Nov. 7, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Justin Ruehs had goals, and GRCC worked with him at his own pace to reach them. “GRCC allowed me to grow as a person and as a student at a pace and at a scale that was not overwhelming coming from a smaller town that didn’t have as many opportunities for students as some of the bigger or wealthier West Michigan public school districts,” he said. “GRCC gave me the opportunity to achieve higher education goals on my own by allowing classes that fit around my work schedule.” 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. During his time at the college, Ruehs worked at the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center, which counts among his favorite GRCC memories. “I paid my tuition as I went – not to say it was easy taking a full class load, working on campus part time as a student worker in a work-study program and holding down a full-time job, but it was my path to bettering myself through education.” Ruehs also appreciated the ease with which his two associate degrees transferred to Grand Valley State University, where he earned a bachelor’s health communications with a minor in public relations in 2000. He later received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and recently completed an MBA with a concentration in insurance from Olivet College. He also has earned professional designations through The Institutes and the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research. He’s put his classroom knowledge, as well as his time management and teamwork skills, to use as a risk manager for Microsoft. “I oversee six of their insurance programs as well as working with our three ‘captives’ (wholly owned subsidiaries),” he said. “Prior to Microsoft, I worked as a large property underwriter for Liberty Mutual, AIG (American International Group) and AFM, part of FM Global.” He also works on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Microsoft and with outside organizations, such as the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation and the Chicago chapter of the CPCU Society. The father of triplets, he’s also a mentor with Foster Progress, which helps Illinois youths in foster care attain a college degree and successfully transition to adulthood. Ruehs is passionate about helping others because he’s grateful for the support he’s received in his life. “I am so fortunate for a few key people in my professional and educational journeys that took a chance on me and gave me a shot to learn new skills or roles,” he said. “Showing up, doing the work and exceeding expectations always opened the next door.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply

Nov. 4, 2022, PORT HURON, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team is headed to the national championship tournament for the 11th time in program history after a four-set win over St. Clair County Community College. "Each player comes to our program with the goal of winning a conference, state, regional and national title," head coach Chip Will said. "This group has worked every day on and off the court to give themselves a chance at achieving this goal.  We as a staff couldn't be prouder of how the girls competed together this weekend as teammates, always making sure they were making the person next to them better.  The Raider Nation crowd helped create an unbelievable atmosphere on St. Clair's home floor.  This was a total program championship!"  After two wins on opening night, including one against St. Clair, the MCCAA and Northern Conference champions only had to play one on Friday night and swept Kalamazoo Valley Community College to advance to the championship match. St. Clair County battled back through the consolation bracket, winning three in a row to land a rematch against the Raiders. GRCC prevailed, 25-18, 25-13, 19-25, and 25-13. GRCC played its best defense of the tournament, with 82 digs and having just two reception errors. Sophomore libero Audrey Gower was a digging machine finishing with a match-high 18 while Kara Hecht added 15. Offensively, tournament MVP Audrey Torres led the way with a match-high 19 kills, giving her a tournament total of 55. Eliza Thelen and Kara Hecht each had 11 kills and Shannon Russell dished out 35 assists. Because of their outstanding tournament play, Hecht, Russell and Karrisa Ferry joined Torres on the All-Tournament team. GRCC, ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, improved to 24-3 overall, and now awaits its opponent for the NJCAA Division II National Championship that takes place Nov. 17 to 19 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Nov. 4, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Danyel Bibbs led the Grand Rapids Community College men's basketball team to a 102-94 win over Cornerstone University’s junior varsity team to stay unbeaten. Bibbs' 27 points led all scorers, with the starting point guard from Saginaw going eight-for-16 from the field and 10-of-14 from the free throw line.  He also had four of the team's 23 steals. Despite the close score, second-year head coach Joe Fox was pleased with his team’s effort. "Fun, fast paced game against a very tough opponent," Fox said. "I was really impressed with how much effort and energy we brought defensively.  I also loved the enthusiasm for the bench.  Two fun tests are coming next week, and I look forward to seeing how the guys respond." Freshman Bashir Neely shined in his first game of the year, scoring 17 points on an efficient seven-of-15 from the 15 while totaling a 8 steals in 26 minutes. Jujuan Walker added 13 points on six-of-seven shooting and Rico Wade’s 14 points. The team has won its first two games, defeating Olivet College’s junior varsity team 113-55 earlier in the week. GRCC's next game is Nov. 8 at Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing.  

Nov. 4, 2022, PORT HURON, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team advanced to the NJCAA Region XII-District A championship after a sweep over Kalamazoo Valley Community College in the semi-finals on Friday. Despite 15 errors in the first set, the Raiders found a way to pull out a victory one, winning 25-23. Sets two and three were never in doubt, leading wire-to-wire in 25-11 and 25-10 wins to advance to the finals. Alena Visnovsky had a career match with 10 kills and just one error, hitting .600 while adding three blocks. "The close call in the first set generated a sense of urgency across the team," Visnovksy said. "We reset and played to our strengths and played for each other.  Going into tomorrow, we're focused and excited, and are ready to dial in and fight." Eliza Thelen led another balanced attack for the Raiders with 12 kills with Audrey Torres totaling 11 and Karissa Ferry finishing with nine. Freshmen defensive specialists, Braelyn Berry and Vienna Koenigsknecht led the defense with 10 digs each. GRCC, ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, improved to 23-3 overall, and will play at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5.  A win ensures a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in a couple weeks.

Nov. 4, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Probably no other GRCC student has “American Idol” finalist Scott MacIntyre’s cell phone number. But Tyler Zahnke does. That’s because Zahnke is one of only 10 blind musicians in the nation selected to attend the first SongSight music mentoring retreat this weekend in Scottsdale, Ariz., featuring blind singer-songwriter MacIntyre. “We’re going to be doing some songwriting, singing, and we get to record an original song at the end of the weekend,” said Zahnke, a GRCC music major . “But I’m most excited about hanging out and networking with famous artists like Scott MacIntyre.” MacIntyre was the first blind “American Idol” finalist and a fan favorite for viewers for optimism in the face of adversity. This weekend’s retreat is just the latest in Zahnke’s lifelong quest to make music. Blind since birth, the 25-year-old Grand Rapids native said his love of music began as a toddler when his family would listen to classical music and his mother played the piano. After teaching himself piano basics as a young boy, he began taking lessons at age 10. While taking online classes at Northview Alternative High School, he began composing, singing, recording and editing his own music at home. But it was GRCC that changed his world. Zahnke enrolled in 2017 and has consistently pursued his associate degree in music ever since. “GRCC has helped me develop a deeper understanding of music, what a musician does, and has helped me get more in tune with different genres of music,” he said. The best part, though, is performing. Zahnke, who considers himself equal parts singer and keyboardist, has been singing with GRCC’s vocal ensembles since he started five years ago. “Performing makes me so happy,” he said. Although still charting his career, Zahnke said he’d like to eventually record an album, perform live concerts, compose production music for TV or commercials, and create music-related software for the blind. “Living this life has made me more resourceful, and I think a lot of the challenges I’ve faced are being eliminated,” he said of his blindness. For now, he’s looking forward to this weekend’s SongSight retreat and making even more friends in the music world. “It sounds like a terrific program, and I am thrilled for Tyler,” said Debora DeWitt, GRCC professor and piano department chair. This story was reported by Beth McKenna.

Nov. 3, 2022, PORT HURON, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team advanced to the NJCAA Region XII-District A winners bracket final after two wins to open up tournament play on Thursday. In the team’s opening match, GRCC won convincingly 25-14, 25-18, 25-15, defeating Southwestern Michigan College, which finished in fourth place in the Western Conference this year. GRCC hit .316 as a team, and was led by Eliza Thelen, who hit .444 with 14 kills on 27 swings. In the later match GRCC played a very good St. Clair County Community College team, which tied for the Eastern Conference Championship, and came out victorious in four sets, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-11. "We dug deep and pulled out a win as a team," sophomore Karissa Ferry said. GRCC struggled offensively up until the final set, where it had just one error.  The team finished .222 for the match and was led by Audrey Torres, who had 14 kills and hit a team-high .306. Shannon Russell dished out 45 assists and added eight digs and a team-high four blocks. Audrey Gower had 16 digs and Kara Hecht had the lone double-double, with 12 kills and 10 digs. GRCC, ranked No. 13 in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, improved to 22-3 overall, and will play Kalamazoo Valley Community College at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4.  A win would allow the team to advance to the championship match at 1 p.m. on Saturday.  

  Nov. 3, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Community College’s first soccer coaches are bringing more than 40 years of experience, championships and personal success to the jobs. Lizzy Hornack, a two-time All-American at Davenport University, and Damiekco Smith, who has ties to the University of Michigan-Flint program, will guide the new GRCC teams when they take the field in fall 2023. “We’re starting these programs on the right foot with excellent coaches,” Athletic Director Lauren Ferullo said. “We’re not just fielding a team. We’re building a program and a culture. Lizzy and Damiekco have years of experience working with student-athletes, helping them be successful on the field and in the classroom.”   Hornack, a native of Manchester, England, is a 2014 Davenport University alumna and is assistant coach for the university’s women's team. She was a two-time All-American at Davenport, earning the honors in 2010 and 2013. She is atop Davenport’s leaderboard in nine categories, including points, with 131; goals, 55; and game-winning goals, 14. “I’m very excited to start GRCC’s women’s soccer program,” she said. “It’s an honor to be the first-ever head coach. I’m excited to get to work on building this program and having a positive impact on the lives of student-athletes.” After college Hornack played two years in a semi-pro league with Grand Rapids Football Club, winning the national championship in 2017. She has served as assistant coach and the junior varsity head coach for Davenport in 2014 and 2015, then became girl's director of coaching for the Soccer Club of Rockford. She was director of operations two years later. She coached a girls’ team to a State Cup championship in 2022, and coaches two National League teams. Hornack also coached at CATS FC in Caledonia and Vardar West in Byron Center. She was the head junior varsity coach at Rockford High School and the assistant varsity coach at Grandville High School. She has a bachelor's degree in Marketing and a master's degree in Human Resource Management from Davenport. Smith has 27 years of soccer coaching experience, including serving as head women’s coach for University of Michigan-Flint and the assistant for the University of Michigan-Flint men’s soccer program. Smith has led several successful programs, including winning three indoor national championships with his 2 Designs All-Star Team. Those teams were undefeated in 30 games. He also coached his high school to a Conference Championship leading his team to a 20-0 regular season record. He was presented the High School Boys and Girls Conference Coach of the year award and the High School Boys and Girls District Coach of the Year award. He most recently was head coach for the Wellspring Prep High School girls’ soccer team. Smith earned a master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint in Public Administration and a master’s degree from Bowling Green in Criminal Justice. He earned bachelor’s degree from Central Michigan University and an associate degree from Ferris State University. Smith works for the Department of Health and Human Services as a section manager in Kent County. "I'm excited to be the first head coach of the GRCC men's soccer program and I'm looking forward to building a competitive team," he said. With the addition of both soccer programs, GRCC now offers 10 athletic programs, including men's and women's cross country, golf, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball. Students interested in participating can fill out a questionnaire here .

Nov. 3, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Brandi Miller, a Grand Rapids Community College nursing professor, says GRCC feels like home after taking on the role of both a student and an educator.  Nursing is a second career for Miller. After graduating from Michigan Tech and working for 14 years as a licensed, professional engineer, Miller took a leap-of-faith and began attending GRCC to pursue a new career in nursing.  She continued her education at Ferris State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing certifications.  Almost 10 years later, she now teaches students in the same GRCC nursing program she once studied in.  Miller said the best part of teaching is working with students. Most GRCC nursing students are non-traditional - they have had other careers, are raising families, or are working simultaneously.  These students are able to bring a diverse perspective to the program and are determined to succeed.  Miller mentions, “It makes it really easy to do my job when I see how hard they’re working,” she said.  The nursing program (the practical nursing certificate and associate degree) has had nearly perfect passing rates on the national licensure exam for the past four years.  Miller notes that many of these students were once turned away from other selective nursing programs; yet these students are now thriving at GRCC. “It says a lot about our culture at GRCC, students can come as they are, work hard, and succeed,” she said.   Miller’s best advice to incoming students? "It’s okay to be a novice - everyone has a first day. It takes time to gain experience and fulfill potential. The first step is to show up and try." Additional information about the GRCC nursing program is here.

Nov. 2, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Brockton Kohler's 24 points help lead the Grand Rapids Community College men's basketball team to a convincing 113-55 win on opening night Wednesday over the Olivet junior varsity team. Kohler, a shooting guard from Greenville, was 8 for 10 overall and 7 of 8 from behind the arc. GRCC dominated in every statistical category, including overall field goal percentage (58.2 percent), three-point field goal percentage (40.7 percent), and rebounding with a 58-24 advantage. All 11 GRCC players scored in the game. Danyel Bibbs had 19 points and game-high seven assists.  Coleman Clark was 8 for 12 from the floor for 17 points.  Herman Brown had 13 points. The team's next game is Nov. 4 at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse against the junior varsity squad from Cornerstone University.  Tip-off is 6:30 p.m.  

Nov. 2, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The new Michigan Achievement Scholarship could provide future Grand Rapids Community College students with $2,750 a year to help cover the cost of tuition, helping to remove financial barriers to getting a life-changing college education. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today launched a website with information about the new scholarships, available to high school students graduating in 2023. “Community colleges are proudly an affordable, accessible option for students looking for a quality education. But so many high school grads continue to face financial obstacles," GRCC Interim President Juan Olivarez said. "The new Michigan Achievement Scholarship can make a college dream a reality, covering most of the cost of a full year at a community college. That’s great for students, and also strengthens our greater community and state.” To be eligible, students must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as FAFSA. GRCC has a FAFSA Hotline – (616) 234-4030 – with specialists available to answer questions about the form. Students also can make appointments to connect with specialists in person, virtually or over the phone at grcc.edu/financialaid. Specialists can be reached via email at financialaid@grcc.edu . The $2,750 will cover much of GRCC’s tuition and fees. Students can potentially receive additional support through federal Pell Grants, which could help students cover additional expenses, such as transportation and childcare. Gov. Whitmer last month signed bipartisan legislation creating the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, supporting her Sixty by 30 goal to see 60 percent of the state’s adults earn a skill certificate or college degree by 2030.  “For too long, high costs have been a barrier to higher education,” Whitmer said. “I am so excited that we worked across the aisle to establish the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, lowering the cost of college by thousands of dollars a year for the vast majority of graduating seniors, starting with the class of 2023. All students need to do to get their Michigan Achievement Scholarship is fill out their FAFSA. I encourage every student going to community college, private college, or a public university in Michigan to speak with their parents or guardian, get their documents together, and fill out their FAFSA to save thousands of dollars.” Students are eligible for annual scholarships up to $2,750 at a community college, renewable for three years. Students are eligible for $4,000 at a four-year private college or university, and $5,500 at a public university, each renewable for five years. “The Michigan Achievement Scholarship will make additional education possible for the majority of Michigan’s new college students after they earn their high school diploma or equivalency,” said Sarah Szurpicki, director of the Office of Sixty by 30. “This scholarship is game-changing for Michigan families. Creating more pathways to education beyond high school means creating more pathways for Michigan students, families, and businesses to succeed.” Additional information about state financial aid opportunities is available at Michigan.gov/MIStudentAid .