{"id":51987,"date":"2025-05-15T11:11:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T16:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=51987"},"modified":"2025-05-09T11:13:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T16:13:16","slug":"a-new-path-a-powerful-voice-csaa-winner-rikki-ehrhart-finds-her-calling-in-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/05\/15\/a-new-path-a-powerful-voice-csaa-winner-rikki-ehrhart-finds-her-calling-in-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Path, A Powerful Voice: CSAA Winner Rikki Ehrhart Finds Her Calling in Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cA few years ago, I was feeling lost. Now, I\u2019m leading, creating, coding, and walking the stage as the Chancellor Student Achievement Award winner.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rikki Tomiko Ehrhart, Spring 2025 Chancellor Student Achievement Award Recipient<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Rikki Tomiko Ehrhart proves that it\u2019s never too late to change direction\u2014and thrive. This spring, the 38-year-old graduates from Austin Community College District (ACC) with an Associate of Applied Science in Web Programming. She was also named the Chancellor Student Achievement Award.<\/p>\n

Her journey is anything but traditional. After earning a theater degree nearly two decades ago and spending years in the service industry, Rikki felt stuck. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t have a clear career path. A friend suggested I try learning a programming language\u2014and I fell in love with it. I quit my job and enrolled at ACC.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the start, Rikki embraced every opportunity ACC offered. She dove into leadership with Phi Theta Kappa\u2014the College\u2019s honor society chapter\u2014 helped build its website, co-led the Women in Technology (WIT) group, Helped design an app to teach kids music, and served as the student voice on ACC\u2019s Web Advisory Committee.<\/p>\n

“I went all in. I gave myself 2 years to see what I was capable of, and it turned out that I’m capable of a lot.”<\/p>\n

Her initiative helped launch the \u201cGrab a Byte\u201d tech engagement series and advanced digital accessibility work across campus. Along the way, she earned multiple micro-credentials and completed an internship with Hurley Pianos.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m so proud of how far I\u2019ve come,\u201d Rikki says. \u201cBeing inducted into Phi Theta Kappa changed everything\u2014it helped me realize I was a leader. From there, I just kept saying yes to growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it paid off. After attending an ACC meet-and-greet with Visa, Rikki landed a Software Engineering Apprenticeship with the company. She\u2019ll keep the momentum going as she pursues her bachelor\u2019s degree in Software Development\u2014right here at ACC.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to think I was average. ACC helped me realize I\u2019m capable of more than I ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice to future students?<\/p>\n

“Get involved, in whatever way you can, take opportunities whenever they are available and when that little voice inside your head tells you that you aren’t capable of something — do it anyway! You might surprise yourself!”<\/p>\n

Help us celebrate her and the Class of 2025 at austincc.edu\/commencement<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rikki Tomiko Ehrhart proves that it\u2019s never too late to change direction\u2014and thrive. This spring, the 38-year-old graduates from Austin Community College District (ACC) with an Associate of Applied Science in Web Programming. She was … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3930,"featured_media":51988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,15,17,19],"tags":[2185,2177,4145,4146,4161],"class_list":["post-51987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-students","category-facstaff-news","category-news-and-announcements","category-students-and-alumni","tag-congrats-grads-2","tag-csaa","tag-spring-2025-commencement","tag-spring-2025-graduation","tag-web-programming"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3930"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51987"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51987\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}