From ‘Can I Do This?’ to VP: How Ivy Tech Helped an Executive Leader Discover Her Potential

When Tracey Wozniak enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College as a 35-year-old mother of three, becoming a leader at a global medical device manufacturer was inconceivable. 

She wasn't even sure she could finish an associate degree.

A first-generation college student, Wozniak had started college at a four-year college in Indianapolis after high school but struggled to find her footing. Years later, after spending a decade as a stay-at-home mother and returning to the workforce, she faced a career roadblock.

"I kept getting told, 'You don't have a degree,'" Wozniak said. "I thought, well, by golly, I'll get one then."

At the time, Wozniak was working full-time at a university, raising three children, and trying to determine what came next. Traditional college options didn't fit her life. She needed flexibility, affordability, and a place where she felt she belonged.

She found that at Ivy Tech Indianapolis.

"I felt like Ivy Tech was a good option because I thought there were probably other people like me. People who weren't just coming straight out of high school," Wozniak explained of her decision to enroll when she did. 

“I thought, I’m going to see if I can do this. I won’t know if I don’t try,” she said, remembering her determination. 

Wozniak enrolled in Ivy Tech's General Studies program with a simple goal: see if she could complete an associate degree.

That goal quickly grew.

During her first semester, she challenged herself by taking a whopping 17 credit hours while working full-time and caring for her family. Despite advisors' warning that the course load might be too ambitious, Wozniak was determined to try.

The result? She earned all A's and landed on the Dean's List.

"That was the moment I started thinking bigger," she said. "I realized I could do this."

The confidence she gained at Ivy Tech changed how she viewed her future.

A Phi Theta Kappa member and magna cum laude graduate, Wozniak discovered interests she hadn't previously considered through courses in sociology, psychology, women's studies, and multicultural studies. Those experiences sparked a passion for understanding people, systems, and human behavior.

"My dreams expanded beyond what I thought I wanted," she said. “I discovered that it’s about the human experience for me. Ivy Tech helped me figure out the career I wanted to pursue.”

Those lessons extended far beyond the classroom.

Growing up in a blue-collar family with no college graduates, Wozniak had little exposure to higher education or professional career paths. At Ivy Tech, she found faculty, advisors, and instructors who encouraged her to believe in herself and helped her navigate opportunities she didn't know existed.

"Ivy Tech really helped me believe in myself," she said. "It gave me the confidence to take the next step, even when I didn't know exactly where that step would lead."

That support became especially meaningful during some of the most difficult moments of her life.

While completing her final year at Ivy Tech, Wozniak unexpectedly lost her father. Later, while finishing her bachelor's degree at Indiana State University, her husband was diagnosed with brain cancer and entered hospice care during her final semester.

Balancing caregiving responsibilities, grief, work, and school seemed overwhelming.

Yet with support from faculty members and academic advisors, she persevered.

"There were people who cared and helped me understand my options," she said. "Without that support, I might have kept trying until I failed, or I might have given up."

Instead, she pressed forward.

After earning her bachelor's degree, Wozniak accepted an entry-level human resources position — even though it meant taking a $2-per-hour pay cut.

For her, the opportunity was worth it.

Nine years later, that decision has paid off.

Today, Wozniak serves as Vice President of People and Culture for Nanosonics, a global medical device manufacturer. In her role, she focuses on employee development, leadership growth, workplace culture, and creating opportunities for others to succeed.

"I try to think about who I was before I got my degree," she said. "People were telling me what I couldn't do. Now I get to help other people see the potential in themselves."

Her passion for helping others extends beyond the workplace.

Wozniak volunteers as a mentor through the Starfish Initiative, supporting first-generation and underserved students as they navigate college preparation, scholarships, internships, and career planning. 

She also regularly encourages employees and community members to consider Ivy Tech as a pathway to new opportunities. She has especially encouraged her own family. 

After seeing Wozniak graduate, her brother enrolled at Ivy Tech and earned his associate degree with honors. Today, her oldest son is also an Ivy Tech student working toward his degree.

What started as one person taking a chance on herself has become a multi-generational legacy of higher education.

Looking back, Wozniak still sees Ivy Tech as the foundation that made everything else possible.

"When I think about Ivy Tech, I think about access and empowerment," she said. "It was the starting point that helped me get where I am today. It helped me build the confidence to do things I wasn't sure I could do."

For students wondering whether they're ready to take that first step, Wozniak offers simple advice:

"You don't need a complete plan. You just need the next step and the willingness to keep going."

Are you ready to take your next step? We’re ready to help.