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My Story Started at GRCC: Judge Sara Smolenski says GRCC 'helped shape the journey for me being a leader'

Dec. 14, 2020, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere! Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC – or Grand Rapids Junior College – gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours!

“Always a Raider!”

Kent County District Court Judge Sara Smolenski says this frequently, and, in her case, it’s even truer than it is for most GRCC alumni.

Smolenski’s parents met as students at Grand Rapids Junior College in 1936: “If it wasn’t for Grand Rapids Community College, I literally wouldn’t be in this world!” she says.

During her two years at GRJC, Smolenski played for both the basketball and softball teams. She was a member of the basketball team that placed fourth in the national junior college tournament in 1975.

While many of her fondest memories are from her athletic career at GRJC, she also appreciated what she learned in the classrooms, especially when she transferred to the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor to pursue the law career she’d dreamed of since fourth grade.

 “I had a great academic experience that prepared me for the University of Michigan -- I had every credit transfer in good standing,” Smolenski said, noting that that wasn’t the case for her roommate, who transferred from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Smolenski earned her GRJC associate degree in 1977 and a bachelor’s degree from U of M in 1979. She received a Juris Doctorate from Cooley Law School in 1982. Recently re-elected, she is serving her 30th year as a judge. 

Smolenski, GRCC’s 2003 Distinguished Alumna, looks to help, if possible, the people she encounters in the courtroom. She is also well-known for her willingness to help good causes in the community. Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kent County, Kids’ Food Basket, the Dominican Sisters, the Grand Rapids Bar Association are among the many organizations she has supported.

And GRCC, of course: “Always a Raider!”

“I do think my experience at CC definitely helped shape the journey for me being a leader,” said Smolenski, who received GRCC’s Salute to Women and Distinguished Alumna awards in 2003.

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