ANC Student Snapshot - March 2020 - Adrienna Johnson

March 2020 ANC Student Snapshot recipient, Adrienna Johnson

𝗔𝗡𝗖 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗖𝗛 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟬 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧

𝗔𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗡𝗔 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡𝗦𝗢𝗡, 𝗕𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲

Adrienna Johnson of Blytheville has been named one of Arkansas Northeastern College’s Student Snapshot Recipients for March. Johnson was nominated by ANC Instructor Scott Follett.

Johnson is enrolled in the on-line steel tech degree program and has full advantage of the opportunity that the program offers. She has grit and is willing to work hard now to gain the prize at the end of the course,” said Follett.

That “prize” Follett is referring to could be a high-paying job at the completion of the program. According the 2019 Economic Security Report, the Arkansas Northeastern College’s steel tech graduates earned $89,585 in their first year of work. The first-year, full-time wage average of ANC’s Steel Tech Associate Degree graduates exceeds the first-year, full-time wage average of every bachelor degree program at every university in the state. The Economic Security Report is published by the Arkansas Research Center and the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services using actual Arkansas wage data.

With this kind of potential earnings, Johnson is taking advantage of what ANC has to offer. She had previously earn an Associate of Arts Degree from ANC, but recognized the earning potential of the Steel Tech Program.

“I chose ANC because it is the only college that offers the Steel Tech Program in Arkansas. Also, my first experience with ANC was great. They really work with you and are very considerate of your outside life,” said Johnson, adding that, “At ANC, they want you to succeed and will try to do everything they can to make that happen, but you have to make the initiative to get the help.”

Johnson, who is a single parent of two children, is taking advantage of the online option for the steel tech program. Currently students can take the program in live classes or take the option where 75% of the coursework is offered online. Because ANC is the only college in the state or even this region to offer the Steel Technology Program, the online option was implemented last year as a way to give more people the opportunity to take advantage of the program.

For her part, Johnson is putting in the work. “She has every excuse to not succeed. Instead, she focuses on reasons to be successful. She spends many hours learning the material. She asks questions to gain an understanding beyond what is required in the course,” said Follett.

In addition to her classes, Johnson works part-time as a supplemental instructor in math, where she helps other students succeed. While she enjoys her work with he Math Department, she says her personal, favorite class is Basic Metallurgy. “This class is very interesting and I learn so much about the steel tech world that is quite surprising. Steel is very complex and has many forms and uses. Also, the teacher uses a lot of videos and lectures, so it is almost like attending the class live on campus,” said Johnson.

Following the completion of the Steel Technology Program, Johnson hopes to continue living in the area and work in the local steel industry. She wants a career she loves and the ability to provide security for her family, and she is certainly doing all she can to make that happen. “Adrienna Johnson is a great example for other students and for our community,” said Follett.