Category: Student success

For St. Clair County Community College alumnus Jake Louks, SC4 offered the chance to connect with faculty in an invaluable way.

“At another university I attended before SC4, I felt like one of thousands,” Louks said. “I felt like college wasn’t for me because I didn’t like the big lecture-style courses I had at the university. At SC4, I was able to connect with faculty. My experience was totally different—small discussion-based classes with approachable faculty. It was more aligned with what I wanted.”

The Port Huron Northern High School graduate attended SC4 in 2009 and again from 2010 to 2012. While at SC4, he focused on taking transferrable credits and benefitted from faculty committed to his success.

“Faculty members are such an important resource. My SC4 professors did a great job bridging the gap and building a relationship, which allowed me to reach out outside of class for clarification and to bounce ideas around,” Louks said. “They gave me the space to become a self-advocate. They went above and beyond to make sure I could see the path I wanted to travel—both in their course and in life.

“Jim and Patricia Frank in particular had a big impact on me. They created a sense of community with my classmates and with them. They really helped me explore topics from separate viewpoints and disciplines.”

Louks transferred credits from SC4 to Western Michigan University, where he studied public history and earned a bachelor’s degree in 2015.

Upon graduation, he put his degree to work with service at an archival library and a national park. He then served as a career and college planning advocate with AmeriCorps and is now working as an organizer for a labor union that represents educators.

According to Louks, who is preparing to take the LSAT and has legal aspirations, his experience at SC4 helped him on his career path immensely.

“I don’t like the word networking, but SC4 helped me learn how to build relationships professionally, and when you have more people helping you it is much easier to succeed,” said Louks, who reversed transferred back to SC4 in 2016 and earned an associate degree. “I don’t think I would have completed an undergraduate degree without my experience at SC4.”

He added, “Community colleges represent the American Dream to me. I believe that the American Dream means that anyone should be able to settle and make a living where they want. That could be New York City, or it could be the rural thumb of Michigan. Community colleges help make that happen.”

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.” 

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.”