夹克的故事
How alumnus Ryan Neisen used his time at JWCC to kick off a path that led to becoming Hannibal’s Fire Chief.
Recently appointed as the Fire Chief of the Hannibal Fire Department, JWCC alumnus Ryan Neisen has been serving the HFD since 2002. His 20 years of experience have taught him a tremendous amount, and Neisen has also earned a handful of certifications to ensure he is prepared for whatever he may face in the role. 但是，救火并不总是在尼森的计划之中. Though beat365平台 has one of the most renowned fire science programs in the country, 当Neisen参加JWCC时, 当时他还没有考虑过要从事消防工作. 经过自然进化，他在那里着陆了, and credits the community college for helping to build a foundation for many of the opportunities he has had.
In 1994, Ryan Neisen enrolled at beat365平台 with the idea of becoming a teacher. He was recruited to play basketball for the school by then Athletic Director & 教练，现任总裁迈克·易比.
“他是个安静的孩子. I wasn’t sure he was even going to sign with us until I got a letter from him in the mail,易北回忆道. “但是，天哪，在球场上，他是一个不同的人.”
To Neisen, the choice to enroll at beat365平台 made sense. He used his time at JWCC to get acclimated to the collegiate environment, 以及看看什么样的职业选择适合他.
“I didn’t know a whole lot about John Wood when the recruitment process started, but I really liked Coach Elbe and I liked the way the program was going so I decided to attend school there. I didn’t know what I wanted to get into when I got to John Wood. I thought I probably wanted to a PE coach or a teacher,” said Neisen. “后来到了大学，我觉得这条路不适合我. That’s the great thing about college, you get to try some different things and find your career path.”
The benefits from his time at JWCC extended far beyond the classroom. Neisen has fond memories of his time at the college and the foundation he built while attending school here.
“John Wood is a special place for me because it gave me the opportunity to meet people. I didn’t know what I was doing at the time, but I was unintentionally networking. I have friends that work for DOT Foods and the City of Quincy and all these different entities…these are all people that I met at John Wood. The guys that I play golf with every week are friends and teammates from John Wood. 我和霍伊特教练保持密切联系. 那时我们是队友.
“The community of the community college is I think that’s what makes JWCC different. I tell people all the time that John Wood is a unique place. I don’t think that most two-year colleges have that family environment that John Wood does. 直到今天, 当我走在校园里, I see faces that I used to see when I was a student there 25 years ago. You go to a basketball game and the same people are in the stands that were there 25 years ago. 很明显, 当我在那里玩的时候, we went on the road and played other schools and I can say those schools aren’t the same as John Wood. It’s a special place to me where I have me a lot of special people in my life and I am very proud to say I am a John Wood alum.”
从JWCC毕业后, Neisen went on to attend Columbia College where he switched majors to criminal justice. From there, he was hired as a police officer in Hannibal, holding that position for about two years. After gaining experience there, Neisen made the decision to move to the fire department.
“There is overlap with the characteristics needed for most emergency services jobs. I think most police officers could be firemen and vice versa. We are all kind of wired the same and think along the same lines a lot of times. You see a lot of jokes, firemen teasing police officers and vice versa, but it’s all in good fun. 我们在本地玩得很开心. 有同志情谊, 不仅在PD和FD之间, 但所有紧急服务:调度, EMS, 救护车, 这些类型的服务.”
尼尔森局长很幸运, though he didn’t complete John Wood’s Fire Science program, 他的部门还能从中受益.
“We have several employees who have been through JWCC’s fire science program. 这很常见. We are getting ready to go through a hiring pool right now and several prospects to get hired are from the program. I would say 6-10 off the top of my head of our employees who have been through the program. 这对我们来说是很常见的.”
Neisen also believes that the fire science program is beneficial to its students, preparing them for a profession that can be full of surprises.
“JWCC’s Fire Science program gives you a basic understanding of the fire service and kind of what to expect. 每个消防部门都有点不同, 我们做事的方式并不完全相同, but the program gives students an idea of what to expect when they begin their career. Chief Bentley does a great job with the program and with his students. 我们总是和他保持联系, asking him about the guys going through the class and things like that. I think the fire science program is definitely beneficial to our community.”
回忆的美好感觉是相互的. 在校园里，人们仍然怀念着纳森.
“Ryan was one of the fiercest competitors I have ever coached,” said President Mike Elbe. “When he was on my team, we had back-to-back outstanding seasons. I always knew I could count on him in a crunch, almost more than any player I have coached.”