Aaron Trotter's pursuit of higher education began at DMACC. After obtaining an Associate's Degree, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in criminal justice and a Master's Degree in human services and non-profit management. For years, his career flourished. He was a substance abuse counselor and later became the manager of operations in the same facility.
In February 2021, he learned that he had late-stage Burkitt's Lymphoma. The survival chances were low, but Aaron pushed forward with six rounds of intensive chemotherapy. He was plagued with low white blood cell counts and was routinely hospitalized. What happened next was a shock. His employer decided to terminate his position.
After taking three months off, Aaron tried something new. He was in remission and wanted to help his stepfather out with the family trucking business. He enrolled in DMACC's CDL driving class and the rest is history.
DMACC Transportation Institute's CDL training course is held at the school's 14-acre facility in North Des Moines. Aaron qualified for DMACC's Workforce Training Academy (WTA) tuition assistance program. WTA provides tuition assistance for thirteen certificate training programs available for students that can't devote years to the classroom. The WTA program is designed to provide short-term certificate training to help unemployed and underemployed individuals. Many are first-generation students or lost their jobs through no fault of their own. These certificate programs do not fall under FAFSA guidelines, so the WTA program provides much-needed financial aid.
"I couldn't have done the program without the aid," Aaron says. "I hadn't worked in over a year and I was financially broken from the cancer bills, so I needed that funding."
In today's job market, trained truck drivers are in high demand. WTA students are tested in-house and can obtain their CDL license quickly. “The program was flexible," he explains. “I came down with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome and Covid and they worked with me until I was cleared to resume classes."
Aaron was offered a job with Ankeny Sanitation before graduating. The small school and personable atmosphere made for great networking opportunities. Employers actively recruited Aaron and that was a wonderful feeling given the hurdles he had jumped to get back on his feet.
Currently, he's living his dream of working in the family trucking business with the hopes of taking over the management side of the company in the near future.
Aaron's wife, Mackenzie, is supportive and proud of his resilience and work ethic. “DMACC's CDL training courses did a fantastic job of preparing me for the work and even the business side of the industry," Aaron explains. “If you do the program, do the work and you want to work, you'll be employed."