May 11, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College golf team is headed to the national tournament after earning the state and conference championships. The team has won every tournament it has participated in this season, and earned the Michigan Community College Athletic Association Championship and National Junior College Athletic Association Region XII crown with an eight-stroke win over second-place Oakland Community College on Tuesday. Tyler Hausserman,a freshman from Ionia, finished in second place overall, shooting 76, 78 and 73 over the three-round tournament. Davis Courtright, who attended Zeeland East High, tied for third with scores of 75, 73, 80.  Logan Templeton of Portage was tied for fifth place after shooting 75,76 and 78. Dominic Luciani of East Grand Rapids was tied for seventh with scores of 76, 79 and 78. Arie Jackman of Caledonia finished ninth, shooting 81, 73 and 81. The win, at Bedford Valley Golf Club in Battle Creek, is the GRCC golf team’s eighth state championship since 2000, and eleventh overall. The team will now advance to the NJCAA DII National Championship, hosted by Ancilla College at the Swan Lake Golf Resort in Plymouth, Ind. Five members of the undefeated team posted the top five scores in the conference for the season, and were named to the MCCAA’s All-Conference team. The GRCC cross country teams, volleyball team and women’s basketball team all reached the national tournaments this year.

May 11, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College was saluted by U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for its outreach and support for students facing challenges during the pandemic. GRCC President Bill Pink was asked to participate in a call with Cardona with national media to discuss $36 billion in emergency grants provided by the Education Department under the American Rescue Plan Act for post-secondary education. About 60 Michigan colleges and universities are expected to receive grants. GRCC is slated to receive about $25 million to help students overcome obstacles created by COVID-19 and to launch programs to help the region recover. Funding also can be used to offset costs related to the pandemic and prepare the campus for additional students. Cardona said he invited Pink to participate because he is impressed by how GRCC used previous federal support efforts to help students. “They’re actually an exemplar in how they reach out into the community and get those students who were hit the hardest – including students from rural communities, which were impacted greatly by the pandemic,” Cardona said. GRCC transitioned largely to remote classes after the pandemic struck. Many students struggled financially when their work hours were reduced or their jobs eliminated. The transition to online learning also revealed that many students did not have access to computers, strong internet service and the equipment needed to participate in classes. “This pandemic has been hard on our state, and this institution has been focused on how we can support our students, no matter where they come to us from,” Pink told Cardona and the media. GRCC distributed about $3.4 million in federal CARES Act funding directly to students to help them with food, health care, child care and technology and is in the process of distributing additional resources made available through Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. GRCC provided more than 630 loaner laptops, about 400 internet Wi-Fi hotspots, and other equipment. The college also partnered with the Kent District Library to provide Wi-Fi in 20 branches around the county, including in parking lots so students could connect and complete assignments after hours. The college also worked with community partners to replenish its food pantry for more than a year, providing thousands of packages to students facing food insecurity, work that still continues. “This American Rescue Plan funding will give us the opportunity to continue this work and relieve some of the barriers we know our students are experiencing,” Pink said. “These funds will help us, and it will help these students. We know many students told us this school year, ‘We’re sitting it out. We’re not even going to college.’ Now that we’re able to get these types of funds in place, it will help us in helping those students re-engage because now, these funds can take some other barriers off the table.” The American Rescue Plan grants will help over 5,000 institutions of higher education, including historically Black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions provide emergency financial aid to millions of students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 national emergency. "These funds are critical to ensuring that all of our nation’s students – particularly those disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – have the opportunity to enroll, continue their education, graduate, and pursue their careers,” Cardona said. “With this action, thousands of institutions will be able to provide direct relief to students who need it most, so we can make sure that we not only recover from the pandemic, but also build back even stronger than before.”    

May 10, 2021 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Grand Rapids Community College student Heidi Garland won first place in the MWest Challenge student venture competition in the Innovation Showcase Pitch Round.  Garland pitched her idea for Bugs B Gone, a startup to create an all-natural bedbug and flea solution. Garland won $1,500 for her first-place Innovation Showcase Pitch for a business that would take care of home pest solutions without chemicals. Through MWest Challenge, students can develop and grow new ventures based on their own ideas. This year, 108 student teams from nine West Michigan colleges and universities competed for $12,000. GRCC led the way with 65 of the 108 student team. The next-closest college had 10 student teams apply for the competition. The competition also includes opportunities for students to network with investors. “This experience meant an opportunity to have designated funding to use going forward and patent my product recipe -- as well as having an opportunity to communicate with actual investors and learn from their words of advice,” Garland said. “I won a cash prize of $1,500 that will go directly back into my business for growth. I will be using this money to get patent information before going on to look at things like mass production or selling the product to someone else for production. I was also put in front of ‘angel’ investors who could reach out to me at any point with interest in my idea -- not to mention the guidance I received from the judges and my professors.” Garland got involved in the competition through classes with professor Felix Pereiro, head of the Business Department, and adjunct instructor Brent Alles. Pereiro was impressed as he watched Garland handle some technical difficulties with audio during her virtual pitch to the judges. “Heidi kept her composure and maintained her patience,” Pereiro said. “She was asked to return and be the last presenter because of the technical problems she encountered delivering her pitch. Most people would have quit -- but not Heidi. She believed in her idea and was not going to let a technical glitch stand in her way.” GRCC student Michael Powell placed in the top eight teams, earning a spot in the competition’s finalist level. He presented his idea for the Start Small Promo, an exclusive social media marketing and bookmarking website that caters to small businesses and is fused with a promotional service provided by the website. “I gained confidence in my own vision of life, and what I think I can do,” Powell said. “The reward of trying something that takes you outside of your comfort zone is immense in life, and I think that more people should try it because of the perspective it gives a person.” Powell, who was a frontline worker at a senior care facility during the pandemic, said he understands the challenges his idea works to address because his family lost their business during COVID-19. “Michael faced tremendous adversity and challenges in the last month as he prepared to present to the panel of judges,” Pereiro said. “The judges were beyond impressed with him. They marveled at his tenacity, ‘stick-to-itiveness’ and courage. He has true grit, character, and an entrepreneur’s spirit and drive that will help him succeed at anything he puts his mind to now and in the future.” Three other GRCC students competed in the showcase idea pitch round:  Jared Seng placed ninth place with Landscape Match, a startup and app that allows consumers to post an ad looking for mowing and plowing services, and connect with businesses and independent contractors. Kerry Johnson placed tenth with Johnson Equestrian and Critter Farm, an equestrian center and animal petting farm. Alexandria Viveen placed thirteenth with Wavy Cravings, a startup to deliver restaurant food to customers while they are boating. The students' MWest achievements are the culmination of hours of practice and preparation, Pereiro said.  “Heidi, Michael, Jared, Kerry, and Alexandria put in the hours necessary to compete against the very best college students in West Michigan – facing juniors, seniors and MBA students from top four-year universities in West Michigan -- and their work and dedication paid off,” he said. GRCC was scheduled to host this year’s MWest Challenge before the competition moved completely online because of COVID-19. Pereiro said the campus will instead host the 2022 MWest Challenge. Grand Rapids Community College has been offering educational opportunities in West Michigan for more than 100 years. Established in 1914, the college offers degree courses, certification and training programs, and workshops and personal enrichment classes. Offerings are held on GRCC’s downtown Grand Rapids campus, and at several locations throughout Kent and Ottawa counties, as well as through distance learning.  

May 10, 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. Tom Rademacher’s feelings about Grand Rapids Junior College run deep: “That beautiful little college on Bostwick Avenue -- along with its swim coach at the time, Dave Clark -- helped me set a compass for life.” That compass and his gift for words have launched him in many directions, where he’s met people from all walks of life with interesting stories: people who use metal detectors to find lost rings, an archer who uses his teeth instead of his hands to work a bow, a couple who created a Wiffle Ball stadium in their backyard. For more than 30 years, he shared those stories with readers of The Grand Rapids Press. His talent earned him writing awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Associated Press, and he earned first-place honors an unprecedented three times from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists. The author of four books, he retired from The Press in 2009 and now writes for Sabo PR and on behalf of a variety of clients as close as right around the corner and as far away as Africa. He and his wife Hollie now reside in the sleepy lakeshore haven of Stony Lake, in Michigan’s Oceana County. Tom received his associate degree from GRJC in 1974, where he was awarded the Merle Storr Award, given annually to the top student-athlete. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in special education and psychology from Grand Valley State University. He served as an adjunct instructor of English at GRCC for more than 20 years. “I made lifelong friends, got schooled by incredible professors like Gertrude Croom, and came to understand that a community college will give you back as much as you put into it,” he said upon receiving GRCC’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013. “My only regret is that I couldn’t attend there all four years.” Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply .    

May 7, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College’s baseball team is ending its season with a 24-11 record, following health and safety protocols. The baseball team is tied for first place in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association’s Western Conference, but won’t play its final four games of the regular season and won’t qualify for the postseason. “The health and safety of our players and our opponents is our top priority,” Interim Athletic Director David Selmon said. “Our team was playing very well and we’re proud of our student-athletes. But health comes first. This is unfortunate and disappointing, but it’s the right thing to do.” The baseball team returned in 2021 with limited out-of-state travel and enhanced health and wellness protocols after the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic. After dropping the opener, the team won 10 consecutive games and emerged as a conference power. Ryan Dykstra, Aaron West and Jake Paganelli shared the team lead with 3 homers, with West and Dykstra sharing the lead with 37 RBI. Dykstra led the team with a .432 batting average, with West right behind at .398. On the mound, Drew Murphy led starting pitchers with a sparkling 2.23 ERA and a spotless 6-0 record. He threw a three-hit, 12-strikeout game against Kalamazoo Valley on April 30. Garrett Cheslek posted a 6-3 record. The team played a dramatic doubleheader against nationally ranked Kellogg Community College at LMCU Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, on April 16. Playing before the largest crowd of the season in the ballpark’s first game since 2019, Colin Bradley took a no-hitter into the last inning, before KCC pushed runs across to take the lead. The second game found the Raiders trailing 5-0 before mounting a comeback, falling just short 6-5. The team is optimistic about its chance for a strong 2022 season. All but two players had freshman eligibility for 2021 and could potentially return.

May 6, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College softball team closed out a season that started slowly, but showed promise for next year with many players likely to return. The team dropped a pair of games to Lake Michigan College to end the season with a 6-26 record, finishing in eighth place in the Michigan Community College Athletic Association’s Western Conference. The Red Hawks won the games 9-8 and 6-2.  In the first game, the Red Hawks battled back from an 8-7 seventh-inning deficit to win the first game 9-8, and were 6-2 winner in the night cap. GRCC developed power as the season progressed. Marlo Abbey and Taylor Cross both hit home runs in the double header, following a twin bill against Glen Oaks where the team hit a season high seven home runs, including two each from Alexis Nguyen and Mariah Redding. Five members of the team finished batting .300 or better for the season, led by second-year player Brooklynne Siewertsen, who batted .373. The third basemen also led the team with 31 hits, five stolen bases and an on base percentage of .418.  The slugger also struck out just once in 100 plate appearances. Sophomore Alexa Abrahamson was second on the team with a .319 batting average as well as being the Raiders ace on the mound with 102.2 innings pitched and a 3-1 strikeout to walk ratio with 63 strikeouts and only 20 walks. Abrahamson also had a slugging percentage of .553, good for second best on the team. On the mound, she pitched a two-hit shutout to preserve a 1-0 victory over Ancilla College on April 24. Abrahamson pitched a no-hitter in 2019. Nguyen, Cross and Krin Beach played and started in all 32 games this season. Nguyen led the team in many categories, topping all Raiders with six homers, 30 runs, eight doubles, two triples, 20 RBI and a 628-slugging percentage. Cross finished the season with a .303 average and was second on the team with five home runs and 19 RBI, and third with a .506 slugging percentage. Haley Van Huis finished at a solid .306 clip and finished with the second most hits with 30, and second in doubles with four.

May 6, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Grand Rapids Community College basketball player Shonyah Hawkins was named a Division II, second team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association, the latest accolade in a season that included a national tournament appearance. Hawkins, a sophomore point guard from Grand Rapids, brought energy and intensity to the court, earning Player of the Year honors from the Michigan Community College Athletic Association’s Western Conference. “Shonyah is a talented and determined student-athlete, and very deserving of this honor,” GRCC Interim Athletic Director David Selmon said. “We’re proud of her, and also proud of our coaches and her teammates. The Raiders had a fantastic season, and we have a great program.”  Hawkins helped guide the Raiders to a 12-5 season record, a second-place finish in the conference, a district championship and a national tournament appearance – the program’s first since 1978. The Grand Rapids Catholic Central graduate led the Raiders in points per game, 14.1; steals, 61; and minutes per game, 30.4.  She was second on the team in assists with 57. “Shonyah’s performance on the court throughout the season played a major role in the team’s overall success, so for her to be honored as an NJCAA All-American is well deserved,” said Coach David Glazier, who earned Coach of the Year for the NJCAA’s District C, Great Lakes Conference. “I am proud of Shonyah’s accomplishments on the floor and thankful to have had a front row seat for her special season.  She has raised the standard for future Raiders!” Hawkins is the fourth GRCC women’s basketball team to earn athletic All-American honors. Brittany Bueche was named to the second team in 2008-2009, Autumn Kuhtic was named to the third team in 2003-2004, and Valerie Streelman was named to the first team in 1980-1981. Hawkins last month was named to the All-Region and All-MCCAA teams and joined teammates Jayla Bibbs and Eurasia Green-Boyd on the All-Defensive team.

May 5, 2021, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Shades of Blue, Grand Rapids Community College’s vocal jazz ensemble, is planning an outdoor concert on Friday to safely share live music with an audience for the first time in more than year. The Jazz on the Lawn performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on May 7 outside the GRCC Library and Learning Commons. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets and health screening forms are required and must be acquired in advance. They are available here . The college is following strict safety protocols, including requiring guests to wear face coverings and complete a health screening form. “I wanted to find a way to do a live concert safely because most of us haven't experienced live music in 15 months, and a music ensemble isn't really complete until it's sharing music with an audience,” professor Jed Scott said. “the students in Shades of Blue have worked so hard to master difficult music this year under challenging circumstances.” Shades of Blue is a vocal jazz ensemble consisting of eight to 14 singers accompanied by a rhythm section of piano, bass, drums and other instruments as needed. The ensemble over the years has received national and international recognition, and has performed at Carnegie Hall. Scott said the class has operated remotely for most of the year, including performances that included students singing separately and edited together . The class’ first in-person rehearsal was March 16. Students were indoors, in the choral rehearsal room with microphones enabling them to safely social distance and sing quietly, to spread fewer aerosols. The room also was emptied for 15 minutes every 30, moving outside or elsewhere to keep singing. Shades of Blue will be presenting three group numbers. “Centerpiece,” from the group Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross; an a capella version of the Real Group’s “Bumble Bee;” and “Can't We Be Friends” as recorded by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. In addition, five singers will be presenting solos that they prepared for a Zoom masterclass with Dr. Kate Reid, head of the Jazz Voice Department at the University of Miami. Shades of Blue will be joined by the Fred Knapp Trio. Knapp is a GRCC Music Department alumnus, and will be joined by local jazz musicians David Proulx and Rob Hartman.

May 5, 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. Alex Estrada always liked to play around with fixing cars. After attending two semesters of credit classes, Alex knew that this way not the path for him. “I tried taking a more traditional approach but it just wasn’t right for me. I wanted something I could get done fairly quickly that would really get my foot in the door” Indonesia Carpenter, also started out on the pathway her mom wanted her to take. She took some general education classes at GRCC then pursued an engineering degree at Ferris State University. “It was just really bad timing. I was living in the dorms and taking all of my classes online due to COVID. I met no one. I started thinking more about what I really want to do and I kept coming back to automotive technology. My grandpa worked on cars. He was his own boss and it gave him so much freedom. That is what I want to do.” Both Estrada and Carpenter are students in the Automotive Technology Job Training program at GRCC. Both are doing well and loving it. “Mr. B (Prof. Gayl Beals) is so great! He makes it easy to understand and sets goals that you can really achieve.” Estrada said. “The hands-on part of class is just fun. I wish we had class on Fridays!” Carpenter said, “I can remember taking a tour of the M-TEC in the seventh grade and thinking it was really cool! Now, what I really like is not only am I learning skills that I need, but everyone is so kind. The teacher and other students are always so helpful.” The Job Training Automotive Technician Program prepares students to diagnose, service and maintain automotive and light trucks. Students become certified through the State of Michigan in brakes, suspension, heating/air conditioning and electrical systems. In 2016, GRCC became the only location in Michigan to partner with Chrysler Fiat to provide MOPAR CAP Level One Certification – giving you an opportunity to acquire this valuable credential as well. Participants also gain knowledge in automotive repair facility policies, procedures and safety. Training is provided in a combination of classroom activities and hands-on instruction using advanced tools, equipment and facilities. Students perform service, repairs and maintenance on customer vehicles and on GRCC training vehicles. Michigan Mechanic Certification tests will be administered after each program module is completed. 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. Additional information is at grcc.edu/programs/job-workforce-training .

May 3, 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. Go Green! Go White! Go … Raiders? The person credited with transforming Michigan State University from a regional undergraduate institution to a research university known around the world actually got his start at what was then Grand Rapids Junior College. John Hannah served as MSU president from 1941 until 1969. He also held a number of important posts in the federal government, serving Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan. Hannah was born in Grand Rapids in 1902 and attended GRJC from 1919 to 1921. He then attended University of Michigan for two years, and wrapped up his bachelor’s degree from what is now Michigan State University in 1923. According to the MSU historical site “ On the Banks of the Red Cedar, ” Hannah’s first job was with MSU’s Extension Service as a poultry specialist. He took a break to become managing director of the National Poultry Breeders and Hatchery Committee, formed as part of the National Recovery Act. He returned to MSU in 1934, and became the twelfth president in 1941. Under his leadership and with his vision, the university grew from about 6,000 students to about 40,000. He’s credited with upgrading the curriculum, adding adult education, a campus in Oakland, the international program and the medical program. Hannah's government service included serving as assistant secretary of Defense, chairman of the Commission on Civil Rights, chairman of the United States Section of the Permanent Joint Board on Defense, and administrator of the Agency for International Development. MSU’s administration building is named in his honor, and the university erected a seven-foot statue of Hannah as part of its sesquicentennial celebration in 2004. Also, on his resume – a 1964 GRCC Distinguished Alumni Award. Let GRCC help you start your story. The first chapter starts at grcc.edu/apply . And tell us your story here: grcc.edu/communications/shareyourgrccstory