Nearly four decades after graduating from MCC, alumnus and retired elementary school teacher Mike Rague is back on campus, this time as a volunteer, lifelong learner and advocate for giving back.
Rague’s path to higher education was initially off to a bumpy start. After graduating high school in Minnesota with honors, he struggled in college before relocating to Arizona, to be near family, and enrolled at MCC. It wasn’t long before he felt right at home and began earning straight A’s again.
“The college fueled my love of learning,” he said. “I enjoyed going to class and it just triggered that there was so much to learn.”
Succeeding academically, Rague earned an Honors scholarship and earned an AA in Business Administration before transferring to Arizona State University; however, just three classes short of a finance degree, he changed majors to pursue an elementary education degree.
He went on to spend 34 years teaching, primarily in Mesa Public Schools, including 23 years at Bush Elementary, impacting generations of students.
“A few months ago, I got an email from one of the parents of a student of mine who just got their doctorate from Northern Arizona University,” Rague said, adding "it's just amazing how they grow up.”
After officially retiring in 2018, Rague began looking for opportunities to stay active. That search brought him back to MCC.
“He has been an excellent volunteer with the Arboretum," said MCC Life Science faculty Sean Whitcomb. “He has always been willing to put in hard work, from pulling weeds to planting trees. From the first day he volunteered, we knew we could count on him not just to show up, but also to lead teams of volunteers during our events.”
After a year of service with the Arboretum, Rague expanded his involvement by joining MCC’s New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning (NFLL) program, which offers non-credit classes, activities and service opportunities.
Today, Rague regularly enrolls in NFLL classes and serves on the organization’s governing body, New Frontiers Council, and volunteers at MCC’s We Care Wednesdays, a monthly food distribution event; and the annual Empty Bowls event, which raises money for the Paz De Cristo Community Center, a nonprofit providing anti-hunger and empowerment support for the East Valley's homeless, unemployed, working poor and their families. For Rague, returning to MCC has been an excellent adventure, and he says “I am grateful to bring it back full circle.”
“I wasn’t put on earth to be served. I was put on earth to serve,” he added, noting it’s a win-win situation to meet new people, reconnect with familiar faces and serve alongside others.
Rague encourages current students to push through challenges, just as he did years ago. “It's going to be difficult. If it's not, then you're just not learning. Stick with it, persevere, ask for help. There's plenty of resources here that will help you. And once you earn that degree, it's yours forever.”