Oct. 1, 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 Bruné Garcia. As the service and technology coordinator for Student Life and Conduct, Bruné oversees something used by every GRCC student and employee: RaiderCards. RaiderCards are your student ID – and so much more. RaiderCards as part of GRCC’s ongoing commitment to campus safety. RaiderCards can be used for parking, point-of-sale registers on campus, cash-to-card machines, vending machines, printing, and, in some cases, door access. You can use your RaiderCard to check out materials in the Library, access the campus food pantry, and get into the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse and use the GRCC Fitness Center. A RaiderCard also is your ticket to free admission to GRCC sporting events and, through the Go See GR program , also the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Gerald R. Ford Museum, John Ball Zoo, and Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Bruné also is the main supervisor for the front desk staff at the Student Life and Conduct office where RaiderCards are printed, online photo submissions are approved, and where students can connect with other students through clubs and organizations. As a college student, Bruné remembers choosing GRCC because the tuition was affordable and it was close to where he lived. He started working at GRCC in 2004 as a student in the Ford Fieldhouse as a lifeguard. After graduating from GRCC with an associate degree, Bruné worked in the Enrollment Center while attending Ferris State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Bruné later moved to Student Life and Conduct, where he and his team are ready to help!  As an alum and employee, Bruné knows the ins and outs of GRCC. If you have a question he's unfamiliar with, he and his team will get you to the right person. "The feeling of knowing that I can make a difference is what gets me excited about coming to work here," Bruné says. "What moves me to connect with students is the knowledge that I’m supported by my team.  I'll always have someone to ask for help with finding the right answer." You can connect with Bruné and his team in the Student Life office on the first floor of GRCC's Student Center.   

Sept. 30, 2021 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Not only did all the students in Grand Rapids Community College’s Radiologic Technology program pass their certification exam – they passed on their first attempt! Students have a year after earning their Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences in Radiologic Technology to pass the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam. With the success of a GRCC student taking the exam in June, the class of 2020 has a 100% passing rate with all 18 graduates. GRCC Radiologic Technology students take five clinical courses at area hospitals – putting them on the front lines as essential workers during the pandemic, noted program director Julie Lackscheide. “All radiographers come in contact with COVID 19 patients on a daily basis,” she said. “They are one of the first contacts for patients, performing diagnostic testing to assist in their treatment plan. With the many challenges the pandemic brought to the tail end of their education, our students found support in each other, along with their clinical sites. We are very proud of how our students met these challenges and grateful for the support they receive from our healthcare community. They are wonderful additions to our profession." GRCC’s program, accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, prepares students for certification in general radiography, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.

Sept. 30, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –  Grand Rapids Community College student-athletes Arie Jackman, Annie Holesinger, Elizabeth Meyering and Coleman Clark earned Player of the Week honors from the Michigan Community College Athletic Association. For Holesinger and Clark, it is the second time this season they have earned the honor. Jackman, a freshman from Caledonia, shot 223 for the 54-hole Bill Bockwitz Classic at Spring University. He finished tied for third at the tournament, and GRCC’s golf team finished fourth in a field of 10 teams. Holesigner, a sophomore middle blocker for the volleyball team, totaled 36 kills in two matches, including a career-high 24 at Muskegon Community College on Sept. 20.  She followed that performance up with 12 kills against Kalamazoo Valley that helped her team to a 3-0 sweep and take sole possession of first place in the conference. Holesinger earned MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Week honors in August, followed by teammate Ola Nowak. Meyering, a freshman, helped the women's cross country team to a second-place finish at the Firebird Invitational last weekend. She finished the five-kilometer course in 22:12, good for 17th place. Clark, a freshman on the men’s cross country team, won his first ever collegiate race with an 8K time of 26:30 at the Firebird Invitational.  The former Michigan state high school champion took over the lead at the 4-mile mark and edged out Lansing Community College's Zach Wright by three seconds.   The honor is the second earned by Clark, who was named MCCAA Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week on Sept. 7. GRCC's Kaylee Scott earned Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors that week.

Sept. 29, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – GRCC Workforce Training programs provide in-demand skills leading to rewarding careers. Each Wednesday we’ll meet students who are heading down an educational pathway and changing their lives by earning occupational certificates. Joshua Middleton worked in the restaurant industry for 15 years when the COVID-19 pandemic hit that industry hard. “Like so many others, I started doing construction projects at my house and really liked doing it,” he said. “I had been thinking about a career change for a while when I heard about the Michigan Reconnect program, so I contacted GRCC.” Michigan Reconnect is a new state financial aid program for Michiganders 25 or older without a college degree. This program provides eligible students with tuition-free access to pursue an associate degree or occupational certificate at their local community college. “I just started looking through all the programs offered to see what interested me and landed on the Residential Construction Job Training Program,” he said. GRCC offers two 18-week Job Training Certificate programs in the field of Construction; Residential Construction , and Construction Electrical. The Residential Construction program takes place at a construction site, where students build a new home. Students get hands-on learning and application about the entire process of residential building including blue print reading, site layout, concrete, carpentry, door/window installation, roofing, siding, and interior finishing. Graduates are qualified for employment in the residential construction industry. The program focuses on constructing homes that achieve a 5-Star Energy rating, are Michigan Green Built, and LEED Certified. “I didn’t know anything about construction prior to this program,” he said. “I just had the tools that I use at home for my home projects. It’s really valuable to do the learning with your own hands. I think it really speeds up the learning process. The fun part was learning all of the processes behind everything we do.” Middleton will complete the program in a month and plans on getting his builders license right away. Then he’ll get to work building his skills and will see where he'll from there. “A bonus is that I often worked second shift before so I missed a lot of time with my two boys but now it is so nice to be home in the evenings!” he said. “You can’t replace that.” GRCC offers other industry certifications including; Carpentry Certification 1 , Commercial Construction , Lead Abatement Training , and the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program. Anyone interested in gaining career skills through GRCC Workforce Training can connect via email at workforcetraining@grcc.edu, and by phone at (616) 234-3800.

Sept. 28, 2021, LANSING, Mich. – Sophomores Kylie Oberlin and Annie Holesinger starred as the Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team won its seventh-straight match after a three-set sweep over  Lansing Community College on Tuesday. The No. 10-ranked Raiders handled the Stars 25-18, 25-16, 27-25. The win improved GRCC’s record to 10-5 overall and 7-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference. Lansing falls to 8-10 and 3-4 in the conference. Oberlin and Holesinger, both middle blockers in their third year at GRCC, combined for 64 percent of the Raiders’ scoring on the night while also hitting .500 or better. Oberlin was 14 of 24 with just two hitting errors and had a team-high three blocks. Holesinger, the latest MCCAA Western Conference player of the week, totaled 16 kills with no hitting errors, and had a team high two aces. Oberlin couldn't have been happier about her team's performance after it bested Lansing in kills, 46-30; hitting percentage, .362-.176; assists, 45-30; service aces, 5-4; digs, 46-37; and blocks, 7-3. "We showed how dynamic our team is between blocking, serving, defense, and hitting -- not only front row, but incorporating some back-row swings and setter attacks," Oberlin said. "We found ways to adjust each play to make the next one better. So shots they were making initially we were able to adjust and shut down or pick up on defense." Outside hitters Audrey Torres and Kara Hecht combined for 15 of the other 16 Raider kills.  Hecht's seven kills was a season high.  Both of them also had a solo block. Statistical Leaders: Kills: Holesinger, 16; Oberlin, 14; Torres, 8; Hecht, 7. Assists: Shannon Russell, 41; Ola Nowak, 3. Digs: Nowak, 12; Audrey Gower, 11; Hecht, 7. Blocks: Torres, Oberlin and Karissa Ferry, 3; Holesinger, 2. Aces: Holesinger, 2; Torres, Nowak and Russell, 1.   GRCC resumes play Oct. 2 and 3 as it hosts the annual Raider Challenge. The team will take on No. 5 Terra State Community College on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Oakland Community College on Sunday at 10 a.m.  

Sept. 28, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – GRCC alum Chris Wessely wants to create a business that helps fight food insecurity at home and around the world – and is participating in a Start Garden competition this week to help his dream become a reality. Chef Wessely, a 2011 graduate of GRCC’s Secchia Institute for Culinary Education, plans an upscale ramen noodle and boba tea shop and pledges to donate a portion of every meal to charities providing meals to children. Noodle Pig at 601 Bond Ave. in Grand Rapids is opening this winter, and Wessely is competing for $20,000 to build the business through a Start Garden competition.   Start Garden is a Grand Rapids organization aiming to accelerate experimentation, risk-taking and investment in early startups. Wessely in July was chosen to be a finalist in the Start Garden 100, a competition for entrepreneurs. At Wednesday’s Demo Day at 20 Monroe, 10 projects will be selected and winners will receive $20,000 to help their businesses. Wessely didn’t start out to be a chef. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Aquinas College in 2004, majoring in Political Science and Japanese, participating in a year-long exchange program with Seikei University in Japan. In 2008 he founded the Sport and Social Club, which operates sports leagues for adults, with an eye toward helping young professionals stay fit.   But he loves to cook, and enrolled in the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education while running the Sport and Social Club, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average and earning Faculty Choice honors. Now he’s changed his responsibilities with the Sports and Social Club to focus on opening Noodle Pig. “I really wanted to focus on food, combining my two passions – culinary and business,” he said, taking a break in the Secchia kitchen on Tuesday while preparing for the competition. He also made time to speak to students in Chef Bob Schultz's class. “It’s going to be a different concept, a fast-casual ramen restaurant like you’d find in Japan and big cities here,” he said. “I think of it as healthy foods meeting quickness.” He plans to make all of the food from scratch, including the noodles. He’s purchasing a Japanese noodle machine and patrons will be able to watch it work. “It will be like watching people make the fudge in Mackinac Island,” he said. “We say people eat with their eyes first.” Every bowl of ramen sold will help cover the cost of a meal for three children. He plans to partner with three charities focused on feeding children. He is looking to partner with a local and national effort, and with a friend who runs a children’s home in India. “As you slurp away to ramen-bliss, know that you’ve also made a significant impact in three children’s lives today,” Wessely posted on the restaurant’s website. “Together, we will end child hunger, one bowl at a time.”