Campus Life

Hello, My name is John Plotzke. I am an LSSU Alumni (class of 13). I graduated from LSSU with a Bachelors in FireScience and an Associates in Homeland Security.
A little about myself, I grew up in Detroit where my parents raised my younger sister and me. we were, at the time, a working-class family. We never had a lot and struggled to get by most of the time. I grew up seeing the hard work my parents put in every day and grew to admire it. no matter what came their way ( Layoffs, unexpected bills, or car troubles)my parents always pulled through. I was always told, “you can be whatever you want to be as long as you put in the work.”I could have gone to a trade school and gotten a job that way but I strived to be better than anyone else in our family coming from a family with no college graduates, I made the decision to Attend LSSU to obtain my B.A. in fire science. I would achieve two goals, be the first with a college degree, and obtain the education to get the dream of my life.

Upon graduation, I held numerous jobs that all had a background in my degree choice. I installed and repaired fire-suppression systems, was a fire marshal for Chrysler Group LLC which involved industrial firefighting, was an EMT-Basic for a private ambulance company running 911 Advanced life support calls in numerous cities, and now have my “DreamJob” as a full-time IAFF firefighter with the Chesterfield Twp Fire Department. My degree helped me get this position and be able to spend more time at home with my wife of 4.5 years and two sons (19 months and 1 month) and our dog.

I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to attend Lake Superior State University. I will forever be proud to be the first in my family to graduate college and will instill the same beliefs in my children that my parents instilled in me.

LSSU has helped me become career-ready by making me feel welcome and letting it be known that no question is a stupid question. The staff/faculty always make me feel welcome and point me in the right direction. I know I can accomplish my hopes and goals here at LSSU

I am a first-generation student, not just at LSSU but in my family to go to college. LSSU has been helping me become career-ready with all the help from the teachers and advisors who care about the student and the grades they get. I am not just another student to pass through the class. The teachers take the time to make sure I understand and even try and remember my name.

I am super excited to be a part of Lake Superior State University. Being here has definitely made me be a lot more successful and be more confident in my future studies. I am glad I chose to go to college especially here at Lake State.

LSSU has helped me on my path towards success by allowing me to see what classes are like and what the future can hold for my career.

I come from a very hardworking family, as both of my parents received their associate’s degrees from North Central Michigan College. They always showed me what hard work meant, as my mom is a nurse, and my dad was in the Navy and worked for the United States Postal Service. Because of them, I valued my education even more and continued to push myself within my educational pathway, while overcoming many personal and health-related obstacles. I have stage 3A melanoma skin cancer and have
recently been diagnosed with CCS. Through this all, I never once gave up, as my education and the right to have one was my driving force, a strong value that was instilled within my core, thanks to my parents and passion to learn. I am proud to say that I am in my senior year at LSSU, and will be graduating this spring with a concentration in ECE, and behavioral health. I am a proud first-generation Laker, and I am grateful to be able to attend this amazing school!

A very proud Laker!