Northeast Iowa Community College names Amy Conzett Carpenter an Alumni Shining Star
Thursday, August 12, 2021
Amy graduated from the University of Wyoming with an education degree and master’s degree in middle level mathematics. She is now a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Mathematics.
We don’t always know where our college education will lead us. The interests we have often change over time, new skills may replace older ones and our career direction can take a different, yet rewarding, path.
Amy Conzett Carpenter, like many students at Northeast Iowa Community College each year, began her college education to explore potential careers and start adult life. Amy graduated from the College’s Dental Assisting program in 1983. Now she’s a 22-year veteran middle school math teacher in Cody, Wyoming.
“I graduated from Dubuque Senior High in 1982. I excelled in math and science, but lacked confidence and direction. My goal at the time was to gain a specific skill to be employable and start ‘adulting,’” Amy recalled. “The Dental Assisting program at NICC was intense, thorough and very professional. I was impressed by the faculty and staff, the lab and on-campus practicum settings, and the rigor of the program.”
Shortly after graduating from the program, Amy accepted a dental assistant job offer in Wyoming, but a delay moving to the state led to the offer going to someone else. Although dental assistant jobs in the rural state were scarce, Amy made Wyoming her new home, met and married her husband, John, in the first year and started a family. She eventually returned to college to explore new career options.
“What I lacked after graduating from high school I gained after attending Northeast Iowa Community College. My science background in high school and at NICC helped me get scholarships first to Northwest Community College and then to University of Wyoming,” she said.
Amy graduated from the University of Wyoming with an education degree and master’s degree in middle level mathematics. She is now a National Board Certified Teacher in Early Adolescent Mathematics.
“I try to instill in my students at all academic levels that the best investment in their future is their education. I cherish the recognition when parents request me as their child’s teacher because he or she has struggled in the past and they know I will work hard to convince their child they can be a successful student of mathematics. I cherish the notes I receive from students at the end of the year thanking me for helping them see themselves as capable of taking on challenges and persevering in doing difficult things,” Amy said.
Amy and her husband, John, have two children, Stephanie and Trevor, and five granddaughters. Amy is an advocate for students starting at a community college and her children both received associate’s degrees from Northwest Community College before transferring to complete a four-year degree at the University of Wyoming.
For her inspiring career in public education and service to the community, Northeast Iowa Community College has selected Amy Conzett Carpenter as an Alumni Shining Star.
Northeast Iowa Community College’s place our region is forever connected to the thousands of students of all ages who enrolled, completed a degree and started bright career futures. NICC alumni have made a powerful impact on local communities and are often connected to one another as family; their success stories honor the College and its mission and purpose. In this spirit, the College honors Alumni Shining Stars during the year to celebrate standout graduates who have transformed their lives and families through their example.
Tags: Alumni Shining Star