Category: Academics

SC4 honors more than 160 students for academic achievements

St. Clair County Community College is proud to honor more than 160 students for their outstanding accomplishments in and out of the classroom during the 2019-20 academic year.

“I’m extremely impressed by our students, who chose to attend SC4 from cities throughout Michigan and beyond. I commend them for their ongoing commitment and hard work throughout the year to achieve their goals,” said Vice President of Student Services Pete Lacey. “The students being recognized by SC4 faculty and staff for their accomplishments are wonderful examples of what can be achieved in the classroom and out in our community.”

Achievement awards in academics, leadership, service and personal accomplishments

Algonac — Timothy Merlo

Allenton — Aubree Smith and Morgan Woods

Armada — Amy Henderson

Attica — Janel Schuh

Avoca — Jamie Hill and Haley Kettlewell

Bad Axe — Bethany Alderman and Melissa Bischer

Capac — Benjamin Geliske, Terra King, Megan Orlando and Candy Vigiletti

Casco Township — Alexis Jarvis

Chesterfield — Amanda Connelly

Clay Township — Tosha Sabbagh

Clyde Township — David Baird, Hunter Davis, Abigail Diller, Nickolas Leonard and Sarah May

Cottrellville Township — Hailey DeMerritt and Amy Watson

Croswell — Eden Jenkins, Mikayla Phetteplace and Thomas Short

East China Township — Randi Adams, Lisa Bassett, Joshua DeCoste, Elsa McClure, Allison Schunk, Michelle Thomas and Katelyn Zoeplitz

Emmett — Renee Bishop, Joseph McCall and Lindsey Tabor

Fort Gratiot Giovonni Carden, Jaden Dunn, Dennis Embo, Taylor Kelley, Delgertsetseg Myagmarshagdar, Kelly Prososki, Haley Relken, Justin Vanbibber and Darrell Washington

Goodells — Tara Peters and Jessica Smoot

Grant Township — Taisha Mentzer

Harsens Island — Kathy Brady

Ira Township — Katherine Janusch

Jeddo — Abby Babel and McKenna Sweeney

Kimball Township — Molly Aguinaga, Allison Cole, Bonnie Hoffman, Alexandra Hunger, Shane Markel, Kaitlyn Meldrum, Lillian Nelson, Rosalyn Smith, Jacob Sroka, Max Thoennes and Paj Yang

Lakeport — Brenton Hisscock, Asmara Miron and Daniel Rich

Lenox Township — Kristin Tober

Lexington — Naomi Wildey and Jessica Willing

Macomb — Michelle Tremper

Marine City — Bonnie Baker, Adriannah Lee and Ryan Scott

Marysville — Brian Bourcier, Shallyn Dasharion, Luke Jolly, Kelly Long, Justin Miller, Ann Mole, Aaron Rogers, Matthew Schaaf, Rachel Schmaltz and Troy Walcott

North Street — Joseph Marcero

Peck — James Welch

Port Hope — Laura Iseler

Port Huron — Chantal Abdou, Morgan Alexis, Jamal Armstrong, Yaneli Besse, Katherine Bosma, Riley Bugg, Maria Bussone, Helena Cage, Kevin Conley, Jack DeMara, Evan Dodge, Jayone Fletcher, Morgan Fulgenti, Porfirio Garcia, Montserrat Garcia-Pajaro, Andrew Geiger, Cortez Giles, Jessica Gottschalk, Dontay Graham, Jennifer Guertin, Ann-Marie Hicks, Cameron Hudson, Joanna Jones, Adam Keller, Alicia Kolman, Drew Mayes, Taylor McDonald, Jalen Miller, Kobi Miller, Jonah Mitchell, Darshana Nathan, Maryssa Nichols, Rebecca Reese, Laura Richert, Caio Rodrigues, Jackson Schenk, Noah Schumaker, Trent Sheldon, Isaac Smith, Daniele Soper, Maleena Stewart, Skyler Streeter Fye, Jacquelynn Tesch, Nelson Thorn, Candelaria Tibble, Dane Vos, Matthew Wedlake, Monique Williams, Kaitlyn Willis, Jessica-Ann Woodard and Jeremy Zimmer

Riley Township — Krissa Cabral and Robyn Heffner

Sandusky — Renee Young

Smiths Creek — Tara Brown, Christina Robinson and Jennifer Winkler

St. Clair — Genevieve Decker, Leigh Knox, Eva Kue, Mario Mejia, Nicole Miller, Mary Newberry, Timothy Ries, Jacqueline Sikora, Noah Simone, Jared St. James, Ashley Stone and Stacy Young

Yale — Peter Eldracher, Craig Gerlach, Breanna Mason, Kayla Plenda and Edward Takacs

All SC4 Academic Team, All Michigan Academic Team winners

Maria Cejmar of Fair Haven and Lillian Nelson of Kimball Township

Faculty Memorial Awards

Thomas Short of Croswell is the award winner of the Faculty Memorial Award for a continuing student. Other nominees included Katherine Bosma of Port Huron, Maegan Donajkowski of St. Clair, and Kathryn Oliver of Capac.

Shannon Dinsdale of St. Clair is the award winner the Faculty Memorial Award for a graduating student. Other nominees included Elsa McClure of East China Township, Lillian Nelson of Kimball Township, and Brendan Pittiglio of Algonac.

TRIO student keeps a focus on big goals

Nelson Thorn has big goals, but it hasn’t always been easy to keep moving toward them. Loss of close relatives and the financial burdens of being an independent student have meant that he’s had to keep focused on what he wants to accomplish in life. Fortunately, SC4’s TRIO program has been there to help, along with many other sources of support and encouragement on campus.

Initially, Thorn was attracted to the flexibility SC4’s nursing programs offered to students.

“I chose SC4 because of the programs, class sizes, resources, and student involvement,” he said. “And with the addition of the student housing, I had a place to call home for my first year. (Manager of college housing) Nathanial Shrapnell helped me tremendously.”

When personal difficulties happened, Thorn turned to SC4 campus resources for help.

“One of the hardest barriers to face was losing a few relatives. The staff and my professors helped me to stay in school and keep up my grade point average. And then I applied to the TRIO program.”

“TRIO gave me more personalized, hands-on help. I was struggling with deciding a major and planning my transfer pathway, and TRIO supported me in my academic success,” Thorn said. “I was also interested in the events TRIO holds for its students, including college tours, concerts, plays, and volunteer experiences.”

Thorn has plenty of people to thank for his success as a student at SC4, starting with TRIO staff support Amy Hengehold and director Jessica Brown and especially his TRIO advisor Shawne Jowett.

“I don’t know if I would be graduating without her help!” he said. Others who have been particularly inspirational are his first academic advisor Stacy Healy, SC4’s coordinator of student activities and services Sherry Artman, director of behavioral intervention and support services David Goetze, and Testing Center staff members Kim Heering and Kelly Lindsay.

“They have been unconditionally supportive and have been mentors to me, from just talking with me and allowing me to express myself to helping me find additional support and resources,” Thorn explained. “And special thanks to my friends who have become family and have been my rock for the past two years.”

Thorn plans to transfer to the University of Michigan to pursue bachelor’s degrees in psychology and business administration, with a concentration in entrepreneurship. He’d also like to complete a master’s degree before he turns 30.

He recommends TRIO to anyone who’s eligible for the program. “With longer advising appointments, support services, and tutoring, any college student would find TRIO beneficial.”

Registration open for summer 2020 classes at SC4

Registration for summer classes at St. Clair County Community College is now open, providing a great opportunity for students of all backgrounds to earn valuable credits at a fraction of the cost of a four-year institution.

SC4 students continuing their education, guest students from other institutions and community members looking to take courses for personal enrichment are encouraged to browse the full list of available summer courses online at sc4.edu/schedule.

Many courses that qualify for the Michigan Transfer Agreement are available, covering a range of subjects.

Business classes, including business communications, accounting, management and marketing, are being offered, as is fluid power, technical math, introductory classes in criminal justice, graphic arts, CAD, mold design, and microcomputer applications — a gateway class to most any computer information systems degree at the college.

Additionally, students looking to complete health science prerequisites such as human anatomy and physiology, and medical terminology can benefit from summer courses.

Many summer classes are offered online. Courses also are offered in varied lengths of six, eight, 10 and 12 weeks for students to create flexible schedules.

Summer semester begins Monday, May 18. Students not currently enrolled can start the application process at sc4.edu/admissions/starthere. Current students can register online through their student portal or on the SC4 mobile app. To speak with an admissions representative about options, or for details on how to get started, call 810-989-5571.

SC4 alumnus living dreams thanks to good education

If there’s one thing St. Clair County Community College alumnus Jim Earley has learned as a lifelong educator and administrator, it’s the importance of a good education if you want to make dreams come true.

“My educational and career path provided the opportunity to live my dream—a dream of service and making a difference to help ensure the communities in which I lived were in a much better place,” he said.

Earley was the first in his family to go to college and found his start at SC4 after graduating from Port Huron High School in 1971.

“By the end of my high school sophomore year, I knew St. Clair County Community College was for me,” he said. “SC4 offered an exceptional opportunity to learn and grow while still being able to live at home and work. I was the first member of my family to attend college. I needed to work in order to pay for my educational expenses. Otherwise, college was not an option.”

While attending SC4, Earley worked at St. Joseph Catholic School in Port Huron teaching grade K-8 gym classes, supervising the lunch periods and coaching basketball. He earned his Associate of Science in 1973.

“My goal was achieved after two years of classes—an associate degree and no student debt,” he said. “My educational experience at SC4 was a springboard to five college degrees, including a Ph. D. I could not have achieved my goals without SC4 and the opportunity it provided.”

After SC4, Earley went on to Ferris State University to earn his Bachelor of Science in education with a major in chemistry.

Earley began officially teaching science and coaching basketball at Port Huron High School from 1975-80. He then relocated to Kofa High School, Yuma, Ariz., where he taught chemistry/physics and coached basketball and tennis from 1980-85.

He returned to Port Huron High School in 1985, teaching chemistry and science along with coaching basketball and tennis until 1996. At that time, Earley took on administrative roles as principal of Memphis High School (1996-97) and Imlay City High School (1998-2000) as well as Imlay City assistant superintendent of schools (2000-10).

He earned his master’s degree in educational administration from Northern Arizona University in 1985, an educational specialist degree from Oakland University in 1997 and a doctorate in philosophy from Oakland in 2009.

Earley has participated in basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and golf in the Port Huron area for 60 years. He officially retired on June 30, 2010, and now spends the winters in Florida. He is currently a member of the Port Huron Golf Club and Moorings Country Club in Naples, Fla.

“St. Clair County Community College provided an opportunity to pull myself out of a middle-class working household to the point where anything was possible,” he said. “My American dream was fully alive. The first steps were the hardest and toughest, and SC4 helped me to grow and prosper while opening my eyes to what was possible. The journey was not without failure as obstacles were navigated and circumvented. SC4 is the best value on the market!”