Author: Mark Rummel

PORT HURON, Mich. – Several St. Clair County Community College (SC4) Skippers student-athletes were recently honored with postseason recognition for their performances this winter.

Skippers bowling team member Mackenzie Monier, a sophomore from Algonac, was named a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-American. Monier placed 5^th in the country at the NJCAA National Championship tournament. She is the first SC4 bowler to receive NJCAA All-American honors, and just the 18^th student-athlete in SC4 history to be named a First Team All-American.

Five Skippers basketball players also received postseason recognition. Two first-year players from the women’s team were named to the NJCAA Great Lakes District B All-Tournament team – Bailey Gormley from North Branch, and Amanda Kitchen from Romeo. For the men’s team, Isaiah Jones, a sophomore from Flint, was named the NJCAA Great Lakes District C Tournament MVP, while teammates Tyler Hamilton, a sophomore from Detroit, and Zaveon Little, a sophomore from Albany, New York, were selected to the NJCAA Great Lakes District C All-Tournament team.

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For media inquiries, please contact one of the following:

• Pete Lacey, Senior Vice President, at placey@sc4.edu or 810-989-5561
• Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff, at srutallie@sc4.edu or 810-989-5545

PORT HURON, Mich. – In recognition of March’s Women’s History Month, SC4’s DEI office will host a panel discussion on March 20, 2024, at 6 p.m. in SC4’s Fine Arts Theatre. Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is the theme as the discussion will explore and celebrate the experiences, inspiring perspectives, and achievements of successful leaders in the community.

A diverse representation of panelists will discuss a variety of topics to create a space for networking opportunities while attendees can gain insight on amplifying their personal and professional goals.

2024 SC4 Women’s History Month Panelists:

Brenda Tenniswood has served as St. Clair County RESA’s first female superintendent since July 1, 2022. She started at RESA in 2015 as Director of Education Services to support local districts in instruction, curriculum, and assessment best practices.

Brenda has served on many state-level committees and assisted with the development of the Essential Practices in Early and Elementary Literacy. Before joining RESA, Brenda served as an assistant

superintendent with the East China School District where she was responsible for K-12 curriculum and instruction. She is a passionate advocate for public education.

Kanchan Wankhede serves as the Director of Entrepreneurial Services and currently works for the St. Clair County EDA. She has 25 years of experience working with businesses and organizations in the United States, India, Europe, and Asia. Kanchan has led turnkey projects and HR teams in various businesses such as engineering, auto components, food and retail, and non-profits.

Kanchan has led several diversity initiatives in the organizations for which she has worked. She holds a Master of Human Resources and Organization Development degree. She is a Certified Success Coach and a Certified DEI Trainer who is also certified in DiSC profiling.

Dr. Randa Jundi-Samman, D.M.D was born and raised in Damascus, Syria, and came to the United States at age 22. She received a DDS degree from Damascus University Dental School in 1990 and her DMD degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1993.

Dr. Jundi-Samman has been a General Dentist at Huron Dental in Port Huron since 1994.

She has many years of community leadership, awards, and accomplishments. Some of her community involvement includes serving on Port Huron Area School District’s Endowment Fund advisory board with time as board chair, Blue Water YMCA Y Foundation Board member, Community Foundation of St. Clair County Board of Directors Chair and Executive committee member and the Women’s Initiative steering committee member with time as committee chair.

Anita Ashford has a long history of community leadership and mentorship. She is currently serving the people of Port Huron in her 19th term on the Port Huron City Council. She also represents the council as the representative on the Blue Water Area Transit as Vice-Chair of the Board. Anita made history as the first Black woman to be elected Vice President of the Michigan Municipal League’s Board of Trustees and is currently serving as the First Vice President on the board of the Michigan Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (MBC-LEO) and on the Elected Officials Academy Board of Directors.

Ashford is a product of the Port Huron Area Schools, graduating from Port Huron Catholic High School and graduating from SC4 with an Associate in Criminal Justice. She graduated from Concordia University in Ann Arbor with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Administration and a Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She is a member of the Local Chapter of the NAACP and a Life Member through the State of Michigan.

This event is planned to encourage women in leadership and those who aspire to lead in their field. The goal is to leave community members feeling motivated and equipped to navigate their own journey toward success.

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For media inquiries, please contact one of the following:

• Sarah Rutallie, Chief of Staff, at srutallie@sc4.edu or 810-989-5545
• Pete Lacey, Senior Vice President, at placey@sc4.edu or 810-989-5561

The second annual STEM Fest will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at St. Clair County Community College (SC4).

The event — which is free and open to the public thanks to generous donations and grants — features more than 100 hands-on, interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) exhibits and activities that will help learners explore a wide variety of STEM topics.

The exhibits are created by SC4, the Michigan Technological University’s Mind Trekkers, Cranbrook Institute of Science of Bloomfield Hills, and The Reptarium of Utica.

The new SC4 Planetarium Experience will also be showcased. The Planetarium Experience will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn about astronomy and view constellations.

“Nearly 4,000 people from more than 130 zip codes registered for our inaugural STEM Fest event last year,” said SC4 President Kirk Kramer. “It was a huge success for our college and community, inspiring the next generation of leaders and innovators in STEM as well as bringing excitement, energy and economic impact to our region.”

The event is once again taking place in the SC4 Fieldhouse and Clara E. Mackenzie Building / Experience Center, which includes the Challenger Learning Center at SC4 and the Dr. Bassam H. Nasr Natural Science Museum. The event has also added exhibits in the SC4 Fine Arts Theatre, as well.

Mind Trekkers is a flagship program of Michigan Technological University’s Center for Educational Outreach. Powered by undergraduate and graduate student guides, Mind Trekkers travels across the country to deliver high-energy, hands-on, STEM demonstrations to learners of all ages, inspiring them to pursue post-secondary education.

“We are thrilled to continue our collaboration with SC4 with the return of Mind Trekkers to this event,” said Cassy Tefft de Muñoz, executive director of the Center for Educational Outreach at Michigan Technological University. “The southeast Michigan community is fortunate to have such strong educational leader in SC4 and we are looking forward to providing another fun and engaging experience for families in the region.”

Admission to all events at STEM Fest is free, but pre-registration is requested.

For more information regarding STEM Fest activities, and to register, please visit: sc4.edu/stem-fest/

To help support STEM Fest and STEM programming at SC4, visit sc4.edu/give. Please direct any questions to SC4 at (810) 989-5789 or experiencecenter@sc4.edu.