May 31, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- At GRCC’s commencement, Pamela Syfert wore a mortarboard emblazoned with these words: “1987 – 2023. Took me 36 years to get my degree.”  Yes, there’s a story there, one that the gregarious Syfert can laugh about now as she tells it, although there were also a few tears along the way. She graduated from Wyoming Park High School in 1986 and a week later moved out on her own. She doesn’t dwell on the details, but she said the move was for the best. And she went to work, landing a full-time job at Sysco Frost Pack. “I didn’t have the opportunity to go to college,” she said simply. But she saved her money, and in the fall of 1987, she was able to take two classes at what was then Grand Rapids Junior College. “I was living on my own; I was working, and it was pay as you go,” she recalled with a hearty laugh. “I think I was making four or five bucks an hour back then.” She’s not sure almost four decades later what those two classes were, although she thinks one of them was English 101. “I didn’t do well,” she said. More laughter. “In fact, I had to take it over and failed it again, and then I passed it the third time. I don’t give up.” After those two classes, she took a five-year break. “Life happens,” she said. “You have to work; cars break down -- yeah.” But in the early ‘90s, she got on a roll: two classes in 1992, one in the summer of 1993 and three more that fall. Things were looking good. But, she said, more life came her way. “I got married a couple of times, had a son, my parents died, different jobs, life interfered,” she said. Still, GRCC continued to tug at her. “I knew I wanted to go back,” she said. “I wanted to complete that degree. But I really didn’t see a way to get there, and, as the years went by, it got harder and harder to figure out how I could finish what I’d started.” When COVID hit, she avoided the layoffs that were happening in her industry and at her company at the time, Haviland Enterprises. “I wanted to work,” she said. “And I worked continuously all through COVID.” And then one day, the HR people at Haviland sent a message out to their employees about a state program called Futures for Frontliners, a scholarship program for Michiganders without college degrees who worked in essential industries during the spring 2020 shutdown. Even now there’s a hint of disbelief in her voice as she remembers first hearing about the program. “I remember thinking, ‘the government will pay for you to get your associate degree?’” she said. “It seemed too good to be true.” While Futures for Frontliners is no longer available, another state program, Michigan Reconnect , covers the cost of in-district tuition for residents 25 and older who do not have a college degree.  With the financial burden of tuition lifted, Syfert dove headfirst back into an online pool of GRCC offerings, taking classes continuously since the fall of 2021 at the rate of two to three per semester. She credits GRCC professors and staff for getting her reacclimated to being a student after 28 years between classes. “It’s not as easy when you’re older,” she said. “You forget a lot more when you’re older. But the advisors I have had have been so good. And the teachers, too. Online is a different experience for me, and the professors have helped me every step of the way.” Now, she’s in the last weeks of two classes that are part of the 2023 summer session, and when she’s done with them, she’ll be an official GRCC graduate. She laughed as she recalled asking GRCC staff members if she’d be allowed to be part of the April graduation ceremony. “They said I could walk in April,” she said. “I wanted to make sure it was OK. When they said yes, I couldn’t wait.” But on a path that had begun in 1987, the final leg provided one more challenge for Syfert. There was an accident on U.S. 131 on graduation day, and traffic was backed up for miles. She and her husband, a Grand Valley State University professor, sat helplessly on the highway as the clock continued to tick. Finally, traffic cleared, and Syfert walked in right before the ceremony was starting. “I just started bawling,” she said. “Not only because I made it on time, but the culmination of all those years and not giving up finally came to fruition.” Her 36-year journey had reached the finish line on her time. From 1987 to 2023. From high school graduate to GRCC graduate. Right on time. This story was reported by Phil de Haan.     

May 30, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College historic renovation projects reflect the college “created a campus that embraces, and is embraced by, the community,” city leaders said. GRCC was honored by the Grand Rapids Historic Preservation Commission with the 2023 Outstanding Preservation Project by a Group award for recent renovations to Steven C. Ender Hall and the Custer Alumni House. “The renovation work GRCC has undertaken for not just these two buildings but for the entire campus has been exceptional,” the commission noted. “It would have been easy to create an isolated island. But GRCC invested its time and energy into ensuring the campus remained part of the community and that it continued to interact and respect the historically important buildings, its neighborhood and city. GRCC created a campus that embraces, and is embraced by, the community.” The 3,850-square-foot Steven C. Ender Hall is used for student-focused departments, including the Experiential Learning and the Honors programs, and Student Employment Services. It also provides space for Student Life clubs and organizations to meet. Progressive AE and Pioneer Construction worked with GRCC, local building officials, and the city’s Historic Preservation Commission on the $3.4 million renovation. The project included repairing all masonry, restoring all windows, replacing historically inappropriate windows, removing the exterior fire escape, restoring the façade, upgrading ADA accessibility, restoring the carriage house, and updating mechanicals. The Custer Alumni House, previously known as the Lettinga House, is the home of the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation and alumni activities. The $1.8 million in renovations includes a kitchen, meeting space and areas for receptions and other gatherings – a welcoming place for former students and community members. GRCC worked with Pioneer and Tower Pinkster on the project, which included restoring the exterior siding and details, replacing the non-historic windows with historically accurate windows, replacing the roof, updating for ADA accessibility, and upgrading mechanicals. Rhonda Baker, Grand Rapids’ historic preservation specialist, told WGVU’s Shelley Irwin such projects “give us a sense of place. It really is important to remember your past, and keep it part of you as you move forward. The awards are an opportunity to shine a light on organizations or people who are doing something nice in our community.”    

May 29, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – GRCC gave Antonio “Toni” Kilgo the skills that help West Michigan businesses and homes power up. Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful. Kilgo earned certificates in Furniture Manufacturing and Finishing, Construction Trades, and Machine Tooling/CNC from GRCC. He admits that he sometimes wanted to quit – or, at least, skip a class – but credits instructor John Doane with not allowing him to do that.   Armed with his certificates and an associate degree in electronics engineering technology from ITT Technical Institute, Kilgo has spent the past few decades moving through the ranks, from journeyman electrician, installation technician and senior project manager to his current role: vice president and senior consultant for Sankofa Engineering and Consulting.   “GRCC is where you attend for the equality of opportunity – if you’re willing to put in the effort and do the work,” he said. Start your story at GRCC by applying here .

May 27, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Students in grades six through nine can explore careers through hands-on activities and tours through a series of summer camps offered by the Grand Rapids Community College Workforce Training team. Students can learn about careers in water sustainability, construction, manufacturing, and wood working in four-day sessions, some starting as early as June 20. “These camps are a perfect opportunity for students to explore careers, gain hands-on experience, and meet people who are experts in their fields,” said John Van Elst, interim executive director of Workforce Training. “They also are seeing some of the real-world applications for math, science and other subjects they are learning.” Construction camp runs June 27 to 30, and costs $119. Manufacturing camp in Grand Rapids runs July 11-14 and this year there will be a section of the Manufacturing camp at the GRCC Lakeshore Campus from July 18-21. The Woodworking camp is full. There are three sections of the Water Career Camp which is open to students in grade six through nine and costs $25. Other sessions are for students in grades seven through nine. "Behind every drop of water you use, there is a huge team of professionals dedicated to ensuring your water is safe and reliable,” said Hillary Caron, a chemist for Lake Michigan Filtration Plant. “The Public Works camp will be an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience showing each step of the water and wastewater treatment processes and the available careers in an extremely rewarding industry!" Camps meet Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All camps have a limited capacity, and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Details are available at grcc.edu/camps .

May 26, 2023, PLYMOUTH, Ind. – Grand Rapids Community College's golf team finished in 19th place at the NJCAA Division II National Championship on Friday after four rounds of play at the Swan Lake Resort Black Course. "The results were short of what we wanted, but the Raiders were proud to represent the community of Grand Rapids and GRCC," coach John Forton said. "We never gave up at any point, it just wasn't our week." Kirkwood Community College, from Iowa, dominated the competition, with all four rounds under 300, and finished eight strokes ahead of Parkland College to win the national title. After rounds of 314, 319, and 325, GRCC finished play with a score of 322 strokes on Friday, finishing 19th of 22 teams. Its total of 1,280 was four strokes better than Muskegon Community College and 62 strokes better than Glen Oaks Community College, who also represented Region XII in the national tournament.  The team also had 24 total birdies. Freshman Drew Harrington (81-75-79-80) was the team's most consistent golfer during the week and led the team with a score of 315. Conner Oman (74-87-83-77) led the team with eight birdies and finished with a 321. Brad VandenHout (81-83-79-80) had seven birdies and finished with a 323.  Sam Foss (79-80-84-89) and Ty Marchlewki (80-81-88-85) respectively finished with scores of 332 and 334. The team won the MCCAA Western Conference championship this year, marking its 14th straight title. It also won the NJCAA Region XII championship for the ninth time and third time in its past four seasons. Harrington was the Western Conference medalist and received All-Conference and All-Region honors. He also was named the Western Conference Freshman of the Year. Marchlewski was also a member of All-Region, All-Conference and All-Freshman teams; finishing seventh in the conference, 12th at the MCCAA Championship, and fourth in regionals.  Oman and VandenHout finished out their sophomore years in good fashion. Oman placed second at the MCCAA Championship to earn himself All-MCCAA honors for the second consecutive year and finished tied for 13th in the region and 12th in the conference.  VandenHout made the All-Conference team after finishing fifth in the conference.  He also was tied for 14th in the MCCAA Championship and tied for 23rd in regionals.  Foss also finished out a great career at GRCC. He finished tied for 13th at regionals, tied for 14th at the MCCAA Championship and also was a participant in last year's national championship.    This story was reported by Ben Brown.

May 26, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Sara Kiliszewski has always known she wants to help her community. Growing up she admired her aunt, a nurse with a strong passion for helping others.  “I wanted to be like her. I wanted to help people in the community, be a part of something bigger and make a difference in a person’s health and healing,” Kiliszewski said.  She became a licensed nurse and began taking classes for a master’s degree in nursing education.   “Once I started training new nurses, I realized that I loved teaching more. I wanted to be a part of teaching and shaping the next group of nurses,” Kiliszewski said.  She knows the importance of having a strong support system of co-workers, friends, family, and instructors. At GRCC she is able to support future nurses as they work together to learn.  Kiliszewski says she is impressed by the commitment that faculty have toward meeting the learning needs of each student. The students are also committed to collaboration and working together to make sure no one is left behind.  The experience that students get in the nursing program is outstanding. They spend time in classrooms, simulation labs, and clinicals assisting real patients. The program provides students with not only the opportunity to become a licensed nurse, but the confidence and skills to succeed in the healthcare field.  The nursing program is incredibly proud of recently graduated nursing students who have established a very high passing rate of the NCLEX Licensure Exam. GRCC’s passing rate over the past five years has been well over the national average.  Kiliszewski encourages students to pursue a career that they are passionate about, and to be unafraid to ask for help. GRCC faculty enjoy helping students more than anything. More information about the nursing program can be found here.

May 26, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Students graduating high school next month don’t have to wait for fall to start their college journey, with openings available in Grand Rapids Community College’s second summer semester. About 1,600 seats are available in classes during GRCC’s second summer semester, providing opportunities for students to start earning credits for a new credential or to stay on track for graduation. And with online offerings, students can take GRCC with them this summer wherever they go. The second seven-week summer semester starts on June 27, with many classes available in person on the Main Campus in Grand Rapids and at the GRCC Lakeshore Campus. And about half of the classes are offered in an online format, making it convenient to take classes with you this summer whether you are headed Up North, to the lake or staying around town. It’s also easy to schedule around home and work responsibilities. “The second summer semester is a great opportunity for students graduating high school to get their first experiences with college classes,” said Lori Cook, GRCC’s associate dean of Access and First Year Success. “The classes also are perfect for students attending four-year colleges and universities to save money while earning transferrable credits.” Classes are available in a wide variety of subjects, including Computer Information Science, Chemistry, Biology, History and Communications. Summer classes are popular with students who attend four-year colleges and universities because they can transfer credits from GRCC’s more affordable courses back to their home school. Additional information is at grcc.edu/guest , and students should always check with their home institution’s course equivalency guide. Eligible students are able to use Grand Rapids Promise Zone scholarships to attend GRCC, including enrolling as guest students. The Promise Zone covers tuition and expenses. Additional information is at grcc.edu/promisezone . Residents 25 and older with a college degree can attend through the Michigan Reconnect program, which covers the cost of in-district tuition. Additional information is available at grcc.edu/reconnect . Potential students can start the enrollment process at grcc.edu/apply and can contact the Enrollment Center by phone at (616) 234-3300 and by email at enroll@grcc.edu and be connected to their personal enrollment specialist.

May 25, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A half century or so ago, American schools introduced a short-lived concept called “the new math.” It didn’t last. But this baseball season at Grand Rapids Community College, new math often was necessary to calculate the offensive output of twins Fernando and Andres Rivera-Calderon. For instance, when the Raiders swept Muskegon Community College in a May doubleheader, the equation was 2 x 3 = 12. As in two brothers, three grand slam home runs (two for Fernando and one for Andres) and 12 total runs batted in.   And while GRCC baseball records go back a long way, there’s no entry for grand slams by twin brothers in a doubleheader. So, for now, it’s safe to say the Rivera-Calderon twins own that category. They also own a special place in GRCC coach Mike Eddington’s heart after a 2023 season that saw the twins combine to hit .344 (86 hits in 250 at-bats) as GRCC went 35-14 overall and won an MCCAA Northern Conference Championship at 23-2 record and an MCCAA championship before falling in the regionals to two nationally ranked foes. “They’re hard-working kids who do well in the classroom,” Eddington said. “I’m curious to follow them going forward and see how they do in baseball and in life. Really, it’s pretty amazing to see what they had to overcome to where they are now. They’re good people, and I will miss them.” Francisco and Andres came to the United States from Puerto Rico in 2014 when they were already 12 years old. Their stepdad had taken a position as a physician in Carson City, and the boys ended up at Greenville Middle School, knowing only the English they had gleaned in a monthlong program in nearby Belding. It wasn’t much, they recalled recently. But they did speak the language of baseball, as their stepdad reminded them. “The only thing you have right now is your bat,” Fernando remembered him telling them. “Let your bat do the job.” “We could play baseball,” Andres said. “We started practicing when we were 3 and were on our first teams (in Puerto Rico) when we were 7. So, we had that.” Despite their acumen on the diamond, they weren’t really recruited significantly coming out of Greenville High School. A senior season wiped out by the pandemic didn’t help matters. But Eddington, a former star at GRCC and Michigan State, was one of the coaches who reached out to the twins. Fernando came first, and, a year later, Andres joined him on campus after a year at Adrian College. Last year, Fernando missed most of the season because of injury, so the 2023 campaign was the first full season the twins played together, and they made the most of it. “Coach had faith and trust in us, and we were able to play together, which was amazing,” Fernando said. They also were amazed by their GRCC academic experience, they said. Both graduated last month with associate degrees – Fernando in Sports Management and Andres in Business Administration – and both are headed in the fall to New College of Florida to be closer to their parents (who now live on Florida’s east coast) and to be able to play baseball in warmer weather again. “We never really got used to playing baseball in the cold,” Andres said with a laugh. “We’re thankful to have that chance again.” Both are also thankful to the many people who guided them at GRCC. They mentioned not just GRCC baseball coaches, including Eddington, but also numerous professors and staff members who went out of their way to help the recent immigrants not just survive but thrive. Said Fernando: “We can’t name them all because we would forget someone, but the people we met along the way at the college, we owe them a big debt.” Still, they said, their love for the college probably is surpassed by their love for baseball. “Baseball for me, of course, is everything,” Fernando said. “It’s like therapy: Once I gain that field, everything else I forget.” And Andres feels the same way. “Everybody in life will go through a tough time,” he said. “But baseball, I feel it prepares you for that. It teaches you that you have to deal with failure. In baseball, when you hit, you fail seven out of 10 times. So, you have to deal with that.” This season, the failures were fewer and the successes more frequent, both as individuals and as a team. GRCC's season included an MCCAA Northern Conference Championship with a 23-2 record, an MCCAA championship and a 35-14 overall record.  Fernando led the team in hits, runs, doubles, home runs, total bases, slugging percentage and RBI at the plate, plus stolen bases for good measure. Andres was close behind in several categories. But neither player focused on the individual numbers this season. “We definitely feel like we improved as individuals because of GRCC and the coaches,” Andres said. “We had great practices, got a lot of swings in. But we grew as people too, as students, and it was great to be part of such a winning program at GRCC and to be there together as brothers.” Indeed, for Fernando and Andres Rivera-Calderon, their winning formula this season was easy: It simply equaled 1 + 1 + GRCC. This story was reported by Phil de Haan.