It was a winding road with some fits and starts that took Nicholas Ochal to the career
in social work that he enjoys today.
“I applied to Washtenaw Community College and a four-year institution when I finished
at Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor,” Ochal said. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to
do when I ‘grew up,’ but I knew I had to get an education. I started at WCC because
it was the less expensive option while I figured out what I wanted to study.”
Figure it out, he did. The 31-year-old White Lake resident is currently the Clinical
Coordinator at Beginning Step, Inc. in Westland, an outpatient substance use disorder
treatment program. After earning an Associate of Arts in Human Services degree from
WCC, he went on to gain a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Michigan University and a
master’s from the University of Michigan, both in Social Work.
He is responsible for all of the clinical services, including group therapy and individual
counseling, He oversees and guides the work of master-level counselors, making sure
they are providing quality and ethical treatment to patients.
“My first semester at WCC didn’t go well,” Ochal recalled. “I stopped attending classes
then took another year off to reevaluate why I wanted to go to school.
WCC is a fantastic college. I’ll say nice things about it whenever I can.”
It was a co-worker who suggested to Ochal that he might want to look into social work
as a career.
“I Googled it and it sparked an inner drive that I didn’t have before,” Ochal said.
“I re-enrolled at WCC after that year off with a new purpose and ended up graduating
with high honors.
That’s what’s so important about finding, or creating, your purpose.” Ochal is quick
to credit WCC, its programs and faculty, for much of his success: “WCC is a fantastic
college,” he said. “I’ll say nice things about it whenever I can.”
He’s especially grateful to WCC faculty members Kristy Norris (Psychology), Dr. Starr
Burke (Behavioral Sciences) and Elisabeth Thoburn (Humanities) – all of whom still
teach at the college – for guiding him along the way.
“I chose the field of social work because of its dedication to helping society’s
most vulnerable people,” he said. “I always knew that when I chose a career, I would
want to do something meaningful and make a positive difference in the world.”
Earn Your Bachelor's Degree
START:
WCC Associate of Arts, Human Services
FINISH:
Eastern Michigan University or Madonna University,
Bachelor of Social Work
Learn more at wccnet.edu/articulation.