MILES CITY, MONTANA: Nancy Swope considers herself a morning person.
Hailing from the Black Hills in South Dakota, Nancy has been an Information Technology Instructor at MCC for the last 26 years. She arrives on campus early each day, using her mornings to prepare for the day’s classes, which consist of three to four lectures with hands-on activities and labs.
While she enjoys the mornings, her favorite part of the day is talking to students, whether in class or in her office.
“I’m very fortunate because I get to teach a wide variety of students,” Nancy said when referring to her favorite parts of working at the college.
“Most of my classes are IT which focus on specific technology...however, CAPP131 is considered general education and allows me to meet a variety of students. I also teach an accounting course with equine, automotive, and business students. I love interacting and getting to know students from different academic areas.”
Outside of lectures, Nancy spends time researching the ever-evolving world of technology, including areas of her favorite course, Python programming.
“Software and hardware are constantly changing,” she stated. “I spend a lot of time preparing for those changes.”
In her long career as an instructor, Nancy notes that her greatest achievements include completing the Cisco Networking curriculum and becoming certified to teach the curriculum at the college, as well as running the annual CyberSTEM camp for middle school students each summer.
“I also enjoy the MCC family of faculty and staff! I have great respect and appreciation for my coworking. Everyone is very focused on helping students succeed.”
Nancy describes herself as happy, honest, caring, trustworthy, and straight-forward, so there is no surprise to learn that her favorite piece of advice is: “Every day may not be good, but find something good in every day”.
Outside of MCC, Nancy enjoys spending time traveling, camping, and spending time with her children and grandchildren. She would love to someday take an Alaskan cruise or travel to Australia and Niagara Falls, as well as attend a Broadway show or ballet.
