Month:

SC4 was the perfect way to transition from high school to college for alumnus Aaron Davis

Aaron Davis makes a difference in people’s lives everyday as a pharmacist at Meijer. That commitment to work to help others was supported by the examples he saw while a student at St. Clair County Community College.

“Janice Fritz and Joe Gibbons both sparked my interest in science and were instrumental in my acceptance to, and success in, pharmacy school,” Davis said. “I remember the passion that Dr. Fritz had for teaching and the excitement she would bring to her lectures. Anatomy and Physiology was my favorite course I took in my entire collegiate career.”

“I also fondly remember spending hours with Professor Gibbons in the chemistry lab discussing not just the course material but also life experiences,” he continued. “These professors were more than teachers to me; they were sources of inspiration as well as friendly faces I could confide in. They deserve so much recognition for the incredible work they do.”

Davis, a 2009 graduate of Marysville High School, chose SC4 for several reasons, including its convenient location close to his home and the overall cost of community college tuition.

“Going to SC4 allowed me to work full time while also enrolling in classes full time,” Davis explained. “I was able to build my schedule around everything else I had going on in my life. I got a great education for a fraction of the cost of attending a university right out of high school. I completed the majority of my prerequisite courses without having to take any student loans.”

Class size and individual attention also factored into Davis’s decision to attend SC4.

“I believe the opportunity to receive that attention from my professors was something that furthered my education beyond what a university could offer,” he said. “I spent more one-on-one time with my teachers at SC4 than I did during the rest of my undergrad and pharmacy school classes combined.”

Davis transferred to Wayne State University in 2012 and completed his bachelor’s degree and then completed his Doctorate in Pharmacy degree in 2017. He currently works at Meijer Pharmacy.

“My profession allows me to work closely with patients and make a positive impact on their lives,” Davis said. “I am an easily-accessible resource for anyone in the community to seek out advice. That brings me great career satisfaction that I can’t imagine getting in any other way.”

Davis highly recommends community college as a starting point for any student starting their college journey.

“Community colleges allow people from all walks of life the chance to improve their lives through education and experience,” Davis said. “Many barriers that exist at universities can be overcome by institutions like SC4. Students with families, full-time jobs, or other financial burdens can find an education at SC4.”

“SC4 is the perfect way to transition from high school to college,” he continued. “Community colleges offer the same prerequisite courses that universities do, but at a fraction of the cost and with a much better opportunity to receive individual attention from educators.”

TRIO Student of the Month — Ann Mole

Ann Mole had some information from an insider when she decided to return to school to pursue a degree in graphic design: Her husband.

“He would talk about how much his instructors cared and helped him to achieve his goals,” she said, “so I chose to attend SC4, too.”

The TRIO Student Support Services program has proved to be an important part of Mole’s educational journey at SC4, and it’s provided extra support and encouragement for her when needed.

“The one-on-one advisor appointments gave me the encouragement to get through the semester,” Mole explained. “I’m grateful to Shawne Jowett, Amy Hengehold, and Jessica Brown, who I could always talk to when I needed somebody.”

“My graphic design instructor, Craig DesJardins, also helped to build up my confidence,” she continued. “Andrea Coleman helped me with my grammar and suggested the Grammarly program, which was very helpful. Adobe Creative Cloud software was new to me when I started, but with help from the instructors and other students, I was able to overcome that barrier.”

Mole would recommend the TRIO program to other students because of the feeling of support she’s received that has helped her reach her goals at SC4.

“Along with my husband, the TRIO program helped build up my confidence,” she said.

She’s planning to return to the classroom next year to continue toward her bachelor’s degree in graphic design. For her successful decision to return to school, Ann Mole is the March 2021 TRIO Student of the Month. Congratulations!

Spending money part 1

During the past few weeks, we have discussed the first component of financial literacy, earning.

The next segment we will explore is spending. By this point, you should be aware of where your income derives from and how much of it is disposable/available to use for whatever you desire. In a perfect world, all our money would be disposable and never-ending.

Who doesn’t like to spend money? That is its purpose, correct? Wrong. In and of itself, money has no real value. It is as valuable as we make it to be. Money’s purpose is not for frivolous spending,

“Money derives its value by virtue of its functions: as a medium of exchange, a unit of measurement, and a storehouse for wealth” (Beattie, 2020).

Daryl Singleton
Daryl Singleton

Now that we have a general understanding of money, let’s look closely at its function.

Spending money should be a well thought-out process. A process that affords you the ability to use it as a tool and not a precious possession. Spending can “be regarded as complementary to personal saving, investment spending, and production in an economy” (Investopedia Staff, 2020). In layman’s terms, spending money is/should be the perfect way to increase your overall value.

You may be reading this and thinking, “that makes no sense,” and you are correct. In this current mindset, it is insane. However, it would be best if you let go of the current definition of “spending.” Money is not spent; it is used. The value lies in what you are gaining due to using it as a point of exchange. Are you exchanging it to grow your savings, assets (anything with value) and fuel the economy so that you can make more?

It’s the idea of your money should be making money for you. If your money is not making money for you, it is not that you don’t have enough. But could it be that you don’t budget well? Good budgeting and planning are the bedrock of good spending. Budgeting is just planning how you will spend money so that you able to meet your financial goals. During the next seven days, please take a moment and seriously consider your monetary objectives, write them down.

Next week we will be taking a closer look at budgeting so that you can reach those goals. Let’s build!

References:
Staff, I. (2020, December 30). Consumer spending definition. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/consumer-spending.asp

Beatie, A. (2020, July 17). The History of Money from Barter to Banknotes. Retrieved February 25, 2021, from https://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/roots_of_money.asp

Earning money vs. making money part 2

Financial Literacy is broad and deep. There is much to be understood and gained from seeking the understanding of being financially responsible. This week we will continue in exploring the first component of financial Literacy – earn.

Now that we are aware of what it means to earn money, let us examine making money. Making money is what the “American Dream” is all about. It is the cornerstone of American capitalism, entrepreneurship. For the sake of staying on topic, we will dig deeper into capitalism in a later blog. Making is “when you use your own time and energy and a bit of creativity once and get paid over and over and over again” (Donati, 2020). It is your dream and passion on display in ownership form. Making money is when you are independent of another source for financial growth.

Daryl Singleton
Daryl Singleton

Making money can look several ways. For example, observing a societal need and providing it need repeatedly is making money. Bottling water – think of how society has benefited greatly from one idea and think of how much money that person has made and will continue to make. That one idea has placed that person in the driver’s seat of their life related to financial wellbeing. Other examples are writing a book, starting a business by meeting a small local need, or in this digital age of being a social media influencer.

In the finance world, this is referenced as passive income. Any entrepreneur would express that there is nothing passive about making money freely. It takes grit, hard work, and dedication while earning money to keep producing cash, but it’s attainable. What is the takeaway? In whatever way you choose to get your money, be sure that it is decent. Be sure it pulls you just a little closer to financial freedom. Earning from an entity provides you with the safety net and surety that you will have an income for hours spent working. It is a great place to start if what you are choosing as an avenue to make money has a slow return. The name of the game is – earn! In all, you do make sure that you are earning. Let’s Build!

Reference:
Donati, E. (2020b, August 25). How to Earn Money vs How to Make Money. Mint.Com. https://mint.intuit.com/blog/personal-finance/yes-earning-money-and-making-money-are-different/