Oct. 5, 2021, CENTREVILLE, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team grinded out a win at Glen Oaks Community College on Tuesday, to stretch its winning streak to 11 matches. After dropping the first set 18-25, GRCC battled back to win the final three, 25-13, 25-20, 25-10. The Raiders, ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA Division II poll, hit .000 with 11 kills - 11 errors in the first set, but finished the match hitting .381 in the final set.  The win improved the Raiders to 14-5 and 8-0 in the conference. The Vikings dropped to 14-11 and 6-3. Redshirt freshman Kara Hecht, of Zeeland, finished with 6 kills, 7 digs and 2 solo blocks, and was especially happy with how the team pushed hard. "It's something when every team you play wants to beat you," Hecht said. "Tonight, against Glen Oaks, we ran into that. We started off steady, but a few calls and a few imperfect contacts made our job as a team challenging. With all excuses aside, we decided we needed to grind. What was happening on the other side of the net didn't matter, only how we were going to respond.  After we put our heads together and played like it was our last game, we got rewarded with the sweet feeling of victory and the ability to maintain our undefeated record." Freshman outside Audrey Torres, of Caledonia, led the 12 kills and 14 digs.  Annie Holesinger added 11 kills and freshman middle Eliza Thelen had a career-high 7 kills.  Ola Nowak led the defense with 16 kills. Statistical Leaders: Kills: Torres, 12; Holesinger, 11; Thelen, 7; Hecht, 6. Assists: Shannon Russell, 31. Digs: Nowak, 16; Torres, 14; Hecht, 7. Blocks: Karissa Ferry, 4; Holesinger, 3; Thelen, 3. Aces: Nowak, Morgan Fugate and Audrey Gower, 2; Hecht and Holesinger, 1. The Raiders will look to remain unbeaten in the conference as they host Muskegon Community College on Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m. 

Oct. 4, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s Communications team earned top honors from a national college and communications and marketing organization for efforts to tell the story of First Lady Jill Biden’s visit and cards encouraging students to be resilient during the pandemic. The awards were among seven Medallion Awards earned by GRCC and presented by the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations District 3, which includes community, technical and junior colleges in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and the Canadian province of Ontario. Elly Bainbridge, education and promotion specialist in GRCC’s Leslie Tassell M-TEC, earned the organization's Communicator of the Year honors for highlighting Workforce Training students and programs. The GRCC team earned a Gold Medallion in the competition’s Government or Community Relations Campaign category for telling the story of Dr. Biden’s May visit to a campus popup COVID-19 vaccination clinic. The second Gold Medallion Award was for a series of cards sent to students following the fall 2020 and winter 2021 semesters, encouraging them to be resilient during the pandemic, and to know there are people on campus ready to support them through challenging times. “The branding and messaging was spot on in conveying resiliency and a culture of caring. The card is beautifully designed and impactful," judges wrote. “Great idea! Nice, clean images with a strong impact. Well done.” GRCC’s Instagram account, @grandrapidscc, earned a Silver Medallion in the Social Media category. The college also earned a Silver Medallion for the Workforce Wednesday series in the Successful DEI Marketing Campaign category. The weekly series profiles Workforce Training students, sharing how gaining in-demand skills is changing their lives. A logo celebrating the new GRCC Lakeshore Campus earned a Bronze Medallion in the Logo Design category. A video created by GRCC’s Media Technologies team featuring alum York Tardy earned a Bronze Medallion in the Video-Long Form category. Tardy, a project superintendent for Christman Company, spoke about his GRCC education prepared him for his career and overseeing the transformation of the former JCPenney in the Shops at Westshore into the new GRCC Lakeshore Campus. The Media Technologies team also collaborated on a series of radio ads calling for people to attend last year’s virtual open houses. The series earned a Bronze Medallion in the Radio Advertisement category.

Oct. 4, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  -- 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.  Salvador Lopez joined Grand Rapids Community College’s board of trustees just this summer, but his relationship with GRCC goes all the way back to high school. He struggled there, but GRCC provided him with a clean slate. “My low high school GPA did not matter, and my test scores were not a factor,” Lopez said. “For the first time in a long time, I felt like I had an opportunity to make something of my life with the support of professors who wanted to see me do well.” After earning his associate degree, he went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Latin American studies and a master’s in communications, both from Grand Valley State University, as well as several certifications in health care interpreting. “Later in life, GRCC was a place where I could return to take specific classes I needed at a time that worked best for me,” Lopez said. He has worked as an interpreter and director of language services for the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan and served as associate director of diversity recruitment for GVSU. Currently, he’s president of KConnect, an organization working to ensure that all children have an equitable path to economic prosperity.  Lopez says he has drawn on his GRCC experience throughout his career. “GRCC exposed me to a diverse group of students, professors who cared, and faculty and staff who demonstrated that they believed I could be successful,” he said. “I’m proud to say that I take that approach in the way I interact with young people, and diversity, respect and integrity are values that I share with GRCC and values that I bring to my current role.” Lopez now works with his fellow GRCC trustees to give current and future students the fresh start he experienced. “My favorite GRCC memory was ending my first day of college and feeling confident that I was college material,” he said. “For the first time in my life, I believed in myself and felt like I was going to do well. I remember sitting in the classroom, learning from professors and feeling confident. I hadn’t felt that way before. “I will never forget that feeling.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at  grcc.edu/apply .

Oct. 2, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team extended its winning streak to 10 with victories over Terra State Community College and Macomb Community College in the 2021 Raider Challenge on Sunday. The Raiders, ranked No. 10 in NJCAA's Division II, played their best-overall match of the year against the No. 5 team in the nation, Terra State, defeating them easily in three; 25-13, 25-16, 25-19. Terra State, from Fremont, Ohio, came into the match on a 25-match winning streak, and hadn't dropped a set since Aug. 28 when the Raiders won one in the Owens Tournament. The Titans dropped to 26-3 on the season after the loss. Coach Chip Will was impressed with the performance and growth of this team this season. "We've come a long way since losing to Terra State back in August," Will said. "Our lineup is a lot more solid than it was back then and I'm excited to see where we will be a month from now, because we haven't reached our full potential yet." Every GRCC player who stepped on the court hit positive for the match and, as a team, the Raiders hit an impressive .346 with 39 kills and just 11 errors. Annie Holesinger led all attackers with 12 kills. In match two - the final match of the tournament - the Raiders played all 15 student-athletes in the four-set victory; winning 25-17, 26-28, 25-14, 25-16. Holesinger ripped off 16 kills against the Macomb, with Audrey Torres adding 10 kills, Kylie Oberlin with seven, and Eliza Thelen with a collegiate high five kills. Tournament Leaders: Kills: Holesinger, 43; Torres, 28; Oberlin, 17; Shannon Russell, 7. Assists: Russell, 101; Ola Nowak, 11. Digs: Nowak, 31; Russell, 22; Torres, 21; Audrey Gower, 18. Blocks: Oberlin, 7; Holesinger, 6; Torres and Karissa Ferry, 5. Aces: Torres, 6; Kara Hecht and Gower, 5; Russell, 4. The Raiders will be back in conference play this week, taking on Glen Oaks Community College on Oct. 5 and Muskegon Community College on Oct. 7.  

Oct. 2, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College volleyball team won its eighth-straight match with a convincing 3-0 sweep over Owens Community College in the 2021 Raider Challenge on Saturday. The Raiders, ranked No. 10 in NJCAA’s Division II, got a match-high 15 kills from two-time MCCAA Western Conference player of the week Annie Holesinger to defeat Owens 25-18, 25-13, 25-23 – the team’s third-straight sweep. Owens, from Perrysburg, Ohio, are ranked No. 2 in the nation in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division III. In the win, Holesinger reached the 200-kill mark for the season and surpassed 700 for her career in a Raider uniform.  In her last five matches, the third-year sophomore has had at least 12 kills while hitting over .400. She currently sits at 20th in the nation in kills per set and 17th in hitting percentage. Assistant coach Amanda Glaza has been very pleased with Holesinger's performance this year. "We are extremely happy that Annie came back to play for us a third year," Glaza said.  "She worked very hard over the off season to become the All-American player we knew she could be, and it sure has showed. Her 700 kills ranked her fifth overall in Raider volleyball history. And the pace that she's on, she could be well over 800 before her Raider career ends." All 15 GRCC players made it to the court and 12 of them scored at least one point.  Freshman Audrey Torres was the lone player with a double-double, with 11 kills and 11 digs.  Torres is team’s second-leading point scorer with 143 kills, 20 aces and 16 blocks. Statistical Leaders: Kills: Holesinger, 15; Torres, 11; Kara Hecht, 6. Assists: Shannon Russell, 32; Ola Nowak, 6. Digs: Russell and Torres, 11; Nowak, 9. Blocks: Kylie Oberlin and Karissa Ferry, 2. Aces: Russell, 3; Charlie Baker, 2. The Raiders will play two matches on Sunday, taking on No. 5-ranked Terra State Community College at noon and conclude tournament play against Macomb Community College at 2 p.m. Fans will not be allowed to attend, but all the matches will be live streamed at on the GRCC Athletics YouTube page.    

Oct. 2, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. –  Coleman Clark won his second consecutive race as the Grand Rapids Community College men’s cross country team took first place in the Lansing Community College Invitational and the women’s team finished fifth. The men's team defeated Lansing for the first time in the program’s history, beating the Stars on their home course at Grand Woods Park. GRCC topped Lansing 104 to 112, with Calvin University coming in third with 115 points. Garret Lacy was excited about the team's first win of the season – his first as head coach. The team was not racing at full strength, losing Andrew Periard to injury, but Lacy said Joshua Kipkoech, Christian Martinez-Ramos, and Lucas Schneider stepped up with breakthrough finishes. "We had some phenomenal performances over at the Lansing Invitational today," Lacy said. “To come away with the first-place finish today being undermanned was a great team performance and something we can take with us and build upon as we get closer and closer to the championship portion of our schedule. We have a two-week break before our next competition, so it is a great opportunity for us to really get back to hammering the training and look to make even further improvements to this team before our next race at Muskegon on Oct. 16." The women's team took a field of 18 full teams and finished fifth overall and second among all two-year schools.  Oakland University earned the crown with a score of 36, while Lansing was second with 64 points. GRCC finished with 182 points, while the next-best two-year school, St. Clair County Community College, was 10th overall with a 254. Coach Sharon Becker was proud of her team’s performances. Kaylee Scott and Audrey Meyering finished in the top-20 overall and in the top-five 5 among MCCAA runners. Scott ran a 20:04, finishing in 13th overall and third among the MCCAA, while Meyering finished in 20:18, earning her 18th place. "Meyering and Scott are both excellent teammates and very talented runners," Becker said. "Both train and work out with a mindset to do their very best and are very determined to work and race to reach their goals and to be competitive in the race.” Elizabeth Meyering, one of four Raiders to earn MCCAA Player of the Week honors this week, ran 21:13 and continues to improve. Becker said Alex Webster shows she is a strong, determined athlete. “She may be the toughest athlete on our team this year,” she said. “Alex brings a lot of positive energy to our team. Her place in our team is very important. I put No Limits on Alex's potential. Alex may use her grit and determination to break her own race time records. I am looking forward to seeing and watching how close she will come to be one of the top 25 in the MCCAA.” The Raiders are next scheduled to compete in the Muskegon Community College Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 16. Competition is slated to begin at 1 p.m. for the men and 1:45 p.m. for the women.    

Oct. 1, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s world-class teaching culinary program is gaining a new piazza allowing it to serve more guests and share the story of students’ journeys from Secchia Institute for Culinary Education to destinations around the globe. The new Secchia Piazza is a gift from the late Peter Secchia and his family, whose generosity and drive for excellence helped the Secchia Institute create state-of-the-art facilities, attract top faculty members, and prepare students for rewarding careers in the hospitality industry. “The Secchia Institute for Culinary Education has long been recognized as one of Grand Rapids’ best teaching and dining experiences, and Peter Secchia always believed our students are capable of great things,” said Dr. Kathryn K. Mullins, vice president for College Advancement and executive director of the GRCC Foundation. “These additions will create a beautiful setting to tell the story of the Secchia Institute and the opportunities it creates for students.”    The Secchia Piazza is located in GRCC’s Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center, 151 Fountain St. NE and will be used by GRCC students, faculty and staff, and the greater community as an event space and a place to come to reflect and connect to the Secchia Institute. Designed by Progressive AE, the renovations will enclose an underused outdoor patio, and add a 31-foot-wide, 15-foot-tall, colorful "skycone" that will be one of the college’s most recognizable features. Granger Construction will oversee the project. A tondo -- a round floor pattern -- designed by GRCC artists will evoke the educational pathway students take from the Secchia Institute to culinary opportunities across the country and around the world. GRCC’s culinary program was renamed after Secchia and his wife, Joan, in 2007. The Pietro and Regina Amphitheater, named after Peter Secchia’s grandparents, was added in 2012. Peter’s Pub was launched in 2016 as part of GRCC’s Fountain Hill Brewery, tapping into the demand created by Grand Rapids’ growing craft beer industry.