Sept. 12, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- When it’s time to get serious about your future, GRCC is there for you.
“GRCC afforded me the opportunity to follow through on my dreams without sacrificing life outside of school. While it was an incredibly busy time in my life, I still had a balance – able to work and spend time with my children," Caitlin Owens said.
“In 2016, I was a single mother of two, and while I had some years of experience and some college credits under my belt, I really didn’t have anything to show for it."
Start at GRCC and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful.
Owens decided to enroll in GRCC’s Education program, partly to show her children how hard work pays off.
“The instructors at GRCC are second to none,” Owens said. “While I had years of experience in early childhood education before, GRCC is really what cemented my passion for education, families and developmentally appropriate practices.”
She quickly found work in her chosen field after earning her associate degree in 2018.
“I started at Head Start (for Kent County) right after graduating from GRCC with my associate degree,” she said. “I began as an associate teacher. The following year, I became a teacher, obtained my bachelor’s degree in child and family development, then was promoted to early learning coach specialist and associate supervisor, and became a site supervisor in February of this year. It’s definitely been a whirlwind!”
Owens’ home life was also becoming busier during this time.
“By 2018, I was married and finished my last course at GRCC two weeks after having baby No. 3,” she said. “Baby No. 4 came one week after graduating with my bachelor’s degree. The baby-degree correlation is not something that will continue with subsequent achievements!”
Owens, who will begin work on a master’s degree in educational leadership at Central Michigan University in the spring, says GRCC provided her with the support she needed when she returned to the classroom.
“Instructors were understanding but also pushed me and challenged me in ways that were meaningful,” she said.
“GRCC afforded me the opportunity to follow through on my dreams without sacrificing life outside of school. While it was an incredibly busy time in my life, I still had a balance – able to work and spend time with my children.”
Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply