March 31, 2026 If there’s one thing common to most people working in quality control, it’s the fact that they didn’t choose the job. As Chris McDonald, department head and assistant professor of the Quality Science program can tell you, most of the people who come through the program have been “volun-told” into the position. “Most of our students have been in the workforce for five or six years,” McDonald said. “They may have started as operators, then moved around to material handling, or shipping and receiving. If they have a knack for problem solving and attention to detail, they often get tapped on the shoulder for a quality control position.”  Frame a New Role With Learning  Why does quality control matter? Jessica Butler, a student in the program and Gentex employee, can tell you exactly why.   “After working for six months at Gentex, I was asked to be a line supervisor in quality control,” Butler said. “I did that job for three or four years and really enjoyed it, even though I had no formal training. One day, a part came through that was making a clicking noise it shouldn’t have been making. I refused to pass it. In fact, I stopped production. At first, that didn’t go over so well! After more investigation, we found that we had to scrap 4,000 pieces due to a defect.”   Butler stopped production because her instinct told her it was the right thing to do. Now, as she’s completing her Quality Science Certificate , she has the knowledge to back up her decision. “I can associate what we’re reading with things that happen at work every day,” Butler said. “Looking back, I now know that my decision to stop production, and the reason the higher-ups backed me on it, was because we were looking at long-term goals versus short-term goals. In the short term, shutting down production hurt. We didn’t make our ship date. But if we had shipped defective parts to meet a short-term goal, they would have been returned for rework, which is expensive. More importantly, we might have lost the customer. In this case, the long-term goal of customer satisfaction was far more important than the short-term goal of on-time shipment.” Butler had attended a couple semesters of college many years ago but didn’t feel compelled to finish a degree. Now she found herself wanting more knowledge in order to keep advancing. “I like solving problems and I saw the promotion opportunities that were open to me if I had more skills,” Butler said. “My husband has been urging me to go to school, but I didn’t know how to juggle a full-time job and three kids, plus more education. Then I found the GRCC certificate program. The online format fit my life, so I signed up.”   Resources for Returning Students     Jamila Williams is also taking the quality science certificate program this semester. She’s coming from the opposite end of the educational spectrum, having already earned an associate degree from GRCC, then a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from GVSU. She has also come back for a Plastics-Polymer Engineering Technology Certificate , and then again for a Supply Chain Operations Management Certificate . So why in the world is Williams back in school yet again? “Quality was definitely not on my radar,” Williams says. “But I was recently promoted into a quality position at Cascade Engineering . I wanted the background knowledge to understand the ‘why’ behind the work. That thirst for knowledge is why I’ve come back to GRCC so many times. I’ve had such incredible experiences here. I knew this was where I could find the education I needed in this specialty.” Williams, too, is juggling the demands of full-time employment and a family. She, like Butler, loves the convenience of the online program. “I don’t have to make a class fit my life,” Williams said. “Instead, I can do the work when I have time. Now I’m learning the terminology and the theory to back up my hands-on experience. The professors are great and they have tremendous experience in the field.”  Career Opportunities at Little to No Cost Chris McDonald is quick to point out that both Butler and Williams are reaping the benefits of a certificate program with no out-of-pocket cost. “Very few, if any, students pay for this program themselves,” McDonald said. “Either their company has an educational reimbursement program, or they qualify for free education through Michigan Reconnect. Not only are they gaining valuable knowledge at no cost, they are also making themselves more valuable and creating advancement opportunities.”   Williams confirmed that the career implications of her studies are real. “Cascade Engineering promotes from within first,” Williams said. “When you prove your abilities, they will help you advance. It’s easy for them to get more operators from a temp agency, but more advanced skill sets are harder to find. Having this kind of education just makes me more valuable and gives me more options for my career. I already have a potential opportunity to advance into Quality Assurance Systems this fall.” Coming Soon: Associate Degree in Quality Science  McDonald is excited about bringing additional learning opportunities to students next year through an associate degree in quality science. “The certificate is a great way to get started in quality,” McDonald said. “Students learn to use the tools the right way, which doesn’t always happen with on-the-job training. Starting with the Winter 2027 semester, people who find quality to be their niche will be able to continue learning and pursue their associate degree.” Learn more about quality science at GRCC on the Quality Science department web page . This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.

GRCC staff and members of the Latino Student Union (LSU) club attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) National Conference in February. This annual event is the largest gathering of students, young professionals and emerging leaders in the nation. Attendees have the opportunity to interact with public policy makers, expert presenters and current community leaders. For Alexsandra Aguilar-Delgado and Joel Reyes Hernandez, the conference offered an opportunity to grow their leadership skills and connect with their cultural identity. Aguilar-Delgado is a current GRCC student and treasurer for the LSU. Reyes Hernandez is a GRCC alumnus and currently serves as the ALAS program coordinator. Creating Space for Connection Over the four-day event, attendees connected over meals, listened to inspiring keynote speakers and participated in workshops. Both Aguilar-Delgado and Reyes Hernandez described feeling energized and empowered at the end of every day. “It was a life changing experience,” said Aguilar-Delgado. “I met professionals with the same background as me. Or people who grew up in difficult circumstances and still found success. Hearing about their journeys was so inspiring.” “Being there with all those people was powerful,” said Reyes Hernandez. “I felt valued and like my voice mattered. I know that if we stick together, we can make a huge impact in our communities.” A Focus on Leadership USHLI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering communities through education, leadership development, civic engagement and research. The 2026 conference theme was “Uplifting America’s Emerging Leaders” and encouraged participants to access resources and grow their servant leadership capability. “I didn’t realize how many Hispanic leaders we already have in the United States,” said Reyes Hernandez. “There were politicians, ambassadors, educators and industry leaders at the conference. Especially in our current political climate, it helped me see that we have what it takes to make the world a better place now.” “One workshop was about the reality of being from two different cultures,” said Aguilar-Delgado. “It can feel like having two different identities and splitting your time 50/50 between them. But the speaker encouraged us to think about both identities being 100% you. Added together, that’s 200%.” The conference was presented in both English and Spanish. “That was a huge plus for me,” said Reyes Hernandez. “One of the biggest challenges we face as an underrepresented community is the language barrier. Having both languages there equally made me more comfortable. I didn’t feel pressure to have perfect English. I could be myself.” Inspired to Make a Difference   “I learned a lot about leadership and community,” said Aguilar-Delgado. “One speaker received a very prestigious award, but she did so with so much humbleness. She said love for her community inspired her to lead. It helped me realize that the answer to a lot of problems we face today is love. Love for your community, love for everything. And that love will inspire you to stand up for what’s right and fight for justice.” “Instead of creating divisions, we need to create more unity,” said Reyes Hernandez. “My biggest takeaway is to not let fear hold me back. Put yourself out there and do the right thing even if you feel scared. And to always root for yourself and believe in your own potential.” Aguilar-Delgado and Hernandez hope more GRCC students and staff have the opportunity to attend next year’s conference. “This conference is one of the ways GRCC extends learning beyond the classroom,” said Reyes Hernandez. “Opportunities like this empower students and help them realize that learning happens everywhere and that we can make a bigger impact when we do it together.”