Oct. 22, 2021, 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 Sheena Weaver. Sheena is here to help in the Student Life and Conduct Office. As the office manager, Sheena handles the daily administration and support of student clubs and organizations. This includes budgeting, room and event registrations, and guiding students through starting up a student organization. Sheena also works with Phi Theta Kappa, GRCC's international honor society, by processing and accepting applications for eligible students. Another big part of her work, and one of her favorites, is ordering supplies for the GRCC Student Food Pantry and making sure the shelves are stocked and ready for students. "The look on a student's face when you are able to help them reduce their stress and worry, about feeding their family, is so rewarding and makes me love what I do," she said.    Every day, Sheena looks forward to working with new students, staff and faculty. She is inspired by meeting students from all walks of life, and enjoys learning about them.  "We have a diverse population of students that I can relate to," she said. "And learning about them motivates me to help them in any way I can." Sheena shared that attending GRCC was the best decision she ever made, and she wants current students to have the same experience. When Sheena became a mom in high school, so many people told her that meant she would have to give up on going to college. She was determined to prove everyone wrong -- and she did. "Anyone is able to overcome all odds regardless of what others say or believe," she said. "You are in control of your future and leave your everlasting mark."   Sheena applied and was accepted to GRCC in 2010 and that was the start of the educational journey she is still on. She graduated GRCC in 2014 with an associate degree, and transferred to Ferris State University to begin working on a bachelor's in integrative studies. Initially Sheena worked part-time at GRCC while working at other organizations. Then, in 2019, she was hired as a fulltime member of the Student Life team. "I have always found myself returning back to GRCC, and that was when I knew it must be meant to be," she said. "I must be here to help students and it has been so rewarding." You can connect with Sheena and the Student Life team on the first floor of GRCC’s Student Center, or by emailing studentlife@grcc.edu or calling (616) 234-4160.

Oct. 21, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College is planning a COVID-19 vaccination clinic for students, employees and community members that includes booster shots all three vaccines for those who are eligible. The clinic comes as the deadline approaches for students to take advantage of a $200 incentive to receive the vaccine. More than 4,200 students so far have gained the incentive payment. Students must be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15 to be eligible. The clinic is planned for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center auditorium, 151 Fountain St. NE.  A parking pass will be provided for individuals getting the vaccine. Walk-ins are welcome. The clinics are part of an effort to help students, employees and community members have access to an effective COVID-fighting tool. All three COVID-19 vaccine options will be available. It is recommended that people bring their vaccine card if they are getting a second vaccine dose or a booster vaccine. The Pfizer booster vaccine will also be available for those who qualify. Eligibility information is here . Additional vaccination location information is available at vaccinatewestmi.com .  Students who have already received the vaccine or who are fully vaccinated by Nov. 15 will receive a $200 credit on their RaiderCard accounts to use for campus dining, parking, printing, and in the bookstore. The incentive will be available for students enrolled for the fall 2021 semester. The college is using federal Strengthening Institutions Program Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds for the project. The incentive program is one of the steps GRCC is taking or extending as part of a campus safety and wellness plan. On-campus class sizes will be limited to 75% capacity, and the college is replacing two-person desks with single-person desks in most classrooms. Hundreds of hand sanitizing stations were added last year, and changes were made to campus cooling and ventilation to increase air flow. College leaders are monitoring developments with COVID-19 and the delta variant, and are communicating with state and federal health authorities for guidance as conditions change. GRCC Nursing students administered shots into the arms of students, campus employees, and others in the spring as part of the Shot of Love campaign, a partnership with Urban Church Leadership Center and Spectrum Health. In May, the college hosted a campus vaccination pop-up clinic, which was visited by first lady Jill Biden.

Oct. 20, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College choral students are celebrating Día de los Muertos, and Latin American heritage and culture with a bilingual concert on Friday. Caleb Wenzel, GRCC’s director of Choral and Vocal Activities, said while choirs often perform in multiple languages, this program is specifically focused on Latin American languages. Songs will be performed in Castilian Spanish, but also Nahuatl, the native language of Mexico; and Quechua, the native language of Perú. The program will feature reading of poetry and short stories in English and Spanish in between musical selections. Most of the reading literature comes from award-winning author Sandra Cisneros. Wenzel noted the bilingual performance comes just after the end of Hispanic Heritage Month and a couple weeks before the celebration of Los Muertos.   He said the choral music of Mexico remains one of the most overlooked portions of North American choral literature, and the goal is to expand the canon of what music professionals consider standard repertoire. Wenzel also noted GRCC and the greater community has a growing and vibrant Hispanic community. “We want our students to have bold imaginations,” he said. “Being able to see themselves and their family history as crucial to the arts life of today is critical. In the same way, it's about expanding the imagination of our students whose families have lived in West Michigan for many generations. We often think of classical music in America as something that started on the East Coast, but as we will teach our audience on Friday night, the first piece of music published in the Americas came from Perú and was a composition not in Latin, English, or even Spanish; it was a composition in Quechua!” Wenzel also said faculty and students are considering the impact of the pandemic on the community. “We have suffered a massive communal trauma with COVID-19. More than just the loss of life, we have suffered a catastrophic breakdown of trust within our broader community,” he said. “El Día de los Muertos is a day about celebrating and keeping the memories of those who came before us alive. It is also a day about community: everyone is unified on Los Muertos by our common mortality and our common experience of loss. My hope is that this first performance will serve as a blueprint for future performances celebrating Los Muertos. The event is planned for 7 p.m. on Friday at St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE in Grand Rapids. Tickets are $5 for adults, and $3 for students and seniors. All GRCC and Grand Rapids Public Schools students are admitted free with their school ID. Tickets are available here.   

Oct. 20, 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. Not everyone knows what they want to be when they grow up. But when Lynnae Looyenga graduated from Covenant Christian High School five months ago, she had a goal. “I have always been interested in the medical field,” she said. “I have had some health issues and been in a lot of doctor’s offices. A good medical assistant can make all the difference. They can put you at ease during what can be a stressful time. I want to be that for others.” GRCC’s Medical Assistant Program prepares students to take a national certification exam and empowers them to succeed in a changing healthcare environment. Through the program, students develop skills to perform administrative and clinical tasks required to keep health practitioner offices and clinics running smoothly. The focus of the program is to prepare capable medical assistants in the cognitive (knowledge), psychomotor (skills), and affective (behavior) learning domains.  This course combines classroom lecture, group activity, simulation learning, and a competency-based practicum experience and is delivered in a hybrid format. Instruction takes place in class, online, and through a practicum. “After graduation, I really didn’t want to go to school for a super long time,” Looyenga said. “This program is just the right length and it’s so good! I am already halfway through and I really enjoy how much of the program is hands-on learning. I was a little skeptical about the hybrid format but I love it. It is just the right amount of in-person and online. I feel like it gives me a little bit of freedom with how I schedule my school work hours.” The 772-hour program is designed to take 22 weeks to complete. “It is a commitment and it does take work but the instructors are exceptional and the other students are great too! I am the youngest in my class by about 20 years, so it is very different from high school. If someone didn’t like school before I would say that this program is different from any school I’ve had before-it’s not your ‘typical school’.” Each student will complete a four-week, competency-based practicum experience. “I can’t wait for my externship! I’m so happy that we get to have that time to practice in real life with someone there to help me. I would be terrified to just jump right into it!” On successful completion of the program, students are prepared to take the Registered Medical Assistant national certification exam through American Medical Technologists. GRCC’s Medical Assistant Program empowers them to succeed in a changing healthcare environment. “I’m hoping to work in a family practice office,” Looyenga said. “I heard there is a lot of variety in that setting. I love the idea of every day meeting many different kinds of people and hopefully making their experience a good one.” Today, Wednesday, October 20, 2021 has been designated as the day we honor and recognize Medical Assistant students as designated by the American Association of Medical Assistants® (AAMA). With their unique versatility, medical assistants are proving to be the allied health professional of choice for this decade and beyond. Medical assisting is one of the nation’s careers growing much faster than average for all occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 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.  

Oct. 19, 2021, BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team was down two sets to one and nearly upset by Kellogg Community College, but survived by winning the final two sets to extend its winning streak to 15 matches. The sixth-ranked Raiders won the first set easily 25-16, but the Bruins responded in set two.  The Raiders had set point and a 24-22 lead, but the Bruins ripped off four straight points to take the set. Kellogg trailed the Raiders 6-1 early on in the third set, but the Bruins clawed back to win 25-21. GRCC dominated the fourth and final sets 25-15 and 15-9 to win the outright conference title, the 10th in the history of the program. Libero Ola Nowak was very proud of how the team played out of its comfort zone. "We really focused on that during practice and I believe that is what helped us win tonight," Nowak said. "Everyone did their part and what was best for the team when they were put in tough situations. I couldn't have asked for a better competitive atmosphere to play in tonight." Kara Hecht was nearly unstoppable on the offensive side of the ball, with a career-high 15 kills and a .343 hitting percentage. Three more Raiders had double-digits in kills, with Kylie Oberlin with 13, Eliza Thelen with 10, and Karissa Ferry with 10. Other Raiders also had career-highs. Alena Visnovsky had five blocks, Ola Nowak had 28 digs, Audrey Gower with 10 assists and Shannon Russell 14 digs. The Raiders are now 17-5 overall and a perfect 12-0 in the MCCAA Western Conference. The Bruins fell to 3-17 and 2-8 in the conference. Statistical Leaders: Kills: Hecht, 15; Oberlin, 13; Audrey Torres, 12; Thelen and Ferry, 10 Assists: Shannon Russell, 50; Gower, 10. Digs: Nowak, 28; Gower, 21; Torres, 16. Blocks: Visnovsky and Ferry, 5; Oberlin, 3. Aces: Torres, 3; Russell and Charlie Baker, 2. There are just two more matches left in the regular season.  On Oct. 26 the team travels to Kalamazoo Valley Community College before coming home for Sophomore Day on Oct. 28 for a match against Lansing Community College. 

Oct. 19, 2021, SHEPERDSVILLE, Ky. –  Arie Jackman shot a two-round score of 148, finishing in 10th overall, helping the Grand Rapids Community College golf team finish in fourth place at the Heritage Hill Fall Collegiate on Monday and Tuesday. The Raiders were shot a 301 in both rounds, to finish with a total of 602, 26-over par. Midway University and University of the Cumberlands tied for first place with a score of 584. GRCC was the lone two-year institution in the field of 10 teams. Davis Courtright was in seventh place after Monday's even par performance. He finished tied for 12th after shooting a 77 on Tuesday. Alex Taylor, tied for 26th overall, and had the best improvement of any golfer in the tournament on Tuesday. His score of 72 moved him up 17 spots on the leaderboard. He finished with a 155. Logan Templeton, with 156, Connor Oman, with 157, and Matt Denhartigh, with 163, rounded out the Raiders golfers. There are openings on the team as it looks to the spring season. Send questions to coach John Forton at  johnforton@grcc.edu .      

Oct. 19, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College baseball player Troy Moratti earned a golden bat as the 2004 NJCAA Player of the Year. It’s pretty neat, and athletic director Lauren Ferullo thinks he should have it to remember that special season. The bat is among 120 athletic awards that have been stored at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse, and Ferullo would like to present them to former Raiders. “We’re proud of our GRCC student-athletes and what they’ve accomplished in our college’s 107-year history,” Ferullo said. “These awards represent a special time in these students’ lives. Rather than keep them here, I think it is appropriate to share them with the athletes and their families so they can enjoy them.” The Athletic Department proudly shows off dozens of awards earned by GRCC teams in the fieldhouse’s display cases, including national and state championship trophies and plaques. But others have been in storage for years. Most of the awards are certificates saluting student-athletes for earning All-American honors. Many are from the 1960s and 1970s. Others, like the golden bats earned by Moratti in 2004 and Braden Staranchuk in 2001, are from the past 20 years. The college also celebrates its athletic legacy through a mural created for the 2018 renovation, linking Raiders of today with historic photos, including sports that are no longer offered like swimming and wrestling. Fieldhouse director Whitney Marsh has cataloged all the awards and is working with Jenna VandeKamp, who coordinates GRCC’s alumni relations efforts, to contact former athletes and their families. “We’re excited because this is a chance to reconnect with some of our students,” VandeKamp said. “We want to share a piece of their past, but we also want to hear about what they’re doing now and keep in touch.” Former Grand Rapids Junior College and GRCC student-athletes who believe they earned an award that might be in storage should contact the Athletic Department at grccathletics@grcc.edu or call (616) 234-3883.