Category: Alumni

SC4 alumna writes future, drives change in region

St. Clair County Community College alumna Michelle Eberle is using her experience and expertise in marketing and communication to help drive change in her community.

Eberle currently works for the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce where she is responsible for social media efforts, email campaigns, event support and website management. She also published her first book, the “31 Day Wedding Prayer Journal,” under The Rebel Bride brand.

Prior to transitioning to the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce, she served as a communications specialist at Woman’s Life Insurance Society in Port Huron. There she managed email campaigns and did graphic design work on fundraising flyers for members. 

“I am a connector,” Eberle explains. “I connect people to resources or people to people to help them achieve their goals. I love introducing people with gifts and talents that I know will be mutually beneficial for both parties.” 

According to Eberle, she has been able to find success in her career due to the solid foundation and community she found at SC4. 

“I chose to go to SC4 because of my family’s connection and because it made the most financial sense,” said Eberle, a Marysville High School graduate and third-generation SC4 student. “Going to college in my local community allowed me to continue making money, save more money by not relocating, and feel a sense of comfort in knowing some familiar faces around campus.” 

With aspirations of becoming a writer and public speaker, Eberle started at SC4 in the fall of 2008. She graduated in 2010 as a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society with her associate degree in liberal arts transfer studies. 

Eberle then transferred to Taylor University in Upland, Ind., where she majored in professional writing and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2012. Still determined to best position herself professionally, she enrolled at Walsh College and earned a master’s degree in management in 2018.  

Now that she’s at the Rochester Regional Chamber of Commerce, she looks forward to making this new chapter the best it can be. Of course, she continues to look back fondly on her journey and her decision to attend SC4.

“I’m a huge proponent of financial responsibility and utilizing the community college in your backyard,” she said. “Students should consider the long-term benefits of enrolling at SC4 when considering education after high school.” 

Washington, D.C.-based alumna credits SC4 for changing worldview

Growing up without public schooling, Grace Haskin didn’t think she had a chance of going to college.

“I received a homeschooling education of sorts, but it was heavily biased and severely lacking,” Haskin said. “Higher education, especially for women, was not valued. Aside from the Internet, my siblings and I were very isolated from the outside world.”

Haskin, who knew she wanted to go to college from an early age, was able to find solace and inspiration online. She researched many college websites and learned most required a high school diploma and SAT/ACT scores.

“I didn’t think I had a chance of getting either of those things,” said Haskin, who did attend Marine City High School for one year.

Haskin turned to St. Clair County Community College for help.

“While I was attending Marine City High School in 2007, I was playing violin with the International Symphony Orchestra,” Haskin said. “The ISO practiced in the Fine Arts Building at SC4 every Tuesday night, so I was already familiar with the campus. The SC4 admissions team was very gracious to work with me.”

Haskin attended SC4 from 2008 to 2010, graduating magna cum laude with an Honors Associate of Arts with a concentration in music education.

After SC4, Haskin worked for a few years and moved to North Carolina where she attended East Carolina University and received her Bachelor of Science in communication in 2015. She then went to graduate school at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and received her Master of Arts in conflict management and resolution in 2017 with a focus on national and international security.

Today Haskin, 29, lives in Washington, D.C., working as an analyst for the Government Accountability Office on the contracting and national security acquisitions team. There, she examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and activities; and provides analyses, recommendations and other assistance to help Congress make effective oversight, policy and funding decisions.

According to Haskin, her time at SC4 changed her worldview and gave her a new perspective.

“SC4 was truly my first exposure to so many different ideas,” she said. “The critical thinking skills I learned from Professor Thomas Obee’s class, for instance, are skills I use at my job every day in order to assess information in an objective and unbiased manner. My experiences at SC4 very much prepared me for the next steps in my education and career.”

SC4 alumna, Port Huron parks and recreation director bettering community through focus on play and advocacy

Port Huron Parks and Recreation Director Nancy Winzer considered a number of career options upon graduation from high school.

“I looked into both college- and non-college-track career opportunities,” Winzer said. “Part of that was because I recall being told once that college was not something that was in my future. I realized, though, that it was important for me to pursue higher education and earn a degree.”

Fortunately for the Blue Water Area community, Winzer followed her passions. She enrolled at St. Clair County Community College to achieve her goal of a college degree. She also signed on as a recruit to the college’s Skippers softball team.

“Admittedly, my grades were not college ready,” Winzer said. “I had some deficiencies in math and English, but I took the classes needed and worked hard to get to a collegiate level. The professors and staff at SC4 helped me tremendously. I also found a great deal of support on the softball team.”

Winzer gained a great deal of confidence during her time at SC4 from 1988-90, completing transfer credits needed to continue her education at Central Michigan University. In 1992, she graduated from CMU with a bachelor’s degree in recreation administration with a concentration in therapeutic recreation.

Upon graduation, Winzer returned to Port Huron and worked as the physical director at the YMCA before beginning a 25-year career with the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. She also went back to school to obtain a master’s degree in public administration, which she earned from CMU in 2004.

Winzer was named director of Parks and Recreation in 2010 and is responsible for leading efforts to refurbish and improve area parks. She and her team have brought more than $3 million in grants and donations to the city and have renovated numerous parks such as Lakeside Beach, Sprout City and Palmer Park. In her role, she works closely with her teams at the Palmer Park Recreation Center, Parks and Forestry, Lakeside Cemetery and McMorran to make Port Huron a better place to work, live and play.

According to Winzer, she is driven to make a difference in creating innovative, affordable play and youth sports opportunities for all children and families. “There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child outside in a park happy,” she said. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to positively impact our region and will continue to do this important work for many years to come.”

She also remains very connected to SC4 and its Athletics Department. Along with Celina Grondin, SC4’s women’s golf coach and director of institutional research, Winzer co-chairs the newly launched SC4 Michigan Promoters of Women’s Equal Rights in Sports (SC4 MPOWERS) group, which was designed by the college to support and advocate for women coaches and athletes.

“Girls in sports need woman coaches as role models every day,” Winzer said. “We need to encourage more woman to coach to give girls in sports the support they need to be great woman in the future. MPOWERS allows the college and community to work together to bring greater awareness to this need and take action.”

Looking back on her college and career path, Winzer is grateful she persisted in achieving her goals and says she truly enjoyed her time as a Skipper.

“SC4 is an important institution in setting people up on a pathway to success,” she said. “Without the opportunity to go to SC4, I would not have had the means or the grades to go to a four-year university. SC4 gave me the tools I needed to show that I could go to college and also the confidence I needed to continue on. I have always treasured my time at SC4 and with the Skipper softball team, and I will always be grateful for the opportunity.”

SC4 a transformative experience for world-traveling alumna nurse

Grace Titus says the degree in nursing she received from St. Clair County Community College has been life changing.

The Port Huron Northern High School graduate never dreamed it would take her to far-off places like Central America, Africa and the Middle East.

Titus, 32, lives in Chicago where she is currently training for a career in air medical/flight nursing.

“I decided to go into nursing in 2006 because I wanted to help others and learn about the human condition and the world,” she said. “I come from a family that values serving our community, and I knew I wanted to give back. From a practical standpoint, I needed an affordable educational option that would enable me to enter the workforce quickly. SC4 offered both the time frame and the affordability I was looking for.

“On the first day of school I fell in love with nursing, and for 11 years now I have worked and volunteered in many areas, anywhere from pediatrics to adult trauma. I have been fortunate enough to have been able to travel around the U.S. and also to places like Guatemala, Tanzania and Lebanon.”

Titus graduated from SC4 in 2008 with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Michigan. She also earned a diploma in tropical nursing from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England.

She said she was attracted by SC4’s size, affordability and reputation for providing excellent education.

“The price and the time frame were huge advantages, but the biggest asset I gained was the quality of education I received,” Titus said. “My nursing education at SC4 prepared me for what it’s really like to be a nurse. I also benefited from the smaller class sizes because I got to know my professors very well. One even generously nominated me for a scholarship. I have always been grateful for that. I’m also still friends with some of my classmates to this very day.”

Armed with her nursing degree, Titus has been able to assist in providing medical services across the globe.

“My degree allowed me to serve in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, participate in medical missions in Guatemala and Tanzania, and work with Doctors Without Borders on the Lebanon/Syria border,” Titus said. “I have had the honor to work in both adult and pediatric critical care and have been fortunate enough to work in facilities like the University of Michigan Hospital.”

Titus added she’s not sure where she would be today if she had taken a different path.

“If it were not for SC4’s accelerated and high-quality degree, I truly do not believe I would be in the place I am now,” Titus said. “My career has been an incredible adventure, and I can honestly say I truly love what I do.”