Many students might not know the fourth floor of LMCs core building exists, but for students interested in obtaining a career in business, it is home. The Business Academy, which has been around for the past seven years, is set up to help students achieve a certificate to get a jump-start into the real world.

It’s also called the Career Advancement Academy and has worked with various fields for vocational training including wielding and child development. This past summer, they also joined with the Emergency Medical Services program to help them progress.

This fall semester, they are focusing on business students once again.

The program is geared towards helping dedicated low-income students who are ready to get back into the field and earn a certificate in a semester. After the semester, students can chose to seek employment or continue with their education.

“It’s a cohort of students that build a relationship with one another, this helps them all stay on track and succeed,” said Administrative Assistant Melina Rodriquez.

The program takes a limited amount of students each semester and partners with teachers and counselors on campus to ensure the success of the students.

“I take them all to the student services building, make sure that their financial aid is in place, their registration is fine and I make sure that they don’t have any issues, because it’s hard, especially as a student,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, who is also a business major, has always been excited that she could help students out so that they can be successful.

“They have so many obstacles placed ahead of them in their everyday lives, we want to be sure that they have a smooth transition for school,” Rodriguez said.

Students who are interested in the career academy can go to the fourth floor of the college core in room 401 and talk to Melina Rodriquez or Dave Wahl for more information.