April 3, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - When Randall Dragstra completed his service with the United States Marine Corps, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do next.
Start at Grand Rapids Community College and go anywhere. Every former student has a story to tell about how GRCC gave them the education and opportunity to be successful.
Dragstra knew he wanted to start his higher education journey, but wasn’t sure what his goals were for the future. GRCC was an easy choice to complete his core classes as it was local and affordable.
After completing his core classes, Dragstra received the Cascade Engineering Scholarship and began studying Manufacturing Engineering.
“Receiving a scholarship helped me tremendously with financial support that takes a burden off my economics at home, but also seeing someone willing to endorse me in that way gave me the stimulation to keep pushing and focusing on my education,” Dragstra said.
Dragstra recalls some of his most memorable moments at GRCC inside the classroom. He enjoyed connecting with students and learning together in a hands-on environment. One professor in particular, Scott Lampe, made a lasting impact on Dragstra.
“Professor Lampe made my experience at GRCC very meaningful. He has been a mentor to me, and is knowledgeable with advice for both inside and outside of the classroom,” Dragstra said.
Dragstra completed his degree by taking each step, and not worrying about the big picture. Every accomplishment, no matter how small, was something that he hadn’t done before.
“Getting a good grade or using something I learned in a practical application outside of school were big accomplishments for me,” Dragstra said.
It paid off, too. Dragstra completed his degree in 2019 and has been working at Kent Manufacturing Company since. He is in the department of part development and validation, creating custom pressure sensitive adhesive parts and testing them to make sure they are correct for an application.
Dragstra shares that everyone has obstacles in their life. But he has put in the hard work and found the right people and resources to help overcome them. He just kept taking the next step.
More information about the Manufacturing Programs can be found here.
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