May 13, 2022 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Union High School juniors learned about opportunities in higher education – and what it takes to succeed there – from Grand Rapids Community College staff, students and alumni during a Raider Takeover Day on Wednesday.
The event, first offered in 2019, is aimed at helping students learn about opportunities in higher education, and how they can be successful in preparing for college, and thrive once they start attending.
“Raider Takeover is an opportunity to bring the college to the community,” said Marisol Blanco, associate director of GRCC’s College Success Center. “We focused on connecting with students and engaging in meaningful discussions to help them see college as a possibility.”
Presentations included a panel of current and former GRCC students sharing their experiences and answering questions. The goal is to give the Union students a glimpse of college life and explore how to make the transition from high school to college.
Union students then returned to classrooms to hear presentations from specialists from GRCC’s College Success Center, Academic Advising, Admissions, Financial Aid, Occupational Support Services, Student Employment, Student Success and Retention, and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Students learned about topics including student activities, workforce training programs and other aspects of attending college.
Students also learned how Challenge Scholars and the Grand Rapids Promise Zone scholarship work cohesively to remove cost as a barrier to higher education, covering all expenses for eligible students.
Presenters shared their own educational journeys, and helped students realize there are support services across GRCC to help them be successful.