“No matter who I reach out to at CCC … I’ve always been received with a smile and willingness to help. That’s the number one thing that stands out to me.”
Paulina Ortega, ’21 Associate of Applied Science
When Paulina Ortega first enrolled at Central Community College in Grand Island, she wasn’t entirely sure where life would take her. What she did know was that she needed an affordable place to explore her options and figure out who she wanted to become. What she didn’t know was that CCC would eventually become the place where she’d build her career, her confidence and her future.
Today, Ortega is the apprenticeship coordinator at CCC-Grand Island, a role she stepped into in 2023 after graduating with her human services degree in 2021 and working in several service-oriented positions. She now spends her days connecting students with life-changing opportunities and helping employers build their workforce through apprenticeship partnerships.
Ortega didn’t arrive at CCC straight out of high school. She first tried a semester at Wayne State College, but the distance from home and uncertainty about her major made her rethink her path. CCC offered the affordability and flexibility she needed while she figured out her direction.
Cost mattered, but so did exploration.
“One of the major things was cost for me … but it was especially because I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” she said. “I wanted to start out with general eds and maybe take a couple intro classes and see what might pique my interest.”
As a first-generation college student, Ortega had to learn the college system largely on her own. She remembers feeling overwhelmed at first — until she met her advisor, Julie.
“She was really good about explaining the courses to me … and I just had a lot of dumb questions, but she was like, ‘There’s never dumb questions. Ask me anything.’”
That support shaped her entire college experience — and later her approach to working with students.
Like many students, Ortega explored several possible majors, but every career assessment she took pointed her toward human services. In her program, she felt comfortable, motivated and aligned. That is when she knew she was on the right path.
In her role as apprenticeship coordinator, Ortega now helps students navigate the same uncertainties she once faced.
“I see it in their eyes … where they’re like, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. Can you help me find a job?’” she said. “I get to sit down and explain the program to them and how it works.”
She especially connects with first-generation and Hispanic students, often involving their parents in conversations to help them understand the opportunities available.
“I like to bring in their parents … because I know college in general is very new to them,” she said. “Learning about an apprenticeship program … it’s almost like they don’t really believe it.”
Her empathy is rooted in lived experience. She remembers what it felt like to be unsure, overwhelmed and trying to figure out the system. Now she’s the one helping others make sense of it.
Ortega’s work involves building relationships with employers and students, identifying workforce needs, and helping companies and students understand the value of apprenticeships. And when apprentices complete their programs, the payoff is powerful.
“It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve been here for two years already and this person completed,’” she said. “They were successful in school and at work and now they have this great experience.”
Her connection to CCC runs deep.
“No matter who I reach out to at CCC … I’ve always been received with a smile and willingness to help,” she said. “That’s the number one thing that stands out to me.”
Paulina Ortega’s story is one of persistence, self-discovery and service. She came to CCC unsure of her path, found her calling in human services and now uses her experience to guide the next generation of CCC students.
