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Today we're visiting the first school in our special series, "The Community College Challenge," which offers a unique look at community colleges across the United States. Today, we go to Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota.

The fifth largest city in South Dakota, Watertown boasts a population just shy of 22,000. You'll find Lake Area Tech nestled, appropriately so, among a few lakes and the Big Sioux River to the west of Interstate 29 in the Northeastern part of the state.

Lake Area Technical Institute is one of only two institutions in Watertown. It provides post-secondary education, and its track record is nothing to sneeze at: The school boasts a 75 to 80 percent graduation rate, and 98 percent of students find employment or continue their education within six months of graduating.

This school is the only community college in the nation to be an Aspen Institute finalist. The $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, awarded every two years, is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.

The school even caught the attention of President Barack Obama, who delivered the commencement address to the graduating class in May 2015. 

The Takeaway sent Jenifer Jones with South Dakota Public Broadcasting to the campus to learn more about what makes Lake Area Technical Institute tick. Here, you'll meet college President Michael Cartney, instructors Brian Olson and Corey Mushitz and take a tour with students Alec, Carly, Evan and Jesse.  

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Map from The Takeaway's Community College Challenge. Click on the map to interact with the data.

(Tyler Adams for The Takeaway)