Padd Solutions

Hello everyone, I am Edna Wischkaemper, one of the official bloggers for AC Online.

It is my pleasure to be part of this community and I thank you in advance for reading our posts.

I was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. When I was a child, I remember that at my home, education was always a priority and my parents even made sacrifices to send us to school. Bogota is a big city with almost 6 million inhabitants. As in any city, people were always in a rush, driving, walking, striving to live and survive in a competitive and challenging environment.

A normal day in my life back then, in my teenage years, consisted of getting up at 4 a.m., taking English classes from 6 to 7 a.m. (to have better opportunities), working from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., then going to school from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. I worked basically to pay the bills, to pay my college education and to help my parents. After several years of hard work, perseverance and discipline, I obtained my bachelor’s degree from the University Autonoma of Colombia, as a Systems Engineer in 1993. I worked for the Colombian affiliate of CPC International in Bogota. I worked in several positions in the organization, as an Assistant, Systems Analyst, Systems Coordinator, and Financial Analyst. In my last position in the company, my boss sent me to several countries in South America, including Peru and Venezuela, to implement some financial applications. In fact, on one of those trips overseas, I met a nice man from Shamrock, TX, who is today my husband of 11 years. He is the reason I am living in Amarillo, TX. In my early years living in Amarillo, TX, I worked for the American Quarter Horse Association, AQHA, as a Programmer Analyst for almost 2 years. My husband and I decided that I should quit working to take care of our first baby, who is 9 years old today. Then our second child (who is 5 now) came 3½ years later. So, basically I have been a stay at home mom for 9 years.

Now, during the time I spent at home taking care of my kids, I founded a Web Design and Development business. Also, I pursued extensive training to become a Certified Dale Carnegie Trainer for the Texas Panhandle. I recently started teaching the class in Amarillo on Monday evenings. Four years ago, I started taking classes at Amarillo College to pursue an Associate Degree in Mass Media and Communication. It is never too late to go back to school as long as we are doing the best we can.

Two years ago I read a book named “One Person/Multiple Careers” by Marci Alboher. I really identify with this book. You probably already figured that out!

I am thrilled to share with you some of my experiences as a student at Amarillo College, and also in my daily life…I literally change hats throughout my day… as a mother, a wife, a student, an entrepreneur, a trainer, a friend…a human being who keeps dreaming and enjoys seeing her dreams come true!