Category: Academics

SC4 President’s Honor List for Summer 2021

A total of 274 St. Clair County Community College students earned a spot on the President’s Honor List for the 2021 summer semester, which ended Aug. 6.

Students must take at least six credits and have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher to make the list.

President’s Honor List for the 2021 summer semester, ordered by hometown:

ALGONAC — Emily Cross, Brenda Furtah, Jessica Green, Raven Gunnells, Mickenzie Heim, Jeremiah Jones, Madelynn Saddler and Kristen Vohs.

ALLENTON — Evette Beuschlein.

ALMONT — Maria Bussone and Timothy Wolf.

APPLEGATE — Kristina Osborne.

ARMADA — Kayla Campis and Nicole Sawitzky.

ATTICA — John Lindsey and Miranda Pekala.

AVOCA — Sarah Koch and Amy Liebler.

BAD AXE — Nicole London.

BERLIN TOWNSHIP — Sydney Kosewicz and Olivia McCarroll.

BROWN CITY — Grace LaBelle.

BURTCHVILLE TOWNSHIP — Sherry Bevins-Castillo and Jenna Hayre.

CAPAC — Dakota Killingbeck and Terra King.

CARSONVILLE — Alyssa Johnson and Hua Li.

CASCO TOWNSHIP — Cynthia Shurish.

CHESTERFIELD — Brianna Allor.

CHINA TOWNSHIP — Gabby Dziedzic and Allison Pietrykowski.

CLAY TOWNSHIP — Dominique Desano, Ashley Huber and Jasmine Richardson.

CLINTON TOWNSHIP — Marta Walsh.

CLYDE TOWNSHIP — Jordan Berg, Rebekah Delmedico, Paige Gerrow and Camry Robtoy.

COLUMBUS TOWNSHIP — Kimberly Berman, Brenda McLeod, Anna Roland, Maria Sanchez-Cerda and Brianna Swantek.

COTTRELLVILLE TOWNSHIP — Trevor Knox and April Storey.

CROSWELL — Joona Fenner, Nathaniel Hayslett and Eden Jenkins.

DETROIT — Vicki Rose.

EAST CHINA TOWNSHIP — Miah Adams, Shelby Arnett, Sarah Borunda, Katherine Brozik, Jessica Hopkins, Kristin Malcolm, Tayler Malone, Taylor-Rae Pastorius, Hannah Psink and William Schunk.

ELKTON — Cheyenne Rathje.

EMMETT — Rosemary Day, Mark Donnellon, Marie Frohriep, Chris Heiden, Sydne Kujawa, Madison Raymo, Sarah Robinson, Matthew Wetter and Nina Wicker.

FORT GRATIOT — Shawn Baker, Shelby Bombard, Alyssa Boyd, Zachary Brockway, Alexzandra Carr, Ryan Duda, Elle Fisher, Larissa John, Ethan Kane, Maxwell Kenny, Tabatha Lester, Haylee Moore, Kobi Moretz, Michele Niehaus, Tallon Palmateer, Wendy Teich, Darrell Washington and Alexis Williams.

FORT MYERS BEACH, FLA. — Brooke Snyder.

FOWLERVILLE — Eric Lardie.

GOODELLS — Jennifer Freigruber, Gracie Graber, Kelly Mertz, Carson Nolan and Ryleigh Walsh.

GRAND BLANC — Stacy Baldwin.

HARBOR BEACH — Andrei Maungca and Rebecca Roggenbuck.

HARRISON TOWNSHIP — Mackenzie Bryant.

HARSENS ISLAND — Angela Prize-Walker.

IMLAY CITY — Hanna Adamczak.

IRA TOWNSHIP — Megan Bishop.

JEDDO — Kristen Fleury.

KENOCKEE TOWNSHIP — Brooke Thompson.

KIMBALL TOWNSHIP — Isabel Allen, Alicia Archibald, Dawn Barr, Ashley Collier-Sullivan, Katie Gossman, Helen Hamm, Jennifer Hauck, Mikala Kish, Nicole Kozfkay, Holly Sawdon, Beth Seibert, Nichole Swinson and Cheyene Williams.

LAPEER — Kayla McCorry, Jessica Starr and Cameron Wolowiec.

LEXINGTON — Justin Galbraith.

LINDEN — Samantha Thelen.

MACOMB — Tanya Hawil.

MADISON HEIGHTS — Jordan Galvan.

MARINE CITY — Marie Bearden, Melanie Carlson, Nicole Degasperis, Lindsey Hoover, Amanda Hurst, Chassi Kuecken, Hanna Lowes, Orianne Myres, Austin Niemi, Jamie Stanislawski, Alyssa Westrick and Keith Wroblewski.

MARLETTE — Mary Hillman.

MARYSVILLE — Maria Almeida Medeiros, Robert Balwinski, Olivia Burkhardt, Jonathan Chapdelaine, Erica Devigili, Tanya Earl, Alysia Ferrier, Hayley Gilmartin, Kenneth Greenia, Alexandra Greer, William Guy, Kayla Kavanagh, Kaitlynn Kindsvater, Travis McCann, Meghan McNames, Ashley Nevarez, Matthew Reeves, Sara Schmaltz, Jennifer Thomas and Emily Westrick.

MELVIN — Ann Demaray.

MEMPHIS — Chloe Lebow, Chad Nikles, Ariana Parrinello and Erica Syck.

METAMORA — Kaitlyn Evans.

MUSSEY TOWNSHIP — Dawn Chapman, Pamela Lerash and Sara Mandeville.

NEW HAVEN — Nicole Mallory.

NORTH BRANCH — Katrina Guldi and Emily Parker.

NORTH STREET — Leigh Grimes.

PORT HURON — Alicia Bailey, Judy Bloink, Jaylynn Buckley, Ashley Chattick, Hailey Clink, Noel Cosby, Cristina De Gregory, Sherry Denby, Angelic Drake, Danielle Eagle, Alesha Fay, Becky Fleming, Jasmine Garcia, Holden Gauthier, Hadley Gibbs, Nicole Griffor, Kristyana Hamblin, Samantha Herman, Samantha Howard, Kelsee Husson, Marisa Jones, Lindsey Kasten, Christian Lester, Aly Love, Kathleen Mavis, Melissa McCracken, Linsay McLain, Laura McNeill, Chrystianna Meadows, Rachel Miller, Amanda Miron, Jessica Miron, Mary Palmateer, Brandon Purcell, Mallory Reid, Nicholas Rex, Haley Rock, Theresa Schoben, Trent Sheldon, Dawn Silk, Chelsea Sterling, Autumn Strauch, Jen Thompson, April Tracy, Amanda VanThomme, Lily Vella, Alexandria Viola, Hailey Ward, Brady Wardlow, Julia Wing and Nicole Young.

RICHMOND — Camille Schafer.

RILEY TOWNSHIP — Shelby Enders.

SHELBY — Bailey Himanek.

SMITHS CREEK — Elizabeth Rylander.

ST. CLAIR — Branden Ayers, Katelyn Bartholomew, Julianna Cataldo, Amanda Chase, Andrew Cordes, Rebecca Donajkowski, Wendy Edgemon, Alestair Frantz, Kaylee Greaux, Mary Griskiewicz, Jason Gunnery, Megan Gunnery, Amelia Hamill, Joshua Hilton, Megan Jones, Therese Kalbaugh, Matthew Kerrigan, Leigh Knox, Michael Leroy, Kaitlyn Nowak, Sydni Oleksinski, Katelynn Paynter, Carrie Ravinkane, Chase Richardson, Sydney Riske, Drew Saunders, Danielle Sikora, Sarah Snider, Angela Stragier, Lia Turner, Roni Vanderwill, Jessica Westrick, Heather Woodman and Madelyn Woytta.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Michael Hartson and Heather Richter.

SWARTZ CREEK — Kallie Albert.

TROY — Victoria Franz.

WARREN — Amy DelVecchio.

YALE — Caleb Bollaert, Joel Duckert, Jada Janes, Jamie Kadarian, Hayley Kavanagh, Chad Plenda, Morganne Rapley, Kristine Silverthorn and Monica Stiles.

Registration open for SC4 late-start fall classes

Registration is open for late-start fall semester classes at St. Clair County Community College. Seats are available in 12-week classes starting the week of Sept. 20 and eight-week classes starting the week of Oct. 18.

Late-start classes allow students to earn credits at a faster pace. More than 85 sections are available for classes in topics which include biology, business, English, history, math, political science, psychology, sociology and more.

Examples of some specific courses offered this fall include:

  • BUS 155-60 — Business Management
  • BUS 186-60 — Internet Marketing
  • BIO 101-65 — Essentials of Biology
  • BIO 271-65 — Human Anatomy & Physiology
  • ECON 222-61 — Principles of Microeconomics
  • ETW 170-04 — Print Reading/Fab Design
  • MTH 104-63 — Foundations of Math
  • HE 101-69 — Math Related to Drug Admin
  • HE 102-65 — Medical Terminology
  • HIS 101-65 — History of Western Civilization to 1715
  • PS 101-66 — Introduction to Political Science
  • PSY 260-02 — Abnormal Psychology

Current students can search for all courses and sections at sc4.edu/schedule. They can register and pay for classes in the SC4 Portal at portal.sc4.edu or on the SC4 mobile app.

New students can get started at sc4.edu/starthere.

For more information, contact Enrollment Services at enrollment@sc4.edu or (810) 989-5500.

College celebrates new edition of ‘Patterns’ magazine

St. Clair County Community College recently released the 63rd edition of Patterns magazine, Michigan’s oldest literary and arts publication aimed at showcasing student writing talent and works of art.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions during the 2020-21 academic year, traditional activities surrounding the creation and publication of the magazine were delayed.

“Patterns is an opportunity to celebrate being creative and to recognize the unique talents of our next generation of artists,” said Sarah Flatter, professor of fine arts at the college. “We’re excited to honor students and their success while at SC4.”

A digital version of Patterns is available on our website at sc4.edu/patterns.

The following students received awards:

Special honors

  • Eleanor Mathews Award, literature — Makenna Joppich
  • Patrick Bourke Award, visual art — Brandi Schmitz

Essays

  • Kathleen Nickerson Award — Thomas Short for “A Father’s Love: Rejection from the Beloved”
  • Second-place — Samantha Kicinski for “Another Day at the Office”
  • Third-place — Rebekah Delmedico for “Advertisements and Persuasion: Manipulating our Wants into Needs”

Poetry

  • Blanche Redman Award, — Lindsey Sobkowski for “Rainy Day Villanelle”
  • Second-place — Makenna Joppich for “Living Room Windows”
  • Third-place — Patricia Jo Bowman for “Eli”

Short stories

  • Richard Colwell Award, — Emily Kean for “Pareidolia”
  • Second-place — Natalya Reid for “She Strings the Beads to Make a Brighter Day”
  • Third-place — Makenna Joppich for “Brother”

Visual Art

  • First-place — Skylar Aleman for “New View”
  • Second-place — Doug Penrod for “Strange Medicine”
  • Third-place — Heather Brassfield for “Snowy Dirt Road”

Merit awards also were provided to students for having their work chosen for inclusion in Patterns.

Literary Selections of Merit

  • Makenna Joppich for “Marred Sky”
  • Zachary Kerhoulas for “Autumn Leaves”
  • Stacy Nichols for “Dinner Bell”
  • William Patterson for “Morning Coffee”
  • Jacqueline Wahl for “The Ruby-Eyed Man”
  • Avery Westbrook for “Espresso Express”

Visual Art Selections of Merit

  • Heather Brassfield for “Cades Cove Barn”
  • Miranda Benner for “Wagon Wheel”
  • Hannah Buckley for “Morning at 40th Street Pond”
  • Alicia Fortuna for “Face off”
  • Vera Klimovich for “Daydreamer”
  • Doug Penrod for “Marine City Throw Back”
  • Brandi Schmitz for “Lucy in the Sky”

Production of Patterns was made possible by the financial support from St. Clair County Community College and SC4 Friends of the Arts.

NASA learning experience inspires Robert Hilgendorf’s educational journey

St. Clair County Community College (SC4) alumnus Robert Hilgendorf had his sights set on graduation in his last semester at SC4 when a unique opportunity presented itself. In October 2020, he saw a campus announcement to students about the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) program.

“Every time I logged in I saw the posting, I finally decided to research it,” said Hilgendorf. “Once I realized it not only was an opportunity to learn more about NASA but also work on developing my talents, I applied.”

Hilgendorf’s application was accepted and he participated in a five-week online NCAS course where he learned about the history of NASA and gained insight into future NASA initiatives. As part of the experience he attended meetings with NASA engineers and experts on topics ranging from mission launches to rover landings. “It was an eye-opening experience into how NASA’s work has impacted our life here on Earth,” continued Hilgendorf.

His favorite part of the course included details about the Artemis mission, which will return a United States crew to the Moon and eventually Mars. Hilgendorf stated, “It was amazing to see all the STEM-related disciplines required to develop and plan the mission.”

In March 2021, Hilgendorf was excited to learn that based upon his participation in the course and the final paper he submitted, he was selected to participate in a nine-day NASA virtual experience.

According to Hilgendorf, the virtual experience continued on from where the course left off. His daily calendar included speakers, intern panels, hangouts with engineers and mission meetings. Participants were divided into teams that were tasked with developing a successful mission to the Moon or Mars. Teams were responsible for defining missing goals and objectives; maintaining a balanced budget, projecting launch schedules; and specifying all systems, instruments and scientific payloads required.

Hilgendorf put his engineering degree to use as a systems engineer — in charge of rocket, surface mobility and entry/descent/landing selections. His team presented a successful mission to a panel of NASA judges.

”This experience is an invaluable resource for anyone unsure about how to reach their goals, wondering which STEM field to choose, or just not sure they can do it,” Hilgendorf said. “The program not only provides an incredible sense of accomplishment but helps develop the skills employers are looking for. I would definitely recommend it to others.”

The NCAS program provides experience, knowledge and networking opportunities that can become a foundation for a student’s future and career. NASA has an internship program that places a high value on applicants who’ve completed the NCAS program.

“When opportunities come your way, you must jump on them, and this is one you shouldn’t let pass by,” said Hilgendorf, who earned an Associate of Arts and Science in engineering technology-electronics in May 2021. “The NASA experience helped me solidify my education plans moving forward. Education is so important and truly opens doorways that would never become available without it.”

He is now planning to work on a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, thanks to his NCAS experience and the instructors at SC4.

”I cannot think of one single course or instructor at SC4 that didn’t help prepare me in one way for this program.” he said, noting that the skills gained in engineering technology, research, paper writing, public speaking, English, math, group projects and science labs all played a role in preparing him for the NASA experience and for his future career. “A special thanks to Instructor Dan Bishop and Professor Don Reuba, who took the time to write recommendation letters to apply to the NCAS program.”

If you are interested in learning more about STEM programs at SC4, visit sc4.edu/programs.

For more information on the aerospace scholars program, visit go.nasa.gov/ncas.