Erika Mihalek has always been captivated by the power of storytelling. This passion led her to a career in the communications field, and for the past two years, she has served as the Marketing and Communications Director at Ivy Tech Community College’s Valparaiso, Michigan City, and La Porte campuses. In this role, she crafts compelling narratives that strengthen community engagement and drive impact in higher education across Northwest Indiana and beyond.
“From an early age, I have always had a love of storytelling,” Mihalek said. “Growing up, story hour was always my favorite. I’ve always loved being able to take in new concepts and new stories. As human beings, we all have unique stories, and I love connecting with individuals, learning and sharing their stories, and the art of persuasion. My interest in journalism began at an early age because I'm somebody who loves to write. I love to help set the scene and paint a picture with words.”
Mihalek’s fondness for stories grew throughout her high school career when she joined her school’s speech and debate team. It was there she realized the power of persuasion, which further fueled the flame in learning the art of using words to shape narratives.
Today, Mihalek is beaming with excitement to announce she’s hit her two-year milestone with Ivy Tech. Prior to this role, however, Mihalek was still following her passion in her career, but it was a bit farther away than preferred. She greatly appreciates each position she’s held, as it taught her many of the ins and outs of her field, such as drafting communication, marketing, public relations (PR) plans, and how to custom tailor communication plans, deliverables, and marketing materials to help best resonate with her intended audience.
“In the journalism world, there’s a time-old adage of ‘get the scoop first, but first get the scoop right.’ A big part of getting it right in today's storytelling space is understanding your audience. Without that, you won't be successful,” Mihalek said. “My past experiences really helped me to understand the importance of your audience, what resonates with folks and what doesn't, and being able to shape, draft, and craft these narratives accordingly to drive a really powerful message.”
Eventually, Mihalek began to explore what options were available at Ivy Tech, and from there knew it was time to make the jump to bring her wordsmithing expertise to the world of higher education.
“‘Every day is a winding road,’ in the wise words of Sheryl Crow,” Mihalek said. “I'm celebrating my two years with the college, and it has definitely been an action-packed adventure. As somebody who was working within the for-profit world in Chicago, I decided that the commute was a bit too much. At that point, I connected with Ivy Tech and had a curiosity about shaping narratives and drafting communication plans for higher education institutions. Ivy Tech was this great presence right within my backyard. I connected with the team, this opportunity became available, and the rest is history.”
Ivy Tech has also allowed Mihalek to discover a second passion to accompany her love for words: education. Education has the power to positively shape so many lives – as well as stories – and Mihalek is thrilled that she is able to use her skillset to create such an impact in her community right at home.
“In this life, education is everything,” Mihalek said. “Everything begins with education. It is an absolute delight being able to connect with students, prospects, and our community members and area groups to share the story of Ivy Tech and how it's not going to just help you reach your graduation day; it's going to help you reach a better day every day thereafter.”
With two years under her belt, Mihalek is excited about what lies ahead in her role at Ivy Tech. She enjoys the variety of engaging challenges her work brings to the table each day as well as bringing to light just how much Ivy Tech can pave the way for many across the Region. Ivy Tech has allowed Mihalek to create such a wonderful chapter in her own life story, and she’s looking forward to doing the same for students, faculty, and staff alike to help them achieve career goals and reach their best potential no matter what their journey may look like along the way.
“There is an incredible need in shaping and furthering narratives of employer and student success stories,” Mihalek said. “With our college and with our Career Link, Ivy Tech is Indiana's workforce engine. We are here for our students, and we are a college for everybody.”
When Mihalek is not working hard to tell other’s stories, she can typically be found creating her own. She enjoys traveling, with one of her favorite trips being to the Danube River this past holiday season where she saw many European countries including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, and Slovakia. When at home, it may be possible to run into Mihalek at local antique or thrift stores, as she is also very fond of 1960s fashion and memorabilia.
For more information on how Ivy Tech Community College can shape your story today, please visit ivytech.edu.
