Raider Salute for Darcy Swope
Opening Day reminded me of something, and I'd like to share it with you. It is about our GRCC family — both figuratively and literally. I want to brag about a student for a bit. She also happens to be my mother. Hers is one of those success stories you hear about from your colleagues about how important GRCC is to people, especially those who come to us with challenges. This is far from a complete biography, but I hope it inspires folks as a story of who we are and why we're here. I know it inspires me every day. From Shop Floor to Classroom As a student, Darcy came to GRCC in 1992. As we learned on opening day, this is also the same time we all got phones at our desks! At that time she was a high-school drop-out, mother of two, had worked as a Denny's waitress, with Neighborhood Watch, Meijer and as production floor operator at a time when women were not supported on the shop floor. She set a production record anyway (of course she did). She was a hard worker, gave everything all she had, and wanted to keep growing. She started her career here as a first generation student and tutor in the open computer lab, helping other students who needed help with programming coursework and navigating new technologies like "network" printers and digital wallets. I remember these days because my brother and I would spend our tween years at the ATC. He spent his time on the computers and became a software engineer. I raced the elevators up and down, watching the machinery with fascination through the glass and became a maintenance and operations expert. Maybe she didn't realize it, but she was showing us how important it is to work hard and learn. She had barely started her degree and I already knew I would go to college. I was seven. Launching an IT Career as a Woman in the 90s GRCC turned out not to be a stepping stone, but a launchpad. She excelled both academically and professionally. Her drive to help and teach others resulted in her being brought on as a professional tutor, adjunct instructor and eventually full time Student Technology Help Desk technician. She was teaching computer classes in the late 90s — about the same time as the rest of the world was panicking about the potential impacts of Y2K! Helping students navigate all of the new enrollment, registration, financial aid and other technology systems was her passion and she likely helped thousands of students navigate our tech infrastructure long before Navigate existed. She was quickly promoted to lead the entire Student Help Desk, of course. By now, anyone who knew her stopped being surprised when she accomplished great things. From a single-mother waiting tables to record-setting factory floor operator to leading a cutting edge Student Technology Help Desk — she never let her background or the reality of being in non-traditional careers for women slow her down. If you were around then, you probably remember her "Fish Philosophy" — bringing play, joy and presence to the workplace. Behind the Scenes Impact Her trajectory didn't end there — she became an IT manager and led the Project Management Office for several years and moved into an enterprise analyst role. I didn't know what "enterprise analyst" meant, but it means she works behind the scenes with everyone from Payroll, to the Registrar's Office, to 25Live to Raider Cards...it's a whole team of folks who do everything they can to make new technologies easier for the user and better for the institution. Sound familiar? Yeah, that's how she started — helping people have a better day and succeed at their goals. She helped transition GRCC away from paper timesheets (can you even imagine physical timesheet routing)? She developed the excel timesheet that we honored at opening day and she helped set the foundation for the next version we look forward to celebrating Her joy, kindness and love is quite literally baked into everything we do to help our students and colleagues grow and succeed. That was kind of her thing. She inspired her two kids to do great things — my brother became a successful software engineer and I finished my degree here at GRCC after a military career. She helped countless students and colleagues navigate the systems to do great things. She is still doing great things. So, here is my Raider Salute to you, Mom. We love you! Just keep swimming! — Phoenix (a.k.a. Kiddo)
