Leslie Slife was selected as the Technical and Professional Division’s student of
the month for October. Slife is enrolled in the Industrial Technology program at National
Park College (NPC) and is projected to complete her technical certificate in May 2020.
Slife, originally from Colorado, has lived in Hot Springs since 2012. She is a full-time
student, step-mother of two and works at Taylor’s Cleaners doing equipment maintenance.
Previously, she worked for a contracting company that was hired to preserve properties
that had been foreclosed. From there, she began work at Taylor’s repairing machines.
She decided pursuing a college education would be the most secure move for her family.
Her instructors report that she relates to others well in class and is able to take
what she is learning to her current job. She often requests practice problems to test
her knowledge of the materials learned in the classroom and textbook.
Instructor Bill Freuck stated, “Leslie has been a leader in this year’s new daytime
class when it comes to both being on top of her studies and often being one of the
first students to step up and take the lead in hands-on lab activities.”
Slife is working with instructors and fellow students on creating an up to date control
print for a machine at work to better assist her in future repairs. She has joined
other students on campus to participate in the designing and building of prosthetic
arms that can be used for welding to support furthering the education of a fellow
student.
When asked what NPC means to her Slife said, “NPC is the new beginning of the next
chapter. It is the catalyst for the rest of my career.”
