When Jake Koepke was away at a state university, he realized after just one semester he wasn’t where he wanted to be.

“I came back home and wasn’t too sure what I was going to do next. People kept asking me if I thought about Moraine Valley. I did some research and decided it would be a good place for me,” he said.

He was right about that decision.

“Coming to Moraine Valley has definitely been a great step forward. I’m doing really well in my classes. I made the Dean’s List, and I qualified for Phi Theta Kappa (honors program). This is opening some opportunities for me,” he said.

The drive is convenient, but what stands out for Jake and one of the reasons he thinks he’s doing so well, is the small class size.

“The classes aren’t real big, so the teachers are able to give a lot of one-on-one time. That’s a big help,” he said.

Jake, who played football and baseball in high school and wrestled, plans to major in secondary education with a goal of being a physical education teacher and a football and wrestling coach at the high school level.