March 14, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- As a U.S. Marine and then a journalist, Daniel Schoonmaker has seen a lot of the “real world.” He’s now working to make that world a better place. 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. Schoonmaker didn’t plan on going to GRCC; when he did enroll, he didn’t plan to be there for more than a semester. “With all my friends that went away to school complaining about how their classes were being taught by grad students, I realized that GRCC was a better value,” he said. “Looking back, I don’t believe I had the emotional maturity to be successful at a four-year school at that point in my life.  “Academics were not my priority those first two years. When I was focused, I was pursuing things that I thought I wanted – like being a police officer or a physician – and hating them. It took me some time to figure out who I wanted to be. GRCC was a great environment for that.” Schoonmaker went overseas with the Marines after graduating from GRCC in 2002. After returning to Michigan, he was able to tap his experience at The Collegiate to get a job as a sportswriter and, later, as a business journalist. He was well-established when he enrolled at Aquinas College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and English. He then turned his talents to public relations and marketing, serving as a sustainable business advocate and educator. He’s now executive director of the West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum. “My work is heavily focused on network development and movement building,” he said, “Creating momentum for climate leadership, social justice and the creation of a circular economy in partnership with businesses and institutions.” Schoonmaker is quick to credit GRCC for some of his success. “A big part of that was learning to fail,” he said. “I dropped some classes. I got in trouble on some Collegiate assignments. I tried to work double shifts while carrying a full load of classes. On my very first day of class, I insulted a professor so bad he was ready to fail me on the spot. “GRCC taught me the value of learning from your mistakes.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply .  

March 12, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sally Merrill of the Grand Rapids Community College women’s basketball team earned the final MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Week honors of the season after scoring 62 points, grabbing 27 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists in three tournament games. It’s the second time this season that Merrill, who plays guard and forward, earned Player of the Week honors. Merrill is a freshman from Allegan, and graduated from Hamilton High School. Earlier in the week she was named All-Region, All-MCCAA, First Team All-Conference, and to the All-Freshman Team. Merrill in February was saluted for performances against Lake Michigan College, Ancilla College and Mid Michigan College. She totaled 60 points, 23 rebounds, nine assists, two blocks and two steals in the three games. The women’s team finished with a 20-11 record, reaching the championship game of the NJCAA Great Lakes A District tournament. David Glazier, wrapping up his sixth year at the helm, posted the most wins of his GRCC career.

March 11, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Sketching, playing the piano, juggling – these are just a few of the activities that have, briefly, captivated Kohl Goldsmith. “Latching onto an obsession for a while, I become determined to become the master of a skill, only to drop it a week later, bored to tears by the mere thought of it,” he said. Goldsmith worried that his lack of focus meant he would never find a satisfying career path. But the pandemic lockdown changed all that. He and his family depended on the local pizza place and one-dish meals until one evening when Goldsmith volunteered to make the pizza from scratch. “My pizza may not have been the greatest pie from New York to the Italian boot, but my family adored it,” he said. “Each step felt like a revelation, from making the dough to preparing the sauce and toppings. I’d never felt so connected to any meal I’d ever had until that night.” With financial help from the GRCC Foundation, Goldsmith is working toward an associate degree in Culinary Arts and a Baking and Pastry Arts certificate from the Secchia Institute for Culinary Education. He plans to eventually open his own cake business. Goldsmith credits the foundation scholarships with keeping him on track to graduation. “Scholarships are more than just help, they’re hope – and they’ve given me the confidence to sign up for the classes I want, not just the ones I can afford,” he said. The GRCC Foundation plans to distribute $1.4 million in scholarships to more than 1,000 students this year, and students can apply by filling out just one application. The priority deadline is March 15. The application and additional information can be found at grcc.edu/scholarships . This semester, one in five GRCC students has tuition covered by a scholarship, grant or state program, removing cost as an obstacle to a life-changing education. Many more students could take advantage of foundation scholarship free-tuition programs if they complete the FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students can connect with GRCC financial aid specialists by phone at (616) 234-4030; email at financialaid@grcc.edu; or virtually or in-person by appointment.

March 11, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Chef Bob Schultz believes the strength of GRCC’s Secchia Institute for Culinary education comes from the expertise and the camaraderie of culinary arts faculty and staff. “Working together is much easier and successful when a department has the same end goals in mind,” he said. Chef Schultz brings over 25 years of teaching experience to his team, as well as several degrees focused on excellence in teaching culinary arts classes. He earned an Associate Degree of Applied Arts and Sciences in Culinary Arts from GRCC, a bachelor’s degree in Business from Davenport University, and a master’s degree from Ferris State University in Career and Tech Education. Students can work with Chef Schultz when they take CA 114 International Foods, CA 115 Table Service, CA 180 Co-Op/Internship class, CA 160 Ice Carving, CA 209 Principles of Food Science, or CA 200 Hospitality Management. Chef Schultz has excelled as a culinary arts faculty member at GRCC because of the college’s commitment to supporting faculty in their professional development. “I have capitalized in my teaching profession thanks to the commitment from the college supporting me as I earned various degrees and certifications,” he said. “Teaching in the culinary field has always been a career goal. I have been teaching here at GRCC for over 25 years and my goal has always been to bring something to our students that culinary students can’t get from any other culinary school in the United States. Hence my tenacity for knowledge.” Chef Schultz inspires passion in his students when he focuses on their success by making sure they grasp important concepts no matter their learning style, by diversifying the delivery of the material using different platforms. Excellence in teaching is a main tenant of Chef Schultz’s career as he continues the work of the Chef-Professors that came before him at GRCC. “My heroes are the chefs that helped establish our culinary program and its reputation,” he said. “It is because of their work, dedication, and sometimes sheer tenacity to the culinary craft that inspires me. In following their example, I am doing my part to help students fuel their passion for the culinary arts.”

March 10, 2022 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The sixth-annual African-American Male Achievement Conference will be a day of inspiration, learning, sharing and caring for our male students in ninth through 12 grades. The conference, offered virtually this year, will focus on school achievement, graduation, college, choices, careers and becoming a positive young man in the community and world. The theme is “Challenges, Choices, and Change.” The conference is planned for 9 a.m. through 11:30 a.m. March 28. While offered virtually, there are times for localized breakout sessions. The event is a collaboration between Urban League of Western Michigan, Grand Rapids Public Schools, GRCC, Grand Valley State University, and the City of Grand Rapids. Organizers aim to convene more than 1,000 African-American young men from West Michigan secondary schools and engage them in workshops and other activities in which they will be affirmed, dared to dream about their futures, and reminded of their potential greatness. Offering the conference virtually prevents the participants from being together in one space, but does allow each site to tailor the conference to its unique needs. Registration is available at a link here . Questions about the event can be answered by Parris McMurray at mcmurrayp@grps.org and Rhondo Cooper at CooperR@grps.org.

March 9, 2022, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College basketball player Grace Lodes was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Western Conference in postseason awards announced Wednesday. Lodes, who led the nation in blocked shots, was joined by teammate Sally Merrill in being named All-Region, All-MCCAA, First Team All-Conference, and to the All-Freshman Team. “I’m proud of our student-athletes and coaches for strong performances,” Athletic Director Lauren Ferullo said. “We have strong programs, with some of the best players in the state, and the nation. They work hard to be successful on the court and in the classroom.” GRCC’s Marlene Bussler was named Second Team All-Conference, and Allison Kellogg and Emersyn Koepke were named Honorable Mention All-Conference. The women’s team finished with a 20-11 record, reaching the championship game of the NJCAA Great Lakes A District tournament. David Glazier, wrapping up his sixth year at the helm, posted the most wins of his GRCC career. Lodes, from Comstock Park, led the nation in total blocks with 99 and ranked in the top 10 in conference in rebounding. Merrill, a freshman from Allegan, was the team’s leading scorer with 491, averaging 15.8 points per game. For the men’s team, Ryel Daye and Andrew Moore were named Third Team All-Conference, and Danyel Bibbs was named Honorable Mention All-Conference. The men’s team finished with a 10-19 overall record and 5-13 in the conference. Moore led GRCC in scoring, with 584 points, averaging 20.1 per game. Daye was one of the best rebounders in the NJCAA D2. His average 11.9 rebounds per game was third best in the nation.

A School News Network feature -- Lynnell Talbert knows the importance of giving youth a voice in the justice system, and the power of being a transformative force and advocate in their lives. An assistant professor in the GRCC Criminal Justice program, Talbert saw a need to better prepare students for working with incarcerated youth. She created a new Juvenile Residential Services course, which is expected to launch this summer. The class will be offered as an elective, and Talbert hopes it eventually will be required in the Juvenile Services Associate Degree program. Talbert has taught at GRCC since 2008 and is the college’s juvenile services coordinator. The focus of the class is working with youth in secure or medium secure residential facilities, a need that is always present. According to the ACLU, on any given day nearly 60,000 youth under age 18 are incarcerated in juvenile jails and prisons in the United States.  “This class will specifically center around the culture and environment around custodial care. It’s very different being a probation officer versus a youth worker in a detention center or residential facility,” Talbert said. Areas of study include services for juveniles and the challenges they face. Juveniles in these facilities have been separated from their families and often have a range of mental health and emotional needs. “Our framework comes from the restorative justice perspective,” Talbert said. Restorative justice focuses on repairing harm caused by criminal behavior over penalization. Students will also be trained to work through physical challenges by way of effective communication and redirecting youth who have become out of control or irrational. “When juveniles are placed in our residential facilities, the workers will need to understand the trauma and the mental health aspect of it (on the child).” There’s a huge demand for youth specialists to work in residential facilities and probation officers, she said. “We are having more and more juveniles at a younger age who are participating in delinquent or criminal behavior. Our residential services centers and our secured facilities are becoming overcrowded and they don’t have enough workers.” In creating the class, Talbert received input from members on an advisory board for juvenile services, which she facilitates. The course is designed to better equip workers in regard to state guidelines, protocols, behavior modification and training. Cierra Lowe has worked as a youth specialist at Kent County Detention Center and graduated with her associate degree in juvenile services in 2017. She also pointed out the importance of a reformative approach in juvenile justice. Lowe said before working at the Kent County Juvenile Detention Center, she did not realize in detail how vital the restorative process is for adolescents. She said she is very pleased to hear GRCC is adding the course. “I think this course will provide great insight into the need (and) benefits that residential treatment brings to our juvenile adolescents. I think it also will provide great insight into how many career opportunities residential treatment provides.” During the course, students will visit a medium secure and secure residential facility to tour and ask questions. (Medium secure facilities are not locked, meaning students do things in the community, while secure ones are.) A Cause Close to Her Heart Talbert worked for many years in juvenile justice. She was a youth specialist at a residential facility for a detention center in Kent County. She helped children in many ways: school, hygiene and social skill development, to name a few. She developed an incentive system as well, rewarding them for good behavior. She has also worked as a community probation office for juveniles, and discovered that the two areas of the system have different norms. That’s another reason the class is needed, she said. “It’s fulfilling for me when I see young people afterwards and they say ‘Thank you, Miss Lynn, for all the work you invested in my life. You put more time in me than my mother, father, my grandmother or anyone in my life, and you told me the potential I had.’” She is passionate about training GRCC students to have similar impacts. “My job and my goal is to help others become successful, productive citizens in our world, community and society.” This story was reported by Erin Albanese of the School News Network. 

March 8, 2022, SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Arie Jackman shot a three-round score of 148, finishing tied for seventh overall, helping the Grand Rapids Community College golf team finish in fifth place at the Ron Marshall Spring Invite on Monday and Tuesday. Thirty-six golfers from seven colleges competed in the tournament at Goose Pond Lake Course. "The Raiders played well despite the cold and rainy weather they had to play in," Coach John Forton said. "We finished in fifth in a field that had some very highly rated teams. It was a good building block for the upcoming season." GRCC golfers shot a 326 in round one followed by a 318 and 324, to finish with a total of 968, 104-over par. John A. Logan College won the tournament with a score of 45-over par. Jackman's rounds of 79, 74 and 78 gave him a total of +15, just seven strokes back from co-champions Andrew Watson and Tanner Walton, both of John A. Logan College. Matt Denhartigh finished tied for 11th place with a score of 19-over par. Conner Oman, +31, Brad VandenHout, +42, and Sam Foss, +50, rounded out the Raiders golfers.