DRIVING THE EV ECOSYSTEM
WCC leads the charge with new electric vehicle and semiconductor training programs
RESTART, REIMAGINE, RECONNECT!
Adult learners — Now is your time to overcome barriers
DREAM BIG
Transferring to an HBCU has never been easier
DRIVING THE EV ECOSYSTEM
WCC is paving the road forward in the electric vehicle ecosystem and semiconductor industry with new programs to train students for high-demand jobs.
ALUMNI PROFILE
Zach Van Buren is working to protect drivers through his advance driver assistance systems job at Toyota Motor North America.
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RESTART, REIMAGINE, RECONNECT!
Adult learners: It’s never too late to pursue your education and open doors to career advancement.
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6 14
ADVANCE YPSI
A new education and hands-on jobs training program creates roads to prosperity for Ypsilanti residents.
DREAM BIG
Washtenaw’s new HBCU Pathway helps students transfer to Historically Black Colleges and Universities throughout the country.
WCC Board of Trustees
Angela Davis, Board Chair
William G. Milliken Jr., Vice Chair
David DeVarti, Treasurer
Ruth A. Hatcher, Secretary
Christina M. H. Fleming, Trustee
Alex Milshteyn, Trustee
Diana McKnight-Morton, Trustee
Rose B. Bellanca, Ed.D., WCC President
Greetings!
Our mission at Washtenaw Community College is to make a positive difference in people’s lives. We know a strong education is key to a prosperous career, and we focus on excellent academic programs and industry partnerships to prepare a talent base for high-demand, high-skill jobs.
In this issue of Launch, you’ll read how WCC is on the forefront of training workers for emerging mobility sector jobs with new programs for the electric vehicle ecosystem and semiconductor industry.
WCC is proud to be the only institution in Michigan’s Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, or FAME, apprenticeship program, pairing degree-seeking students with Toyota Motor North America, Orbitform, Lomar Machine & Tool Company, Caster Concepts and Novi Precision.
You’ll also read in this edition inspiring success stories of just a handful of our many adult learners – 42% of WCC students are 25 and older – a couple of whom are enrolled alongside their teenage children!
Keep reading to learn how we serve all of our students, no matter what stage they are at in their life’s journey.
Best wishes for a successful Fall semester at WCC.
With warm regards,
Rose B. Bellanca, Ed.D., President Washtenaw Community CollegeBROADCAST & COMMUNICATION
Audio Production and Engineering
Broadcast Media Arts
Journalism Technical Communication
DIGITAL ARTS
3D Animation
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Digital Media Arts
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VISUAL, FINE & PERFORMING ARTS
Arts Management
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BUSINESS
BUSINESS
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Transfer Pathway
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HR Skills and Operations Management
Occupational Studies
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GENERAL STUDIES
General Studies— Transfer Pathway
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HEALTH SCIENCES
DENTAL
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IMAGING
Computed Tomography (CT)
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NURSING
Nursing Assistant
LPN to RN
RN
ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS
Cardiac Telemetry Technician
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HUMAN SERVICES, PRE-EDUCATION & PUBLIC SAFETY
HUMAN SERVICES
Addiction Studies
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PRE-EDUCATION
Child Development
Early Childhood Education
Introduction to Elementary Education
Secondary Education
PUBLIC SAFETY
Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice – Law Enforcement
Paralegal Studies/Pre-Law
Police Academy
Liberal Arts Transfer
MANUFACTURING, AUTOMOTIVE, SKILLED TRADES & CONSTRUCTION
AUTOMOTIVE
Auto Body Repair
Automotive Cybersecurity
Automotive Services Technician
Automotive Test Technician
Custom Auto Body Fabrication and Chassis Design
Powertrain Development Technician
Transportation Technologies
MANUFACTURING
Advanced Manufacturing (CNC)
Automotive Specialist
Mechatronics-Robotics and Automated Systems
Robotics Technician
SKILLED TRADES & CONSTRUCTION
Construction Management
HVAC
Welding & Fabrication
COMPUTERTECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, & MATH AND SCIENCE
COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY
Computer Networking
Computer Systems Technology
Cybersecurity
Programming in C++
Programming in Java
ENGINEERING
Engineering and Design Technology
Pre-Engineering Science-Transfer
MATH AND SCIENCE
Environmental Science
Exercise Science
General Studies in Math and Natural Sciences
Math and Science
Biology/Pre-Medicine
Chemistry/Pre-Medicine
Mathematics
Pre-Actuarial Science
Pre-Pharmacy
Apprenticeship Completion
Construction Supervision
Industrial Training
Ironworkers Pre-Apprenticeship
Journeyman Industrial
WCC paves the road ahead with three new training programs.
Washtenaw Community College is pairing with industry and state agencies to lead the advancement of Michigan’s EV ecosystem, offering three new programs to train students for highdemand, high-wage jobs.
Within the coming year, the college will launch certificate programs to prepare workers for emerging positions in the industry:
•Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installation
•Maintenance & EV Battery Technician
•Semiconductor Technician Training
“ By 2030 there will be hundreds of thousands of electric and autonomous vehicles on the road. Workers will be required to understand how these vehicles operate and how to service and maintain the batteries that run them. WCC is thrilled to train the current and future mobility talent pool in this high-demand area and to support and help expand the EV labor force,” says Washtenaw Community College President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca.
Michigan’s chief mobility officer has previously said at least 12,000 skilled workers will be required for the state to maintain its position as a global mobility leader.
“There is no question that the future is upon us and is moving at an accelerated pace. The talent requirement for specially trained technicians and engineers to help manufacturers achieve upgrades
to electrification is enormous, and Washenaw Community College is positioned to lead the education and training response,” says Brandon Tucker, WCC Vice President & Chief Workforce and Community Development Officer.
Congress has awarded $2.5 million to WCC for the new EV charging station maintenance and EV battery technician programs.
It is anticipated the charging station installation and maintenance program will begin next spring, and the battery technician program will launch in the Fall of 2024.
In the coming months, WCC will begin building out a new battery lab and EV charging station installation and maintenance training space for students in or around the Occupational Education Building.
The college is also partnering with KLA, imec, General Motors, University of Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to support the semiconductor industry.
WCC’s new Semiconductor Technician Training program will prepare workers for emerging jobs that will produce semiconductor chips and advance the electrification of vehicles. The new program is anticipated to launch in Winter 2024.
An increasing number of new apprenticeship programs offer WCC students invaluable hands-on education and training and a direct path to jobs.
The most notable is the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) USA program. FAME provides educational pathways and on-the-job training and mentoring through local industry partners Toyota Motor North America, Orbitform, Lomar Machine & Tool Company, Caster Concepts and Novi Precision.
Washtenaw is the only college in Michigan educating students as part of the national program, which has launched this fall with10 students.
FAME pairs a student with a sponsoring company to complete a two-year workand-learn program, equipping WCC students with skills required for the rapidly evolving manufacturing industry and an associate degree in under two years.
Funding is provided by the Southeast Michigan Community Alliance Workforce Intelligence Network as part of a $5.8 million Apprenticeship Building America grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Employment and Training Administration. Ann Arbor SPARK is helping to administer the program.
Applications are being accepted for the cohort of students who will begin in Fall 2024.
“At Toyota, safety has always been number one – not just for the people in our vehicles, but also the safety of those who occupy the road with us as well,” he says.
When Zach Van Buren enrolled in WCC in 2016, he wasn’t sure where his career path would ultimately take him. But his pursuit of just one question helped to shape his trajectory. That is, how could he simply walk away from a rather nasty car accident he’d recently experienced?
“ I really didn’t have much vehicle knowledge. My background was in security. The fact that I walked away from a severe accident made me want to pursue vehicle safety and understand why I didn’t die,” he says.
His deep desire to understand and be a part of helping to protect other drivers and passengers has paved the road to a fulfilling career with Toyota Motor North America.
As a senior automotive technician in Toyota’s Integrated Vehicles Division, Van Buren evaluates, tests and assists in the development of advanced driver assistance systems. Specifically, his work focuses on cameras and lighting systems.
While a WCC student earning his Associate in Powertrain Development, he interned with UMTRI, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, where he worked in the Ann Arbor Connected Vehicle Test Environment, helping vehicles communicate with each other and everything around them. This experience led to his job at May Mobility, a start-up in the autonomous vehicle space, and, eventually, to his current dream job with Toyota.
He’s also finishing up his engineering degree at the University of Michigan-Dearbon.
Van Buren is grateful for the opportunities WCC has afforded him through the college’s educational programs, industry contacts and guidance from mentors like Al Lecz, WCC’s Director of Advanced Transportation Center and a retired Ford engineer, and many others.
“There are more than just a few people I can name. Al is who I want to be like when I grow up. He’s the perfect example of being excited and staying up on technology, and he’s a lifelong learner,” Van Burensays.
Though he’s busy with his career at Toyota and
finishing up his bachelor’s degree, Van Buren continues to give back to WCC and its students, including serving as a Toyota mentor in the new Federation of Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME) program with WCC.
FAME offers a premier work/study program, providing students with an opportunity to earn an associate degree in Mechatronics and certification as an Advanced Manufacturing Technician (AMT). Students attend classes two days a week at Washtenaw Community College and work at least 24 hours a week for a sponsoring employer, gaining valuable experience and a competitive wage.
WCC Scholarships are available to students of all ages.
The Michigan Achievement Scholarship is for 2023 high school graduates, paying up to $2,750 in tuition annually.
The Reconnect Scholarship covers tuition for and older who don’t already have a
IMPORTANT DATES
Fall 2023 Semester
Session I, August 28
Session II, September 20
Session III, October 4
Session IV, October 20
LEARN ABOUT ALL WCC SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: WCCNET.EDU/SCHOLARSHIPS
ENROLL NOW FOR FALL 2023
wccnet.edu/enroll
c
Adult learners have unique needs and barriers to a college education. Many challenges revolve around full-time jobs, finances that are stretched thin and family responsibilities. WCC offers a multitude of resources that open doors for college credentials and job training opportunities for students and their families.
Last year, the average age of a WCC student was 26, with 42% of the student body age 25 and older.
About 75% of students work as they attend school, and WCC’s flexible class schedules that offer evening, weekend, online and distance learning options make enrollment more accessible for working adults. Programs such as the Michigan Reconnect scholarship that pays tuition for eligible students 25 and older make a college education more affordable than ever.
A fter a 14-year career in newspapers, Jason Karas enrolled at WCC at the age of 30 to diversify his skills and set himself up for a career change as he saw the decline of print publications. “I think it’s important for folks to know that it’s never too late to learn new things or develop new skills. I think WCC can really help people achieve their goals and advance their careers,” he says.
Earning a Web Technology certificate from WCC gave Karas the credential he needed to transition to his current employer, Trinity Health. He steadily moved up in that organization and is today Director of Digital Marketing and Websites for the entire national healthcare organization.
“WCC gave me the foundational knowledge that I needed in coding, design and user experience to make the career shift,” Karas says.
The ability to earn a certificate in a particular program — rather than a full associate degree — saves time and money for students like Karas, who’ve previously completed a degree. During the Fall 2022 semester, 11.2% of enrolled WCC students already possessed a four-year degree.
In the three decades since serving in the U.S. Army, Barbara Hughes had bounced between Monroe, Michigan, and Los Angeles, raised three children and worked a variety of careers – including as a legal secretary and a massage therapist.
Last June, she’d just moved to Ypsilanti from Monroe in search of opportunities that would lead to a more prosperous future for
her and her youngest child – now nearly 16-year-old Zhakharius Holloway – when a Facebook ad about the first ever Vet Fest at WCC caught her eye.
You might say the rest is history. Their visit to Vet Fest would prove to be a game changer for both Barbara and her son.
Barbara soon enrolled at WCC and, with assistance from the Wadhams Veterans Center and other support resources, established a clear path to her ultimate goal of opening a center to help young people or veterans manage today’s pressures and difficulties.
This fall, Zhakharius will join his mother on campus as a 10th grader enrolled at WCC’s charter high school, Washtenaw Technical Middle College.
“I don’t live far from the college so my son and I walked over,” Barbara recalls about her first visit to WCC. “From that point on I decided ‘That’s where I’m going to school because they honor vets’.”
She inquired about registration and veterans resources – WCC’s Wadhams
Veterans Center is a gold-level provider –and started classes a month later.
“After 30 years since I’d been in school it was kind of hard – and it still is being a single mom and trying to raise my last of three babies – but I don’t think I would have enrolled as quickly as I did if WCC hadn’t helped me immediately,” Barbara says.
“The Vet Center has been awesome, and my teachers have been wonderful. I run into a lot of good people who are very helpful.”
While her “baby” Zhakharius isn’t so small anymore, the duo enjoys a close motherand-son bond and look forward to coming to school together this year.
Zhakharius is eager to explore the many educational and career training opportunities available to him as a dual-enrolled student. Having trained with the Civil Air Patrol for three years in Monroe, he’s considered following his mother’s military footsteps, perhaps with a focus on cybersecurity. “I just want to learn a lot more and experience a lot of different classes and subjects so I can find out what I’d be interested in.”
Hughes is enrolled in a Human Services program for social work, which will allow her to take three years of credit at WCC and transfer to Eastern Michigan University to complete her last year toward a bachelor’s degree.
As one half of a rare parent-child duo at WCC, Stephanie Suchala cried when she got the news last summer that her 13-year-old daughter Dylan would be joining her as a WCC student.
“I was so proud of her; I couldn’t even talk,” says Stephanie, who had just returned to Washtenaw Community College to pursue a degree in General Education to bolster her landscaping business.
Now entering her freshman year at Pioneer High School, Dylan spent the last half of her middle school year as a parttime college student taking two classes at WCC on top of her regular classes.
After attending WCC together for the past year, the two are blazing a trail for other families who might pursue a college education together.
Stephanie was operating a landscaping business in 2019 when she first enrolled at WCC to study in the college’s Paralegal program. After a year and a half, she transferred to Eastern Michigan University but decided it wasn’t the right fit. She decided to take a year off. It wasn’t until a friend told her about the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at WCC that she re-enrolled in welding classes to learn how to create ornamental garden art to add more value to her business. Now she’s a full-fledged student again – already with more than 100 college credits earned.
A 10-week SBDC program helped Suchala shift her business to an LLC and put some of her paralegal skills to work as she navigated the legalities of owning and running a business.
“I just really like to learn a lot,” Stephanie says. “And this time, I’m trying to shape my bachelor’s degree toward what I’m doing in my business.”
It’s safe to say that Dylan also loves to learn – one of her first WCC classes was a five-credit Japanese language course. And while she appreciates that she’s onehalf of a rare parent-child duo at WCC, she’s shy about it. “I think it’s cool, but I don’t tell a lot of people.”
While she’s dual-enrolled with a declared major of Computer Science, Dylan is a full-time 9th grader, simultaneously taking a complete load of
“Being glued to TikTok and Instagram will not get her where she wants to go,” Stephanie says. “She has to put in the hard work. Life is not easy, so it’s about giving her tools and encouragement. I’m asking her what she’s learning. If she falls, I’m assuring her it’s not failure but, rather, an opportunity to get back up and try again.”
classes at Pioneer and participating in typical high school activities alongside her peers.
Besides her academic pursuits, Dylan has a heart for adventure. She is currently in the Civil Air Patrol taking private pilot lessons and has traveled to 48 states and one territory. Ultimately, she hopes to earn a master’s degree, travel abroad to teach English and someday train as a NASA astronaut.
Stephanie is hoping to impress upon her daughter that there’s value in experience. College is not always about the grades – but also about learning, growing and digging in, she emphasizes.
I just really like to learn a lot,” Stephanie says.
“And this time, I’m trying to ultimately shape my bachelor’s degree toward what I’m doing in my business.WCC student: Stephanie Suchala & daughter Dylan, Photo credit: J.D. Scott
Flexibility is a game changer. That’s exactly what Washtenaw Community College offers learners of all ages and something Carolyn Bradshaw has embraced and relied on to earn a college degree and advance in her career.
Bradshaw first attended WCC more than 20 years ago, at the same time she was becoming a new parent. She studied psychology and sociology at that time, but put her college dreams on hold to raise her children as a single parent.
After working full-time and raising four daughters, Bradshaw was ready to return in 2021 but couldn’t afford tuition. She had worked as a postal carrier throughout the pandemic. A Futures for Frontliners scholarship and a Michigan Reconnect scholarship, both launched by the State of Michigan during the pandemic, made it possible for her to return to college in pursuit of her degree.
“ The WCC Resource Center and Financial Aid office were big. They helped me learn about different scholarship avenues I didn’t know were even offered,” she says. The second time around has made all the difference. She’s able to set family time as a priority and simultaneously pursue a degree that will lead to a more secure future. The college’s programs, staff and schedules are designed to accommodate a student at any stage in their life.
“I can still be present with my daughters. Distance learning allows for me to do classes on my own time, which is a great support for my busy life. I have been able to take classes – in-person, virtually
and through distance learning,” Bradshaw says. “I have the ability to pursue my degree goals without interfering with my employment, which is needed for our family. ”
WCC also has helped her adjust direction when it came to her long-term education plans.
“When I first attended, I was in a completely different career and on a totally different path,” she explains. “Since returning, I’ve aligned my studies and degree goals with my career path.”
Bradshaw is taking classes to earn a Business Management degree with a Human Resources certificate. As she moves into management, Bradshaw is confident and ready because WCC has equipped her with the right tools and education to
succeed. She urges other adult learners to take advantage of WCC’s many opportunities to continue their education.
“Just do it,” she says. “I know it’s cliché, but the college is willing and wanting to help and often has resources that are under-utilized. WCC wants to help you get what you need to continue your education to the finish line.”
I can still be present with my daughters.
Distance learning allows for me to do classes on my own time, which is a great support for my busy life.
Anew program called Advance Ypsi will educate and train, in partnership with industry, 200 adults from Ypsilanti over the next three years for jobs primarily in the mobility-focused transportation, manufacturing and IT sectors.
Starting this fall, adults from Ypsilanti will enroll as WCC students in a college academic program and be paired with an employer who will offer training and preparation for careers with an earning potential of at least $40,000. For the majority of students, the Michigan Reconnect Scholarship would potentially cover all of their tuition.
Students will be supported every step of the way through a robust coaching model that will include mentors, tutoring, small class sizes for deeper learning opportunities, expert resources and on-the-job training from employers.
Advance Ypsi is funded largely by a $2 million grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation – with the potential to be extended for additional years – and is
designed to strengthen pathways to prosperity through education and career development in underrepresented populations. As part of the Advance Ypsi initiative, WCC is also partnering with Ypsilanti Community Schools to serve 100 high school students who would be dual-enrolled.
Advance Ypsi is WCC’s initiative within the broader Detroit Regional Chamber’s Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative, also referred to as D3C3, to ensure students have equitable
educational opportunities and graduate with high-value credentials or degrees, with the goal of boosting the region’s overall prosperity.
When fully realized in Ypsilanti, more than $12 million annually could be earned by residents in a community where 50% of households live below the poverty level and the post-secondary educational rate is 20%, according to the most recent US Census.
“This is an historic initiative that has the potential to transform the regional talent pipeline in Southeast Michigan and support the goal of college completion.”
— WCC President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca
I t didn’t take long for the impact of WCC’s new HBCU Pathway to come into focus.
Less than two years after launching its robust initiative designed to help more students seamlessly transfer to an Historically Black College and University, WCC filled its Towsley auditorium with more than 400 local high school students to give them a taste of HBCU life. At the June HBCU Day, representatives from WCC’s five partner schools discussed the benefits of HBCUs, with the highlight of the day being a Divine Nine fraternity & sorority stroll off.
Two of WCC’s own alumni-turned-HBCU transfer students returned to share their insights and wisdom. Zaria Miller and Elizabeth Perryman are now counted among the 281,000 students enrolled at HBCUs nationwide.
WCC established its HBCU Pathway in 2021 to help students realize their dreams and support a smooth transfer to a four-year school. The program guarantees admission, access to in-state tuition and scholarships at several partner schools, and it offers HBCU campus tours and peer activities.
Partner HBCU institutions are Alabama State University, Tuskgee University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University and Southern University at New Orleans. WCC also has a working relationship with Central State University in Ohio, helping students identify support systems and scholarship opportunities.
After completing her Liberal Arts Transfer Associate Degree in May 2022, Miller transferred to Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, where she is majoring in sociology and minoring in Spanish. Her dream job is to help people through community advocacy, potentially starting her own non-profit.
“I mostly chose Jackson State because I had heard all the hype and how great it was, and if it wasn’t for WCC’s HBCU Pathway I wouldn’t have been able to go. They’re trying to help us get to these schools, and they’re seeing us. It also helped me keep my drive to further my education. These schools are very expensive, and the in-state tuition really helped, also.”
At WCC, Miller led the Spanish-speaking student group, was involved in the Black Student Union and also volunteered through the Best Buddies campus chapter to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Her activities and relationships with instructors and mentors helped prepare her for success at Jackson State.
“Everybody worked hard with me, and that made me confident as a student because sometimes I didn’t really see it in myself,” says Miller, who credits faculty and staff for going the extra mile to support her.
After graduating from Washtenaw Community College and Washtenaw Technical Middle College, the early middle college/high school located on campus, in 2022, Perryman is now majoring in graphic design at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
“The HBCU Pathway is the reason why I’m at Central now. Being a first generation college student, it helped me a lot. The people around me are like ‘I’m proud of you, but I don’t really know what’s good for you or what’s next,’ and the HBCU Pathway helped me push for that next step,” Perryman says.
At Central, Perryman is enrolled in the Honors College, which has awarded her a $3,500 scholarship, and is considering adding psychology as a double major.
“I knew I didn’t want to go too far away, and they said ‘We’re partnering with Central State and it might be a good match,’ so they put me in touch to get my questions answered,” says Perryman, who also found the panel discussions and information sessions helpful in deciding to transfer. “Central was a good transition because it’s kind of small and I do enjoy having that more personal connection with your professors and fellow students as well.”
HBCU Pathway
Learn more about the HBUC Pathway at WCC at wccnet.edu/hbcu and view the YouTube video of HBCU Day.
Everybody worked hard with me, and that made me confident as a student because sometimes I didn’t really see it in myself, — Zaria Miller