Category: Alumni

Hard work pays off for career-changing SC4 alumna Annette Caulfield

St. Clair County Community College alumna Annette Caulfield says SC4 taught her that anything is possible if you work hard enough.

After earning her associate degree, the 1982 Anchor Bay High School graduate moved up the corporate ladder quickly and today serves as the executive assistant to the president and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings Inc. in Detroit.

Caulfield, 54, who lives in Taylor, said she decided to go back to school at SC4 based on a friend’s suggestion and graduated with honors in 1998.

“I was in retail management for many years, and when my last store closed, I knew I needed to do something different,” Caulfield said. “I was a single mom at the time and did not have many options. A very good friend suggested I look at taking some classes at SC4, as the college had very good options for single parents and a supportive culture.”

Caulfield said she completed an internship for her degree at SC4, where she also went on to become both a full-time clerk and a department operations manager.

After five years, she took a position as the executive assistant to the chief financial officer with AAA in Dearborn, Mich. In 2015, Caulfield worked at GTB Agency in Detroit as the executive assistant to the global chief talent officer before beginning at Ilitch Holdings in 2017.

Ilitch Holdings Inc. was founded in 1999 to provide professional services to certain businesses that were founded or purchased by Detroit entrepreneurs Mike and/or Marian Ilitch, including food, sports, and entertainment venues and teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, Detroit Tigers, Little Caesars and MotorCity Casino Hotel. Ilitch Holdings’ companies collectively employ more than 24,000 full- and part-time employees worldwide and have more than 350 million customer interactions annually.

Caulfield said SC4 provided an ideal atmosphere for her to head back to the books at that time in her life.

“SC4 had the best environment for a single parent to succeed, from class times and sizes to instructors who cared and understood that life can and will get in the way,” she said. “I could not have succeeded without the support of family, friends and my SC4 family.”

She and her husband Tom have three children, Bailey, Brooklyn and Tommy; and six grandchildren, Zoe, Ava, Violet, Colton, Bryson and Harper.

Caulfield said her local community college also gave her the encouragement to pursue her goals.

“SC4 helped me gain the confidence to make a career change and taught me that anything is possible if you work hard and never give up,” she added.

Alumnus Todd Goldman playing role in downtown revitalization efforts

St. Clair County Community College alumni are among those participating in the revitalization of downtown Port Huron. Take, for instance, Todd Goldman, who is busy rehabbing a prime downtown destination for his company TC Goldman & Associates.

521 Michigan Street Alumni business 01 (1)
Goldman, who serves as president of the global manufacturers’ representative business for industrial and automotive products, purchased the building at 521 Michigan St., just north of SC4’s College Housing.

He plans to move his headquarters from the former Fogcutter building across the street to the new address later this year.

A Port Huron Northern High School graduate, Goldman, 48, earned his associate degree in general business from SC4 in 1991 and credits the institution for providing him with a successful foundation.

“As a lifelong resident of St. Clair County, I chose to attend SC4 because it was close, convenient and, most importantly, affordable,” he said. “After I received my associate degree, I attended Northwood University to continue my education. My SC4 advisor helped make sure all my credits transferred seamlessly.

At Northwood in Midland, he earned both a second associate degree in automotive aftermarket management and a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Goldman said he was well prepared when he moved on to another school.

Todd photo 2“Attending SC4 helped me ease into the college experience before I left home,” he said. “Once I transferred to Northwood, my studying habits had been established, and my overall educational experience was successful based on the foundation I established at SC4.”

Goldman said he hopes to give his business’ new downtown building some flair.
“I purchased the building about a year ago and have hopes to complete the renovation by the end of 2019,” he said. “I have always had an interest in architecture, so we decided to do a major renovation on the building and give the old, simple block building some style.

“We have added a second story, gave it a modern look and added solar panels to help keep our utility costs to a minimum,” he added. “I really hope the unique style adds to the look and revitalization of downtown Port Huron.”

Goldman and his wife live in Burtchville Township and have two children.

First-generation college student and SC4 alumnus pursuing passion with Detroit Lions

Pursuing a college education — one that didn’t break the bank — was a must for first-generation college student Brendan Buffa when he graduated from St. Clair High School in 2012.

“I knew deep down I wanted to continue my education after high school, but the fear of taking on a massive amount of debt was very real to me,” Buffa said. “I was incredibly grateful to my parents, who said that if I did in fact decide to go to college, they’d help pay for my first year at St. Clair County Community College.”

According to Buffa, he found much more than an affordable education at SC4, including faculty members, clubs and experiences that helped him explore options and grow prior to committing to a four-year university. He also discovered a passion that has driven him ever since.

Buffa was approached by SC4 faculty members Gary Schmitz and John Lusk in his first semester to consider writing for the Erie Square Gazette, SC4’s student newspaper. He then spent the next three semesters at SC4 writing, editing and covering Skippers Athletics. The experience helped introduce him to athletes, connect him to campus and the community, and learn about people in a whole new way.

“SC4 taught me individualism,” Buffa said. “The idea that everybody is a person and has a story to tell. That was what made SC4 so unique and memorable. Everybody on campus — whether they were young students, middle-aged students, athletes, faculty, staff —everybody had a story to tell that was so fully unique.”

His campus involvement also made him aware of new career possibilities that could seamlessly merge his passions for writing and sports.

“I didn’t really know there were alternative career paths in athletics,” Buffa said. “My SC4 professors saw hope and drive in me. They challenged and molded me. Thanks to them, I became aware of a new career path and have since been in a full sprint to achieve my goals.”

Buffa transferred to Western Michigan University in fall 2014. With collegiate writing experience already under his belt, he started as a staff writer at the 100-year-old Western Herald before being promoted to assistant sports editor and then editor-in-chief in 2016. He also served as a member of the Student Media Group Board, which was the decision-making entity of the university’s media outlets, where he advocated to give his 60-member writing team experiences they wouldn’t have elsewhere.

“That time in my life was difficult, but it resulted in great success,” Buffa said. “Leading a paper, taking full-time classes and working another part-time job in the midst of it all was really hard to juggle. But SC4’s ability to mold my creativity, leadership and independence was a direct contribution to the success I found and helped others find as well.”

Buffa graduated from WMU in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and sports marketing. Upon graduation, he served as a promotions coordinator at 97.1 The Ticket in Southfield, Michigan, and as a digital content producer and assignment desk editor at WWMT Newschannel 3 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Grateful for all his past experiences — which also include a freelance gig for the Dallas Cowboys and covering the WMU Broncos’ undefeated season and Cotton Bowl game — Buffa remains laser-focused and is thrilled to be starting in a new role with the Detroit Lions as a new media web intern. There, he supports the new media team through backend website assistance, site photo and gallery production, media interview post-copy, article and video creation, and more.

“Working with the Detroit Lions has been the ultimate goal since 2013,” Buffa said. “It’s an opportunity I’ve only dreamed of.”

Ultimately, Buffa looks forward to expanding his roles and expertise in professional sports in the coming years and is more than ready to put in the hard work. An avid community college advocate, he’ll tell anyone who listens that his time at SC4 helped him get his start.

“SC4 is where it all started,” Buffa says. “It was the first time I was able to dip my feet into the water and experience things. It taught me so much about independence and autonomy, and about friendships and support. I found a community at SC4. I’m grateful to my professors to this day.”

He added, “If people want to further their education with college, community college should always and forever be the first consideration. It is wholly accessible to people from all walks of life. If you want to further yourself and are hindered by other commitments or still not sure where you want to direct your path in life, community college will give you the tools and experiences to do so.”

SC4 radiologic technology program celebrates impressive six-year, 100 percent first-time passage rate on national exam

The St. Clair County Community College radiologic technology program has continued for a sixth year its impressive 100 percent first-time passage rate on the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT Exam), a national registry exam that grants certification in radiologic technology.

Eleven SC4 graduates passed the 2019 exam, bringing the total number of SC4 graduates passing on their first try to 61 since the program began at the college in 2012.

According to SC4 Dean of Health Sciences Jenny Giles-Voss, the excellent training and preparation provided to students is thanks to the expertise and dedication of Professor of Radiologic Technology Sandra Geliske and Program Director Monica Rowling.

“A perfect record like this is incredibly rare,” Giles-Voss said. “It illustrates the high level of commitment we have to our students in ensuring they are ready to thrive in this career path upon graduation.

“Specifically, Monica has had a remarkable record of preparing skilled radiographers in our region. We are fortunate to have her and our amazing team of faculty experts teaching future generations of health care professionals.”

Prior to launching the program at SC4, Rowling worked as the hospital-based radiography program director at Port Huron Hospital, now McLaren Port Huron, for 24 years where all her students there also passed the exam on their first attempt.

“I continue to be impressed by the commitment and perseverance of our Blue Water Area students,” Rowling said. “They make me so proud every year and make a positive difference in the lives of patients here in Port Huron and far beyond.”

SC4 radiologic technology graduates work at Beaumont hospitals, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, DMC Detroit Receiving Hospital, McKenzie Health System, McLaren Port Huron, Lake Huron Medical Center, Concentra clinics, Henry Ford Macomb Health Center, Orthopedic Associates, Advanced Orthopedics and Ascension Crittenton Hospital, among others.

SC4’s radiologic technology associate degree program – which received an impressive maximum eight-year accreditation award from the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology (JRCERT) in 2016 – prepares students to become radiologic technologists by combining imaging technology with patient care skills to create quality radiography images. The program has a 24-month, competency-based curriculum that includes practical experiences in hospitals and imaging centers.

There are 22 other radiologic technology programs in Michigan, including 16 associate degree programs, two bachelor’s degree programs and four hospital-based programs.