May-ish 2026
MAYbe it's time to rest after a busy school year.
Highlights
Service With Lots of Smiles
For the sixth year in a row, Heartland employees, students, and friends of the College took a few hours out of their day on the last Friday in April to volunteer in their community. Although the weather always seems to want to throw us for a loop, we had another very successful Service Day at more than 20 work sites through District 540. Thanks to everyone for making it a special event. If you’d like to re-live some of the memories, take a look at the highlight video.
Heartland Has Gone to the Dogs
Speaking of Service Day, one of our community partners for this annual event is Wish Bone Canine Rescue. It’s definitely appropriate that Heartland partner with them, because several employees can thank Wish Bone for helping complete their families. Sarah and Brian Brennan adopted Sandy, Kate Herald Brown adopted Preston Bergamot, and Makana Thomason adopted Millie. But the best story comes from Audrey Stickrod. She went to take pictures on Service Day, and two days later, brought Wally home. As an explanation, Stickrod says, “He looked at me.” We totally get it, Audrey.
Celebration Vibes
The book has closed on another school year, and as usual, we celebrated with a great commencement. This year approximately 500 students chose to take part in the ceremony, which took place May 15 at Grossinger Motors Arena. The student speaker, David Helms, talked about his journey as a non-traditional student and his mom's before that. He concluded his remarks by reminding fellow graduates that Heartland will always be a place they can come back to. Outstanding faculty members Chris Miller and Sonja Workman were also recognized at the event. Thanks to all the Heartland employees that helped make this event happen for our students!
Award Winning Booklet, Year Two
Who’s ready for some good news out of DC? Everyone, probably. Look no further than your very own Marketing staff to get that serotonin boost. The team won a Gold Paragon from the National Council of Marketing and Public Information (NCMPR) for a recent Kids@Heartland Continuing Education booklet. The award was announced at the national conference in Washington, DC this spring. The submission beat out competition from marketing colleagues across the country, and this is the second time since 2024 that a Continuing Education booklet has taken home this top prize! Congrats to the Marketing and Continuing Education teams!
Regional Domination and Making Noise at Nationals
In the game of golf, you hear talk of birdies, eagles, and sometimes even albatrosses, but now it’s time to add another feathered friend to the mix: Hawks. That’s because our Heartland Hawks are the team to beat on the green this spring. Coming off a Region 24 Tournament win, the Hawks took 4 of the top 5 finishes in the tournament for a decisive 20 stroke win. The team ended the season by becoming National Championship runners-up, marking the best season in program history. Congrats Hawks!
Best of Baseball
Heartland baseball is doing what Heartland baseball does best – win! Not only did they have a stellar season and become the Region 24 Champs – again – quite a few folks earned some individual kudos as well. Starting from the top – Coach Chris Razo was named the MWAC Coach of the Year. Shortstop Jimmy Anderson was named Region 24 Player of the Year, MWAC Player of the Year, and given 1st team honors. Let’s go Hawks!
They Have Skills
'Tis the time for SkillsUSA competitions. And as has been the case in previous years, we had a whole lot of winners who represented Heartland at the Illinois State Championships. Congrats to these stellar students!
- T-Shirt Design
- 1st Place - Cami Nowlin
- 2nd Place - Tallon Short
- Pin Design
- 1st Place - Cami Nowlin
- 2nd Place - Tallon Short
- Medical Terminology
- 1st Place - Mia Landu
- Electronics Technology
- 1st Place - Collin Lister
- 2nd Place - Maximo Lopez
Full Circle Moment
Heartland hosted its 2nd annual HVAC networking event in late April, but its origins go back years from a community college in Iowa. The on-campus event brought together our students and employers in the field like Nicor Gas, Ameren, Bratcher Heating and Air Conditioning, and more. The students were able to showcase their skills and learn about real-world career pathways. The networking event represented a full circle moment for instructor Eddie Perkins. Perkins wanted to host the event at Heartland because he attended something similar when he was an HVAC student at Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, IA. That led him to being hired and starting his HVAC career, which eventually led him to HCC. And now Perkins is the instructor hosting a networking event that will open the door to someone else’s HVAC career, and another lucky employer will benefit from their skills. The circle of life – like the Lion King but with fewer lions and more AC units.
Tell Your Students About Potential Free Money!
Want some free money? Unfortunately you probably aren’t eligible. But our students are! Each year the Foundation gives out close to half a million dollars in scholarships thanks to generous donors. But sometimes our students don’t realize that this benefit is available to them. Scholarship applications were down slightly for the priority deadline in March, so that means there are more scholarships available this year for the September 1 deadline. If you interact with students, please encourage them to apply for Foundation scholarships and get a chance at some of that free money.
Still to come...
Half Day Fridays
- Starts June 5
College Closed
- June 19 - Juneteenth
- July 3 - Independence Day
Random Knowledge to Make You Just a Little Smarter
When Steven Spielberg re-enrolled at California State, Long Beach to earn his BA more than 30 years after dropping out, he was given three course credits in paleontology for making Jurassic Park.
Recommended Reading from Hawkfeed
Culpability by Bruce Holsinger is a story about a family that asks questions about AI’s role in our lives. Who is really responsible when things get automated? This book explores questions that are already on our doorstep – in a world shaped by AI, how far is too far?
Let's Get Social
That's all for now. In the meantime, check out our Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn for the latest happenings. Spread the love and share our stuff on your own pages.