gone to classes and gone back to my apartment here at College Suites.
Amy Lasack:So we mentioned that you're also part of the CAT team, the Cougar activities team. Can you talk about that? What what all does that entail?
Dolan Geerts:So this is my second semester working for the CAT team as a student lead. So a couple of things that I do here on campus with them is I give tours during orientation if I'm available and free. How I like to put is I'm kind like a liaison in between the student body and like other faculty and stuff at the campus. They can come any students are more than free to come to me with any questions that they have. I can definitely help them with an answer or find an answer.
Dolan Geerts:I also help work like campus activities here on campus. So I believe the most recent one we did was stuff a critter.
Amy Lasack:So yeah.
Dolan Geerts:So students came up for free and stuff the animal and everything. And I helped make a couple of decisions on like what animals to bring in and everything and we just have a full team meeting like once a month, once a month we have one and we brainstorm ideas like are there any other activities that we can bring to campus? Any past activities that you didn't think went over well that we can get rid of and try to think of something new for the coming up semesters or anything like that. So just being part of that team helps create more student activities on campus. And I love seeing student involvement and students thriving outside of their classes.
Dolan Geerts:And it's just helped me also with a leadership position, getting more of that leadership experience under my belt and everything to get ready for the workforce.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. So that sounds like a fun team to be a part of.
Dolan Geerts:Oh, it's so fun.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. So many cool things. And I know I've seen a lot of different things that you guys have brought on to campus, and, I'm like, oh, I wanna be a student so I can stuff a critter. Right? But yet you touched on it.
Amy Lasack:Next question a little bit is how do you feel like all of these experiences are going to translate to your future career as a nurse?
Dolan Geerts:I just feel like it's all gonna help me be not so like shy. I'm gonna like be right up there, be friendly. When I get involved with everything in nursing, like if for some reason we need to help do a class or help with other student nurses once I'm working as a nurse for quite a while. I'm gonna step up and have that leadership experience from NICC with all my positions here that I'm gonna jump right in and just be ready to take on that responsibility and have that moral understanding of how to be the best leader I can be. Mhmm.
Amy Lasack:So do you look back to the person you were when you first got here, day one, and to where you are now? And do you see that growth that you have had?
Dolan Geerts:I really do. I really do. When I look back, I'm like, my first my very first day, it was a Thursday and we didn't have any class on Friday. So I just came over for that one class and I got to the parking lot. I texted my mom like, Hey, I got to campus.
Dolan Geerts:I don't wanna go in. I don't know anybody here. And she's like, You paid for the class. You got to go in.
Amy Lasack:Good advice, mom. And
Dolan Geerts:so I went in and as I was walking down the hall, like all these students were going the same direction I was going. And I was like, Oh my gosh, are there this many people in my class? And there were, and I just went to the straight back row of the class. And I sat there not talking to anybody, not sitting next to anybody, nothing. And then now I am, like, in one of the first few rows, sitting around everybody, getting involved.
Dolan Geerts:And I'm just like, I really have grown here on campus. And I believe a lot of it is from all these positions I've been in.
Amy Lasack:Mhmm. I love that story. I mean, just looking just seeing that seeing you sit in the back of the classroom that very first day, and now you're, like, totally involved and being able to see that on your own, that's fantastic. Yeah. So where do you see yourself going after NICC?
Amy Lasack:Do you see yourself staying nearby? Where are you going to go? I'm going
Dolan Geerts:to go back home and work for a few years because I did get a scholarship from my current place of employment. So I'm gonna work for them for a few years and then I am mainly just gonna see where life takes me and I'm gonna transfer to a four year university and get my bachelor's degree in nursing. And then it's also kinda crossed my mind to get my master's degree in nursing. So we'll see where that all goes. And I'm just gonna kinda go with the flow and see where life takes me and see where I end up.
Amy Lasack:Do you know what is it you want to explore?
Dolan Geerts:I am kind of tossing around three different ideas. I haven't really made one final decision yet. With me being on a volunteer ambulance back at home, I'm really looking at the emergency room, being a nurse in there, because I love that adrenaline, high paced patient care and everything that we do on the ambulance. But we haven't done any clinical for the ER yet. Believe that's in my very last semester of my RN year.
Dolan Geerts:And then my second choice would be like a cardiovascular unit because the heart after learning that in anatomy and physiology, the heart just amazes me how it's a muscle, but it never gets tired or anything like any of your other muscles do. So that's really pulled me into wanting to go into that field. And then my third one would be like a pediatric oncology. Cancer is always hit close to home with me and then I just love kids. I love everything about kids.
Dolan Geerts:So that's kind of why I'm looking at that one too. So I'm not quite sure which one I want to 100% go into yet, but I've got a couple of options.
Amy Lasack:Yeah, you sure do. And so you mentioned you're on the ambulance team at back home too. How long have you been doing that?
Dolan Geerts:I have been on there for about two months now.
Amy Lasack:Wow.
Dolan Geerts:I took a class last semester every Tuesday and Thursday back home in Elizabeth, Illinois to become an emergency medical responder, so an EMR. And that's kind of like a half step lower than an EMT. So I respond on the ambulance and everything when I'm back home on weekends if I'm not working. And trying to figure out that class last semester was still taking classes here on campus as a full time student. That was a challenge too, but it was something I was passionate about so I made it work.
Amy Lasack:Yeah, and you also mentioned you've been working as a CNA for several years. Yep. Did you take that during high school?
Dolan Geerts:I did. I took a class my junior year of high school. At my high school, we have an area, like, kind of like an academy for all the surrounding high schools. And it's called the CTE Academy in Elizabeth, Illinois. And I took the health occupations class there and it was built into my tuition through high school.
Dolan Geerts:So in a way it was kind of free how I look at it since mom paid But for high we would go there every day up to the CTE Academy. It was maybe five minute bus ride and we would spend about two hours there. We started out just learning the fundamentals, hand hygiene, proper bedside care, everything like that. And then we would once or twice a month, we would go to the Galena Nursing Home where I work now as a CNA. And that's where we would do all of our clinicals and everything.
Dolan Geerts:So May of my junior year, I had my CNA license and I started working right away.
Amy Lasack:Wow. So you already have several years experience in the healthcare
Dolan Geerts:Yep.
Amy Lasack:Field. Yeah. So if if there's a student currently at NICC or maybe a senior in high school that's looking to go to college next year, what's the biggest piece of advice you would give a new student about getting involved?
Dolan Geerts:I would tell them to don't be scared, just go for it. Go with your gut instinct to just do it. Don't be nervous. Because that's how I was at first. And it took one of my friends to convince me to go to a HOSA meeting.
Dolan Geerts:And I'm now the vice president of that and I love it and I'm involved in campus. So just the biggest piece of advice, don't be nervous and just go for it. You can live with, Oh my gosh, I did all of these things and be happy with it instead of living with regret like, Oh, I should have been more involved in campus. You can always say, you can always step back after semester and be like, that's not for me. I don't have time for that, but at least you tried it.
Dolan Geerts:So at least try everything once.
Amy Lasack:That's fantastic advice. But you are going places, Dolan. I can tell already. You. Yeah.
Amy Lasack:Absolutely. Well, we do have a segment of the show, fact or fiction. So we've got a couple statements I'm gonna read to you, and you tell us whether the statement is fact or fiction. And if you wanna elaborate why you feel that way, feel free to do that. Okay?
Dolan Geerts:Okay.
Amy Lasack:Alright. So the first one is once a student starts a rigorous program like nursing, their life as a campus leader is over because of the heavy study load. Is that fact or fiction?
Dolan Geerts:I believe that is fiction.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. You've proved that.
Dolan Geerts:I have. I have. The biggest part about working with a rigorous program like the nursing program and being a campus leader is just figuring out your time management. That's the biggest part. Once you figure out how you can handle all of your homework and your studying habits, you can continue being the campus leader or being involved in campus as much as you want.
Amy Lasack:That's great. All the second one. TRIO helps students with everything from academic tutoring and financial literacy to leadership development.
Dolan Geerts:I'm going to say that's fact. And since I've been in TRIO, there have been multiple different opportunities to go on trips. Like last week for the spring break trip, they went to Colorado, Estes Park, Colorado, I believe, with the Student Life Officer, the Cougar activities team. And they did leadership stuff out there with landscaping and helping out with different other community projects and all that. And then in TRIO, every once in a while we have what's called a lunch and learn.
Dolan Geerts:So you go in, they have lunch. A lot of times there's pizza from the cafeteria, which is really good. And one of the ones about financial literacy that they did was talking about the FAFSA, helping you complete that and everything, and that learning different terms and how to manage money if you had any questions. So they're basically a well rounded helping organization for any student questions.
Amy Lasack:That's great. And I the cafeteria staff are really gonna appreciate the shout out for their pizza. So thanks for adding that. Of course. What about completing the Emerging Leaders program gives students a toolkit for their professional
Dolan Geerts:future? That is fact.
Amy Lasack:Yeah. So how long was that program?
Dolan Geerts:It was a full semester last year. I believe it started in January '25 and went until May '25. We met about once a month over the lunch period and every time we would have a meeting there would be a guest speaker that would come in and talk about leadership and how we can step up and handle like for example colleague conflict or like how to just step up and act in a role if a manager was out and they asked you to just kind of watch over things or anything and it just hearing from them talk with their experiences really gave you ideas on how you could handle leadership and different things like that in your everyday life. It doesn't have to be with work or school, just anytime you have to step up and do anything in the everyday life. Alright.
Dolan Geerts:What about living in college suites is strictly for students who wanna be close to the library for twenty four seven studying? That is fiction. It's not just for students who wanna be twenty four seven studying. I believe we have a couple residents here at college suites that I believe one goes to like University of Dubuque, a couple go to Clark University. I know we used to, I don't know if she's still here, but we did have one who went to Loris.
Dolan Geerts:So it's for any college students. And yes, it is a benefit to be close to the library like that, but it's not just for students who want to be close to the library.
Amy Lasack:Great. All right. So last one, any student can get involved and hold a leadership role on campus regardless of their major, their age, etcetera.
Dolan Geerts:100% fit fact. 100% fact.
Amy Lasack:Yes. Everybody can get involved.
Dolan Geerts:Definitely.
Amy Lasack:Super. Well, Dolan, I one of my favorite things about doing this podcast is getting to talk to students like you and really understanding kind of your experience and just it always fills my heart to know that our next leaders are fantastic like you are. So I wanna wish you the best of luck. You're gonna go far. Really, really see you going far.
Amy Lasack:Thank you for joining us on The Catalyst.
Dolan Geerts:Thank you for having me. It was a great time talking with you.
Amy Lasack:Oh, that's great. Well, and thank you all for listening. And I would encourage any students that are listening, get involved. So you can see how much Dolan really appreciates and has grown from his involvement on the NICC campus. So get involved.
Amy Lasack:That's the last thing we're going to leave you with. And thank you all for listening to The Catalyst. We will see you next subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. Want to learn more about NICC and the many ways we support our students, partners and community? Visit nicc.edu for more resources and upcoming opportunities.
Amy Lasack:This podcast is produced by Northeast Iowa Community College and hosted by me, Lasack, with executive producer Tessa Hill, producer Travis Hunt, and graphic designer Ashley Konzen.