Aug. 5, 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 Marisol Blanco. Marisol is associate director of GRCC’s College Success Center, which hosts success coaches who are passionate about assisting students along their educational paths. The center connects students with helpful campus resources, and runs programs such as FastTrack, a three-week learning lab to help strengthen academic and study skills and prepare students to take placement tests through a combination of web-based and professional tutor-guided activities. Marisol earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Spanish, and Latino Studies from the University of Michigan, and then a Master of Education with an emphasis on Adult and Higher Education from Grand Valley State University.  This month she was recognized by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Development as the state’s AmeriCorps Site Supervisor of the Month.   Her department has two AmeriCorps college completion coaches to support first-generation, low-income, and students of color with a focus on college persistence and completion. “Blanco is dedicated to student success and retention,” read an announcement from LEO. “Drawing on her own experience as a low-income, first-generation college student, a Michigan College Advising Corps alum, and a GRCC Success Coach, Marisol works to bring forward ideas like FastTrack and other coaching initiatives to improve student success at GRCC.” The state praised Marisol as an exemplary leader who is focused on staff development as well as student success. “As a servant leader, Marisol focuses on rapport and team building to create a cohesive team and promote a healthy team dynamic, creating a warm and welcoming environment for college completion coaches as much as permanent staff. From her dedication to lifting others up, to maintaining a cohesive team, she embodies the values and goals of AmeriCorps and the College Completion Corps program.” Marisol was recognized as one of the 2018 Top 50 Latinas of the state by the Hispanic Latino Commission of Michigan, and was one of 13 people saluted by the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber as a Young Professional of the Year. You can find the College Success Center at 113 Sneden Hall on GRCC’s DeVos Campus, and can connect with the team through email at collegesuccess@grcc.edu and by phone at (616) 234-2312.

Aug. 4, 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. Steven Jetton had been working as a patient registration specialist for Spectrum Health for two years. During this time, he got to know many medical assistants and learned what that job entails. That is when he looked into the training to become an MA. “I had been hesitating to start the school and then COVID-19 happened. I just put it on the back burner until I found out about Futures for Frontliners. “That really left me no excuse. With my husbands support and Spectrum Health willing to flex my work schedule, I had to do it!” The goal of the GRCC’s Medical Assistant program is to prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. The 772-hour program is designed to take 22 weeks to complete and combines classroom lecture, group activity, simulation learning, and a competency-based externship experience. Currently, the program is offered in a hybrid format with half in person and half online coursework.  “It is not easy, especially working and going to school," he said. “The first two weeks are crazy but somehow you get through it! I love the group I am going through this with. We are all from different backgrounds, ages, lifestyles but we have really bonded.” Following a four-week practicum experience, students are prepared to take the Registered Medical Assistant national certification exam through American Medical Technologists. The exam fee is included in the tuition. “I am currently doing my practicum at Metro Health in the ER. I am the first MA Metro has hosted. I love it! They are incredibility helpful and I can ask as many questions as I need to. I really love what I’m doing and the people I work with,” he said. A healthcare information video is available to watch when it is most convenient for you! To get the answers you need to determine which healthcare program is right for you as well as how to enroll and requirements. 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. Additional information is at Job and Workforce Training .  

Aug. 3, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Community College was saluted by the Heart of West Michigan United Way  for its efforts supporting our greater community. GRCC has been a partner with United Way for decades, with employees donating more than $700,000 during the last 10 years. United Way Vice President Kim Ritz and account executive Scott Sorenson presented President Bill Pink and Misty McClure Anderson, executive deputy to the president and board liaison, with the 2020 United Way Top Campaign Award. The honor goes to an organization running a best practice campaign with increased involvement in the current year campaign. From 2019 to 2020, GRCC employee giving increased by 47% along with the total United Way campaign dollars raised by GRCC employees increasing by more than 20%. GRCC employees met the college's $25,000 donation goal, recognizing the needs of students and community members increasing during the pandemic.  United Way helped college students, partnering with the Kent County Commission to donate $48,000 to GRCC's student food pantry, and providing $10,000 for the pantry earlier in the year through its Coronavirus Response Fund.

Aug. 2, 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. With the security of their Secchia Institute for Culinary Education training -- and the support from the GRCC community they found there -- Levi and Callee Knoll have embarked on a long-held dream: opening their own brewery and restaurant. The Knolls are both GRCC alumni: Levi has degrees in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management, while Callee earned a Culinary Arts degree and certificates in Personal Chef and Baking and Pastry Arts. They then worked at various food industry jobs that included experience in craft brewing, farming, restaurants and ice cream making. “Owning a restaurant has, for so long, been a dream of Levi’s,” Callee Knoll said. “And after working in the restaurant industry for a combined 30 years, with seven years in the craft brewing industry alongside home brewing experience, we decided it was time to start pursuing that dream and open a brewery-restaurant. They opened Archival Brewing just last month at 6266 West River Drive in Belmont, specializing in regional cuisine and “historic-style beer.” “We want to bring more attention to old and forgotten brewing styles, ranging from ancient Egyptian meads to pre-Prohibition beer, old English ciders and everything in between,” Callee Knoll said. “With an equal passion for good eats, we want to create rotating menus for a heightened food experience, being mindful of ingredient seasonality, while supporting local farmers.” The Knolls say the connections they made at the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education gave them the skills and confidence to open Archival. “We became close with so many of our peers and chef instructors, helping us navigate the food industry and create a community of creative, talented individuals,” Callee Knoll said. Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply .

July 30, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Baseball player Logan Campbell just signed a contract with the Minnesota Twins, and says Grand Rapids Community College prepared him to be successful. Campbell is turning professional, but several other recent Raiders are continuing athletically and academically at four-year colleges. Campbell, a 2017 Belding High School graduate, played his first year of collegiate baseball at Mesa Community College in Arizona before coming back home and attending GRCC. Posting an 8-3 record for the Raiders in 2019, he led the team in wins, was second in ERA with 3.23 and had 52 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. "GRCC was a place for me that I was able to focus on the important things in my life,” he said. “With the new facilities it felt like a D1 atmosphere. I was able to do what I need at GRCC to develop as a baseball player." Campbell transferred to the University of Charleston, where he dominated his competition while improving his velocity and adding more pitches to his repertoire. In two seasons there, one of them cut short due to COVID-19, he accumulated a 13-1 record, with a sub3.00 ERA and 145 strikeouts in 91 innings. He was signed by the Twins as a free agent, and is heading to the team's Fort Myers, Fla. training complex. He'll soon learn his first destination for the organization. "Going to JUCO was one of the smartest decisions in my life,” Campbell said. “It gave me two more years to develop so I could get better opportunities than I did out of high school. Work ethic is the biggest thing I learned while being in junior college because you are the only one that decides your future." Campbell is one of several Raiders who will continue to compete in new places in the year ahead. Baseball player Matt Williams will attend University of Michigan-Dearborn while Collin Bradley is headed to Grand Valley State University, Garrett Cheslek to Aquinas College, and Aaron West at Concordia University. Jake Ryan, Jake Paganelli and Sam Schmitt are weighing their options and expect to compete.   The women's basketball team, which won its district and competed in nationals this past season plans to bring back many players, but starting forward Danielle Lamancusa chose to continue her athletic career at Alma College. The All-Conference native of Rockford played and started in every game for the Raiders during her two years at GRCC, averaging just over 10 points and about seven rebounds a game. The men and women's cross country teams, which competed at nationals the past two years, have a couple runners so far that have committed to run at the next level this fall; Noah Peterson is headed to Rochester University and Diana Candela will run for Ferris State University. The golf team’s Dominic Luciani plans to attend Aquinas College. Dom was named All-Conference, All-MCCAA and All-Region after finishing in the top five in five events and top 10 in all seven events before the nationals. During his first year, he played in all seven events before the shutdown and was fourth in the MCCAA in scoring. Krin Beach of the softball team signed to play for Cornerstone University.  Beach, a Lowell High School graduate, played and started in all 30 games this past Spring and batted .261 while posting a stellar .948 fielding percentage.

July 29, 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 Linda DeVries. Linda is a Financial Aid senior functional analyst working to create better processes and remove obstacles. Linda joined GRCC in 2020 as the student financials functional analyst. She has over 15 years of experience working in higher education. She previously worked in financial services at GRCC and as the accounts receivable/student billing coordinator and also as the financial aid coordinator at Montcalm Community College. Additionally, Linda has 15 years of experience in manufacturing and non-profit accounting. Linda has an associate’s degree in Accounting/Computer Information Systems and a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Davenport University. She also holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from Walsh College. Working in higher education is extremely rewarding for Linda. She gets to follow the success of the students she meets each year -- watching them achieve their dreams and knowing that she assisted them along their journey. The Financial Aid office is temporarily located on the third floor of the Student Center while Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall is being renovated. You can connect with the team there via email at  financialaid@grcc.edu  or by calling (616) 234-4030.  

July 28, 2021 HOLLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Community College will welcome the public to its new Lakeshore Campus with an open house on Aug. 21 – and will be ready to assist anyone who is interested in taking classes. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., area residents can check out the renovations that transformed the former JCPenney space into GRCC’s consolidated Lakeshore home. In addition to refreshments and tours, they can sign up for classes leading to credits for degrees or transfer, or career certificates. Experts from the Enrollment, Financial Aid, the Academic Advising, Student Records, Veterans Benefits, Student Life, Honors, TRiO, and the College Success Center will be on site to help. “Come in as a visitor; leave as a student,” President Bill Pink said. “Our new campus will allow even more Ottawa County residents to benefit from our life-changing programs. We are excited to have the community visit and have a look at what we know will be a vibrant hub of learning for students of all ages.” GRCC purchased the 50,000-square-foot space in the Shops at Westshore mall in 2019, consolidating classes and services previously held at four Ottawa County sites. The new facility features classrooms, labs and study spaces along with testing, counseling, and placement services as well as a satellite library. The campus is centrally located on U.S. 31 and James Street, with a stop on the Macatawa Area Express bus line. “Lack of transportation is a huge barrier to higher education for many Ottawa County residents,” Pink said. “The new site is more accessible, and consolidating all our programs into one place means students can more easily align their class schedules with their work and family obligations.” Staff on hand at the open house can help with admissions and registration, and help potential students learn if they are eligible for the Michigan Reconnect program or federal Pell grants, which could substantially reduce costs. Current class offerings can lead to an Associate of Arts, Associate of General Studies, and Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences-Industrial Maintenance Technology, as well as certificates in Industrial Maintenance, Industrial Technology, Tooling and Manufacturing, and Welding. The expanded space will increase GRCC’s partnerships with area employers, and plans call for additional programs, possibly in health care, early childhood education, and teaching. No reservations are needed to attend the Aug. 21 open house. For more information on GRCC’s Lakeshore programs, call (616) 234-2200 or email lakeshore@grcc.edu .  

July 27, 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. Brigham Clark said he was living at home and working at a fast food restaurant, but was craving something different. “I’m the kind of person that needs to keep busy all the time so that I stay out of trouble,” he said. “Honestly, what attracted me to welding was the danger of it. I’m a huge adrenaline junkie and this has just the right mix of fire and metal to keep me engaged. The GRCC Metallica Scholars Welding Bootcamp offers people the opportunity to gain skills for entry level welding positions.  It is a short-term program to get welders work in West Michigan, with the goal of helping students grow into apprenticeships or other learning opportunities within the welding field.  “I’m young, but I was super stressed about what I was going to do with my life. I think a lot of us feel that way,” Clark said. “Now that I have some direction, I feel a little more relaxed. I feel like I have a life I can enjoy and look forward to. The program goal is to build an accessible pathway into the field of welding with a focus of producing ready-to-work welders for Kent County companies. This program works to attract, retain, and graduate individuals of different genders and racial/ethnic backgrounds to welding careers. “When I first started the class, I wasn’t too sure about it. I’m not artistic and I was kind of frustrated. Then I started practicing with Matt, another student. We became super competitive and that made it so fun! We really pushed each other to get better all the time. “The Metallica scholarship really made this all possible. It’s so cool to tell others that ‘hey, Metallica paid for my training!” Clark is currently working as a welder at Ram-Pak Industries. GRCC this month was awarded a third grant from Metallica’s All Within My Hands Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges, extending a program focusing on providing in-demand career skills to underserved populations, changing lives. To qualify for the programs, participants must be 18 years of age, have a high school diploma/GED, and be able to work in the United States. For more information go to grcc.edu/metallica .    

July 26, 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 helped Ruben Juarez start his college experience close to home, but his willingness to explore new places led to success at WOOD TV. Juarez came to GRCC to take care of general education requirements. “In the end, it helped me save thousands of dollars,” he said. “I enjoyed the different classes that I took, including one on Native American history.” Juarez went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Grand Valley State University. While attending college, he worked for The Grand Rapids Press and was an intern for WOOD TV’s sports department.  “I got to where I’m at today because once I realized I wanted to pursue a career in journalism, I strived to do whatever was necessary to get there,” he said. “School helped without a doubt, but interning was a major factor. I quit my job in Grand Rapids at The Grand Rapids Press and stayed with family in Oklahoma for a summer when I interned in Oklahoma City.” Journalism has kept Juarez on the move ever since: His on-air career started as a sports reporter at WLFI in West Lafayette, Ind. After three years there, he was a sports anchor and reporter at KRGV in Weslaco, Texas. In Texas, he began producing work in English and Spanish. “I never had formal Spanish lessons until I took classes at GRCC,” Juarez said. “Those classes paid off tremendously when I was in Texas. I grew up speaking Spanish at home, but learning how to write and hearing people from other parts of the world speak it was very helpful.” He returned to WOOD TV in December 2020 and ’s now the station’s first reporter to regularly produce separate versions of his reports in Spanish and English. “Having connections with staff at WOOD TV opened the door for me to return years later as a reporter,” he said. “I’d say making those connections and giving your best effort when interning are crucial to succeed.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at  grcc.edu/apply .

July 23, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – A third grant from Metallica’s All Within My Hands will allow Grand Rapids Community College to help more non-traditional students gain in-demand welding skills leading to rewarding careers.  GRCC is one of 23 colleges in the nation -- and the only one in Michigan -- to have received the grants, which are funded by the legendary band in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges. The Metallica Scholars program was designed to support students while also elevating the importance of career and technical education. Band co-founder James Hetfield met with GRCC President Bill Pink after a 2019 Grand Rapids performance and said members are intent on spreading the word about the importance of the professional trades and community colleges. “That Metallica and its foundation continues to invest in GRCC speaks volumes about the band’s dedication to providing professional trades skills, but also to the success of our Metallica Scholars program and the lives that have been changed,” GRCC President Bill Pink said. “We’re proud to continue this partnership and provide additional opportunities for West Michigan residents with this support.” The foundation awarded GRCC Workforce Training $25,000 to help continue a program aimed at underserved community members, giving them career skills as well as hands-on welding experience. GRCC partners with local employers so students can participate in site visits, employee panels and mentoring to help them determine if welding is a good fit for their career goals. Each student participates in individualized career-preparation with GRCC to ensure they are job-ready upon completion of their welding license.  “This is a great opportunity for individuals in our community to get in-demand skills and great jobs,” said Julie Parks, interim dean of the School of Workforce Development. “The Metallica Scholars program is a great example of how philanthropy, educators, and employers can come together to fill vitally needed jobs and provide meaningful employment opportunities as our region recovers from the pandemic.” GRCC student Krista Steffens last year earned recognition from the Michigan Department of Education. She was honored with a 2020 Breaking Traditions Award, given to students who overcame obstacles and stereotypes to succeed in career and technical education programs. “As a touring entity we are in direct involvement with multiple essential career choices along our path,” Metallica’s Hetfield said. “From electrical, professional driving, culinary, mechanical maintenance, public safety, logistical organizers. And that just scratches the surface. Those, along with a multitude of other technical careers, make our touring and our performances possible. We are passionate and grateful to these trades and tradespeople.” GRCC was one of 10 programs selected for the initial Metallica Scholars program in late 2018, and was tapped again for a second round in 2020. “The foundation and the band pay attention and follow these programs and students, and there is no doubt that lives have been changed,” said Dr. Edward Frank, executive director of AWMH. “What makes this work so unique is that in addition to supporting students directly, our goal is not just to change individual lives, it is to unabashedly promote the trades as meaningful and well-paying career pathways,” he said. “We are not afraid to be loud nor to dig in on things we believe in, and we believe in these students.”   Walter G. Bumphus, AACC’s president and CEO, said he is proud to work with Metallica to advance the career and technical education provided by the nation’s community colleges. “Colleges across the country provide pathways to well-paying jobs through programs, services and training that lead to in-demand skills, certificates and degrees for students,” he said. “These programs are responsive to the needs of local businesses and provide a pipeline of qualified workers to local industry. It’s a win-win for our students and the local economy. For Metallica to continue to invest in these students and communities is a testament to the power of the workforce education community colleges provide and we are proud to do this work with them.”