Student Profiles

It will be exciting to see what Danzell accomplishes at Ferris State, both as an athlete and a scholar. Even if he settles in as an offensive guard on the field, he will still be playing both ways in life: with athletics and academics.

In August Nebiat will begin her college studies at the University of Michigan. She has not yet chosen a major, but whatever she does, she hopes to make her parents and oldest brother proud.

Fast forward four years, and Phoung is a proud Class of 2011 graduate. She has become a proficient English speaker, reader and writer, and she was accepted to study pharmacy at the University of Michigan.

All of Fernando’s hard work paid off. He will attend the University of Michigan in the fall, the first of his siblings to go to college. “I’m going to study engineering,” he says. “That will give me a lot of options for my career.”

Now that he’s back in Grand Rapids, Eli wants to keep his residence here. He is already coaching a soccer team as he prepares to go to Grand Rapids Community College in the fall. “I’m going to study music production,” he says.

Jadee plans to attend GVSU in the fall. “I’m going to be pre-med,” she says. “I’d like to be a family physician maybe, or a surgeon. Surgery looks like it could be fun.”

Lamarr plans to study computer engineering, with one more source of motivation. “The rest of my family hasn’t stayed in school,” he says. “My mom really wants me to be the one to succeed.”

Despite her success, Breanna wishes she had settled into her studies a bit sooner. “A lot of people goof off freshman year,” she says. “It’s hard to get scholarships based on merit. If I could do it again, I would do it better.”

Cesar’s life changed the day he first walked into the Boys and Girls Club. “The Boys and Girls Club, they were my giants,” he says. “They showed me the way.”

Thanh has advice for students who want to make the most of their high school journey. “Attend class every single day,” he says. “The key thing in high school is to focus, so you can reach your destination.”

Kaniquia has enrolled in Kalamazoo Valley Community College, where she will study business and accounting. As she heads to college, who is her biggest supporter of all? “My mom,” Kaniquia says.