Schoolcraft College Foundation celebrating successful comprehensive campaign with open house June 26

Patty Soter accomplished a longtime goal of her at Commencement: earn her associate degree. At 72, she finally did it.

Patty Soter was just one of hundreds of graduates to walk the stage at last week’s Commencement Ceremony at Schoolcraft College.

The Plymouth resident had her mortarboard, gown and family supporting her as she walked across the stage after hearing her name. She shook hands with Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of the College. And she took plenty of pictures with family and fellow students.

What’s so unique about Soter, you ask? Probably the fact that she is old enough to be some graduates’ grandmother.

At 72, Soter has already worked for decades and has retired, but had a strong calling to return to school and complete her associate degree. She had taken some classes at other schools’ in the past, but had never finished. She instead joined the workforce, doing jobs such as a reservationist for an airline and a secretary for various institutions, including the University of Michigan. Looking to enhance her skills, she began taking classes at another community college, but never did finish the degree.

It wasn’t until she retired that she decided to go back and finish her program.

“There are other things that were going on. I think I stopped this journey about four times,” she said. “When I retired from U of M, I decided this was the time. It was time for me to complete my goal, and I wanted a college education.”

Soter spoke to an advisor, who told her she only had a few classes to go before she could earn her degree. She was familiar with Schoolcraft College — she lives in Plymouth and had taken several Personal & Professional Learning fitness classes — so she enrolled in credit courses. One such course was THEA 120: Theatre Activities I with Paul Beer and THEA 210: Acting I with Michael Herman,

Her grandchildren have done theater, so she decided to give it a shot. It was a class she truly enjoyed.

“It was the best thing I could have done. It’s so fun,” she said. “Paul Beer was great. He is a wonderful instructor.”

While she’s felt incredibly comfortable on campus as a student, there have been some moments that her age was on full display. One such moment was before one of her classes started, she saw a group of younger students in the hallway. Deciding she was find a seat, she walked in the classroom, only for the younger students to follow her, thinking she was running the lesson.

“I guess they saw me as an older person walking in there and they said, ‘Oh, that must be the instructor,’ so everybody follows behind me,” she said. “They were shocked.”

Despite earning her associate degree this past weekend, Soter said her educational career may not be finished quite yet: she plans on taking some time for some traveling, but is seriously considering enrolling at Wayne State University to earn her bachelor’s degree.

Her advice? It’s never too late to go to school and complete your goals.

“I guess you can only say ‘Just do it,’” Soter said. “Think outside the box. Improve your improve your mental capacity, as well as your physical capacity. because it’s all here.”

After a life that has brought plenty of challenges, Jess Michael found a way to navigate her education and graduate with her associate degree.

Jess Michael still remembers writing her first book that inspired her to become a writer.

She was six.

Titled “Lizzy the Fish,” it was a tale about a fish that was different. It helped set the stage for Michael’s life the next several decades, mimicking her life without her truly understanding it.

“It was very intricate with the ins and outs of friendship. It was really cute and I drew it,” she said. “Pushing through all of that, I think now that I am 34 years old, I look back at it because I was struggling because I wasn’t diagnosed as neurodivergent at that age.”

After a life that has brought plenty of challenges, Michael found a way to navigate her education and graduate. The editor-in-chief of The Schoolcraft Connection, Michael will walk across the state May 3 and receive her associate degree from Schoolcraft College.

Michael has taken a long pathway to get to this moment. A high school dropout, Michael ended up marrying young and having two of her three children in her early 20s. Her then husband found work out of state, so she and her family up and moved to places like Missouri and Oklahoma. When she began thinking about what she wanted to do beside parenting, she thought the military was the right move, but a motorcycle accident left her with an injury that prevented that from happening.

Michael decided it was time to go back to her original passion: writing. However, it had been some time since she was in school, she decided attending college would be the next step. She applied for the Michigan Reconnect and received it, prompting her to enroll at Schoolcraft, her local community college. Without that critical scholarship, she never would have been able to go back to school.

“The fact that my tuition is completely covered is a big relief, because I know that many people in my age group have kids and are married. It’s really hard to navigate working a full-time job or being a full-time parent or both while coming to school,” Michael. “The fact that Reconnect offers that is so relieving and having that resource is incredibly important.”

Michael jumped right into the community college life, taking classes and getting involved with The Schoolcraft Connection, the student newspaper on campus. After serving different roles on the paper’s staff the first year, she became editor-in-chief this past year, leading the newsroom and helping to tell stories all over the campus.

Michael got to know many of the international and neurodivergent students who wanted to get involved at the newspaper. She made it a goal of hers to make sure the Connection was as welcoming as it could be to any student interested in joining the staff.

“I realized I wanted to leave behind after I graduate. A safe place for everyone else, where there is inclusivity and diversity,” she said. “That was very important to me so that everyone felt that they could come and achieve something and have a place that they could always like come to.”

Michael said she plans on pursuing her bachelor’s degree in English after graduation, with her eyes set on the University of Michigan. She plans on attending the Great Lakes Arts,

Cultures, and Environment program up north this summer offered through U of M, taking some courses. It’s her hope one day to own her own publishing company to help independent publishers.

Michael has valued her time at Schoolcraft, which truly helped her realize her full potential and who she is.

“It doesn’t matter your age or where you come from. You will find acceptance and love when you’re with the right people,” she said. “I have been taught by Schoolcraft that you’re not just here to learn academics, you’re here to discover yourself.”

An international student from Lebanon who is best known for shooting photos and videos for The Schoolcraft Connection student newspaper, Tala will serve as the student speaker at Commencement.

During Schoolcraft College’s 2024 Commencement, audience members could see Tala Wehbe running around with a camera in her hand, taking photos to share online through the Schoolcraft Connection. This year, Wehbe will be in attendance again, but in a much different role: instead of covering the ceremony, Wehbe will be a part of it.

Wehbe, an international student from Lebanon, will serve as the student reflection speaker during the 60th Annual Commencement Ceremony, which takes place May 3 in the TrinityElite Sports Center on the Schoolcraft College campus. There, she plans on sharing her journey growing up in the Middle East before coming to the United States for college.

She spent much of her youth in Saudi Arabia. When looking for a place to attend college, she looked to Michigan, since she had some family here and her older brother was already taking classes in a doctorate program at Central Michigan University. After looking around the metro Detroit area for a place to attend, she learned about Schoolcraft College and enrolled.

“It was just so easy to get in contact with the International student office. It was so easy to send over my paperwork,” she said. “They will make sure you are not dealing with this alone.”

Since arriving on campus, Wehbe has worked to hone her skills behind the camera and in the graphics lab. She will graduate May 3 with a degree focused on Computer Graphics Technology.

She’s regularly seen at events all across campus, taking photos and video to produce for newspaper. She’s also spent plenty of time in the labs in the Jeffress Center, taking her CGT courses and learning all she could.

It’s a field she’s become incredibly passionate about, and wants to find a way to utilize it in her career. Lebanon and Saudi helped ignite Wehbe’s passion for the field, but she came to the U.S. for more advance opportunities for further development her skills and pursue her goals.

“Film and multimedia has always been my dream, but it has been such a farfetched dream to the point where I never really considered doing it as a career,” she said.

After spending time at Schoolcraft, Wehbe is headed to Eastern Michigan University, where she plans on finishing her bachelor’s degree before heading back to the Middle East. Her dream is to work in the sports field, creating 3-D graphics for teams and other uses.

Wehbe has truly embraced living in metro Detroit since arriving, enjoying all the region has to offer. She’s loved exploring the state, learning about its culture and feeling connected to this. Her time at Schoolcraft College has never felt like a chore, but more like a welcoming place that’s given her a place to feel herself.

“I I don’t wanna say it felt like a second home, but it it really did. It was it was very warm and welcoming,” Wehbe said. “I’ve I not once was like, ‘Oh, I gotta go to school.’ Maybe it was, ‘Ugh, I gotta go to that class,’ but always after class, I I always just go to the Connection office, and just go around campus. It’s a it’s a very welcoming place.”

Emily Bauman will accomplish a major goal this year after taking classes over the course of a few decades: she will walk the stage and earn an associate degree here at Schoolcraft College.

Emily Bauman wanted to spend her time at Schoolcraft College focusing on being a student. Going into classes being several decades older than many of her fellow students, Bauman did everything she could to fully emerge herself in academia. From participating in the STEAM@Schoolcraft conference to completing her Honors’ capstone program, she wanted to have the full experience.

“When I’m in school here, I’m feeling like I’m a kid, but I’m not,” she said. “And so, it’s balancing the feeling of ‘I’m learning, I’m just like you–we’re in this at the same time’ all the while knowing that when they look at me, they’re seeing their mom!”

Bauman grew up in upstate New York, where she graduated from high school. After living in several spots across the country, Bauman and her family found their home in metro Detroit. She had taken classes at several institutions but never completed her degree. After growing her and her husband’s family and having life happen, Bauman made the decision to jump into politics. She threw her name into local elections, eventually landing a seat on the Westland City Council, where she currently serves.

Given her current position, she decided on taking several political science classes at Schoolcraft, which also led her to the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program, as one of those political science classes was Honors-only.

While she was initially hesitant to join the Honor’s program, she decided to jump in and found it incredibly rewarding. Her capstone project is one she plans on continuing after her time at Schoolcraft college as she now sits on the newly-formed Westland Arts Foundation board. For their first project, they plan to install eagle sculptures all throughout Westland to help raise awareness of the arts in the western Wayne County community.

After finding out from an advisor that several of the courses she took at other colleges wouldn’t transfer, Bauman made sure she took classes that could travel with her when pursuing a bachelor’s degree. “I wanted to take classes that had a focus, meaning that all the classes I took are transferable. Every single one of them was on the Michigan Transfer Agreement, every single one,” she said. “So, I know that I can transfer out, transfer into another school and they will accept them all.”

Bauman said she’s proud of her accomplishments while at Schoolcraft and embraced being a student. While she’s unsure of her exact next steps, she’s thinking about potentially enrolling at Wayne State University to earn a bachelor’s degree to aid her in the political world.

Despite the age gap between her and her fellow classmates, she said she never let it get in the way of learning and growing. It’s a piece of advice she’d give to anyone looking to go back to school.

While she would encourage getting a higher education degree or certificate before the big responsibilities of life set in, she adds, “my biggest thing for anybody is: don’t let age stop you no matter what age you are. If you are really wanting to accomplish a goal, go for it. Don’t let age or someone else telling you don’t have the experience or perhaps you don’t need it, stop you,” she said. Pave your own path forward. Set that goal and persevere!”

After graduating from Schoolcraft College, Maggie Jagielski plans to attend Wayne State University in the fall, with the hope of graduating with her bachelor’s degree next year.

Maggie Jagielski was eager to begin her college career. So eager that she began it in high school.

Jagielski, a Livonia Franklin High School graduate, began looking at places to attend college during her time there. After doing some searching and realizing she had some open hours, she discovered dual enrollment and asked a counselor about opportunity. She was told it was an option for her and she enrolled. Even before earning her high school diploma, Jagielski had already completed four college courses.

“I don’t think I would have been as eager to do it if my senior schedule at Franklin was more extreme, but knowing that I had like three or three hours of my day, I was like, “Oh, I might as well be earning college credits,’” she said. “I said, ‘if I can save money this way, I’m going to.’”

That drive gave her a head start when she began as a student at Schoolcraft College two years ago. Today, she’s preparing to walk the stage at the College’s 60th Annual Commencement taking place May 3, where Jagielski will serve as a student marshal escorting her class.

As a first-generation college student, Jagielski searched all around for scholarships to help pay for school. She eventually became a Schoolcraft College Foundation Scholar, which covered a large amount of her college costs and led her to meeting some wonderful people through the Foundation. Learning about the Michigan Transfer Agreement and being able to make sure her credits would properly be applied to a bachelor’s degree coming out of Schoolcraft College was also an important factor when Jagielski was looking at colleges.

A true passion early on for Jagielski was finding out about the Schoolcraft Honors Scholars Program. After learning about it in high school, Jagielski reached out to Errin Stegich-Moloney, the program’s director. She remembers Stegich-Moloney being caught off-guard after hearing from a high school student, but believed that showed her dedication early.

“I was sitting in my high school library and Errin was like, ‘Oh, are you at work right now?’ And I say, ‘I’m at school.’ and she said, ‘Where did you go to school?’ And I said, ‘I’m in high school.’ And she goes, ‘What? You know you have to wait until you’re in college to do this, right?’” Jagielski said. “That was a very funny moment and that definitely kicked off mine and Aaron’s relationship.”

Since enrolling, Jagielski spent plenty of time getting involved with the Honors program, including on her capstone project, which saw her and a classmate assisting a senior citizen. Her academic career has also led her to being a semifinalist for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, one of the most prestigious scholarships given to two-year college students in the country.

Her dedication and actions to enroll in college classes early will also give her a head start in the fall when she begins classes at Wayne State University: between her dual enrollment and heavy course load, Jagielski plans to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in business administration in just three years. And one of the best parts for her? She’ll still be taking several classes on Schoolcraft College’s campus through Wayne State’s satellite offerings in the Jeffress Center.

Her time here at Schoolcraft has set her up well to begin the journey of her ultimate goal: working in the automotive industry, seeking to become the next Mary Barra.

While her journey won’t take her far from the Livonia campus, she acknowledges it just won’t be the same.

“I’m going to miss all of the connections I built with the staff and faculty here,” she said. “Schoolcraft is the second home to me, and it’s gonna be really sad to not be able to like, just walk into Erinn’s office whenever I please.”

Elvis Veliu has found academic success at Schoolcraft College, earning several awards and graduating with honors.

Elvis Veliu’s path to commencement has been anything but ordinary.

After high school, life took him in several directions – helping family, trying out different educational paths, and navigating the challenges of COVID – before he found his true academic calling at Schoolcraft College.

“That gave me the opportunity to kind of just like think about what I was gonna do and I knew that school was something that I wanted to come back to and finish a degree,” he said. “I felt I could actually get work in and it was something that I was interested in doing. And so I came back to Schoolcraft.”

Not only will Veliu walk and receive his associate degree during Saturday’s 60th Annual Commencement here at Schoolcraft College, he’ll do so as a student marshal, escorting his class into the TrinityElite Sports Center.

Veliu’s family came to the United States when he was a child. Born of Albanian parents while they were in Turkey, his parents decided since they were going to the U.S. to give their newborn son the most American name they could think of. No name was more American to them than Elvis.

His parents looked for work, finding it in various locations before they had enough money to open their own restaurant, a place that Veliu spent plenty of time at. While there, he ended up taking his ServSafe certification at Schoolcraft, which got him acquainted with the campus. So when it came time for him to go to school, he enrolled.

Originally thinking about going into teaching or law due to his love of philosophy, Veliu eventually found a love of physics. He will graduate Saturday with his degree focusing on science, with plans to attend the University of Michigan to earn a bachelor’s degree.

During his time on campus, Veliu found plenty of ways to stay involved: in addition to participating in the Honors Scholars program and serving as the Phi Theta Kappa Omicron Iota Chapter president, he also got involved with other projects, including one that resulted in the publishing of a student success manual entitled, “The Forest of Knowledge: A Reflective Guide to Student Success,” which aims to help college students first attempt to discover their values and set achievable goals for themselves. It’s a project that made himself and several of his classmates published authors.

He has also earned several awards, including the Campus Compact Student Leadership Award, given to just six undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate inspiring leadership qualities through civic and community engagement.

Once he completes his college education, his ultimate goal is to earn a graduate degree and join higher education doing research. “I can’t see myself doing anything else. I have a lot of passions, but I know that eventually I’m going to work in the realm of education,” he said. His best advice for those looking to attend Schoolcraft College? Get involved and make the college experience. “Get out there, go out and help other people, because that’s what because that’s what we’re here to do – to come here and the best we can, and do as much as we can for one another,” Veliu said. “I think that’s the best way to go about life.”