The Mic That Launched a Million Stories: Reflections on Lake Land College and a Life Rewritten

If you’ve ever spent more than five minutes with me, you know I love to talk. (Just ask Aaron—the kind and talented reporter who visited me at my agency for Lake Land College’s upcoming alumni magazine. Bless his heart, he probably walked in thinking it would be a 30-minute chat. Let’s just say... I had stories.)

That’s because this interview wasn’t just a moment—it was a milestone.

This year, Lake Land College is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Television & Broadcasting Department. The very department where I earned my degree. The program that changed my life. And being featured in the alumni magazine as they celebrate such a landmark year? It’s emotional. It’s humbling. It’s personal.

Because long before I founded Cass Concepts—a marketing agency I built from the ground up with tenacity, grit, and a heart for storytelling—I was a student in that program, finding my voice behind a mic.

I still remember the first time I met Ken Beno. He wasn’t just the broadcasting chair & professor—he was the type of mentor who saw people. Who pulled the potential out of you before you even knew what you were capable of. He taught us more than just broadcasting fundamentals or the mechanics of a camera—he taught us how to tell a story that sticks, how to lead with authenticity, and how to never forget where you came from.

And where I came from… was a community college. A place where dreams were sculpted next to professors you had direct access to, not scrapped together by an advisor who never really knew you. Where resources were real and relationships ran deep. Lake Land College wasn’t just a stop along the way—it was the launchpad. The place that taught me to own my path, find my people, and build something from nothing.

This June, my company, Cass Concepts, turned 20 years old. I laughed with Aaron during our interview and said, “Hey, maybe in 30 more years, when I hit my 50th anniversary, he’ll come back and interview me again. Can you imagine all the stories I’ll have by then?”

Because that’s what this is really about. The stories. The relationships. The full-circle moments that remind you you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.

It’s been 21 years since I left Lake Land College, and I still find myself shouting from the rooftops about what that experience meant to me. I’m still connected to professors, classmates, even administrators from that time….still to this day. That’s the kind of place Lake Land College was for me….and is for many. It doesn’t just give you a degree—it gives you a lifelong community and connections if you are willing to put the effort in.

So thank you, Lake Land College.Thank you, Broadcasting Department.Thank you, Ken Beno—for being more than a teacher. For being a mentor, a guide, a reason I believed in myself.

And thank you to Aaron—for letting me talk your ear off, for asking thoughtful questions, and for reminding me just how far I’ve come—and how much more I still want to say.

Here’s to the next 20, 30, 50 years.

And to always finding the words worth sharing.