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 .    

Nov. 19, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A new scholarship is providing a tuition-free pathway for essential workers not eligible for federal financial aid, putting a life-changing education within reach for more people. The Michigan Equity, Courage, Hope, and Opportunity Scholarship – MI ECHO -- is designed to serve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, Temporary Protected Status immigrants, Special Immigrant Juveniles, and others who are excluded from most traditional financial aid opportunities. The scholarship is funded by private donors and philanthropic organizations and administered by the Michigan College Action Network, a Lansing-based advocacy group focused on increasing college readiness, participation and completion, especially among low-income, first-generation college students as well as students of color. MI ECHO is for people who cannot access federal financial aid and who worked in an essential job during the COVID-19 pandemic, starting with the March 2020 shutdown. Candidates must live in Michigan and be eligible for acceptance into a certificate or associate degree program and cannot have previously earned an associate or bachelor's degree in any country. It can be used as early as the Winter 2022 semester, and registration for classes is now open. “Our community grows stronger when everyone has access to higher education,” said Tina Hoxie, GRCC’s associate provost and dean of Student Affairs. “Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect have made it possible for thousands of people to start or restart their education at GRCC. The MI ECHO scholarship will help even more people gain new skills for careers, help their families and change their lives.” The scholarship covers the cost of tuition, contact hours, and other mandatory fees to help students work toward a degree or earn a career-focused certificate. Applications may be submitted through Dec. 31, 2022. Funds are limited, so people interested in the scholarship are encouraged to apply as early as they are able. Students must enroll in the associate degree or certificate program within six months of being accepted or reapply. “We were excited to see how Gov. Whitmer’s Futures for Frontliners program changed the conversation around community college and brought in so many Michiganders who are eager to improve their economic opportunities through postsecondary education,” said Ryan Fewins-Bliss, MCAN executive director. “We designed MI ECHO to mirror that opportunity for workers who served in essential roles throughout the pandemic, but who are unable to access federal financial aid. MI ECHO honors the hard work of these individuals while investing in our workforce and moving us closer to our state’s Sixty by 30 goal.” Information about applying is available through email at info@michiganecho.org, calling (517) 316-1713 or online at Michiganecho.org .  

Nov. 18, 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 GRCC Police Chief Rebecca Whitman. Chief Whitman is here to help students and employees be safe on campus. "If you ever feel unsafe, have a concern, or see a dangerous situation call GRCC PD right away at 234-4911, or 4911 from an on-campus phone," she said.  "It is the GRCC Police Department's primary job to keep people and things safe while on our campus." Chief Whitman's 17-person police department also focuses on emergency preparation and service. Programs such as GRCC Safe Walk, where an officer assists people walking between buildings and parking garages after dark, as well as assisting with medical emergencies and helping motorists, are aimed at providing security and peace of mind. As a police department for a community college, GRCC PD has full law enforcement authority -- with the ability to arrest and carry firearms. Officers enforce college policies as well as all city, state and federal laws. Chief Whitman more than 35 years of law enforcement experience, and the members of her department have more than 250 years of combined law enforcement experience. Every day. Chief Whitman and her team leverage that experience to be a resource for members of our campus community. “I'm satisfied knowing that our students can come and go freely without worrying,” she said. Without that worry, students are free to focus on what brings them here, skilling up to begin a career, training to enter a high-paying professional trade, or finding the right pre-major degree and charting their path to a four-year university. Chief Whitman can identify with non-traditional students and is proud of the success they find at GRCC. She initially attended Grand Valley State University after high school with the sole desire to be a police officer. After her freshman year of college, she got a job as an intern with the Grand Rapids Police Department, where she was hired a year later as a recruit. “I, along with 11 others, attended the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Police Academy for 16 weeks while living at Red Roof Inn," she said. "My police academy was through KVCC because that's the college that the City of Grand Rapids chose to send their pair recruits to. It had the right schedule for us to go straight through without the academy being included with a degree program. I then spent the next nine years finishing my bachelor's degree while working full time and raising a family." Chief Whitman received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Grand Valley State University and also completed Northwestern University's School of Police Staff and Command, and has trained at the FBI National Academy. She has been the GRCC Police chief for 10 years – the second woman chief in the department’s history. Prior to coming to GRCC she was 25-year GRPD law enforcement veteran, having worked on burglary, check fraud and major cases in the Detective Unit, as patrol officer, and as a commander of the Honor Guard, Internal Affairs Unit and neighborhood policing units in the city’s Central and West Side districts. You can find additional information about GRCC Police Department services at grcc.edu/police .

Nov. 17, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College men's basketball team played into overtime for the third time this season, falling 106-104 to Calvin University’s junior varsity squad.  GRCC, now 3-3 on the season, trimmed a Calvin lead to 46-38 at the half after Justus Clark sank a half-court shot as time expired.  The Raiders kept clawing their way back in the game, and a Rico Wade three-pointer with 12:15 on the clock gave the team their first lead in nearly 20 minutes of action. GRCC maintained the lead until 15 seconds to go in regulation, when Logan Van Essen knocked in a triple to knot it up at 86.  He went on to score a game-high 41 points. In the first overtime period, Andrew Moore made one of two from the charity stripe to make it 92-89 with 20 seconds on the clock, but the Knights would hit another game-tying three-pointer, this time by Gabe Dirksen (20 points,10 rebounds) with just two seconds left. In double-overtime, GRCC’s Brockton Kohler was fouled with 21 seconds left, and he would tie the ball game up at 104. But the Knights weren't done. On the inbounds, Kohler deflected the ball, but it landed right in the hands of Van Essen would hit the game-winning jumper just before time expired. "Tough to lose a second double-overtime when it felt like we had a good chance at it in regulation and both overtimes," head coach Joe Fox said. "We fought until the end, but little errors in execution along the way add up. Our assistant coach, DeQuaveon Stuckey, told the team in the locker room, ‘It’s not a loss, it’s a lesson,’and I thought that rang true. Excited for a little break to get healthy, then a fun road stretch in a few weeks." Moore, a top-five scorer in the conference, led GRCC with 29 points.  Freshman Matthew Richards did a little of everything, including back-to-back nights with fast break steals and lay-ups. He was eight of nine from the floor, finishing with 18 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals. GRCC won't be back on its home court until January.  The team’s next game is Nov. 29 at Delta College, followed by three more road games before the holiday break.