Making it personal
When Christina and Michael Rosloniec decide where to invest their time, talents and treasure, it’s always personal.
So it’s no surprise that Christina Rosloniec drew on her experiences as a Grand Rapids Junior College alumna when they were deciding the criteria for their GRCC Foundation scholarship.
“I felt passionate about designing our endowed scholarship to specifically help student workers at GRCC,” she said. “It feels good to know that we are lifting a little stress off the lives of student workers so they can have more time to study and become the best people they can be.”
Rosloniec, then Christina Kell, worked in the admissions office while attending GRJC. It was while a student that she got a taste of how satisfying it is to support something you believe in. She served as chair of the 1991 student campaign supporting a multimillion-dollar millage that allowed GRJC to separate from the Grand Rapids school district and become a community college.
She has since built a career on making – and helping others make –positive changes.
After completing her GRCC associate degree in 1991, she transferred to Western Michigan University for her bachelor’s. She worked as a fund development officer for a major nonprofit organization until her children were born.
“During that time at home, I formulated an innovative model of fund development that I execute pro bono for nonprofit organizations throughout West Michigan to increase their community exposure and the level of dollars raised to position them for a biannual auction cycle, saving time, money and preventing staff and volunteer burnout,” she said. “The core philosophy behind that model is that every individual is given an opportunity to give no matter their capacity, and every gift is equally valued.”
Michael Rosloniec, institutional consulting director at Graystone Consulting, didn’t attend GRCC, but he agrees with his wife on the vital role it plays in West Michigan.
“It has more than a 100-year track record of offering educational opportunities that respond to local labor market needs,” he said. “GRCC graduates tend to stay close by, contributing all the more to our local economy, civic life and, as parents, raising healthier and more educated children.”
The Rosloniecs hope their scholarship keeps students from making difficult decisions when the unexpected happens.
“Because life is hard,” Christina Rosloniec said. “Being a student at GRCC, I saw first-hand what my peers were having to face. Those challenges might be a bit different now – some may even argue that the challenges are greater today. What I do know is that a lot of our current students at GRCC are trying to juggle their education along with work and, oftentimes, a family. Then, when life happens, which it does, it is their education that gets dropped because dropping family or dropping a job is not an option.
“That is why scholarships are so very important. Scholarships provide a financial cushion of support so students do not have to make a choice about being able to continue pursuing their education when life gets in the way.”
Scholarship spotlight
Michael and Christina Rosloniec Family Scholarship
- Endowed in 2022
- Funds students enrolled in at least 6 credits; given to student workers.