MCIE Award for Support of Students with Disabilities
Heather Slezak
Instructor, Instrument and Electrical, CC
Heather Slezak tackles education challenges much the same way she handled problems working oilfields as a civil engineer: One step at a time.
Helping students with specific needs, coordinating lessons with a lab at City College, or building an assessment plan is all about engineering a solution, she says.
鈥淭eaching and assessment are all viewed as an engineering problem to me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 always believe I can build a better curriculum and build a better test. I didn鈥檛 realize I looked at it that way until a student mentioned it to me.鈥�
Ms.Slezak earned her civil engineering degree in Georgia and went to work supervising hydraulic fracturing in New York and North Dakota. She and her family eventually moved to Billings. She started work as the Instrument and Electrical Technician instructor in 2022. Her work there has drawn attention from students to colleagues.
The Montana Center for Inclusive Education said she is 鈥渒nown for her attentive listening, timely communication, and unwavering commitment to student success. She approaches instruction with flexibility and creativity, presenting information through multiple methods to ensure every learner has the opportunity to understand and thrive.鈥�
Ms. Slezak, however, views the accolades with humility.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just me helping students,鈥� she said.
Beyond the classroom, she teaches residential electricity courses for women, building confidence and broadening access to others. A strong advocate of STEM education, she also works on drone camps with MSU Billings colleagues.