Feb. 14, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College women's soccer team signed its first five players as it looks ahead to its inaugural season this fall. "I am excited about the first five women's soccer signings," coach Lizzie Hornack said.  "They are all from the Grand Rapids area and will be a great fit for our program. There is so much talent in the Grand Rapids area for women's soccer. There has already been so much interest in this program." The GRCC Athletic Department added soccer in response to a growing interest in the sport internationally and an increasing number of requests from potential student-athletes. The team is preparing for a fall season debut. The men's team signed its first four players of their inaugural class two weeks ago and recently signed several more. Added to the women’s team is: Brooklyn Williams, a center back/center forward who attends Rockford High School and played on a club team at Michigan Futbol Academy and was State Cup champions in 2021. Allison Seevers, who plays outside midfielder/forward and was a four-year varsity player at Lowell High School. She played on a club team with SCOR-Meulensteen. Claira DeYoung, a forward/midfielder, was a two-year varsity player at Jenison High School and played with the Michigan Rangers. Belicia Cuevas, a forward/midfielder, attends GRCC student who played at Wyoming High School. Brooklyn Geerlings, a left winger, was a two-year varsity player at Zeeland West High School and played for the Michigan Rangers. Men's signees are: Daniel Beyers, from Thornapple-Kellogg High School, played for a club team at Thornapple Area Soccer Club before going to play for Midwest United. His team won the district tournament in 2019 and was the varsity captain during his junior and senior years. He received First Team All-Conference, All-District and All-Team academics honors. He is studying pre-engineering and is pursuing a career in product design. Cole Drozdowsk is a center back/defensive mid who attends East Kentwood High School and plays outdoors for Midwest United and MigosFC for futsal. His team won the district championship in high school in 2022 and won State Cup with MFA Revolution in 2022. Jonathan Garcia is a goalkeeper/fullback for Kelloggsville High School. He plays for Michigan Power and boasted a 82 percent save percentage in high school, helping his team win four penalty shootouts. He kept five clean sheets during senior year, earning him Second Team All-Conference honors. Allex Hernandez plays center mid and was a four-year varsity player at Dowagiac Union High School, a two-time district champion. He was a two-time First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region and Honorable Mention All-State; three time All-District Jeremy Mazariegos plays center attacking mid at Union High School, where he was named freshman and junior varsity team most valuable player and plays for the Midwest United FC club team. Jordan Marquez - Striker - Northview High School where he was named All-District; plays club at Michigan Rangers and was the leading scorer for the team this past year There are still opportunities for students looking to be a part of both teams.  Recruiting questionnaires are available here. This story was reported by Ben Brown.

Feb. 13, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – GRCC’s Psychology Department Lecture Series is hosting the discussion, “Toward Trans Allyship: ‘They’ Isn’t Plural and Other Lessons in Gender Diversity,” in wake of the deadliest year ever for transgender and non-binary people. The event is planned for 1-2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb.  15, 2023 in room 168 of the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center. There is no charge for the session, and it is open to students and the community. No registration is required. The session will feature Melissa Selby-Theut, a licensed social worker who is the associate director and director of Prevention and Community Education at Grand Valley State University. Selby-Theut will explore the fundamental tenets of gender in light of current research and dispel common myths with the goals of increasing understanding and promoting gender justice. She will share how centuries of misinformation and misunderstanding can impede efforts to support people in these communities and ultimately bring about change. She will discuss how communities and individuals are not only poised for, but called to, action.  The LGBTQ advocacy organization Human Rights Campaign has documented at least 302 violent deaths of transgender and gender-nonconforming people since the group began tracking such fatalities in 2013. That figure includes 32 people in the United States. According to a PBS Newshour report, the organizations believes the number of fatalities is undercounted because the deaths of trans people often go unreported or the victims are misgendered in news or police reports. The figures do not include those who died by suicide, which has also been documented at significantly higher rates among LGBTQ people than in the general population. Additional information about the Psychology Lecture Series is available here .

Feb. 13, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – When you find something you love, you want to share it with everyone. Grand Rapids Community College helped Bree Mitchell build a career on her love for music. 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. As East Grand Rapids High School’s director of orchestras, Mitchell shares her talent and experience with sixth- through 12th-graders. She tries to give them the same encouragement she received at GRCC. “GRCC was a valuable experience for me because it helped me work on my technical abilities on my instrument and get a lot of individualized attention and opportunities as a student,” said Mitchell, whose main instrument is the viola. “All of the faculty I worked with were passionate about helping students succeed.” After earning her associate degree in 2016, she completed a bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Memphis. Before her East Grand Rapids post, she worked with music students in the Lowell and Caledonia districts and at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. “GRCC helped me prepare for my role now by offering me opportunities to connect with people in the community,” she said. “I did this through the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra and by being able to play with the GRCC Orchestra at different schools.” Start your GRCC story today here.  

Feb. 11, 2023, ESCANABA, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team scored the first 16 points of the second half and cruised to a 71-46 victory at Bay College on Saturday. The men’s team fell short, losing 99-72. After leading by just 11 at the break, the GRCC women’s team out-scored the Norse 41-17, while leading by as many as 41 mid way through the final quarter.  With the win, the team is now 12-7 and in third place in the conference with a 6-3 record. "Anytime we can get a win on the road in this conference, we’ve done some nice things,” coach David Glazier said. “Today it was specifically on display when looking at our play coming out of halftime. I’m especially proud given the added challenge of traveling nearly six hours away for this one. Credit to our kids for locking in and keeping a business-like focus for this trip." Sally Merrill led all scorers with 26 points on an efficient 12 of 19 from the floor, while grabbing six rebounds. It was her 16th career game with 20 or more points and fourth in her last five games. As a team, GRCC shot 44.8 percent from the field, which was their third best performance of the season.  It also bested Bay College in every other statistical category including 10 more rebounds, 11 more assists and 11 fewer turnovers. Grace Lodes, 12 points, Allison Kellogg, 11 points, and Karissa Ferry, 11 rebounds were the only other Raiders in double figures. The men's team trailed by 14 at the break, and went on a 13-3 run to start the second half and make it a four-point game. But Bay College coasted to a 99-72 victory to stay unbeaten in the conference.  GRCC dropped to 4-5 in conference play and 15-7 overall. Herman Brown came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points, including four-of-eight from behind the arc. Danyel Bibbs and Chris Coleman were the only Raiders in double figures with 11 and 10 points. Both teams will return home on Feb. 15 to take on rival Muskegon Community College.  The women will tip-off first at 5:30 p.m.  This story was reported by Ben Brown.

Feb. 11, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Teams of Secchia Institute of Culinary Education students are competing to send into space meals that can be enjoyed by astronauts – containers and all. It is the third year Grand Rapids Community College’s culinary students and faculty are competing in the NASA HUNCH competition, with a top prize of having their creations being rocketed to the International Space Station. Students on Saturday competed in a preliminary round against students from the Regional Career Technical Center from Ypsilanti at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, The Secchia Institute is partnering with the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District’s Careerline Tech Center, with students Katie Bird and Devon Vanderwall devising a recipe of Austrian style steak soup. Bird and Vanderwall were preparing the soup alongside RCTC students preparing avocado beef stew with smoked mushrooms and fire roasted peppers. Meanwhile, health and biomedical science students Abby Tichelaar and Cole Herring are working on edible cargo boxes with a goal of eliminating waste on space missions, where space on aircraft is at a premium. Tichelaar and Herring attend Launch U, and partnership between GRCC and the Kent Intermediate School District. Both teams are coached by Dr. Werner Absenger, Secchia Institute’s program director, and Secchia  instructor Jennifer Struik. The team has been working since late October, faced with nutritional guidelines from NASA and a research project looking at how foods affect astronauts in low gravity. About 20 culinary judges sampled the dishes on Saturday, with results known in several weeks. The next round will take place in Houston, where 10 finalists will compete. The biomedical team is working on packaging that will hold nutrition bars, then be broken down into an edible solution and make snacks such as gummy bears. GRCC’s 2020 team made it all the way to the finals, finishing second in the competition.  

Feb. 10, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College baseball and softball teams are preparing to start their seasons heading south to Florida to face tough competition. The softball team is rebuilding after taking a year off. Coaches Chuck White and Steve Roersma have assembled what they believe is a strong team and are excited about the season ahead.    "I have a great group of student-athletes," White said. "The team chemistry is top shelf and we're expecting to be very competitive after having no season last year."  Just two of the team’s 14 players are sophomores. Jaye Guichelaar transferred from Grand Valley State University and Annika Roersma transferred from Muskegon Community College and is the daughter of Roersma, the assistant coach. Both players are graduates of West Catholic High School. Guichelaar made 22 appearances in 2022 for Grand Valley, primarily as a pinch runner. She scored eight runs and had one RBI and a stolen base.  The speedy outfielder should see a lot of time as GRCC’s leadoff hitter. Roersma played two years at Muskegon, where she batted .455 with eight home runs, 39 RBI and 32 stolen bases in her first year, and batted .389 in 43 games with three home runs, 34 RBI and 22 stolen bases last season. She is also an outfielder. Starting on the mound this year will be Izzy Regner, a 2020 graduate of Elkhorn Area High School in Wisconsin. Regner had a great fall season. She struck out 17 batters in the team’s scrimmage against Schoolcraft College this month, helping the team to a 16-3 victory.   The rest of the Raiders’ battery includes Macy Huver, a pitcher from Lowell High School; Samara Kolehouse, a catcher from Kent City High School; and Carly Sluiter, a catcher from Wyoming High School. Joining Guichelaar and Roersma in the outfield are Alyssa Wierenga, who also plays on the volleyball team,  Vanessa Hewitt of Byron Center and Makayla Noon of Ionia. The infield includes Britney Cisler, a first baseman from Jenison High School; middle infielder Madison Lemke of Williamston; Lauren James, a first baseman/third baseman of Byron Center; Autumn Scott, a middle infielder from North Pointe Christian High School; Brynn McArthur, a middle infielder from Lake Isabella; and Huver who also plays the corners when not pitching. The softball team will participate in the NTC Spring Games in Orlando, Fla. It has 12 games scheduled, with the first two games on March 5 against Hocking College and West Virginia Wesleyan College. The baseball team looks to build on a successful 2022 season, where it 31-22-1 and was 20-8 in conference play. Mike Eddington, now in his fifth season as head baseball coach, will try to guide the team back to regionals after a strong third place finish last season. “I can tell you all of our players and coaches are very excited to be playing some of the top D1 community colleges in the country on our spring trip,” Eddington said. “We hope our players come together as a team on our trip. It's not easy playing five consecutive doubleheaders and I hope our players embrace the challenge. Our goal is to get better every day and help our players to reach their potential .” Eddington’s team has 33 players on the roster, with 19 players returning including an All-American and three other All-Conference performers. GRCC's ace, Jared Berkenpas was named a Third Team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association after a superb season that included a 9-2 record, 1.41 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 71 strikeouts, .223 opponents' batting average and had four complete games, including one shutout. Starting catcher Dylan Chargo was named Second Team All-Conference after batting .337 in the cleanup spot, totaling 56 hits, four home runs and 43 RBI.  He was third on the team in slugging percentage, .482, and on base percentage, .429.  He was also named to the six-player Western Conference All-Freshman team. Jacob Gumieny and Xander Reisbig also return after being named All-Conference honorable mentions. Gumieny, the Raiders’ everyday leadoff hitter, was fourth on the team, batting .316, totaling 56 hits and 20 RBI.  He led the team in triples with six and stolen bases with 11. Reisbig was second, batting .347, totaling 51 hits, 18 for extra bases, and 29 RBI.  He also had 11 stolen bases on the season and was second on the team with a .524 slugging percentage. He was the steadiest defender, with just one error. Key departures from last year's team include four All-Conference performers. Ryan Dykstra will play for Oakland University after being named All-Region and leading the team with a .422 batting average, 73 hits, seven home runs, 45 RBI, and .671 slugging performance. He spent the summer playing with the Kalamazoo Growlers, winning the Northwoods League championship. Gold glove shortstop Caleb Engelsman batted .309 and had 15 extra base hits while picking up five wins on the mound.  Pitchers Eliott Traver and Drew Murphy also will be missed.  Traver was the teams closer finishing with 11 saves and Murphy was the teams number two pitcher in the rotation finishing with a solid 2.65 ERA. GRCC is scheduled to play 10 games down south during their spring training, beginning with Chipola College in Marianna, Fla. on March 4.  For live scoring of all the games this season for both teams, download the Gamechanger ap and search GRCC Raiders and become a fan of the team to be able to get updates.   This story was reported by Ben Brown. Photo by Morgan Brown.

Feb. 9, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College President Emeritus Juan. R. Olivarez was named Newsmaker of the Year in the education category by the Grand Rapids Business Journal in recognition of new community partnerships forged was serving as interim president. “Grand Rapids Community College consistently made GRBJ headlines this past year as it added new programs to boost local talent and improve student outcomes,” the news organization wrote in a profile prior to the event, held Thursday at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. Olivarez, who previously served as the college’s eighth president from 1999 to 2008, served as interim president from June 2022 through January 2023 during a presidential search. “I’m proud to accept this award because it reflects the good work we do at Grand Rapids Community College, and especially the partnerships we have throughout West Michigan,” Olivarez said after being presented with the award. “We also work closely with my fellow finalists, President Richard Pappas from Davenport University and President Philomena Mantella from Grand Valley State University. We work together toward a common goal of providing a quality education for the people of West Michigan.” GRCC this year helped bolster West Michigan’s health care talent pool through local partnerships. One such significant partnership was with University of Michigan Health-West and will see GRCC students placed at UMH-West upon completion of GRCC’s nursing program. The college also earned a $2.9 million grant toward its health care program, partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to help students struggling with food or housing insecurities and partnered with Dell and Intel to expand its AI computing programs.

Feb. 9, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Dr. Jacqueline Walters – better known as “Dr. Jackie” – a philanthropist, health expert, women’s advocate, television personality and award-winning doctor of obstetrics and gynecology will be the keynote speaker for this month’s GIANT Awards 40th Anniversary celebration. The 40th anniversary celebration, hosted by Grand Rapids Community College, will highlight the past GIANT honorees and present a special anniversary award, with recipients revealed at the event. Since 1983, GRCC has hosted the annual awards recognizing African American leaders and organizations for their exceptional contributions in shaping the history and quality of life in Grand Rapids and West Michigan. The gala is planned for 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at DeVos Place’s Exhibit Hall, 303 Monroe Ave. NW. Individual tickets are $100, with eight-seat tables available for $1,000. Both can be purchased online at grcc.edu/GIANT40 . Walters is a two-time breast cancer survivor and founded the 50 Shades of Pink Foundation, an organization focused on treating the inner and outer beauty of survivors. The Atlanta resident is featured on the Bravo hit reality series “Married to Medicine” and is a frequent speaker on the topics of women’s health, wellness and self-esteem. Walters has been featured on HLN, the “STEVE” talk show, ESSENCE, Glamour, People.com, BlackEnterprise.com, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Rolling Out. She speaks frequently around the country on women’s health, wellness and self-esteem. Local media personalities Jamal Spencer, Eddie Rucker and Jennifer Moss will serve as emcees. The event is being planned by a community committee that includes Vanessa Greene, Larry Johnson, Tempy Mann, Darius Quinn, Faye Richardson-Green, Misti Stanton and Shannon Wilson, and facilitated by GRCC President Emeritus Juan Olivarez and GRCC leaders. The annual GIANT Awards, last presented in October 2022, salute 11 leaders. Each award is named after a local person who has demonstrated excellence and serves as a perpetual memorial to those notable contributions. Honorees have made meaningful contributions to Grand Rapids in a variety of areas, including justice, education, religion, medicine, humanities, business and labor. The Junior GIANT Award, named in honor of GIANT founders Dr. Patricia Pulliam and Cedric Ward, are presented each year to students of African American heritage who have demonstrated leadership, community involvement and impact. The Milo M. Brown Scholarship is presented to at least one male and one female African American GRCC students returning as full-time sophomores for the following fall semester.