Alan Koszla

Student

Right now, Bay College freshman Alan Koszla is working on completing his general education requirements. At the same time, he is taking the first steps towards finding a career in his chosen field – special education.

Alan graduated from Escanaba Senior High School in 2021. That fall, he started his first semester as a Bay College student.

“I had heard a lot of good things about Bay College. My brother got his welding degree here before transferring to Northern Michigan University,” he said.

Additionally, he wanted to stay in the Escanaba area for a while longer.

“I love my hometown and the area, and I love the scenery of this place. There’s an old saying – ‘once an Eskymo, always an Eskymo,’” Alan said.

Though he is majoring in liberal arts at Bay, Alan ultimately plans to go into special education.

“I always wanted to become a special education teacher because I had a brother who had a speech impediment. He told me he had some bad teachers, and that motivated me to be the best teacher I could be,” he said.

Things have been going well for Alan at Bay. He said one major factor in his academic success is the tutoring he has received through TRIO.

“I’ve had good tutors in English and math – that has been a really big help,” he said.

Alan has not been involved with any clubs at Bay so far. However, he may eventually join the school’s Aspiring Educators Club, which focuses on helping people who are going into the educational field build professional connections.

After another year or two at Bay, Alan plans to transfer to Lake Superior State University. There, he will work towards earning a bachelor’s degree in special education. Once he receives his degree, Alan said he might talk to one of his former teachers at the Delta-Schoolcraft ISD about finding work as a special education teacher in the area.

According to Alan, he has greatly appreciated his time at Bay.

“It’s a nice college with great resources, it’s very peaceful here, and there are nice people,” he said.