April 27, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Grand Rapids Community College hurler Jerad Berkenpas, who has the best earned run average in the nation, was named Michigan Community College Athletic Association Northern Conference Player of the Week Berkenpas, who earned NJCAA All-American honors last year, is now 5-1. His 0.46 ERA is best in the NJCAA’s DII – and nearly a full run better than the closest competitor. Opponents are batting just .163 against him.  "Jerad competes at a very high level week in and week out," pitching coach Pat Clark said. "It's no surprise that he earned this award based on the way he has dominated his opponents this year." Berkenpas earned his fifth win of the season, shutting out Muskegon on Friday. He allowed just three hits and struck out nine while walking one. This is Berkenpas' third time earning conference player of the week honors. The baseball team is now 26-11 overall and in first place in the conference with an 18-2 record.  It begins its final conference series of the season today at Bay College with its first game starting at 2 p.m.   This story was reported by Ben Brown.

April 27, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Olivia Margo Anderson and Stephen Abid, who attended Grand Rapids Junior College then spent their careers changing the lives of generations of students, will be honored during Friday’s commencement ceremonies. GRCC is planning two ceremonies on Friday, April 28, with the students in the School of Liberal Arts and the School of STEM celebrated at 4 p.m. Students in the School of Business and Industry and the School of Health Sciences will be honored at a 7:30 p.m. ceremony. Both events will be at the Gerald R. Ford Fieldhouse, 111 Lyon St. NE in Grand Rapids. Anderson will be saluted with the Distinguished Alumna Award.   She started her education at what was then Grand Rapids Junior College and transferred to Western Michigan University. She later earned three master’s degrees from Western, in Elementary Education; in Counseling and Personnel; and in Educational Leadership. A lifelong educator, Anderson worked 32 years in the Grand Rapids Public Schools as an elementary teacher, high school counselor, assistant principal and elementary principal. She retired from GRPS in 2000, and was elected to the GRCC board of trustees a year later, serving through 2014 and holding several leadership roles. Anderson focused on inclusion and equity during her time on the board, working to ensure a life-changing education was within reach of all residents. Beyond her decades of serving the children in Kent County, Anderson is a 50-year, life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., a lifelong member and trustee of First Community AME Church, Grand Rapids Women's History Council, YWCA, and as an Urban League of West Michigan board member. She earned the 1991 Phyllis Scott Activist GIANT Award and a Tribute Award from the YWCA. Abid will be honored with the Faculty Emeritus Award. He was a professor and leader at GRCC for 27 years. He’s known for his passion for teaching and care for his students – one ever referred to him as her “angel professor” for his efforts to help her be successful. “For many of our students, GRCC is their first, best option, but for more than a few, we are their last, best option,” he wrote upon retiring in 2020. “So, my goal was to help them to see that they can achieve their goals and I am happy to facilitate that!” Abid came to what was then Grand Rapids Junior College as a student in 1973, where he often noted he earned a degree and met his wife. Abid was a high school teacher for 16 years and taught as an adjunct instructor before returning to GRCC full time in 1993 to teach economics. He served in a variety of leadership roles at the college, and remains active, serving on the Grand Rapids Community College Foundation Board of Directors, to help the next generations.

April 26, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- David Lockington, music director laureate for the Grand Rapids Symphony, will take the baton for the first half of the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra’s May 5 concert, an event leaders say will shine a light on the program and inspire others to participate. The concert will feature a double concerto for violin and viola, with internationally known musician Dylana Jenson on violin and GRCC music professor and KPO director Libor Ondras on viola during the first half. Tickets are available online at $14 for adults and $7 for seniors, veterans and children over 12. Children under 12, high school students and GRCC students are admitted free. The event is at the St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave. NE in Grand Rapids. Ondras will take the reins in the second half of the concert, and he said that having two big names from the world of music in Lockington and Jenson return to Grand Rapids is quite a coup. “It’s not the first time they will be with us, but it is a thrill every time they perform,” he said. “We are not a professional orchestra, so we can’t afford to pay what managed performers demand. But David and Dylana come in because of their passion and because they want to serve the community. And we are grateful.” Ondras first reached out to Lockington and Jenson, who are married, when he came to GRCC in 2014, and for the past decade he has collaborated with the couple, including a string trio that he said they jokingly call the LiDyDa Trio based on the first two letters of their first names. Lockington became the Grand Rapids Symphony’s music director in 1999 and served in the role for 16 seasons. The New York Times once referred to the symphony under his leadership “being a model in the classical music world.” Jenson was a child prodigy, and started studying violin with her mother before she was three years old.  She made her debut at age 8, appeared on a Jack Benny television special a year later. She made her Carnegie Hall concert debut in 1980, and has played with orchestras around the world. The contributions Lockington and Jenson have made to the KPO have not gone unnoticed by its members, Ondras added, and have been in keeping with the KPO ethos. “We are 65 members from all walks of life and all ages,” he said. “We are a mixture of GRCC students and alumni and professionals. But we are united by a passion and a willingness to contribute to the best of our abilities, and there is a sense of community and camaraderie in the ensemble. We help each other grow, and we celebrate our accomplishments.” Patty O’Haire Mogor, the KPO’s Executive Board president, said she is excited to play alongside Lockington and Jenson, and believes their participation with the KPO will inspire amateur musicians to perform, learn more about music and become part of Grand Rapids’ musical community. “For me personally, I never dreamed that I would play my violin in an orchestra with connections to such tremendous talent!” she said. “It has been such a gift to participate as a member of the Kent Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Libor Ondras who is an incredible international performer in his own right and inspiring conductor that connects and guides us and makes it an absolute joy to be there.” Membership in KPO requires an audition with Ondras and also requires enrollment to GRCC with a $20 enrollment fee each semester for all members. GRCC provides funding for the conductor, rehearsal space and more, and the KPO provides the balance of its funding through ticket sales, donations and fundraising. Concerts are presented in Royce Auditorium at the St. Cecilia Music Center, a collaborative partner with GRCC, as well as other Grand Rapids area venues. In Ondras, the KPO has an accomplished conductor at the helm. He began his studies as a recipient of the Slovak Ministry of Culture fellowship to study viola at the prestigious Moscow Conservatory with Yuri Bashmet. To further his career and experience, Ondras continued his studies at the Academy of Music Arts in Prague and then completed his M.M and D.M.A. degrees at the University of Houston. Among the highlights of his graduate studies years are fellowships at the Pacific Music Festival established by Leonard Bernstein (Japan), the Aspen Music Festival, the National Orchestral Institute (University of Maryland), Encore (Cleveland Institute of Music), and Sir George Solti's Carnegie Hall Project.  This story was reported by Phil de Haan.

April 26, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- A showing of the award-winning film “CODA” and a panel discussion afterwards had special significance for Grand Rapids Community College adjunct professor Rowan O’Dougherty. The event was organized by local nonprofit Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at Wealthy Theatre as part of Deaf History Month celebrations. O’Dougherty is Deaf, teaches American Sign Language and Deaf Culture classes at GRCC and has been president of the D&HHS board since 2018. He also had many of his ASL2 and Introduction to Deaf Culture students at the event as part of a special, end-of-the-semester field trip. Prior to the show and panel discussion, those students gathered around O’Dougherty, chatting with him in ASL and smiling as they witnessed him working the room in his role as D&HHS board president. And they spoke enthusiastically about his classes at GRCC. Sophia VanderWilp is finishing her senior year of high school and first year at GRCC and taking ASL and Deaf culture classes alongside a number of her general education credits. She said she “sort of fell into” Dougherty’s classes, and it was love at first sight. “Rowan is an amazing teacher,” she said. “I’ve learned so much.” And A.J. Bunker, a local Realtor, has taken both ASL2 and Deaf Culture with O’Dougherty as part of efforts to become fluent in ASL and offer an option to area Deaf home buyers and sellers that is in short supply. “A lot of Deaf people can benefit from a Realtor who can speak their language,” she said. Megan Wilson, a Forest Hills Central senior who took ASL for three years in high school, now has taken both ASL1 and ASL2 at GRCC. She plans to attend GRCC full time the next two years, then transfer to Madonna University to do a bachelor’s degree in sign language interpreting before heading to Gallaudet University for a master's degree. “I love everything about my classes (at GRCC),” she said with a broad smile. “And Rowan is a phenomenally good teacher. Taking these classes, I have really fallen in love with the language and the (Deaf) community.” She also knows that sign language interpreting is a career that is in high demand. The demand for ASL interpreters is expected to increase by approximately 24% by 2030, according to GRCC estimates. That’s why the college is creating pathways for students who want to work as interpreters. O’Dougherty is fully onboard with anything that gets more ASL interpreters into the pipeline. And he said he appreciates his students and loves teaching at GRCC, where he began in 2008, and teaches three ASL courses, the Introduction to Deaf Culture course and a course on Fingerspelling and Numbers. “My hope when I teach is for the students to have a clear sense of what Deaf culture is and is not,” he said. “I also hope to encourage them to serve as allies for the Deaf community.” He said the same during a panel discussion after the film featuring another Deaf adult and fellow D&HHS board member and three CODAs (Children of Deaf Adults). Moderated by D&HHS executive director Deb Atwood, the discussion gave those who stayed to gain personal insights into some of what they had just watched on the big screen. It was great, O’Dougherty said, to have his GRCC and D&HHS worlds come together for the film and panel discussion. “It was a lot of fun, and it gave my students an event they could use for their reaction papers,” he said with a smile. “Field trips are always good, and I am hoping they got a lot of insights from both the Deaf and CODA perspectives during the panel.” O'Dougherty’s expertise is recognized statewide. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer this month appointed him to serve on the Michigan Board of Interpreters for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing. The board was created to help streamline the sign language interpreter certification process and will advise the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on all matters related to the certification of interpreters and the administration of the Deaf Persons’ Interpreters Act. O’Dougherty was appointed April 6 to represent individuals who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing for a term expiring Dec. 31, 2026. This story was reported by Phil de Haan.

April 25, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – There is still time for four-year college and university students to enroll at Grand Rapids Community College as summer guest students, helping them earn affordable credits to transfer and stay on track to graduate. More than 1,120 guest students already are enrolled for GRCC’s Summer 2023 semester, which starts on May 8. The guests account for about 20 percent of all summer students so far. Students can take advantage of GRCC’s more affordable tuition, smaller class sizes, and outstanding faculty members. GRCC provides classes in-person and online, with the ability to schedule around home and work responsibilities. GRCC is part of the Michigan Transfer Agreement with public and private schools across the state, allowing most credits to transfer easily. Students should first check with their home institution’s course equivalency guide to ensure that GRCC courses will transfer back. Eligible students can use their Grand Rapids Promise Zone scholarship, which covers tuition and other expenses, as a guest student at GRCC.  “Our guest students have home colleges and universities, but we want them to know there is a place for them at GRCC, too,” said Lori Cook, associate dean of access and first year success. “We offer in-person and online classes, which makes it easier for students to schedule around summer jobs, internships and other activities. GRCC credits are accepted across the state, which is a reflection of the quality of our faculty and programs.” GRCC’s in-district tuition rate is $118 per credit hour, helping students minimize student loan debt. Classes are available at the Main Campus in Grand Rapids and the GRCC Lakeshore Campus in Holland. Students can keep on track to graduate or even get ahead by earning summer credits. The schedule also offers students the ability to focus on one or two classes at a time. Additional information is available at grcc.edu/gueststudents . Students may apply online, or call (616) 234-3300 or email admissions@grcc.edu for additional information.

April 24, 2023, TWIN LAKE, Mich. – Drew Harrington led the Grand Rapids Community College golf team to its third tournament championship of the season, winning the Muskegon Spring Invitational on Monday. Although GRCC tied with host Muskegon Community College with a score of 321, the Raiders won the championship because their No. 5 golfer was two strokes better than Muskegon's No. 5.  "Weather was brutal today, being windy and cold, but the Raiders did an outstanding job managing their games through it,"  head coach John Forton said. "We won today because we preach, 'Believe and you will succeed.'" Harrington shot a 79, placing him fifth overall in a field of 41 MCCAA golfers at the Stonegate Golf Club. Logan Palmater of St. Clair County Community College was the medalist shooting a 74. Sophomores Conner Oman and Sam Foss also finished in the top 10 with a score of 80.  Ty Marchlewski finished the Raiders’ scoring with a score of 82. GRCC’s other  tournament championships were Oct. 6 and April 14, both at Glen Oaks Community College. The team will resume conference play on April 28 at the St. Clair County Invitational.  This story was reported by Ben Brown.

April 24, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Sophia Brewer didn’t plan on being a librarian, or even living in Michigan. But she’s now confident she is where she is supposed to be. Brewer, GRCC’s reference and collection development librarian, shared her story and commitment to helping people find resources to be successful on a recent episode of the “Speaking of Teaching” podcast. “Speaking of Teaching,” in its second season, was created by the GRCC Teaching, Learning and Distance Education Department, with hosts Meg Lockhard, Rachel Lutwick-Deaner and Ian Matthews. Raised by a single mother in McComb, Miss., Brewer was put in charge of raising her younger brothers and sisters while her mother battled addictions. “My mother told me I had to leave or I would become her,” she said, adding that it was difficult for her mother to say that, but knew it would be the best thing for Brewer. She attended Jackson State University in Mississippi. “That’s where I started to dream.” Brewer thought about studying nursing, but quickly realized that was not her path. She instead studied education, and considered a move to Kalamazoo for a job. That didn’t work out for personal reasons, but came to Grand Rapids to be near relatives and found jobs at the YWCA and the Grand Rapids Public Library. She would frequently walk through the GRCC campus while working at the public library, and grab a bite in the Raider Grill. Taking part in a community project, she got to know a GRCC librarian who told her about an adjunct position. She started fulltime at the college in 2014. “I think I’m where I’m supposed to be,” she said. “By force or by choice, we are where we are supposed to be. We should sit in whatever moment we are in and figure out what we are supposed to be doing at that particular moment.” Brewer said she enjoys the interaction with students. “In general, I try to hone in on a certain skill set, and the No. 1 skill is to listen,” she said. “The best way to ensure you are welcoming and inclusive and honoring everyone is to listen, to pay attention to that person who is in front of you, or to what that instructor wants in that particular class, and try to live in that moment.” Brewer was elected to be one of the Michigan Library Association’s three new directors-at-large, a move she said is a logical progression in a career that has been marked by a love for libraries. The Michigan Library Association is the state’s oldest and largest library association, serving the library profession for more than 130 years. The organization supports more than 2,000 libraries throughout Michigan from public, academic, school and special libraries, as well as organizations that are supportive of libraries. The group advances the profession through sharing of best practices, innovative ideas and new programs and services that benefit library personnel, library patrons and the communities it serves. She also has served as a board member and presenter for the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council and is a member of the Grand Rapids Civilians Appeals Board, which she joined in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd. And she writes a regular column for the Grand Rapids Times, founded in 1957 and the oldest existing weekly publication targeted to Black communities in Grand Rapids. “Speaking of Teaching” is available here , and on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and other popular podcast hosts.    

April 23, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS Mich. – The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team rallied back from a 9-1 deficit, but had its 17-game win streak snapped by rival Muskegon Community college. The softball team fared better, with Izzy Regner and Alyssa Wierenga helping the team to a 4-1 victory and a win of the season series against Muskegon. The baseball team, now 26-11 overall and 18-2 in the conference, was down 5-0 and 9-1 at points during the game. A grand slam by Fernando Rivera-Calderon in the sixth inning brought the team to within a run. But Muskegon tacked on two insurance runs to win 14-11. GRCC out-hit the Jayhawks 13-12, but had three errors to just one for the visitors. Zacarias Salinas led the offensive attack going three-for-four from the plate with two runs batted in. Rivera-Calderon, Jake Gumieny and Xander Reisbig all had two hits, with Rivera-Calderon having five RBI. The softball team improved its record to 19-15 overall and 11-9 in the conference. Wierenga scored GRCC's first run of the game, and had a game-high three hits.    Muskegon tied the game at one with a run in the sixth, but GRCC responded with three two-out runs in the bottom of the inning. The Jayhawks had a chance in the top of the seventh with the first two batters reaching base, but Regner retired the final three batters to secure the victory. Regner is now 16-3 on the year and has won 11 straight games since taking a loss on March 30. She has a 1.02 ERA and after 34 strikeouts against Muskegon this series, she has a staggering 222 punch outs for the year. The baseball team is scheduled to play a nine-inning game against Kellogg Community College on April 25.  The softball team will be back on the field April 28 when it begins its final conference series of the season at Bay College.  This story was written by Ben Brown.

April 22, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS Mich. –  Aaron Bess and Andres Rivera-Calderon helped the Grand Rapids Community College baseball team win its 16th and 17th consecutive games with walk-off hits in extra innings against conference rival Muskegon Community College on Saturday. The softball team split its doubleheader, with Izzy Regner picking up her 15 th win of the season. Bess' sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th inning gave GRCC a 3-2 opening day victory that took nearly four hours. GRCC (26-10, 18-1) led 2-1 before Muskegon tied the game in the fifth inning. Both teams were scoreless for the next five innings before Bess' bases loaded sacrifice fly won the game for the Raiders. Jake Guminey led the team with three of team’s GRCC’s 12 hits. Caden VanDeBurg pitched the final five innings for GRCC to pick up his first win of the season.  He allowed just three hits while striking out seven. GRCC rallied from being down 5-1 after three innings, but won the nightcap 6-5 in eight innings. Fernando Rivera-Calderon led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple and three batters later his brother Andres singled in the game-winning run.   Blake Waibel picked up the victory in relief of starter Colton Leatherman. The softball team split a doubleheader for the second day in a row. The team got off to a 2-0 lead in the first game of their doubleheader. But in the fifth inning, Muskegon took advantage of three Raider errors and scored six unearned runs to pull ahead 8-2 and hung on to win 8-3. Brynn McArthur had two of the team's three hits. In game two, Regner took a perfect game into the fourth inning, and picked up the win in a 6-5 victory.  The perfect game was broken up after a leadoff bunt single in the fourth. Despite giving up three earned runs, she still struck out 13 batters while walking just one. Lauren James was a perfect three-for-three in the game, including her third home run of the season. Both teams will finish off their season series Sunday at 1 p.m.   This story was reported by Ben Brown.

April 21, 2023, GRAND RAPIDS Mich. –   The Grand Rapids Community College baseball team continues its dominance, now winners of 15 in a row after a doubleheader sweep over conference rival Muskegon Community College on Friday. Izzy Regner won her 14th game of the year as the softball team split its doubleheader. The golf team also was in action, finishing in fourth place at the Jackson Invitational. For the baseball team, 2022 All-American pitcher Jerad Berkenpas added another complete game shutout to his resume after his team won 8-0 in the opener. Berkenpas, 5-1, allowed just three hits while striking out nine and walking just one. Reigning Northern Conference player of the week Fernando Rivera-Calderon led the offense, going three-for-three with three runs scored.  Seven other Raiders recorded a hit, including Jacob Gumieny, who launched a three-run home run in the GRCC’s six-run fourth inning. Game two was a pitchers’ duel, with GRCC winning 2-1.  The team scored on a suicide squeeze by Luke Huerta in the second and then on a defensive miscue by the Jayhawks in the fifth inning. Luke Linder, who had two of the team's three hits, had the team’s lone run in the fourth inning. Connor Foley stayed perfect on the year, bringing his record to 5-0 with a complete game. In the softball game, Izzy Regner, 14-3, struck out 10 batters, including the final three, to give her team a 3-1 victory in its opener. GRCC out-hit the Jayhawks eight to five with Jaye Guichelaar leading the way by going three-for-four. Muskegon out-hit the Raiders 16-6 in the nightcap cruising to a 14-3 win in five innings.  Regner and Madi Lemke (two doubles) each had two hits and Samara Kolehouse and Alyssa Wierenga (triple) had the other two. Both teams will be playing Saturday in games three and four of the five-game series against the Jayhawks. The men's golf team was also in action at the Jackson College Invitational with the team finishing in fourth with a team score of 311. Drew Harrington had a great day on the course, finishing with a 74 and fourth-best on the day.  Teammates Brad VandenHout, 78; Zach Basiaga, 79; and Conner Oman, 80; completed the teams scoring.   This story was reported by Ben Brown.