I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends and is preparing for the holiday season before you. During this time of year, I like to reflect on all of the things for which I am thankful. With McHenry County College’s new mission statement encapsulating our role in the community, “Our focus is learning. Student success is our goal,” it is truly an exciting time to be part of this institution.

So, as we are now in full swing for this holiday season, and we soon will count down to a new year with new opportunities, what better way to express my personal thanks than outlining the top 10 things for which I am thankful.

No. 10. MCC has had the highest enrollment growth, in both head count and full-time equivalent, of all of the community colleges in the state over the past five years. We had a 33 percent increase in our head count and a 31 percent increase in our FTE, with this fall up 7.2 percent. What makes me so thankful about these numbers is that it means McHenry County College is focusing on helping more and more McHenry County residents meet their higher education goals. Having more residents attain a higher education degree is what we are all about!