Commencement scheduled for May 4 in TrinityElite Sports Center

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Hundreds of Schoolcraft College students who have completed the necessary requirement for their degrees will be recognized during the 59th Annual Commencement May 4.

The pinnacle of the academic year is almost here.

Schoolcraft College will celebrate its 59th Annual Commencement at 1 p.m. May 4 at the TrinityElite Sports Center on the Livonia campus. This ceremony is a time to honor and recognize those candidates and graduates who will receive degrees from the College.

“Commencement is perhaps the most exciting day on our campus all year,” said Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of Schoolcraft College. “Celebrating those who have earned degrees and completed their programs, it’s a time to honor our students for their remarkable achievements. I’m looking forward to seeing our graduates cross the stage.”

Doors open at noon for Commencement, where hundreds of candidates and graduates will walk and receive recognition for their achievements during the annual ceremony. To best prepare, students who have met graduation requirements or are expected to meet their graduation requirements soon can apply for graduation through the College’s online portal, Ocelot Access. Those students who are unsure of whether they qualify to walk at Commencement can speak to an academic advisor.

The last day for students to apply for graduation and have their name in the commemorative Commencement booklet is April 12. Students can still apply for graduation after that date, but their names will not be included in the booklet.

Those eligible to walk at Commencement can attend the College’s Grad Fair at the Campus Bookstore later this spring to order and pick up caps and gowns. The Grad Fair will take place at the following times at the Bookstore:

  • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 17
  • Noon to 6 p.m. April 18
The College President with student in regalia
Graduate Melia Connors, the 2023 student commencement speaker, with Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of Schoolcraft College.

Those walking will receive four tickets for family and friends to attend. The ceremony will also be livestreamed on the College’s YouTube channel. Prior to the ceremony, photo opportunities with Ozzy, the College’s ocelot mascot, will be available, as well as activities to celebrate the day.

The College is currently seeking a student to speak at the ceremony. Those interested in applying can do so by visiting the Commencement page of the College’s website. “Our students have worked incredibly hard to earn their degrees, and Commencement is a day to honor and recognize all their hard work,” said Stacy Whiddon, the College’s Chief Academic Officer. “We’re looking forward to celebrating their achievements with them that day.”

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From poems to paintings, several students were recognized during the second annual Black Excellence in the Arts Awards Ceremony Feb. 22.

When it comes to artistic expression, Brynne Barnes compared the work of writers to those who tend gardens.

“A writer creates gardens with words. Ideas are like fireflies: they’re bright, they’re beautiful and they’re fleeting. Dreams are the same way: they must be captured quickly, or they’re gone,” said Barnes, an English instructor at Schoolcraft College and an award-winning author. “It takes attention, dedication. And by doing what is necessary with passion and willingness, it transforms. That is how we write history. That is how we create ourselves and the world around us.”

Barnes’s remarks came as she addressed students being recognized for their art during the second Black Excellence in the Arts Award Ceremony.

The event – held Feb. 22 in the DiPonio Room of the Vistatech Center and put on by the College’s Office of Equity and Engagement – celebrated excellence in the arts, with students submitting pieces in various mediums.

group of people listening to presentation
The second annual Black Excellence in the Arts Awards Ceremony took place Feb. 22 in the Vistatech Center, celebrating works that honor the Black experience.
person speaking at podium next to book display
Brynne Barnes, an English instructor, was the keynote speaker at the event. One of her books, Black Girl Rising, rests on the table.

The following students received accolades for their work:

Artwork
1st place – Quinlan Brooks
Honorable mention – Sara Meeks

Essays
1st Place – Matthew Morrow
Honorable mention – Shelby Knott

Poems
1st Place – Gar Willoughby
Honorable mention – Zahraa Alrafish

The reception was lined with much of the artwork submitted for consideration. It showcased the theme for this year’s Black History Month, which is “African Americans and the Arts.”

Other speakers at this year’s event included State Rep. Stephanie A. Young, Livonia City Councilwoman Carrie Budzinski and Delia Upshaw, the chairwoman for the Livonia Equity & Anti-Racism Network.

Also speaking was Dr. Glenn Cerny, president of Schoolcraft College. Cerny said having students flourish in the arts helps make the College a better place not just for learning but for connecting with the community.

“The arts are a part of this culture,” he said. “That’s important to the Schoolcraft College community, and when I say community, that’s what I mean. We’re not just a college, we’re a community.”

Learn more and view event photos

Feature Image Caption: Student Quinlan Brooks speaks while his artwork, three portraits, are on display in the background.

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Five comfort dogs will arrive later this spring, with their goal to reduce stress and improve mental health across campus.

Schoolcraft College is grrrrr-owing.

The College will add five new, unique employees to its ranks later this year. These new members of the Schoolcraft College family are not your typical employees, however: these new helpers each have four legs and plenty of fur.

Dubbed the Campus Comfort Companions, these new helpers are comfort dogs, designed to serve several roles at the College. These dogs – currently being raised and trained at Lucky Labs in Chatham-Kent, Ontario – will arrive later this spring and begin additional training with their handlers.

Before the pooches arrive, the College is reaching out to the community for its help: naming each of the five dogs via an online poll taking place this week.

Polls will open on the College’s Instagram account this Tuesday, Feb. 27, with options for names for all five dogs. Four names per dog will be available to vote on during a 24-hour period. A list of the names, along with background information on them and the person who will be their handler, can be found below.

The puppies will receive several weeks of Lab Puppy Training when they are eight weeks old. They will be delivered to campus when they are 12 weeks old later this spring. As they become accustomed to their new homes, the puppies will receive advanced obedience training at a local training facility.

The puppies will begin as “in-training” comfort dogs by the start of the fall semester.

“These new comfort dogs will serve a vital role here at Schoolcraft College when they arrive. Their presence will bring smiles to faces and help our students and staff take a moment to simply recharge and rejuvenate with fun-loving energy that only a dog can bring,” said Dr. Glenn Cerny, President of Schoolcraft College. “We’re looking forward to having them on campus and enhancing the lives of our students, faculty and staff.”

Full integration into campus by next year

Once the dogs hit their first birthdays, they will receive therapy dog training and certification. After that, they will become full members of the campus community.

After their training, they will be available for visits and events across campus. That includes assisting students in reducing stress, especially around finals. Their goal is to help improve mental health and increase compassion on campus.

“Each dog will be assigned to a Schoolcraft College police officer who is responsible for their care on campus and in their home each night,” said Colleen Pilgrim, a psychology professor and faculty liaison to the Campus Comfort Companion program. “Each officer will be matched with a staff or faculty handler who will coordinate additional comfort dog interactions with our Schoolcraft community.”

The dogs are being paid for through the generosity of the Schoolcraft College Foundation.

The new pups will continue the College’s mission to create a welcoming campus for students, faculty and staff. Fulfilling part of the College’s Strategic Plan, these new comfort companions will connect not just with the campus but with the greater community as well.

HOW TO VOTE: Members of the public are invited to visit the College’s Instagram page, @schoolcraftnow, starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27. The polls can be viewed through the “Stories” section and users can select their pick using the poll function. The College will then announce the winners at a later date. A full list of the finalist names can be found below.

row of puppy labs

Dog Names

Chief Mark Engstrom

Lottie – A play on “Ocelot,” the college’s nickname.

Scout – I’m the father of four daughters. Scout is the strong female lead in To Kill a Mockingbird and was one of their early heroines.

Roux – This is a culinary-related term. Roux is a mixture that thickens sauces, and we just liked the sound of it.

Sage – Another culinary related term. Sage is an herb that has a grayish/green color.  It’s also a term to describe a wise person with sound judgment.

Lt. Matthew Mayes

Liv – An acronym for “life is valuable” and short for Livonia.

Dolly – It means “beloved” and references Dolly Parton a great humanitarian and country singer.

Lu Lu – For Lieutenant and Hawaiian roots, it means, “peaceful,” “protected,” and “calm.”

Copper – Loyalty and protection, also for chemistry.

Sgt. Carla Murray

Starla – The comfort dog program was conceived while I was attending an astronomy class at the college, it also rhymes with my name and sounds fun and sparkly.

Justice – A shoutout to the Schoolcraft Collee criminal justice program, because myself and two of my children are proud graduates, and my husband and I both graduated from the college’s police academy.

Vista – Derives from the college’s beautiful Vistatech Center.  Vista means: A beautiful view and future possibilities.

Cocoa – Matches the puppy’s beautiful brown chocolate color.

Sgt. Randy Lorenzetti

Mocha – Based on getting a chocolate lab this goes with the color of the dog.

Maple – Based on the dog coming from Canada & the maple leaf on their flag.

Maisy – Based on the Schoolcraft colors of blue and yellow/gold/maize.

Belle – Based on the bell tower symbol of Schoolcraft College that sits near the library.

Sgt. Kenneth Losey

Teddy – Named after the famous “Teddy Bear” that was named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. My kids have always loved to snuggle with teddy bears at night due to the comfort they bring. One of the tasks of the brown chocolate therapy dog coming to Schoolcraft College is to bring comfort.

Dash – Named after the Disney character “Dash” that stared in the movie, “The Incredibles.”

Rowe – A name referencing Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, the namesake of the College

Hops –  In honor of the brewery program at Schoolcraft College. Hops is the flower of the plant used in making beer.

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An adjunct professor of Sociology, Griffin said Black History Month is a time to focus on major times and events in history.

To celebrate Black History Month, Schoolcraft College will highlight the stories of Black students, faculty, staff and administrators and what Black History Month means to them. Check back every week this month for stories on the Black experience here at Schoolcraft College.

Black History Month is important to Ryan Griffin for all the obvious reasons.

The month highlights the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans that all of America should be aware of and are pleased to discover and share. Most importantly, Griffin said, it gives us the motivation to research and gather information different than what we have been accustomed to from our childhood.

Black History Month is also a time to not only focus on major times and events such as the Civil Rights Movement and political figures, but a time to educate ourselves on the arts such as music, science, literature and other areas of great contribution and invention. Understanding history and culture can bring healing and strength to many.

Griffin is an adjunct professor of Sociology, working at the College the past seven months. He is about to earn his Master’s degree in Africology and African American Studies.

The biggest influencer for Griffin and the impact on our nation is Malcolm X. Malcolm X, through his dedication and love for African Americans, asked his people to understand their God-given right to live a peaceful and productive life. He demanded us to claim that right “Through Any Means Necessary.”

“As Malcom X made many Americans feel uncomfortable, his continual growth showed the world that his ultimate goal was for the basic human rights of all, regardless of color,” Griffin said.

Higher education is a vessel for allowing minds to expand and grow, which brings perspective, even if it is different than one’s own. It’s a vehicle to learn more about one another and use the tools to be free to think for ourselves and have our own conclusions. This can help with cultures unfamiliar with Black History Month to be more willing to learn about such a rich and strong history in America.

Griffin said a quote that speaks to him comes from James Baldwin, an American author and civil rights activist: “The paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated.”

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The new WeConnect Mentorship Program aims to assist Reconnect students with navigating the college experience.

Homayra Adiba knows the challenges associated with enrolling in college several years after high school.

Adiba wears many hats at Schoolcraft College, including being the president of the Omicron Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa and a staff writer for The Schoolcraft Connection student newspaper. But now, she has a new role: a mentor in the brand-new WeConnect Mentorship Program, a unique program aimed at assisting Michigan Reconnect students connect better with campus.

The program, launching this month, hopes to connect those attending college on a Michigan Reconnect scholarship – which currently includes students 21 and older without a college degree – with more resources to better help them get the full experience at Schoolcraft College and foster a sense of belonging.

“I am excited about this program,” said Adiba, a Michigan Reconnect student herself. “We want to foster a sense of belonging.”

The program came into existence after a survey was done among Reconnect students asking a variety of questions. Having a mentorship program emerged as a top priority, so Adiba began working with Sharon Christian, Associate Dean of Student Success and Retention and Todd Stowell, Director of Student Activities in crafting the new program.

Along with Learning Support Services’ Academic Success Coach for Reading, Dr. Carmen Wilson, the College has also brought on a pair of Michigan College Access Network College Completion Corps members to assist the program as well: Eva Potka, a Schoolcraft alumna, and Joel Daniels, a former instructor at the College, will work with Adiba to provide personalized support to students. They hope their skills can assist students looking for success when they’ve been out of school for years and, for some, decades. Together with the WeConnect Mentor, the program aims to provide a network of support for Michigan Reconnect Students at the College.

Michigan Reconnect is a state program that provides free in-district tuition to students looking to earn a degree or skills certificate who do not currently have one. The program is typically for students 25 and older, though a change in state law has temporarily dropped the eligibility age to 21 for those to apply through Nov. 15.

“Michigan Reconnect students often have full-time jobs, childcare, or other personal obligations in addition to pursuing their degree. This mentorship program creates a community of support for Michigan Reconnect students. The program strives to foster a welcoming college environment, provide peer mentorship, and to align students with resources for long-term academic success,” Christian said. “We’re so excited to introduce this one-of-a-kind program to Schoolcraft College.”

To help launch the program, two events are planned in the Winter semester. Both will take place in the Lower Waterman wing of the Vistatech Center:

  • WeConnect: Mix and Mingle, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 13
  • WeConnect: Relax and Recharge, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 17

WeConnect Mentorship is a collaboration between Learning Support Services, Phi Theta Kappa, and the Student Activities Office. For more information on the WeConnect Mentorship program, contact Learning Support Services at [email protected].

Caption: Several people involved in the new WeConnect Mentorship Program. From left to right: Eva Potka, Homayra Adiba, Dr. Carmen Wilson and Joel Daniels. Potka and Daniels are Michigan College Access Network College Completion Corps members, Wilson is an academic success coach and Adiba is a student who also serves as a mentor in the program.

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A student in the College’s Real Estate Property Management program, Plavich said Black History Month provides opportunities for teaching others about Black culture and contributions by Black individuals.

To celebrate Black History Month, Schoolcraft College will highlight the stories of Black students, faculty, staff and administrators and what Black History Month means to them. Check back every week this month for stories on the Black experience here at Schoolcraft College.

Black History Month serves as a platform for education and awareness for Jasmine Plavich.

It provides an opportunity for non-Black individuals to learn about Black history, culture, and experiences. By highlighting the contributions of Black individuals, it challenges stereotypes and promotes inclusivity and diversity. As a Black woman, Black History Month encourages Plavich to advocate for the rights and well-being of the Black community, ensuring that their stories are told, and their voices are heard.

Pavlich – who lives in Ypsilanti and is enrolled in Schoolcraft College’s Property Management Program – said she was happy to have discovered the program. A licensed real estate agent and broker, she aims to eventually work in operations or acquisitions for an international company.

She said she aims to lead a life full of promising times and moments.  

“The quality of our lives is determined by how we choose to live them,” she said. “I choose growth and happiness.”

The late and great Whitney Houston inspired many people around the world. As a trailblazer in the music industry, she paved the way for so many more artists to follow. She was a multi-talented actress, singer, and performer. For many people, her music was a source of strength, wisdom, and love. Many people throughout the world continue to be inspired by Whitney Houston’s legacy. She is one of the voices Plavich looks to for inspiration, especially during Black History Month.

In her experience as a non-traditional student who is already employed in their desired field, Plavich gravitates toward quotes which keep her positive and prosperous, such as the following:

“Press forward at all times, climbing forward toward that higher ground of the harmonious society that shapes the laws of man to the laws of God.” — Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.

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The Dean of Occupational Programs, Business and Education at Schoolcraft College says Black History Month is a great time to celebrate Black history.

To celebrate Black History Month, Schoolcraft College will highlight the stories of Black students, faculty, staff and administrators and what Black History Month means to them. Check back every week this month for stories on the Black experience here at Schoolcraft College.

Black History Month means a lot of things to Dr. Keambra Pierson.

The Dean of Occupational Programs, Business and Education at Schoolcraft College, Pierson said the month is a time to recognize and celebrate Black history.

“It is a time to acknowledge our contribution to history, culture and society,” she said. “Additionally, it serves as a reminder of the perpetual hardships faced by Black Americans, hardships that still hinder our progress as we fight for our place in this world.”

Reflecting on previous events – both good and bad – that have shaped our culture remind us to demand justice, equality and equity. Plenty in culture have reminded Pierson of the importance of Black culture, including Maverick City Music, a contemporary gospel group; author Daniel Black, who wrote Pierson’s favorite book, Perfect Peace; and Jessica Nabongo, a Detroit native and the first Black women to travel to every country on the planet.

Citing Ida B. Wells, Pierson said her quote “The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them” speaks to her. She said celebrating Black History Month is about realizing how far society has come, but knowing there is more to do.

“We simply must be honest with ourselves and acknowledge that we have come a long way but far too often lately it feels like we are regressing,” Pierson said.

Pierson attributes her path to the journey made by someone before her, a reason why Black History Month is so important. While she looks to the past at those who blazed the trail, she also looks to the future, knowing that someday, others may look to her as someone who laid the groundwork for their success.

When it comes to the role higher education plays, Pierson said seeking and encouraging diverse perspectives to prepare students not just to exist but to excel in our society is just one way to prepare students for their time outside the classroom.

“Diversity enriches the college experience and promotes a healthy, growing society, which strengthens communities and enhances economic growth,” Pierson said. “This sort of growth and change goes beyond a month-long celebration.

“It should be embedded in the culture of higher education.”

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The first-ever Campus Ambassador Week showcases the efforts of the students who give tours, promote the College and do so much more.

For many students at Schoolcraft College, one of their first interactions with campus comes in the form of a tour. Tours are led by Student Ambassadors who devote their time assisting with campus programs and represent the Schoolcraft College community. 

This week, Schoolcraft College is celebrating its first-ever Student Ambassador Week. This week will include sharing information about the program and showcasing the students that wear the signature blue-and-gold polo shirt. 

Our Student Ambassadors showcase the very best that Schoolcraft College has to offer, and we are proud to highlight their accomplishments.  

Student Ambassadors have several duties on campus. Some of which include giving campus tours to prospective students and assisting at both on- and- off campus events such as commencement. This program provides an excellent way for students to get involved on campus, meet new people, and gain multiple leadership experiences that help build their resume.   

In exchange for doing 50 hours of service per semester and maintaining a 3.0 GPA, Student Ambassadors receive a $1,500 scholarship. Student Ambassadors must be enrolled for at least six credit hours per fall/winter semester. 

Interested in becoming a Student Ambassador? Applications for the 2024-2025 academic year open Feb. 1. Those interested in applying can do so by visiting the college’s scholarship website.  

Meet some of the student ambassadors currently serving this year: 

Leonardo Gjinaj

Name: Leonardo Gjinaj

Hometown: Redford Township

Academic program: Associate of Science

Years at Schoolcraft College: 2

Additional accomplishments, certifications, and licensures:  I am a certified lifeguard as well as eligible to train. I speak 2 languages, English and Albanian. I am also a first-generation college student and immigrant.

Other involvement at Schoolcraft College: I participate in the Math and Physics club here at Schoolcraft. I also tutor in the Learning Center located in the Bradner Library.

Reason for becoming an ambassador: I joined the Ambassador program to meet new people, develop new skills, and build connections within the campus community.

Caleb Kirkpatrick

Name: Caleb Kirkpatrick

Hometown: Yukon, Oklahoma

Academic program: Business Administration

Years at Schoolcraft College: 3

Additional accomplishments, certifications, and licensures: Commercial drone operator license

Other involvement at Schoolcraft College: Business Club, Phi Theta Kappa

Reason for becoming an ambassador: I wanted to be a Student Ambassador to become part of the Schoolcraft community and help prospective students get involved. I enjoy getting to know others and being an ambassador has given me opportunities to meet staff and students I otherwise would never have been able to meet.

Evan Allen

Name: Evan Allen         

Hometown: Berkley

Academic program: General studies

Years at Schoolcraft College: 1.5

Additional accomplishments, certifications, and licensures: Member of the Scholars Honors Program

Other involvement at Schoolcraft College: Member of the Schoolcraft Film Club

Reason for becoming an ambassador: I wanted to become a student ambassador because I believed it would be a good first step at Schoolcraft and a way to serve my campus community. 

Destiny Shedd

Name: Destiny Shedd

Hometown: Southfield

Academic program: Nursing

Years at Schoolcraft College: 2

Additional accomplishments, certifications, and licensures: Black Excellence Award

Reason for becoming an ambassador: I applied to be a Student Ambassador to get familiar with campus. I have gotten the chance to develop many connections and I have enjoyed educating students about Schoolcraft.

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Barry Melancon, the CEO of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, will host students for a Coffee & Conversations event later this month in the Vistatech Center.

Schoolcraft College students interested in accounting will have the opportunity to ask questions to one of the most influential financial minds later this month.

Barry Melancon, the CEO of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, will host students for a Coffee & Conversations event later this month.

Melancon will host the informal session from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Jan. 31 in the new Collaborative Learning Studio inside the Vistatech Center at Schoolcraft College.

Overseeing the most influential body of professional accountants on the planet, Melancon has been involved with the organization since 1995. He is the organization’s longest-serving CEO in its 129-year history. His visit will allow students to inquire about the latest trends in accounting.

The event is sponsored by the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants, the Schoolcraft College Foundation, the Student Activities Office and the Schoolcraft Accounting faculty.

“Having someone like Barry Melancon visit campus is a fantastic opportunity for our students,” said Michelle Randall, an Accounting faculty member. “We’re so fortunate to host Barry and give our students access to one of the most influential minds in the accounting world.”

Interested students should bring their questions for Melancon to chat with him over coffee. Dress code is business casual. Those interested in visiting can register online on the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants website. Space is limited.

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It took a conversation with an acquaintance to lead Colin Rhys Camper to his career path.

Camper, who graduated from Schoolcraft College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Health Information Technology in 2021, said he did not know that field existed when a client of his hairdressing mother mentioned it to him. Being he was interested in coding using SQL and Java, he decided to check out the program.

Several years later, he’s now working in the field as a billing adjudicator for Allstate, a job he’s passionate about.

“Everyone on my team is Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certified and we all use our broad knowledge of medical practices to parse through medical records to ensure they line up with the correct billing. It doesn’t sound exciting on paper, but in practice it’s a lot of investigative work,” he said. “I myself have been working on the special investigations side and I honestly feel like Sherlock Holmes from time to time.”

After transferring many of his general education credits to Schoolcraft College, Camper began taking classes specifically focused on health information technology, which prepares students to enter the world of electronic health care recordkeeping. He got involved in different groups on campus, including tutoring fellow HIT students and getting involved with the HIT Club, a decision that he called a “no-brainer.” He worked closely with Peggy Chapo, the HIT Program Coordinator, to keep students together when in-person activities were not taking place.

“I did not have any previous medical history or skills and felt if I was going to get anywhere, I needed to network heavily. The HIT club introduced me to several peers who are still in the field today,” he said. “It also gave me the opportunity to lead during the pandemic when I became the de facto president. Peggy Chapo and I put a lot of effort into keeping students tightly knit together during that time.”

After graduating and obtaining his RHIT certification, Camper worked at Trinity Health indexing medical records for the Livonia-based health care system. A year later, he went to Allstate.

He said the job security has been a welcome addition to his career, something the numbers for the field back up: the job outlook for workers in HIT show an increase in 7% between 2021 and 2031, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“The job security is important to myself as a parent and husband,” Camper said. “Knowing what I do has an immediate impact on the financial and administrative sector of my career means I can generally rest assured I’ll always be employed.”

Such work is great for those looking to get into health care but don’t necessarily want to be face-to-face with patients, Camper said.

“It’s a broad field that really offers flexibility to your needs. It’ll take some time to get there but I started with zero relevant experience and ended up at my career goals within 1.5 years of graduation,” he said. “If you’re interested in logistical problem solving, extrapolating large sums of data, or dealing with varieties of information in a multitasking sense, this is for you.”

Schoolcraft College offers a Health Coding Specialist Certificate and a Health Information Technology Associate of Applied Science that can help prepare students to enter the field. More information on the program can be found at schoolcraft.edu.

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Schoolcraft College students, faculty and staff recently packaged and delivered more than 85 gifts to those in a local shelter.

Santa Claus is the one best known for delivering presents during the holidays. But that’s not stopping students, faculty and staff from Schoolcraft College from getting in on the giving.

Several students and faculty members helped gather and package up items for the holidays earlier this month to donate to residents of the Samaritas Family Center in Westland. Items collected during the drive, entitled Project Share Joy, were bagged up by Honors Scholars and English students in the Student Activities space in the lower level of the Vistatech Center and loaded on a truck to deliver to dozens of residents at the shelter in time for the holidays.

The drive, organized for years by English faculty member Dr. Anna Maheshwari, is a passion project for her.

“It brings us so much joy to watch children get these gifts and the thanks we get from the shelter,” she said. “These children would not get a Christmas gift had it not been for us adopting them. It makes it our obligation to give back.”

Donations of items such as dolls, Lego sets, toiletries and more were all bagged up in homemade pillowcases and gift bags and loaded onto the Student Activities truck, where they were delivered to those residing in the shelter. Items were donated from students, administrators, faculty and community members. Toys for Tots also provided some of the toys as well. More than 85 gifts were delivered.

Large group pose for photo inside an open truck
Students, faculty and staff collected more than 85 gifts to donate to the Samaritas Family Center in Westland for the holidays.

Yan Li, a student who is also the vice president of leadership for the Omicron Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, said helping to organize and package the gifts to families in need is a worthwhile endeavor to give back to the community.

“You just can’t help but want to help,” he said. “I just can’t wait to see the joy when they get delivered to them.”

In addition to the donations to the shelter, the remaining items will be donated to other groups, including some that will stop by campus to pick up items, as well as foster homes in communities such as Livonia and Redford Township.

“We have built up relationships with other community organizations over the years and will be providing any extra toys left over from the Toys for Tots distribution by Friday this week,” said Todd Stowell, director of the Student Activities Office.

Maheshwari said she plans on continuing the drive each year, even after her eventual retirement. Coming from humble beginnings, she said, helps her stay motivated to help others.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t have much and now to be able to do this for children who are probably going to remember these small gifts for the rest of their lives I know they will pay it forward,” she said.

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About 20 students spent three days in West Farmington Cemetery in Farmington Hills this fall as a part of their class, becoming more familiar with the layout and documenting those whose remains are buried in the cemetery.

Several Schoolcraft College students got into the spirit of the season earlier this year, spending part of their fall semester working in the cemetery.

Students in Professor Alec Thomson’s HIST 152: 19th Century American History class took their studies out of the classroom and into the final resting place for those who settled in present-day Farmington Hills. About 20 students spent three days in West Farmington Cemetery this fall as a part of their class, becoming more familiar with the layout and documenting those whose remains are buried in the cemetery.

“This is our first term undertaking this type of project, but I think it has gone very well and students appear to be making good connections between these historical events and our commitment to the past,” said Thomson, who teaches political science and history. “Ultimately, we want students to think of studying history as a dynamic exercise that not only provides us with opportunity for reflection but a deeper understanding for mapping our future. The work of the students creates a tangible link between the past and the present.”

A service-learning project, the work the students did fit into developing the research skills of historical study, including, but not limited to, data gathering and analyzing primary sources.

Thomson, who also serves on the Farmington Hills Historic District Commission, said students used a mobile application to map the locations of the graves, as well as to record the information displayed on the headstones. 

The goal is to have this data hosted on a website that will be accessible to the public and allow members of the local community and those around the world to wish to learn more about the people buried in the cemetery. Visitors will be able to search for individual names, veteran status or by date.

The cemetery, located at 12 Mile and Halsted roads in Farmington Hills, was established in 1835 as the Baptist Burying Ground. It contains more than 200 gravesites, with many dating back to the 19th century.

“In class, we discussed how the cemetery started and what the surrounding area used to look like. As someone who loves history, I found it extremely interesting and thought-provoking to see how far the area has come, in what is my opinion, in not a very long time,” said Declan O’Hare, one of the students in Thomson’s class. “I think cemeteries are often thought to be sad places or even off limits, so being able to walk around and gather information from different graves was an eye-opening experience for me. I also took the opportunity to look at the ages of some of the people buried there, some my age, some older, and even younger than me.

“This gave me the chance to put myself in their shoes and draw questions as to what life was like in the time they lived.”