May 19, 2017 12:00 am
During a special ceremony in May, Pierce College Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer Michael Stocke was recognized by the Puyallup South Hill Rotary with an award for excellence in education. The organization presented its annual 2017 Community Vocational Awards during a special luncheon at Pierce College Puyallup, honoring Stocke and several other award recipients.
The Rotary’s Community Vocational Awards are designed to honor those who use their professional skills to give back and serve the local community. Stocke serves as an administrator at the college, and is also a professor who shares his talents by retraining people for new career paths through the PierceWorks program. Many people cite a lack of technical skills as a reason why they are unable to find jobs, and Stocke spends a great deal of his time helping them overcome these issues. He also provides free technical support to seniors throughout the community.
Pierce College’s program manager for PierceWorks, Evelyn Brooks, presented Stocke with the award. PierceWorks helps people who are unemployed identify a new career path, set goals, build confidence and gain real-world skills needed to succeed in the current job market. Stocke often helps these students learn about technology and overcome any fears they may have. “Many of my students have never turned on a computer, but when Mike comes into the classroom, he truly is able to reach them,” Brooks said. “He is so passionate about what he does that he helps these students overcome their fears.”
“I really enjoy helping people and talking about technology, software and business,” Stocke said. “It is such a huge honor to receive this award.”
The Rotary also presented awards for Business, Government and Non-profit Organizations.