Kudos to all of the commencement volunteers! Thank you to all of the volunteers who were a part of commencement. We would not have been able to pull everything off if it wasn’t for you! We appreciate you taking time out of your weekend to be there on such an important day for our graduates!

Kudos to Megan Holtrey and Maria Ulrich! Thank you to Megan and Maria for all of the help planning and organizing commencement – especially helping us to continue to make adjustments to the staging as the RSVPs for commencement continued to roll in. You both were a huge part in making commencement as successful as it was and we appreciate all of your help!

Kudos to Joan Sodini and PRMC! A huge shot out to Joan and the rest of PRMC. With their guidance and vision, they helped make the visuals of commencement so beautiful. We are so appreciative! It was lovely to see the NMC branding as a huge part of commencement and wonderful to see the graduates and families enjoying the venue and displays. We loved watching this vision for commencement come to life!

Kudos to Katie Sommer-Ford! While there were a lot of people who helped make commencement wonderful, Katie went above and beyond to help make the day as amazing as it was. She was always willing to pitch in on any project, she helped to answer a million questions, and she brought some pretty great ideas to the table. Katie did all of this while reimagining and planning Honor’s Convocation. She is truly a rockstar and we are so thankful for her and all of her assistance with commencement.

Kudos to Chad Schenkelberger and Esther Nance! Thanks so much to Chad and Esther for helping out CIT IT Olympics with a very last minute coffee order. I literally reached out to Chad at 5:08pm the evening before the event to see if there was any way the Hawk Owl Cafe could put together a last minute order for coffee for the next morning. The cafe is officially closed for the summer but Chad immediately responded and let me know they could get that done for us. The volunteers at IT Olympics can’t thank you enough!

Kudos to Laura Mashburn! In preparation for the hosting of EES culinary classes, Laura cleans the Oleson Center bathrooms and kitchen after the day care closes for the day. This is not an easy task, and we in EES appreciate her making the space ready for our NMC community of lifelong learners. Thank you, Laura!

Kudos to Colleen Burry and Alyssi Irani! Commencement has always been and continues to be the punctuation point of students’ academic experience. Our 2023 NMC commencement ceremonies were more than an acknowledgement of our students’ accomplishments, they were a true celebration of our graduates and the bright beginning of their next stage of life. Alyssa Irani and Colleen Burry led efforts to curate a day that truly honored our newest alumni and provided an exclamaition point to their NMC experience. From volunteer coordination to logistics, they moved through the day witih poise and leadership. Alyssa and Colleen assembled the Commencement Committee that brought forward experience from past events and new ideas. Kudos also for the strong collaboration with our dynamic PRMC team to create new banners, decorative elements, cohesive branding, and special touches that brought gravitasse to the day. Hats off to Alyssa and Colleen, and the many key players and participants including: Katie Sommer-Ford, Joan Sodini, our student speakers, flag bearer Lieutenant Watrous, and faculty and staff volunteers. Thank you Alyssa and Colleen for your tireless work!

Kudos to Tracy Welch! Thank you to Tracy for coordinating the NMC ELI Learning Symposium. The events that made up the week long symposium were outstanding! The symposium provided students, faculty and staff the opportunity to celebrate their 2022-2023 accomplishments.

Kudos to Amy Burns-Bailey and Stephen Siciliano! Thank you to Amy Burns-Bailey and Stephen Siciliano who attended almost every session at this year’s Learning Symposium. The ELI appreciates your time and support in attending student and faculty presentations.

Kudos to Jim Bensley, Brady Corcoran, Caroline Schaefer-Hills, Tony Sauerbrey, Brandon Everest, Kristy McDonald, Kamsang Riddell, Rick Mathis! Thank you to those who presented or had their class present at the 2nd Annual NMC ELI Learning Symposium: Jim Bensley (Study Abroad Student Panel), Brady Corcoran (Audio Tech), Caroline Schaefer-Hills (Visual Communications & Van Gogh Exhibit), Tony Sauerbrey (UAS Drones), Brandon Everest (SOC 210 Modern Social Problems), Kristy McDonald (BUS 231 Big Little Hero Race), Rick Mathis (Independant Welding Students), and Kamsang Riddell (NMC Motorsports Club). The Experiential Learning Institute appreciates all your time and support!

Kudos to Hollianne McHugh, Carolyn Andrews, Brady Corcoran, Lisa Baldyga, Ali Thornton, and Sally Smarsty! Thank you to our presenters for their time and support during the Learning Symposium Reflective Table Talks session. Hollianne McHugh brought her manufacturing students to share their final presentations, Carolyn Andrews shared the HBA Build a Better Homes series, Brady Corcoran shared video and information about the Audio Tech program, Lisa Baldyga shared information about Jobs for Michigan Graduates, Ali Thornton presented info from SCARy cyber security, and Sally Smarsty’s Student Ambassadors shared pictures and details about events they put on this past year. Their tables were interesting and provided insight to the many wonderful programs here at NMC!

Kudos to Katy Knight and the Testing Center Staff! When finals week kicked off on Monday morning, the testing center was inundated with a class of students who came all at once to take their final test. Katy Knight, John Walker, Dan Isola and Ann Isola (Proctors) were all-hands on deck, helping students to get logged in and situated quickly. They worked efficiently as a team and gave kind service to the students present. Thank you, proctors for the work that you do!

Kudos to Scott Goethals and Abbie Papcun! Both Scott and Abbie have done a great job handling a most difficult situation. By putting in the effort to help as many students as possible, both have been scheduling students for at least the CIT computer testing. Other tests have been supplied as they were scheduled prior to scheduling the testing center for temporary closure once again. Their help and efforts has been above and beyond and greatly appreciated as we decide how to continue to fund the Professional Testing Center at the Parsons-Stulen builidng.

Kudos to Shelly Grant! Shelly Grant created a practical and accessible dashboard providing critical information on student enrollment data. The EES Workforce & Professional Development team can utilize the information to submit NMC programs to the MITC (Michigan Talent Connect) website which allows potential students to access MIWorks funding such as WIOA and MILeap.


Experts suggest maintaining an “attitude of gratitude” increases positivity for yourself and for others. Please encourage your colleagues by submitting a KUDOS. Let them know you appreciate their hard work and are thinking of them!