April 21, 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. Both Shelley Anderson and Nicole Freeman took advantage of the Futures for Frontliners tuition program and are enrolled in the GRCC Medical Assistant Job Training Program. Shelley Anderson was a phlebotomist at Spectrum Health. Last June, her future changed, not because of COVID 19 but because of a car accident. “I am very lucky to be OK now and looking back, it was kind of a blessing. Recuperating gave me the chance to think about what I want to do going forward. I love the healthcare industry and when I was contacted about the Frontliners program, I jumped at the chance to get certified as a medical assistant.” The stars aligned for Nicole Freeman, who was a nurse tech as Spectrum Health. “Last year, I started the GRCC Nursing Program but quickly realized it was too much and I was overwhelmed,” she said. “I thought it was the end of the world. Then, one of my instructors told me to look into the MA program. It’s still challenging but with the small class size, hands-on learning and supportive instructor, I am now confident this is where I am supposed to be.” “This program is extremely thorough. We are learning so much! I researched other MA programs offered from other schools and this is by far the best,” Anderson said. “And on top of it, all we’ve had to pay for is the parking!” The GRCC Medical Assistant Job Training program prepares students to perform administrative and clinical tasks to keep health practitioner offices and clinics running smoothly. The goal of the program is to prepare competent entry-level medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains. The course combines classroom lecture, group activity, simulation learning, and a competency-based externship experience. On successful completion of the program, students are prepared to take the Registered Medical Assistant national certification exam through American Medical Technologists. The 772-hour program is designed to take 22 weeks to complete and is currently being offered as a hybrid with some virtual learning and some hands-on in person lab work. GRCC’s Medical Assistant Program empowers them to succeed in a changing healthcare environment. 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 grcc.edu/programs/job-workforce-training .  

April 20, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team split a doubleheader against the Davenport University JV squad on Tuesday, piling up 11 hits in the opener to secure a 7-4 win. The team fell short in the night cap, 4-2. The GRCC softball team continues to struggle, dropping both of its games. The Raiders fell behind in the third inning of the first game, then powered to seven runs in the bottom of the frame, a rally started by Payton Young’s triple.    Ryan Dykstra, Fernando Rivera-Calderon, and Aaron West all managed multiple hits for GRCC, with Dykstra getting three hits in four at-bats. Justin Kozlowski earned the victory on the mound for Grand Rapids Community College. The righthander allowed three hits and two runs over one inning, striking out one and walking none. Dalton Vander Ark and Blake Waibel entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief.  Vander Ark recorded the last five outs to earn the save. The Raiders could not generate as much offense in the second game, falling 4-2. Keegan Spomer took the loss for GRCC, allowing two hits and two runs while walking none in one inning. Caleb Englesman was solid on the mound, pitching three innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out one and walking one. Aaron West led GRCC with two hits in four at bats. The Raiders are now 15-10 on the season, and back in action on Friday at home against Glen Oaks Community College. The softball team lost both games of its doubleheader on the road against Kalamazoo Valley Community College, dropping the first game 19-7and the second game 17-0. The team is 3-19 and next plays on Saturday against Ancilla College.

Congratulations to the winners of the Math Awareness Month contest! The competition, to mark April as Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month, was open to staff and students. The contest: LeBron and Adele play Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock tentimes. There are no ties in the games. The order of the games is unknown. LeBron uses paper once, scissors six times, lizard once, Spock once, and rock once. Adele uses Spock four times, scissors four times, and paper twice. Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and rock crushes scissors. All the correct entries were numbered, and a random number generator was used to pick two student and two staff winners. Each will receive a “Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock” cap and game. The student winners are William Bosch and Grace Veeneman, and the staff winners are Debra Davis and Douglas Heintzleman. The solution: LeBron won 4 games. Adele won 6 games. LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: Spock  (winner: Adele)          Spock smashes scissors LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: Spock  (winner: Adele)          Spock smashes scissors LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: Spock  (winner: Adele)          Spock smashes scissors LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: Spock  (winner: Adele)          Spock smashes scissors LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: paper   (winner: LeBron)        scissors cuts paper LeBron: scissors vs. Adele: paper   (winner: LeBron)        scissors cuts paper LeBron: paper vs. Adele: scissors   (winner Adele)            scissors cuts paper LeBron: rock   vs. Adele: scissors   (winner: LeBron)        rock crushes scissors LeBron: lizard vs. Adele: scissors   (winner Adele)            scissors decapitates lizard LeBron: Spock vs. Adele: scissors  (winner LeBron)         Spock smashes scissors        

April 20, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Grand Rapids Community College golf team powered through challenging weather conditions to post a dramatic 55-stroke win over six rivals in an event on home turf. The Raiders won their own invitational Monday with a score of 307 on a windy, cold and wet Egypt Valley Country Club course. "This win was impressive because the margin of victory was 55 strokes," Coach John Forton said . "I would say that is a record." Tyler Hausserman was the leader with a 74-stroke game. Logan Templeton shot a 76, with Dominic Luciani following with a 78, Arie Jackman with 79, Matt Denhartigh with 82, and Davis Courtright with 84. The team has won all three of its events this season. The team is back in action on Friday at the Jackson College Invite at Ella Sharp Golf Course in Jackson. 

April 19, 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. We’re sharing some of those stories, and want to hear yours! Edwin Collazo has returned, in a way, to his GRCC roots. When he was a freshman, he lived in the Belknap Lookout area, and now it’s the location for his City Built Brewing Co. “I enjoyed GRCC because it was close to home,” he said. “It allowed me an opportunity to start my college journey in an environment that was nurturing. It was a great place to learn lessons about life and how to pick yourself up if you fall.” Collazo, who attended GRCC from 1992 to 1995, has added -- and shared -- his knowledge and experiences through many careers.  He received a bachelor’s degree in education and child development from Cornerstone University and taught for five years in alternative education before returning to Michigan to teach in the Deerfield Correctional Center in Ionia. He then worked as a manufacturers rep for James Hardie Building Products before moving to a career in financial services. But after seven years as a financial advisor, Collazo was feeling dissatisfied. “A mentor encouraged me to write a mission statement that touched on the idea that I was created to be better, do better and make an impact,” he said. “I was encouraged by a different mentor to find my passion, and in that, I decided to create City Built as a place to effect a culture of service by developing people while serving our community.” The years of planning and learning he spent are paying off for City Built, 820 Monroe Ave. NW: In March, USA Today named it the best beer label in the nation, and the newspaper’s readers voted it the third-best brew pub.   Collazo says his GRCC roots are part of his current success. “I learned many lessons while at GRCC,” he said. “It allowed me to move through a core group of classes that helped prepare me for my next learning environment. I met an eclectic group of people from a variety of backgrounds, which paved the road for an appreciation of different cultures -- appreciation that has blossomed in what is now a part of our business mission: to connect people to our culture. It is why we say City Built is ‘where cultures collide.’” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply . And tell us your story here: grcc.edu/communications/shareyourgrccstory  

April 17, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College golf team notched its second win of the season with an 18-stroke win over Muskegon Community College on Thursday. The weather was windy, cold and wet, but Coach John Forton said the Raiders were up to the challenge. Arie Jackman and Dominic Luciani led the way with 77, Davis Courtright and Tyler Hausserman each shot 79, Logan Templeton shot 82 and Matt Denhartigh finished with 85 The Raider Invitational is Monday, April 19 at Egypt Valley Country Club, starting at 10 a.m. The team is now 2-0 to start the season after winning the Ancilla College Invitational on April 9. The GRCC softball team had a tough day. The team lost 15-1,18-2 and 17-1 to Muskegon Community College at home at Belknap Park. The day included a doubleheader and the completion of a rain-shortened game from April 8.

April 16, 2021, COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team proved it could hang with the best teams in the country, losing two close games to nationally ranked Kellogg Community College. The teams took the field at Lake Michigan Credit Union Ballpark – home of the West Michigan Whitecaps. It was the first games played at the ballpark since 2019, and the first with the stadium’s new name. The event was a celebration of Community College Month, and included performances by GRCC Music students and recognition of alumni and student-athletes. The afternoon started with GRCC alum Dino Paganelli, an NFL Super Bowl referee and Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame member, throwing the ceremonial first pitch to his son Jake, the Raiders’ catcher. GRCC Music students Megan Meadows and Anastasia Fiorenzo performed the National Anthem at the baseball game. Music students Matthew Ghanasekharan, Christian Blanchard, Jalen Finn and Elijah Mikel greeted spectators and performed again between and after the games. The first game was pitchers duel, with GRCC’s Collin Bradley taking a shutout into the final inning. Kellogg, ranked No. 6 in the nation, scored three runs in the top of the seventh, winning 3-1. Jayden Dentler got the win for the Bruins, going seven innings, allowing one run on two hits and striking out 10. Bradley took the hard-luck loss, allowing just three hits and three runs over seven innings, striking out 10 and walking none. Aaron West and Sam Schmitt had GRCC’s two hits, with Schmitt being the first player to score a run in the newly christened LMCU Ballpark. The Raiders fell behind 5-0 in the second game, but nearly came all the way back, eventually losing 6-5. GRCC scored two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on singles by Caleb Englesman and Payton Young. The Raiders added three runs in the sixth inning, led by singles by Ryan Dykstra and Englesman. Ashton Potts earned the win for Kellogg CC and Ryan Vought recorded the last four outs to earn the save. Drew Murphy took the loss for the Raiders. GRCC collected 10 hits, led by Dykstra, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Englesman drove in three runs on two hits. The Raiders are now 14-9 on the season, and are back in action on Tuesday, April 20 with a doubleheader against Davenport University’s JV team at Belknap Park. The GRCC softball team lost the first game of its doubleheader against Jackson College 15-0 in Jackson, but powered to a win in the nightcap, 9-8. Taylor Cross hit a home run to put the Raiders in the lead. Kate Stearns had a huge day at the plate and in the field and Mariah Redding pitched the team to victory.

A School news Network feature --  English professor Mursalata Muhammad is building a collection of documents and artifacts from the life of her grandfather, working to honor his legacy and recognize the contributions he made as a Black inventor. While Muhammad’s project, which she’s named The Claude Harvard Project, is personal, she plans to use it in her English classes to show the value of doing primary research. “I can say, ‘I did this work,’” she said of how she plans to create personal connections to research with her students. “Now I have such a rich appreciation for it.” Muhammad’s grandfather,  Claude Harvard , invented more than 25 items at  Ford Motor Company  in Detroit, but he’s still not credited for all of his work. She’s working to change that by building awareness and finding as many resources as she can to link Harvard to his work.  “The biggest part (of the project) is to trace and figure out which inventions should have his name on them,” said Muhammad, who has taught at GRCC for 20 years.  One of Harvard’s first inventions was the automated piston pin measuring machine, which used radio waves to check, shape and sort piston pins by size. As an example of the prejudice he faced, an advertisement for the machine first featured Harvard but later was changed to replace him with a white man. Muhammad has worked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is looking into the time period when Harvard worked at Ford in the 1930s. She explores archives for clues to his inventions, including documents with his handwriting on them.  She also has created presentations on Harvard with historian David L. Head, including a three-part virtual series with the Detroit Public Library. The second in the series,  Discovering Claude Harvard: In His Own Words , will air on Saturday, April 17, with  registration available online .  Muhammad has also started a  Change.org  petition, encouraging Ford Motor Company to recognize Harvard’s work. “His contributions have been overlooked for decades and are an example of the many unnecessary gaps in American history,” the petition states. Curiosity and Perseverance Muhammad learned much of her paternal grandfather’s history from stories he and family members shared. Though she didn’t meet Harvard until she was 9 or 10 years old, he was influential in Muhammad’s life from that time on. A dedicated student, he helped support her throughout her education and until his death in 1999. Harvard was born to tenant farmers in 1911 in Dublin, Georgia, bearing the surname of former plantation slave owners. His innovative mind was at work from an early age and he was always persistent when working toward a goal.  As a teenager, Harvard talked his way into attending  Henry Ford Trade School  in Dearborn, though Muhammad said he faced discrimination for being Black and had to promise school leaders he would not cause trouble. The school trained boys in a variety of skilled, industrial trade work, including machining, metallurgy, drafting and engine design. (A video of Harvard talking about becoming president of the school’s Radio Club, which led to him meeting Henry Ford, is  available on YouTube .) After playing catch-up to meet the academic level of his peers, Harvard excelled. He began taking night classes at Cass Tech in Detroit, and was the first student to pass a test to receive radio call letters from the Federal Radio Commission for the school.  Harvard graduated at the top of his class in 1932, but was the only student who didn’t receive a journeyman’s tool-and-die maker’s card to signify his status as a skilled tradesman. Although he applied for it several times, his card never came, Muhammad said.  Despite this, Harvard was hired by Ford Motor Company. Along with his many inventions, his time at the company included facilitating a meeting between Henry Ford and George Washington Carver. He also represented his piston pin inspection machine at the 1934 World’s Fair, despite racial practices that initially kept him from attending. Crafting Curriculum Muhammad plans to use her personal research work to craft curriculum for English 102 and GRCC’s writing pre-major, which prepares student to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program in writing.  Research can be tedious, she said, and she hopes to show the importance of having a genuine interest in subjects. “I teach research from a personal perspective,” she said. “If you have to do research, the best way I know to get through it is to have some sort of hook that you are interested in.” Muhammad also plans to use her research to create curriculum that could be used in all grade levels. It would include a traveling exhibit, virtual presentations and a book collaboration.  Former GRCC student Azizi Jasper, now a social worker in Detroit, said Muhammad was one of his favorite professors at GRCC. He remembers watching one of Muhammad’s presentations on Harvard during a class and said her project is a great resource for students. “Whenever you are instructing a class and teaching a subject, it’s beneficial to have a personal connection and feel inspired about it,” he said. “What better place to start than with family?” Muhammad’s ability to make personal connections is present in all aspects of her teaching, Jasper said.  “She adjusts to student learning styles in a way that is beneficial to everyone,” he said. “She met the students where they were and built up from there.” Jasper, a spoken word poet and co-founder of  The Diatribe , will be a guest presenter during a Zoom class for her creative writing class. He is one of several authors to  present in Muhammad’s class this year .  “She is an amazing professor and has maintained a relationship with me, even after her tenure as my professor. I can call her about anything,” he said. Muhammad and her husband, Will Smith, also started  The Bragg-Harvard-Muhammad Smith Why We Can’t Wait Scholarship Fund , which provides $3,000 in partial scholarships annually, in 2009 in memory of Harvard and other family members. This story was reported by Erin Albanese of the School News Network.

APRIL 15, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Admission and parking will be free for Friday’s baseball game between Grand Rapids Community College and Kellogg Community College at LMCU Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps. The doubleheader is a celebration of community colleges and their sports programs, and looks to be an enjoyable afternoon with two top teams competing in a doubleheader. Games are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and 4:30. The games also will be live streamed on the Internet by Michigan Sports Radio at MichiganSportsRadio.com . The health and safety of spectators and participants is a top priority. GRCC is strictly following state and local health authority protocols at LMCU Ballpark, formerly known as Fifth Third Ballpark. Attendance will be limited to 2,500 spectators – far below the ballpark’s 9,000-person capacity. All attendees will be required to have their temperature checked, wear a face covering, and respect social distancing guidelines. Spectators are asked to park in the lot on the ballpark’s south side, near the main entrance, and enter through Gate A. April is Community College Month, and the game is intended to be a celebration of the role the colleges play, highlighting students and alumni. Fans arriving at the park will be greeted by GRCC Music students Matthew Ghanasekharan, Christian Blanchard, Jalen Finn and Elijah Mikel, who will be performing near the entrance. The National Anthem will be performed by students Megan Meadows and Anastasia Fiorenzo, who are voice majors completing their Associate of Music degree, studying under the direction of professor Emily Smith. The Raiders are 14-7 and coming off sweeping a Wednesday doubleheader against Aquinas College’s Junior Varsity. GRCC’s baseball team has a storied tradition, with five national championships, 19 regional championships and 30 conference championships, and is off to a strong start in 2021, with a 10-5 record. The Raiders are coached by Mike Eddington, who played two seasons at Grand rapids Junior College for legendary coach Tom Hofmann. He was part of the team that placed sixth in the Junior College World Series and was an honorable mention All-American. Eddington transferred to Michigan State University, where he broke the Spartan home run record, previously held by former Detroit Tigers star Kirk Gibson -- a record that still stands today. The Bruins, boasting a 16-4 record, are among the top teams in the nation, currently ranked sixth by the National Junior College Athletic Association in Division 2. The team finished seventh in the 2019 NJCAA D2 World Series, and won the Michigan Community College Athletic Association state and conference championships. GRCC appreciates the partnership with the West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Detroit Tigers, playing in the new High-A Central League.