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.    

Oct. 1, 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 Bruné Garcia. As the service and technology coordinator for Student Life and Conduct, Bruné oversees something used by every GRCC student and employee: RaiderCards. RaiderCards are your student ID – and so much more. RaiderCards as part of GRCC’s ongoing commitment to campus safety. RaiderCards can be used for parking, point-of-sale registers on campus, cash-to-card machines, vending machines, printing, and, in some cases, door access. You can use your RaiderCard to check out materials in the Library, access the campus food pantry, and get into the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse and use the GRCC Fitness Center. A RaiderCard also is your ticket to free admission to GRCC sporting events and, through the Go See GR program , also the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids Public Museum, Gerald R. Ford Museum, John Ball Zoo, and Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Bruné also is the main supervisor for the front desk staff at the Student Life and Conduct office where RaiderCards are printed, online photo submissions are approved, and where students can connect with other students through clubs and organizations. As a college student, Bruné remembers choosing GRCC because the tuition was affordable and it was close to where he lived. He started working at GRCC in 2004 as a student in the Ford Fieldhouse as a lifeguard. After graduating from GRCC with an associate degree, Bruné worked in the Enrollment Center while attending Ferris State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Bruné later moved to Student Life and Conduct, where he and his team are ready to help!  As an alum and employee, Bruné knows the ins and outs of GRCC. If you have a question he's unfamiliar with, he and his team will get you to the right person. "The feeling of knowing that I can make a difference is what gets me excited about coming to work here," Bruné says. "What moves me to connect with students is the knowledge that I’m supported by my team.  I'll always have someone to ask for help with finding the right answer." You can connect with Bruné and his team in the Student Life office on the first floor of GRCC's Student Center.   

Sept. 30, 2021 GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Not only did all the students in Grand Rapids Community College’s Radiologic Technology program pass their certification exam – they passed on their first attempt! Students have a year after earning their Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences in Radiologic Technology to pass the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists exam. With the success of a GRCC student taking the exam in June, the class of 2020 has a 100% passing rate with all 18 graduates. GRCC Radiologic Technology students take five clinical courses at area hospitals – putting them on the front lines as essential workers during the pandemic, noted program director Julie Lackscheide. “All radiographers come in contact with COVID 19 patients on a daily basis,” she said. “They are one of the first contacts for patients, performing diagnostic testing to assist in their treatment plan. With the many challenges the pandemic brought to the tail end of their education, our students found support in each other, along with their clinical sites. We are very proud of how our students met these challenges and grateful for the support they receive from our healthcare community. They are wonderful additions to our profession." GRCC’s program, accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, prepares students for certification in general radiography, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.