March 10, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Jonathan Wyckoff teaches his students how to use CNC machines in a hands-on job training program. At the end of 18 weeks, students receive job placement assistance and enter the workforce.  Wyckoff was a GRCC student in 2014. He graduated with an Associate of Arts and Sciences and continued to Ferris State University where he received his bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering.  Wyckoff worked for Herman Miller as an engineer and a machine technician for eight years. He began to expand his career in 2002. His family’s history of teaching, and his love of the art of machine equipment brought him to GRCC.  As a CNC Machine Tool professor, Wyckoff teaches students to use machine tools to shape and cut metal to precise dimensions. The pieces CNC’s create are then used to create vehicles, medical equipment, and more.  Wyckoff loves watching his students see things in the world and know how those items are made. He also enjoys working with the other job training staff, many he referred to as his “college machining buddies”.  Wyckoff enjoys helping students and the students enjoy learning from him as well.  Matthew Collins, a Machine Tool/CNC student said, “Jonathan Wyckoff has been super. The lab is a very comfortable environment, it is great. He really focuses on hands-on skills. The day goes really fast because we are always working on parts and you have to really pay attention to what you are doing.” Wyckoff encourages students to explore the endless opportunities that GRCC offers. He advises students to be unafraid of trying different classes and programs, and to continue exploring until they find the right fit. More information about the CNC Machining Job Training program can be found at grcc.edu/cnc .   

March 10, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A typical morning in the Grand Rapids Community College pottery studio is quiet, but students from local high schools recently filled the studio with laughter, hundreds of pounds of clay, and friendly competition. Students participating in ArtCamp raced against the clock and each other to break a record for the tallest coil pot. Students stood on chairs and feverishly rolled coil after coil of clay, attempting to make their pot stand over 44 ¾ inches without collapsing. The idea is to give high school students a glimpse into GRCC’s Visual Arts programs, and raise awareness of the possibilities of the arts in higher education. Throughout the half-day camp, students rotated through classrooms, with each 30-minute class focusing on a different discipline. Students gained hands-on experience with drawing, photography, pottery, and graphic design. They also learned about art history and the Visual Arts programs, ending their day with a campus tour. This year five high schools brought nearly 100 art students to campus, many unaware of the opportunities to pursue further education in the arts. Twelve years ago, professor Scott Garrard introduced the idea to the Visual Arts faculty as an opportunity to connect to the community and recruit new students. Department members were excited about the camp, and with the help of professor Katie Budden, they created the event that students experience today. "ArtCamp was an immediate success,” Garrard said. “Area high schools have truly enjoyed participating in the event. Many of the visiting students are currently enrolled at GRCC and in art classes. Next year, the event is expanding from one ArtCamp Day a year to two ArtCamp Days, one in the fall and one in the winter semester. This expansion will double the area's high schools and the number of students able to attend.”   GRCC’s Visual Arts program is one of six at community colleges in the nation with a National Association of Schools of Art and Design accreditation. The program offers Associate of Fine Art degrees in both studio and photography as well as Associate of Arts degrees for students interested in a general arts education. Many Visual Arts students graduate and transfer to four-year schools and even receive scholarships for their portfolio reviews. More information about the Visual Arts Programs can be found at grcc.edu/VisualArts .

March 9, 2023, FLINT, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team is heading to the final round of the NJCAA Great Lakes B District Tournament after a dominating win over the No. 1 seed Jackson College. GRCC, the No. 5 seed, won 74-65, leading from early in the first quarter all the way through the final buzzer. “This was another game that really highlighted that this team wins together,” head coach David Glazier said. “Each player understands her role and does it to the best of her ability. When this group plays as one, they’re tough to beat and the opportunities are endless.” The win was in big part to outstanding offensive performances from sophomores Sally Merrill, who scored 24 points, and Marlene Busser, who scored 23 points. Shining on defense sophomore Grace Lodes, with nine defensive rebounds, and Allison Kellogg with six. GRCC heads to the final game for the third year in a row. The game is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 11 at Mott Community College in Flint. This story was reported by Mackenzie Ondersma.  

March 9, 2023, CLERMONT, Fla., -- Izzy Regner’s pitching boosted the Grand Rapids Community College softball team twice on Thursday – first as a starting pitcher and then in relief. One swing of the bat was all GRCC needed in the first game to defeat Illinois Valley Community College 3-0. Freshman third baseman Lauren James hit a three-run homer - her first of the season - in the top of the sixth inning and that was the scoring the Raiders would need.  James also hit a single and a double. Regner struck out 15 batters, while allowing three hits and walking just one to pick up her first win of the day.  In game two, against Niagara County Community College, GRCC came back from a 7-4 deficit by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Regner, a freshman from Elkhorn, Wis., closed the game to pick up the win in relief, by striking out five of the eight batters she faced. She is now 5-0 on the season without allowing a run and fanning 56 batters. Offensively, GRCC had 11 hits, including a 4-for-4 performance by Regner that included two doubles and her first home run of the season. Jaye Guchelaar added two hits including a big triple in the sixth inning. The softball team improves to 5-3 on the southern trip. GRCC is back in action at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, playing Waubonsee Community College and St. Louis Community College. This story was reported by Ben Brown. 

March 9, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Lydia Hendrian says she wasn’t interested in a traditional college degree, and wanted to learn in-demand skills that would lead to a rewarding career. Hendrian appeared on the My GRCC Story podcast to talk about her decision to enroll in the Automotive Technology certificate program through GRCC Workforce Training. “I’ve always been a more hands-on person,” she said. “I knew I didn’t want to do the classic, English, math pathway for school. So, I started looking into applied technology, more hands-on programs. I like working on my car. And I like being the one in the family who knows some of the stuff, and I want to gain more knowledge and learn a lot more about it.” GRCC has the largest automotive training program in West Michigan, with an advisory board including representatives from automotive shops from across the region. Classes include lab and lectures, with lab times increasing as the semester moves forward. “I know a lot of people say, ‘That’s like a trade school,’ Or ‘You can learn that by actually working in a dealership and picking it up,” she said. “Those are all very true. But it is definitely really nice to have a classroom setting as well as having other individuals who have a similar goal, and have different education levels on cars, so that you can gather knowledge from multiple bases, then obviously from your instructors, who have had years and years of experience in this. It just feels more personal because they’re able to give you that one-on-one, or that group time where they are teaching you very specifically.” Hendrian said there are not many women in the program, but said she has felt welcomed and would recommend the program to other women who might be interested in the field. “You need to be determined about it, because it can be a little intimidating at first,” she said. “I remember I told my dad, ‘I want to go into this, taking classes to see how it goes.’ And he said not a lot of girls do that. And I said, ‘Yeah, but I’m a determined person. I want to push through and see what happens.’ So, I did, and I really enjoyed it a lot.” The My GRCC Story podcast is available here , Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other hosting sites.

March 9, 2023 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Filling out one form can make a life-changing difference to Grand Rapids Community College students. The Grand Rapids Community College Foundation awarded $1.3 million in scholarships to 1,642 students during the 2021-2022 fiscal year – all available by completing just one application! “A scholarship can lift so much anxiety from a student’s shoulders,” said Kristine Babcock, the foundation’s interim executive director. “Using one application makes the process easier – and less stressful – for students, ensuring that we can connect as many of them as possible with the funds they need to pursue their goals.” The application can be found at grcc.edu/scholarships , and the priority deadline is March 15. Receiving the Clearing Sky Christensen/WN+J Business Scholarship helped Tiara Garcia reach her long-held goal of a college degree. She struggled, and eventually dropped out, in her first attempt at higher education in 2009. “It wasn’t until last year I realized I had student loan debt but no degree to show for it,” she said. “So, I thought about my goals in life and where I was and decided to go back to school.” It was a different experience for her in her second attempt: She passed all her classes and was on the Dean’s List every semester. “Receiving the scholarship means I have succeeded and the hard work has really paid off,” said Garcia, who plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in human resources. “A lot of people believe that there isn’t help out there, but this shows that there is.”

March 8, 2023, CUTHBERT, Ga. — The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team out-hit Andrew College on Wednesday, but lost 10-9 and 9-6 to another tough NJCAA Division I team. In game one, Dylan Chargo and Fernando Rivera-Calderon combined for six of the team's 12 hits, while Zacarias Salinas and Tommy Reid each had two hits. In the nightcap, GRCC fell behind 7-1 after two innings, but scored five runs in the next two frames to cut the deficit to just one.  Andrew College tacked on two runs in the bottom of the sixth to finish the scoring.  Jeremy Marble took the loss in his second start of the season, but allowed just one earned run while striking out four batters. Luke Huerta, Trevin Laming and Chargo all had two hits, including a home run by Chargo, his first of the year. This story was reported by Ben Brown.

  March 8, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Community College’s Workforce Training is offering a new program requested by West Michigan businesses that provides the skills required of a newly appointed leader. The Preparation for Leadership program is intended for the many small- to mid-sized organizations that often are not able to provide detailed leadership development training to potential or newly promoted leaders. Upskilling employees to become leaders can save money on the hiring process and operations training. “This leadership training goes beyond the typical 'leadership 101', said John Van Elst, interim executive director of GRCC Workforce Training. “It is built to address the skills and responsibilities new supervisors will face.” Van Elst said he is excited to have Thomas Hecksel as the trainer for this course. “Thomas has a proven track record with his experience and expertise with small to mid-sized companies in the West Michigan business market to improve their performance and competitiveness.” The training is a nine-hour course over three days that provides new and future leaders with detailed tools and techniques for immediate results. It is designed to challenge the participants with specific discussions on the skills and responsibilities they will face as a supervisor or leader. The interactive curriculum allows learners to gain easy-to-implement strategies to put into practice. Actual employee interaction scenarios are practiced in group discussions so skills can easily be applied. “This training addresses common hurdles for many new leaders such as gaining credibility from others,” Hecksel said. “Responsibility checklists are used to give a clear picture of the elements involved in being a leader.” Training includes a personality test to improve understanding of participants’ leadership traits, styles and preferences. This will help them recognize how to best deal with others who may have different traits. Class runs Thursday mornings beginning April 27, 2023 and will be held at the GRCC Tassell MTEC. For more information go to grcc.edu/leadership .

March 7, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team is heading back to the regional semi-finals for the sixth straight year after a 53-44 win over Muskegon Community College on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the men's season came to end after a 78-68 defeat to Delta College, ending a six-game win streak. The team, which won 11 straight games to begin the season, finished the year 21-8. For the eleventh time this season, the stingy women's defense - ranked third best in the league - held their opponent under 50 points.  It also held Muskegon to just 20.9 percent from the field. Marlene Bussler led the team with 15 points, including three of the team's seven made three-point shots. Grace Lodes, 13 points, 12 rebounds, finished with the game's lone double-double. Karissa Ferry totaled 11 rebounds. “Extremely proud of the effort defensively tonight,” coach David Glazier said. “They played as one tonight on both ends of the floor. I’m happy for our sophomores, who get to continue adding to what they have already accomplished at GRCC.” The women's team will move on to the semi-finals of the Great Lakes B District Tournament to face Jackson College on March 9 at 6:30 p.m. Jackson is the tournament's No. 1 seed after winning the Eastern Conference.  Mott Community College plays host to both the semi-finals and the finals. If GRCC wins, the championship game will be March 11 at 6 p.m.   The men's team turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 16 times and shot just 43.3 percent from the field.  Delta's 26 free throw attempts -- to just four for the Raiders -- might have been the biggest difference in the game. Danyel Bibbs finished his outstanding two-year career at GRCC with a 19-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance.  Sophomore teammate Myron Brewer finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard B.J. Neely went 8-of-12 from the field for 17 points. This story was reported by Ben Brown.

March 7, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Izzy Regner continues to dominate on the mound with her third shutout in as many days to give the Grand Rapids Community College softball team a 7-0 win over Penn State Greater Allegheny on Tuesday. The softball team split its games on Tuesday while the baseball team dropped two more games against a tough Gulf Coast Community College team that is ranked No. 15 in the latest NJCAA Division I poll. In the first softball game, Regner struck out 11 batters, bringing her season total to 36 in just three games.  She also added three doubles and two RBI. Samara Kolehouse also had a three-hit game with a double of her own.  Autumn Scott and Lauren James had two hits each. In game two, GRCC suffered a 14-0 loss to Lake Michigan College and got hits from Regner, Jaye Guichelaar and Britney Cisler. The baseball team managed just four hits on the day, losing 11-1 and 13-1. Fernando Rivera-Calderon hit his second home run of the season while Zacarias Salinas, Melvin Rodriguez and Joe Hoeks picked up the other hits. The baseball team plays Andrew College in a double header on Wednesday while the softball team resumes play on Thursday. This story was reported by Ben Brown.