Nov. 30, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A Grand Rapids Community College Foundation scholarship can change a student’s life. Perla Mascorro has faced obstacles during her pursuit of a medical career. Her hard work – and a GRCC Foundation scholarship – is helping her overcome them. “I came to the United States six years ago without knowing how to speak a single word in English,” she said. “Today, I am about to fulfill my dream!” Mascorro, enrolled in GRCC’s Medical Assisting program, received the foundation’s Spectrum Health Care Professionals Education Scholarship. The funds have been crucial to her education, especially with the gas she needs for her hour-long commute to classes. “The scholarship was important for me because it helped me to pay part of my education to achieve my goal and improve my life,” said Mascorro, who is working and raising a son while attending college. “This generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community.” The GRCC Foundation awarded $1.28 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 students, including Mascorro, last year. But an additional 1,358 students applied for, but did not receive, a scholarship. You can help us close that gap on Giving Tuesday. It’s easy to get started – just head to grcc.edu/GivingTuesday .

Nov. 29, 2021, UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- Brockton Kohler and Jovante Jones helped the Grand Rapids Community College men's basketball team avenge an earlier season loss to Delta College by beating the team 92-84 on  Monday. “The guys really brought good energy today,” head coach Joe Fox said. “I was proud of the way we executed defensively and it led to some great offense in the first half.  Jovante Jones and Myron Brewer responded very well in their first starts. Brockton Kohler also played a great game filling in at the point guard spot. I am looking forward to going this weekend to play two great teams in Port Huron.” GRCC, now 4-3 on the season, got 24 points each from Kohler and Jones, both season highs.  They combined to shot 17 of 31 from the field and 11 of 12 from the free throw line, with both players tallying four assists. The Raiders jumped out to a 7-0 and never looked back, leading by as many as 18 points late in the first half. The Pioneers got as close as six points twice, but the Raiders proved too much down the stretch knocking down big free throws and forcing key turnovers. The Raiders shot 45.7% from the field overall and a staggering 84.6% from the free throw line.  The team forced 19 turnovers while turning the ball over just 12 times. Andrew Moore, of Grand Rapids, the nation's sixth best scorer, finished with 17 points on 6 of 12 from the field.  Myron Brewer, of Grandville, added 13 points on 4 of 8 shooting. Delta beat GRCC 81-77 when the teams squared off on Nov. 9. GRCC is back in action on Dec. 3 and 4 as it takes on Mott and St. Clair County community colleges at the Skipper Tournament in Port Huron.    

A School News Network feature -- GRCC English professor Mursalata Muhammad is among a group of college educators amplifying voices of people of color in creating a 48-word, 18-page antiracism glossary, with examples of experiences in their own lives to support the definitions. From “acculturation” to “tone-policing,” the Antiracism Glossary for Education and Life was developed by a team of eight scholars who are involved in a group called Colleagues of Color for Social Justice. The glossary is published in the Spring/Summer 2021 edition of the Journal of College Academic Support Programs. The goal of the word list is to serve as a tool to explain terms related to attitudes, behaviors and policies that impact people’s lives, particularly within academia. The authors say it could be useful for educators and those working in classrooms, administrative roles and educational equity programs. Muhammad said she sees its potential as a go-to reference in employee and teacher education — a way for those who work with students to become aware of the words, definitions and impact. “I see this glossary as something much more for teachers and people in the profession, but not something to give directly to your students,” she said. So far, the co-authors have been asked to share the document at their institutions. Muhammad is planning on presenting it during an upcoming staff learning day. The glossary can also serve as a foundation on which future publications can expand. The plan is to continue adding to the document, said David Arendale, associate professor emeritus of History in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. “It’s a living document,” Arendale said. “I could see how this could be a part of an ongoing conversation on race and learning with faculty and staff at an institution.” Race and Social Justice Through Publishing The Colleagues of Color for Social Justice was created in 2020 to provide a forum for people of color in higher education to produce publications and media projects that intersect with race and social justice. Arendale, who is white, started the group to bring together writers and researchers who are people of color. “I got to a point last year where I had a number of writing projects I couldn’t move forward on because I needed to have other colleagues to co-write the pieces with me, and I needed to have colleagues of color to write,” he said. “I got to a point where everything I was doing intersected with social justice and race.” To gauge interest in starting the group, he posted an invitation on a national electronic mailing list. Fifty-two people responded and about 30 have since contributed, including Muhammad and others who have created the glossary. Noting that he resides in the city where George Floyd was murdered, Arendale said such recent high-profile cases have brought an increased level of consciousness about issues of race, and further shows the need to bring diverse voices to the table. “I asked for help, and we have been richly rewarded because of this multi-talented, multicultural writing team that produced the glossary,” he said. Muhammad and Arendale acknowledge that they cited many other existing glossaries in their work, including one by Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to Be an Antiracist.” “It’s more than not being racist; being neutral is not good enough,” Arendale said. “That was something we wanted our glossary to follow Dr. Kendi’s leadership on. You need to go further and you need to be an antiracist.” The word “antiracist” is included in the glossary and defined as: “The work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic and social life. Anti-racism tends to be an individualized approach, and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts.” Real Experiences Support Definitions The glossary goes beyond succinct definitions and includes examples of how authors of color, who self-selected the terms they worked on, have experienced the terms. “We wanted real-life examples, so those examples are coming from the authors, either their lived experiences or experiences they have firsthand knowledge of,” Muhammad said. Working on the glossary was “triggering” for some authors, she said, as they remembered being treated with bias or prejudice. Muhammad and Arendale want everyone who uses the glossary to be aware that it can cause strong reactions. “Doing this kind of work, we need to be sensitive,” Muhammad said. “It’s a tool that should be handled carefully.” As a white male, Arendale said the glossary has gotten him to think more deeply and move forward despite being uncomfortable at times. “A year and a half ago I would have been petrified with these discussions about race,” he said. “It’s the sole issue about having discussions about race that is something I am growing in. This has been an academic activity, but this has also been a personal journey for me.” Muhammad said it is a tool that can help people grow and look beyond the “bubbles” they live in. Discomfort often comes with that process. “People do live in their bubbles, and those bubbles are sometimes aggressively, radically protected and, sometimes just by the nature of where you live, constantly insulated,” Muhammad said. “This glossary is a way, at least in one potential sphere of a person’s life, to open to perspective. Any opening to perspective is an uncomfortable experience.” This story was reported by Erin Albanese of the School News Network .

Nov. 29, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- 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. While she grew up surrounded by music – her father was an organist – Amanda Quist enrolled at GRCC with plans to major in psychology with a minor in music. “I found myself spending all of my free time in the music building and realized that is where I belonged,” she said in a 2018 interview with the National Association for Music Education. Quist still spends most of her time in music buildings of various kinds – on college campuses and in cities around the world – leading and teaching choral students. She fell in love with choral music during her senior year of high school, when she sang in the All-State Honor Choir. “One afternoon, my conductor stepped away from teaching to pick up some materials and asked me to conduct the choir,” she said in the 2018 interview. “I felt as if I had stepped into myself in that moment.” After attending GRCC, Quist went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s in choral conducting from Western Michigan University and a doctorate in choral conducting from the University of North Texas. Quist has worked with music students in colleges, K-12 schools and touring choirs. When she was chair of the Conducting, Organ and Sacred Music Department at Rider University’s Westminster Choir College, the Westminster Kantorei, she won the 2018 American Prize for College and University Choral Performance. The group performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, the American Handel Festival and Interkultur, and made its first commercial recording in 2017. She is now director of choral activities for the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in Florida, recognized as one of the nation’s top master’s music programs. Billboard magazine ranked the Frost school as the Top Music Business School. She directs the choral conducting graduate program and conducts the award-winning Frost Chorale and Bella Voce. Under her leadership, the Frost Chorale has performed with the New World Symphony and has been asked by composer Elain Hagenberg to record her music. Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply .      

Nov. 26, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Always remember, at GRCC, you are surrounded by people who want you to be successful and are ready to walk with you on your educational pathway. We are here to help! Meet Taijah Claybrook. Taijah is here to help students find a way to pay for college by applying for local and federal grants, scholarships and loans. Taijah enjoys meeting different students of all ages every day in her role as a Financial Aid Specialist at GRCC. "So many students are open with sharing stories about their backgrounds, family life and culture with me," she says. "I appreciate the heart-to-hearts I get to have with students to learn more about their journeys and how I can best assist them." Taijah finished her bachelor's degree at Grand Valley State University where she took advantage of federal Pell Grant funds, and a four-year TRIO Talent Search scholarship through GVSU to graduate debt free. Now, she is passionate about helping GRCC students do the same, or at least graduate with as little debt as possible. Taijah had always wanted to teach, but her career goals shifted while she was studying at GVSU. Once she got to college, a family member, who is also a teacher, shared with her the pressure of changing classroom dynamics and increased emphasis on student testing. This led Taijah to explore other ways to support students as they work to achieve their dreams. Throughout her time at GVSU, Taijah held multiple positions related to the student affairs field. Those positions included orientation leader, student worker for an advising office, graduate assistant for the College of Community and Public Service, graduate assistant and research mentor for the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department, and ultimately assistant living center director in Housing and Residence Life. Taijah's double major in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Criminal Justice prepared her to successfully complete her master's in College and Student Affairs Leadership at GVSU, and then join the GRCC Student Financial Services team. "My experience from my undergrad majors and student positions helped me conduct research on today's college students and the obstacles they face in obtaining higher education in relation to their identities, socio-economic status, and the systems of oppression in America," she says. "Upon graduating, I was honored to receive a job offer at GRCC in the Financial Aid Office so I can use this knowledge to give back to the Grand Rapids community I was born and raised in." Connect with Taijah and other financial aid specialists via email at financialaid@grcc.edu , by calling (616) 234-4030 or visiting the Student Services office on the first floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall.

Nov. 24, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College men's basketball player Justus Clark was named Michigan Community College Athletic Association Western Conference Player of the Week for his recent performances against Aquinas College and Calvin University. In two games, Clark, a redshirt freshman from Farmington Hills, totaled 47 points, 14 rebounds, 14 assists and four steals. “Justus has worked tirelessly to improve his craft in his time at GRCC,” head coach Joe Fox said. “He was our first named captain this season, and has taken that leadership role in stride. I’m excited about his on-court success, and it has definitely reflected what we see in practice every day. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how he continues to grow this season.” Against Aquinas College’s junior varsity team on Nov. 15, Clark scored a career-high 24 points on 50% from the field.  He followed that up by a 23-point performance against Calvin University’s junior varsity team on Nov. 17. He dished out seven assists in each game. For the season, Clark is averaging 18.7 points per game, ranking him second on the team.  He also is second in minutes played, with 38.2; rebounds per game, with 8.3; and steals, with 19.  The point guard's 6.3 assists per game are not only the best on the team, but the best in the entire MCCAA conference. GRCC is 3-3 on the season, splitting both games last week. The team beat Aquinas in overtime 99-95 and then lost to Calvin 106-104 in double-overtime. The Raiders hit the hardwood again on Nov. 29 at Delta College near Saginaw.  

Nov. 23, 2021, HOLLAND, Mich. -- Grace Lodes was one point away from her first career triple-double, but it wasn't enough as the Grand Rapids Community College women's basketball team fell to the Hope College junior varsity team 61-41 on Tuesday. GRCC, playing without one of its starters due to illness, connected on just two of its first 14 shots and trailed 17-7 after the first quarter. At the half, Hope had a commanding 38-13 lead. GRCC outplayed the Hope in the second half, outscoring it 28-23, but the first half deficit was just too much to overcome. Head coach David Glazier said he was disappointed in the loss, but liked the way his players battled in the second half. “Nothing taken away from the way Hope played, but our poor first-half shooting was a key,” he said. “We had plenty of good looks, just didn’t finish them. This team continues to get better.  I saw some growth out of some new players tonight that has me excited as we push towards conference play." Lodes, a freshman from Comstock Park, played spectacular on defense, blocking 11 shots and grabbing 14 rebounds.  Teammate Sally Merrill, a freshman from Allendale, scored a team-high 15 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. GRCC won't be back in action until it heads to the St. Clair County Community College Tournament in Port Huron on Dec. 3.  

Nov. 23, 2021 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — You have family to entertain over the holidays and decide to give them a taste of Beer City, USA. Grand Rapids Community College has you covered, with a guide to alumni-owned or operated craft breweries. From Perrin Brewing Co. in Comstock Park to Big Lake Brewing in Holland, GRCC alumni have created unique beers and distinctive settings for them to be enjoyed. You can check out a map, with links, online here . “We know how much our alumni love to support their fellow alumni,” said Jenna VandeKamp, development manager for Alumni Relations and Annual Giving. “This is an especially fun way they can do that.” The map includes Fountain Hill Brewery, located in GRCC’s Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center and operated by instructors and students in the Craft Brewing program. Opened in 2016, it was the first federally and state-licensed, revenue-generating brewery operated by a college. Program alumnus Eric Plata, head brewer for Perrin Brewing Co., said it is key to West Michigan’s current and future craft brewing success. “I think education’s a vital part of brewing in our industry and where we’re headed as an industry,” he said in a video on the Craft Brewing Program's Facebook page.. Miguel Munoz, a student in the first Craft Brewing cohort, said the program is thorough. “We learned how to clean kegs; we learned how to turn tanks; we learned how to brew; we learned how to make a hop schedule; we learned how to figure out our efficiencies,” said Munoz, now a brewer at Mitten Brewing Co. “We learned how to do anything and everything that more or less entails a small brewery.” Alumni who own or work at a brewery not listed on the map can contact VandeKamp at jennavandekamp@grcc.edu or (616) 234-3025.

Nov. 22, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- 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. GRCC alumnus Parker Wonser loves music. But his passion goes beyond listening – he works to help musicians create it. “My first experience messing around with the revolutionary OP-1 Swedish synthesizer blew my mind,” he said. “The OP-1 broke every rule I had preconceived about music composition and taught me to think outside the box.” That epiphany inspired him to create the uRiff Magnet, a device targeted to intermediate-level musicians that helps them break down the musical expression process into two steps: finding pitch and adding rhythm. “It enables musicians to express and capture musical ideas in their own way – anytime, anywhere,” Wonser said. “Bone-conductive technology makes the entire process entirely silent to bystanders, making it great for mobile brainstorming.” Creating the uRiff Magnet took him a year of designing and processing feedback from more than 200 musicians. “Exploring and creating countless prototypes was a fun challenge,” he said. “Initial concepts ranged from mimicking a conductor with an electric wand all the way to telepathic devices.” Wonser’s invention has been validated beyond the music world: It won first place in the 2020 MWest Challenge student venture competition. He was a student at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design at that time but valued the feedback from business professor Felix Pereiro – whom he calls “the dean of entrepreneurship at GRCC.” “GRCC professors genuinely want the best for their students’ future and were always willing to meet outside of class for additional feedback on my startup,” Wonser said. Wonser graduated from Kendall in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial and product design and now lives in West Palm Beach, Fla. The uRiff Magnet recently earned another award: first place in this year’s Florida ASID competition in the Under 35 Design Concept category. The 24 judges in the American Society of Interior Designers contest selected Wonser’s invention from 150 submissions nationwide. His invention was also endorsed by STUDIO 11, the recording studio of Kanye “Ye” West and Snoop Dogg. Having finished the nonprovisional patent application process for uRiff, he is searching for engineering and business co-founders. In December, he will complete a six-month startup accelerator program affiliated with 1909 in West Palm Beach and plans to start manufacturing uRiff next year. Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply .