Of all the things new to Gateway Technical College this fall, its president may be the newest and most visible. That includes a new president, a brand new program facility and a new program’s graduates.

While this year may be the first Fall Semester at Gateway for new President and CEO Veronique Tran, the feeling of excitement and anticipation that comes from a new semester is one she’s experienced for years.

“As this is my first fall semester here at Gateway, I just love the energy at the beginning of the school year,” said Tran. “It’s such an exciting time. Everyone is rested from the summer, and it’s an opportunity to start fresh and look forward to the semester ahead.”

Tran visited students on the Kenosha Campus on Thursday, welcoming them to the college and talking to them about their educational goals.

She pointed to an international student from Poland who chose Gateway because of the many transfer agreements the college has forged with four-year colleges. Another student told her they came to Gateway to earn their associate degree in Business Management but also wants to be able to transfer credits earned toward a bachelor’s degree if they so chose.

“What I love about Gateway is that we are serving students regardless of their objective – whether they are training to enter their career right after graduation or we are  providing them with the foundation to transfer on and succeed as they apply their studies and credits toward a bachelor’s degree,” said Tran.

Gateway also began offering its Dental Assistant technical diploma program this fall on its Racine Campus in a new, $3 million state-of-the-art dental suite. The new suite provided the space and training equipment – such as new radiography equipment and cone beam computed tomography – for the program to double in size. To learn more about the program, visit the Dental Assistant program page.

The college will also celebrate its first graduating class from its Respiratory Therapy program at the end of the Fall 2026 Semester. Micheal Randolph, Gateway dean of the School of Health, pointed out that these graduates will be in demand once they graduate.

“We know there is a great demand for respiratory therapists. A number of area employers have reached out to us to ask about our program and when we expect our first group of students to graduate,” said Randolph.

Students earn their associate degree quickly and enter the workforce through the year-round, 15-month accelerated program. Two groups will run concurrently this fall – one with an expected completion date of the end of this semester, and another group just beginning the program. To learn more about the program, visit the Respiratory Therapy program page.