Student Story: Erica Alberda
"I am already working in my chosen field and I plan to stay in my career until I retire, but I will have more confidence in the job I do, and more knowledge in my area of study because of my time at Ivy Bridge College.”
Hello everyone,
My Name is Erica Alberda, I am 35 years old, and I live in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Montana. I was born and raised in St.Cloud Minnesota, and I moved to Montana almost seven years ago. I am married to my husband Chad, who is my best friend and a great person. We have five children, but none together. Chad has two daughters who live with us part time, and my three live with us full time. I also have three cats, one dog, one snake, two hermit crabs, and soon I’ll have seven chickens and three ducks. I have a very busy household with my kids and pets, running errands, and all of the other joys of motherhood. I also attend school full time at Ivy Bridge College as well as work full time for the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department.
At the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department I am one of four female detention officers—the rest are men. I have been working here for almost five years at the Ravalli County Jail. I work full-time, and I also work graveyard shifts. I love my job and I think it’s very exciting. There are a lot of unknowns in my job, and no day ever goes as planned. My duties vary and I usually distribute my hours between performing floor duties, booking, and working as a control officer. My main job is to provide safety and security for the inmates and staff. If I had to pick a favorite duty it would be booking.
I attended a different college about a year and a half ago, and I was unsatisfied with the academic level of the classes, so I started looking into another school that offered what I wanted. I was lucky to find Ivy Bridge College. I decided to enroll after the great phone conversation I had with my enrollment coach. I told her all of my concerns and past experiences and she helped me to understand how Ivy Bridge worked and helped me make my decision to transfer easy.
I have had many people on my side during my college experience, my husband Chad, my kids Kelsey, Angel and Isaac, people at my work, especially Sgt. Russell and Lt. Leete, as well as my Sheriff. My family has been there for me through it all and always will be. My work, and my Sgt.’s as well as Lt. Leete encouraged me to do well in school and even allowed me to do homework at work during down time. They are all very supportive.
My success coach Mallory Huffman is also fantastic. I have never felt like I was a bother to her with my many questions, and she is always very encouraging and helpful. Mallory is always complimenting my good grades and intellect, which gives me the drive I need to succeed. Having goals, support, and setting aside time for school and only school are huge parts of what it takes to be a great student. I also love that Mallory calls me every week and to tell me how well I’m doing, and to check to see if I have any problems or issues.
There is so much that I enjoy about attending Ivy Bridge College, but the thing I enjoy the most is the freedom. I love learning online and at my own pace. I also love that I can choose some of my classes and how many I would like to take. The freedom is one of the best things about learning online. I am a full-time wife, mother, student, and employee, so having freedom to do my homework when I want to (within reason of course) and doing my discussion posts during the week makes it much easier than sitting in a traditional classroom. I also love the rewarding feeling I get when I try hard and I have excellent results. I am showing my children that it doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you are in life, you can complete your goals, and getting an education is important. I enjoy getting to know people in my classes, as well as the diverse backgrounds of the instructors.
I don’t know if my life will change too much after I am done with college, but I do know that I went to college for myself because it has been a life-long goal. I am already working in my chosen field and I plan to stay in my career until I retire, but I will have more confidence in the job I do, and more knowledge in my area of study because of my time at Ivy Bridge College. Having my education as well as my job experience will make me a great officer and maybe someday an excellent sergeant.
Thank you for taking the time to read my success story!
Respectfully yours,
Erica Alberda
Hello everyone, My Name is Erica Alberda, I am 35 years old, and I live in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Montana. I was born and raised in St.Cloud Minnesota, and I moved to Montana almost seven years ago. I am married to my husband Chad, who is my best friend and a great person. We have five children, but none together. Chad has two daughters who live with us part time, and my three live with us full time. I also have three cats, one dog, one snake, two hermit crabs, and soon I’ll have seven chickens and three ducks. I have a very busy household with my kids and pets, running errands, and all of the other joys of motherhood. I also attend school full time at Ivy Bridge College as well as work full time for the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department.
At the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Department I am one of four female detention officers—the rest are men. I have been working here for almost five years at the Ravalli County Jail. I work full-time, and I also work graveyard shifts. I love my job and I think it’s very exciting. There are a lot of unknowns in my job, and no day ever goes as planned. My duties vary and I usually distribute my hours between performing floor duties, booking, and working as a control officer. My main job is to provide safety and security for the inmates and staff. If I had to pick a favorite duty it would be booking.
I attended a different college about a year and a half ago, and I was unsatisfied with the academic level of the classes, so I started looking into another school that offered what I wanted. I was lucky to find Ivy Bridge College. I decided to enroll after the great phone conversation I had with my enrollment coach. I told her all of my concerns and past experiences and she helped me to understand how Ivy Bridge worked and helped me make my decision to transfer easy.
I have had many people on my side during my college experience, my husband Chad, my kids Kelsey, Angel and Isaac, people at my work, especially Sgt. Russell and Lt. Leete, as well as my Sheriff. My family has been there for me through it all and always will be. My work, and my Sgt.’s as well as Lt. Leete encouraged me to do well in school and even allowed me to do homework at work during down time. They are all very supportive.
My success coach Mallory Huffman is also fantastic. I have never felt like I was a bother to her with my many questions, and she is always very encouraging and helpful. Mallory is always complimenting my good grades and intellect, which gives me the drive I need to succeed. Having goals, support, and setting aside time for school and only school are huge parts of what it takes to be a great student. I also love that Mallory calls me every week and to tell me how well I’m doing, and to check to see if I have any problems or issues.
There is so much that I enjoy about attending Ivy Bridge College, but the thing I enjoy the most is the freedom. I love learning online and at my own pace. I also love that I can choose some of my classes and how many I would like to take. The freedom is one of the best things about learning online. I am a full-time wife, mother, student, and employee, so having freedom to do my homework when I want to (within reason of course) and doing my discussion posts during the week makes it much easier than sitting in a traditional classroom. I also love the rewarding feeling I get when I try hard and I have excellent results. I am showing my children that it doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you are in life, you can complete your goals, and getting an education is important. I enjoy getting to know people in my classes, as well as the diverse backgrounds of the instructors.
I don’t know if my life will change too much after I am done with college, but I do know that I went to college for myself because it has been a life-long goal. I am already working in my chosen field and I plan to stay in my career until I retire, but I will have more confidence in the job I do, and more knowledge in my area of study because of my time at Ivy Bridge College. Having my education as well as my job experience will make me a great officer and maybe someday an excellent sergeant.
Thank you for taking the time to read my success story!
Respectfully yours,
Erica Alberda
Erica is a student in of Ivy Bridge College's Associate of Criminal Justice in Law Enforcement degree program.
