Story # 7 Life is a Challenge

Life is a Challenge

Chanelle Nigh, a Student Leadership Award winner, will reach her goal with two degrees at Anoka-Ramsey Community College in May 2011.

Three years is a long journey for Nigh to discover her dream. It will become reality with her associate in science degree in Business Administration, and associate of arts degree.

“I was honored to be a Presidential Scholarship recipient, as well as a Student Leadership Grant and Stipend recipient. Pursuing a postsecondary education can be very expensive and can put an individual far in debt,” said Nigh.

She gives credit to receiving such awards to be able to pursue her education. “Honestly, I don’t know if I would have been able to do it without this help,” added Nigh

Nigh chose to study business administration because she always had the dream of opening her very own patisserie.  It is very important to understand the business realm, especially if a person desires to become an entrepreneur; therefore she chose to study business administration because it gave her the business tools to be successful at something she loves.

Nigh desires to stay local and plans for her business. She loves the environment and the city that she grew up in Anoka.  Anoka is an old river town whose streets still capture the essence of its historical nature. She believes that Anoka is a great place to shop and live. And if she was to open a business, she’d try to stay as close to home as possible. After all “home is where the heart is.”

After she graduates from ARCC, she plans to transfer to Metropolitan State University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. ARCC and Metropolitan State University have a partnership that allows her to pursue the education to help ensure that she was successful; they make it easy to do.

Nigh said that she is very proud to be an ARCC student, and the ARCC in many ways has altered her life. When she first began her attendance here, she was unsure. In high school she earned good grades and was fairly involved in extracurricular activities, but she was just going through the motions. “I had no direction. Anoka-Ramsey helped me find my direction and focus, Nigh confirmed.

She thinks perseverance has a lot to do with success. Being a college student is tough. College students juggle so many activities: school, work, family, friends, etc.

“You just have to keep going. Present times may seem tough, but tomorrow is another day. Maybe you can look back and laugh someday,” Nigh said.

Nigh manages her time when she has assignments. She has a planner and her life is scheduled in that book. She has been told repeatedly “organize, organize, organize,” and even though a person may fail at times just try, try again.

“I would absolutely love to travel,” Nigh said. There are so many things and places that she wants to see in this world. One thing she would love to do is attend a pastry school in Paris, France. Backpacking through Italy would be a dream come true.

Nigh has her hobby. She loves baking. She loves ceramics, and she found out that she was good at tutoring in ceramics. Tutoring was a work study job, but she has just loved it.

Nigh would like to be an example for other students. If she can be successful, then anyone can be successful at ARCC.



Cody Malinak



 Cody Malinak, a freshman at ARCC on Cambridge Campus, has his business dream. Associate in science degree in Business Administration is his destination. He is going to follow Nigh’s step.

Hannah Walsh

Hannah Walsh, a Financial Aid and a Scholarships student at ARCC on Cambridge Campus, is studying for associate of arts degree. Walsh said, “Financial Aid and Scholarships helped me pay for books and tuition. Anoka-Ramsey is very convenient because the tuition is low.”

          An ARCC scholarships helped many students leave college almost debt-free. There are more than 200 students receive scholarships each year. Awards start at $ 250 and range as high as $ 3000. That is 72 percent of a full time student’s tuition and fees. The college resources helped students realize that their goals can be reality.

Successful seems to be connected with action. An amazing student named Chanelle Nigh still challenges herself. She continues studying for higher Education and leader her peers.