January 14, 2022, 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 Brianna Greenough. You'll find Brianna supporting GRCC Ford Fieldhouse operations, the Athletic Department, and the Exercise Science department -- and willing to help.
"I field a lot of phone calls, and if I am unable to answer a question I find the person who can," she said. "I really enjoy helping our student athletes register for classes and learn how to navigate GRCC programs and our campus."
Brianna takes pride in finding solutions for students.
"I want them to succeed. And if I can point them to the right resources I'm happy to do so," she said. "I was a community college student myself so I may have a few tricks up my sleeve to help students navigate their college career."
Brianna's work includes managing Fitness Center memberships, supporting events in the fieldhouse such as athletics and commencement, and assisting in building the exercise sciences course schedule. But it's the student connection that gets her passionate about her work.
"I get excited knowing that I can help students feel more comfortable as they explore all that GRCC has to offer them," she said. "It warms my heart even giving a student a simple direction, because you have a chance to strike up a conversation with them and find out a little bit about their story. I love hearing their goals and what brought them to GRCC."
During high school Brianna dual enrolled at Gogebic Community College to get a head start on her college education.
"Having the opportunity to take college credits in high school was so great, I had the chance to experience how college courses are structured and how they differ from a typical high school class," she said.
After high school Brianna chose to study Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in event planning at Grand Valley State University.
Brianna was very involved at GVSU -- working on campus in new student orientation, and spending time in clubs and other extracurricular programs. Upon graduation she was chosen to work as an intern at Walt Disney World, but after nine months there she realized how much she missed the Grand Rapids community. When she returned to G.R. she found her current position at GRCC.
"Once I started working at GRCC I knew higher education was something I wanted to learn more about and pursue a career in," she said.
Brianna could see that there was something about the people who work at GRCC and other community colleges that make students feel truly supported, and she wanted to be a part of it.
"During the pandemic I decided to go back to college and begin my master’s degree in Higher Education. I'm 15 credits in and so excited to continue learning all I can to serve students here at GRCC. Taking classes while working full time can be really tough, but I feel more able to help our students out as we may share some of the same struggles."
You can learn more about the fieldhouse and fitness center through email at fieldhouse@grcc.edu and by phone at (616) 234-3990.