Dec. 11, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Anna Abernethy had serious doubts about this whole college thing.
She really wanted a career in law enforcement, so she knew she needed higher education. But because she had struggled in school before, she wasn’t sure she would make it through college.
“I decided to pursue the Police Academy program at GRCC in order to achieve my goals with the fewest college classes possible,” she said.
She started with 18 credits and joined the cross country team. Was this going to be too much?
Nope.
“I learned quickly that I had a team of wonderful people who were there to help me succeed,” Abernethy said. “From my teammates to my teachers, everyone was willing to assist me whenever I asked for help.”
When her first semester grades came in, she was stunned to see that she had straight A’s and a 4.0 GPA. Academic Support and Tutoring Services reached out with a job offer.
Abernethy realized she was good at college. She began researching bachelor’s degree programs in the area. When she met with a Ferris State University advisor, she learned that she could complete an entire criminal justice program without leaving the Grand Rapids campus.
She learned a lot in her GRCC classes, but her work in the tutoring center taught her a lot, too.
“I learned how to interact with people and accept them,” she said. “I learned what some of my strengths and weaknesses are. I learned what it feels like to have a great cohort of staff and student employees who care about each other and their success.
“This job enabled me to help people who are struggling with school -- just like I was when I started.”
Abernethy received the 2019 Student Impact Award and was named MCCAA Academic All-Conference and NJCAA All-Academic Third Team in 2018.
Last spring, she earned her bachelor’s in criminal justice from FSU. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and hopes to eventually work in a human services field, possibly helping victims of crime.
“I went from a person who wanted to do the minimum and had little confidence in her ability to succeed to a woman with confidence, accomplishments and a college education,” Abernethy said. “GRCC was not only a stepping stone in my college career, but the foundation of my education.”