Author: Mark Rummel

Alumni Spotlight: Shelby Pfefferle

Current or most recent title and employer?
Senior Associate, Brady Martz & Associates, P.C.

How did SC4 help prepare you?
My professors led me on the right track to transferring to a four-year university to help me pursue my career in accounting.

What do you like most about what you do professionally?
All of it! I worked closely with clients from different businesses and help them handle financials on a monthly basis.

Did you transfer on and earn other degrees? If so, what degrees and from where?
I earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northwood University (Midland).

SC4 student perseveres, gains confidence on path to nursing career

“This isn’t working for me. I want more. I want to go back to school.”

Amber Fields—a single, working mom and caretaker without a high school diploma—remembers the day in 2018 she officially set her sights on becoming a nurse.  

“I was working dead-end jobs and was tired and burned out,” Fields said. “I’ve always wanted to help people and needed a change. I started searching paths, first to earn a GED. I came across 2GEN Learning Center and was met with immediate encouragement, love, and the support I didn’t even know I needed. It was my first step in becoming a nurse and I didn’t have to take it alone.”

2GEN, which “moves families toward economic security by improving educational attainment and addressing the non-academic barriers hindering success,” helped Fields get started.

“My son attended with me, attending developmental child care,” the mom of three said. “It took me about five to six months to pass, but I got my GED in February 2019.”

From there, Fields turned her focus to enrolling at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) and applying to its Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) program.

“I filled out a lot of scholarship applications thanks to the help and support of my 2GEN family and the Community Foundation,” she said. “I was surprised to learn that I ended up getting every scholarship I filled out!”

Fields enrolled at SC4 beginning in fall 2019, taking prerequisite courses needed for the nursing program. She applied and was accepted into the nursing program in 2021, but had some difficulty in one class in particular.

“Unfortunately, I ended up failing the class,” said Fields, who had also started work as a full-time nurse aide at McLaren Port Huron. “That meant I had to wait until the next year to reapply to the program. So that’s what I did.”

She persevered and restarted her journey last fall. Since then, she’s continued on her path and even has been recognized for her efforts in the program. In April 2023, she was selected as the winner of the Faculty Memorial Award continuing student, an honor chosen by the SC4 faculty and presented at the Student Recognition Ceremony.

“I’ve gotten so much confidence going back to school and going to SC4,” she said. “The classes are small and you get really close with the professors. They know you and are very willing to help you through issues and with problems.”

Fields expects to graduate from SC4 with her ADN in 2024—and already is looking into where to pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

“Nothing worthwhile is easy, you just have to keep moving,” Fields said. “My dreams are coming true. I’m looking forward to heading into a rewarding career as an RN.”

For more information about applying to SC4 and registering for courses, contact the SC4 Admissions team at (810) 989-5571 or starthere@sc4.edu. For more information about financial aid and scholarships—including Michigan Reconnect, a last-dollar scholarship program that pays for adult learners 25 and older to attend SC4 for free or at a reduced cost—contact SC4 Financial Aid at  financialaid@sc4.edu or call (810) 989-5530.

Photo credit: 2GEN Learning Center

Alumni Spotlight: Amy Robinson

Current or most recent title and employer?
VP, CFO & CAO, Board Treasurer, the Kresge Foundation

How did SC4 help prepare you?
I was just sharing with a colleague that though I had full scholarship offers from four-year institutions back in the mid-80’s, I was engaged coming out of high school so I wanted to stay in the local area and also thought starting in a smaller environment would better support my transition to full-time college student. SC4 was the perfect place for me, with excellent instructors, caring staff and a curriculum that supported my desire to enter into finance/business as my major. My accounting class at SC4 was pivotal in my desire to major in accounting at Walsh, where I transferred to on a full scholarship due to the preparation I received at SC4. I later became a CPA, a career goal of mine from early on.

What do you like most about what you do professionally?
Without hesitation – the people. I am blessed with the best job ever, and to say that after 25 years with the same organization is impressive. I work with the best staff, leadership team and board, who push me to use all of my personal and professional skills to think and act in new and different ways to support our mission and those we serve. The work is challenging, wide-ranging and always changing to meet the needs of our grantees/investees.

The Kresge Foundation is a private, national foundation that, with our work grounded in equity, works to expand opportunities in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing. In collaboration with our partners, we help create pathways for people with low incomes to improve their life circumstances and join the economic mainstream. I get to use my skills, whether that be in accounting, tax, operations management, mentoring, etc., to support that mission.

Did you transfer on and earn other degrees? If so, what degrees and from where?
After SC4, I transferred to Walsh and earned by BACCT. I also am a CPA. Full bio here: https://kresge.org/person/amy-b-robinson/