Sarah Howard entered Macomb’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program in 2014 wanting to help patients who lost their ability to perform daily tasks that many of us take for granted. But she never expected to be working in an ICU during a pandemic.

“These patients were so deconditioned that simply moving their arms or lifting their head off a pillow would cause them shortness of breath,” says Howard, a licensed occupational therapy assistant at William Beaumont Hospital in Troy. “It was very eye opening to see how COVID-19 affected these patients. I had never seen anything like it.”

A 2014 Anchor Bay High School graduate, Howard credits her high school health occupation classes for stoking an interest in a health care career. And, she credits Macomb for providing her with the “building blocks” to make it a successful one.

“I can’t say anything but good things about my experience at Macomb,” says Howard, who was offered a position at Beaumont before she completed her associate degree. “I was able to satisfy my classes for the Michigan Transfer Agreement at Macomb while working full time because there were multiple class choices held at times that worked for my schedule.”

From Macomb, Howard transferred to Western Michigan University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Health Care Services in June. She is continuing on to earn a master’s degree in occupational therapy, required to become an occupational therapist in Michigan. 

“I have always been fascinated how someone with a disability, injury or illness was able to do something that I take for granted,” says Howard. “I like that occupational therapy works with individuals across the lifespan. You look at the whole person and help them achieve what makes their life meaningful to them.”

After the first days of the pandemic, Howard had to adapt to new safety protocols. At first, she received instruction in telehealth and coached patients through their therapeutic exercises by phone. When she was allowed to work with patients directly in their hospital rooms again, there were several layers of personal protective equipment to be worn. As COVID cases lessen and restrictions relax on elective surgeries, she now faces an unusually diverse caseload.  

“I could be treating a critically ill patient that spent days on a ventilator one minute,” relates Howard, “and then be working with a patient that had hip replacement the next.”

The rewards of the job, however, are always the same.

“I get to share a patient’s excitement as they gradually recover their independence, and I encourage them when they don’t see the progress they are making,” says Howard. “I tell them, ‘Look how far you’ve come. Today, you can brush your teeth.’”

When Lucinda Kroll’s father-in-law died of a brain tumor in 2010, she turned the tragedy into a personal mission that led her to Macomb’s nursing program and, ultimately, caring for COVID-19 patients at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.

“The experience (with her father-in-law) made me think that I would really like helping people,” relates Kroll. “I was able to meet some incredible nurses and knew from that moment, I wanted to be a nurse.”

After graduating from Mount Clemens High School, Kroll took classes at Macomb but had no career in mind. After she and her husband, Michael Kroll, started their family, there was little time left over for other pursuits. Joshua and Miranda, both of whom are now attending Macomb, were in middle school when their grandfather died. That is when Kroll returned to college, graduating with her associate degree in nursing in 2014.

“The Macomb Nursing program was the single most challenging and rewarding moment in my life, and it has given me an incredible career that I am thankful for every day,” says Kroll. “The professors taught us to be good nurses, but also emphasized the integrity that it takes.”

Kroll, certified in chemotherapy, works in the Oncology Unit at Henry Ford and cares for cancer patients, including those in hospice care. It’s a job that can weigh heavy on the heart at times, but Kroll takes comfort in knowing she’s making a difference in their lives.

“I have felt so much love caring for these patients and their families,” says Kroll. “I am very happy to have had this opportunity.”

Pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree at the University of Michigan Flint, Kroll is required to broaden her nursing background and will soon transfer to the Cardiac Telemetry Unit. Last March and April, however, most every unit at the hospital was put in to service caring for COVID-19 patients, many of whom were going into respiratory failure.

“The amount of rapid responses and code blues that first weekend was frightening. I am proud of Henry Ford for mobilizing quickly to protect patients and staff,” relates Kroll, shown far left in the photo. “We worked where we were needed, and every day you were afraid you might get sick or you might bring it home to your family. Knowing you could always count on your fellow nurses made it better. We cried, we laughed, and we did it with integrity because that’s what kind of nurses we are.”

Kroll opted for the DNP course of study that specializes in geriatric care. This is the patient population, relates Kroll, who returns most often to the hospital with the same chronic illness. And therein, she discovered her next mission.

“I would like to help decrease (geriatric) admissions because the more times they are admitted, the more risk they have of infections and a decrease in their functional abilities,” says Kroll, who hopes to eventually teach in a nursing program and share a truth about the profession with those just entering it. “New nurses should never forget that they are essential to the health care team and the glue that keeps it together.”

Mike Fusciardi graduated with an associate degree from Macomb in 2017, completed the Pharmacy Technician Program in December and has been employed at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak since February. None of which may seem remarkable until you consider that ten years ago he was a stroke patient at that same hospital.

For the first decade of this millennium, Fusciardi worked as a supervisor at an Office Max. After that, as he tells it, “I worked at regaining the use of my mind, vision, tactile sensation and speech.”

In 2010, Fusciardi developed intense migraines prior to suffering three strokes. He was left visually impaired and partially paralyzed on the right side, and had difficulty speaking, reading and writing. The source of the migraines and the strokes was diagnosed as a rare autoimmune disease: antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. If left untreated, it causes blood clots to form. Fusiciardi considers himself lucky that his was in the brain.     

“Most men undiagnosed with this end up with the clots in their heart or lungs. You don’t come back from those,” relates Fusciardi. “A brain can rewire with work. And, with a lot of work and many years of study and therapy, I finally reentered the workforce, due in no small part from the help of Macomb Community College.”

Macomb’s Special Services counselors, as well as faculty, made sure that Fusciardi had the accommodations and assistance necessary to learn at his own pace.  This allowed him to discover that he had a “predisposition” for chemistry and he soon pegged the University of Alaska for continuing his studies. But first, he reasoned, he needed a regular paycheck and skills that could travel to Fairbanks with him.

“Pharmacy technicians are needed here, and in Alaska,” says Fusciardi. “The externship arranged by Macomb got me a foot in the door at Beaumont and a step closer toward my goals.”

Beside Fusciardi throughout his lengthy rehabilitation were his parents, who, he says, “worked with me tirelessly to relearn everything.” When he started the six-month Pharmacy Technician Program in 2019, he thought he might have difficulty with the math, which had been the hardest to relearn. 

“It turned out to be easy for me because it is a simplification of chemistry math,” relates Fusciardi, “my new discipline.”      

Fusciardi passed his certification exam on the first try, and acknowledges being hired by Beaumont for its hospital pharmacy has special significance. “Working at the hospital that diagnosed and treated my disease and my strokes makes a bookend to my struggle to recuperate. After I have a few years under my belt, I’ll try to get myself to Alaska, a dream of mine,” says Fusciardi. “I will always thank Macomb and the instructors that made it possible for me to have this second lease on life.”

Bryan Farina (shown here at the 61st annual Grammy Awards last year) lives in Chicago, where jazz and politics have left as big of an imprint on its shores as Lake Michigan. And, like his experience as a Macomb student, jazz and politics have left their mark on the alum’s career as well. 

“I was one of the sound engineers for NBC-Chicago on (former President Barack) Obama’s first election night,” relates Farina, who moved to Chicago from Florida, where he was a sound engineer at Walt Disney World, after getting married. His wife Judy, whom he met during a stage production they both worked on, is a music teacher in the city. But as a successful sound engineer whose work has taken him to Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe, Farina’s home base could have been anywhere.

“I’ve worked backstage at the Sydney Opera House and at the Royal Albert Hall,” says Farina. “I have toured with Manhattan Transfer, and still do occasionally.”

After the economic downturn in the late 2000s, however, Farina noticed that tours were shrinking, as were job opportunities for sound engineers. He began exploring other avenues in the industry and discovered that he had the people skills necessary to manage the careers of performers, specifically those carrying on Chicago’s jazz tradition.

“Jazz is my niche, and that’s because all college vocal ensembles perform jazz,” says Farina, who was a member of the Macombers (the college’s by audition only troupe of student performers) for two years. “All the people I hung out with, and still do, listen to jazz. But I try to listen to everything, so I am well informed about the music business.”

After signing up with Rainmaker Music Management, Farina began a new chapter in a career that continues to both surprise and thrill.     

“Audio engineering now falls under the hobby category, and I never saw that happening,” offers Farina, whose clients include Grammy-winning jazz singer and songwriter Kurt Elling. “Kurt was nominated again last year (the 13^th time), and Judy and I got to walk the red carpet at the Grammy’s. The jazz awards are given out during the pre-ceremony, but we stayed for the whole show. It was cool being in that room with all that energy. I was surprised it actually sounded good.”          

It was a high note in his career for Farina, who was “unsure of what I wanted to do,” when he graduated from Sterling Heights High School. “I had a thought it would be in music,” he says, “but it wasn’t until I came to Macomb and started working backstage at the Macomb Center (for the Performing Arts) that it all started to come together.”

That part-time job as a sound engineer soon grew into full time. He was also performing on stage with the Macombers, for which he received a scholarship to help pay for his tuition. He never minded the workload, though, because the opportunity to experience both the front and back of the house simultaneously was transforming. “I realized that I could impact a performance in many different ways,” relates Farina, who transferred from Macomb to Western Michigan University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication and Broadcast Cable Production. “My time at Macomb helped turn me in the direction that has taken me to where I am today.”

For Jami Amin and her husband Rabie, you could say it was love at first sight at Macomb. Jami, 27, grew up in Roseville and was homeschooled beginning in the fourth grade. Meanwhile, Rabie, 29, spent his teenage years surrounded by violence and volatility in Baghdad, Iraq.

“His … education was disrupted due to the Iraq War,” says Amin. “His high school was actually destroyed.”

Rabie’s family fled to Syria in 2006, following a spike in violence due to the ouster of Suddam Hussein. They spent a year living as refugees in Damascus, after which the United States agreed to sponsor them.

“His family virtually had to start life over again,” relates Amin. “They knew very little English.”

When Amin was 17, she was able to get an early start on college at Macomb. During a summer history class, she found herself admiring a photo depiction of Arabic calligraphy in her textbook.

“It struck me as being very beautiful,” notes Amin, “and I wondered how something so artistic could also be read as a language.”

Through YouTube videos, Amin began learning Arabic. Shortly thereafter, she befriended an Iraqi refugee in her math class. This person would go on to serve not only as an Arabic tutor, but also as an indirect matchmaker. One day, while practicing the language in K Building on South Campus, Amin’s friend and her sister introduced her to Rabie.

“My husband commented on the Arabic dictionary in my hand, and we just started talking. And talking. A whole hour passed before we realized we’d basically been ignoring our mutual friends the whole time,” muses Amin. “They later said they knew something special was taking place.”

Amin graduated from Macomb in 2011 with an Associate of Arts degree. She went on to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English from Oakland University, followed by Baker College, where she completed her preparations to become an ultrasound technician. But it was through Macomb that Amin acquired the life experiences necessary to excel both socially and in her career.

“My time at Macomb changed my life,” adds Amin. “I developed both academically and as a person. I built confidence and made friends. I also met the love of my life.”

Much like Jami, Rabie has flourished professionally since graduating from Macomb with both Associate of Arts and Associate of General Studies degrees. Currently employed in hospital security, he plans on furthering his career through an employer-sponsored police academy.

Jami and Rabie got married in June 2017, “six years to the day after we met.” Significant to note is where the couple chose to wed. Because Macomb holds a special place in their hearts, they selected the South Campus gazebo (pictured right) as the venue for their intimate ceremony. Now parents to a one-year-old, they still frequent Macomb, reminiscing while walking around campus with their son.

“Macomb was the arena in which we became adults,” explains Amin. “I got to … explore what I wanted to do with my life. And, for my husband, it was a chance to learn about and adjust to American society before starting a career in law enforcement.”

From her early academic experiences at Macomb, Nicole Szymczak’s life and career have flourished – and how! Wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to three, she says she has “a lot to be thankful for, and to keep me busy.”

When she’s not caring for her children, Szymczak enjoys a multitude of activities, including “writing, photography, biking, hiking” and traveling. She also assists a local organization, Weekend Survival Kits, with ensuring kids receive nourishing food during non-school hours. At home, Szymczak’s family never lacks a delicious meal, as well. Her husband and she both enjoy cooking, as well as hosting parties.

“Our dining table is the most important tool in our kitchen,” notes Szymczak, “because it gives us a chance to connect.”

Creating connections is a common thread for Szymczak, who serves as the senior communications director for the College of Communication Arts and Sciences at Michigan State University (MSU), her alma mater. There, she leads a team who is “responsible for all digital and social media communications,” as well as “marketing campaigns, public and media relations, and executive and internal communications.” She also works with WKAR, which houses the Lansing area’s NPR and PBS stations.

Prior to her role with MSU, Szymczak served as a producer for NBC affiliates in Traverse City, Las Vegas and Detroit before going on to become the communications and marketing director for Lansing Community College. There, her expertise was instrumental in building their “first content marketing campaigns” and a social media presence, as well as managing their television and radio stations.

Szymczak has amassed a sizable list of accomplishments in 38 short years. But, getting to where she is today required her to push herself to persevere in the face of tragedy. She started at Macomb in 1998, working full time to pay for classes, while exploring “all different subjects from acting to geology.” Living directly across from South Campus with her father, it provided a convenient and affordable option.

“Macomb was the best place for me to launch my career and my life,” Szymczak explains, expressing that the college “gave me the experience I needed to balance work, learning and life.”

When her father had a heart attack and unexpectedly passed away in 1999, Szymczak suddenly found herself in need of guidance. Her psychology professor at Macomb, Dr. Blush, was there to help.

“He helped me work through some of the emotions I was trying to deal with,” shares Szymczak. “He allowed me to continue my studies in psychology in a special topics course, and that was the key reason I was able to transfer.” In 2000, Szymczak, “propelled to succeed” in her father’s honor, continued her studies at MSU. She adds that she is “a first-generation student who attended a four-year college.” When she graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, her mother, who had been combatting multiple sclerosis for more than 20 years, watched her walk the stage. “I think it’s safe to say it was a proud moment for both of us.”

Mike Ash grew up in a “humble neighborhood” in Harper Woods and was aware that a “cultural divide” existed between it and some of its wealthier neighbors. A desire to change that mindset led Ash to college a few years after high school, a decision wholly supported by his mom and dad, a secretary and tool and die maker, respectively.

“They are the ones who showed me the value of a strong work ethic. When I was ready, they are the ones who sent me to Macomb,” says Ash, who found it to be a perfect fit. “The small class sizes. Teachers who have time for you after class. The Learning Centers. I honestly loved it there.”

Ash was the first in his family to attend college, although a niece has recently followed his footsteps to Macomb. He earned a degree in general studies and was planning on transferring to Wayne State University before going into politics. But he became disillusioned with the competitiveness of it and life in general.

“I needed a project to dump my energy into,” offers Ash. “My sister is a single mother and my best friend’s sister was murdered by her husband. I decided I wanted to help the ladies and the babies.”

Ash launched Attack Hunger eight years ago to assist nonprofit organizations in Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties that shelter women and children who are either homeless or escaping domestic violence. Alternating between six organizations: Alternatives for Girls, COTS, Detroit Rescue Mission, YWCA Interim House, Haven and Turning Point, Ash receives a “shopping list” of food and personal care items each week from the intended beneficiary and fills and delivers it in between his two jobs. With the help of volunteers, he also organizes and holds fundraisers for the organizations.

Ash started out selling granola/trail mix bundles to fund his project but switched to T-shirts because it was more profitable. He designs the T-shirts, some of which bear the Attack Hunger logo of a toothy shark, and has them printed at a shop in Detroit. Twenty percent of sales supports his humanitarian work.

“What I do now,” says Ash, “makes me feel good.”
Attack Hunger has a physical presence in the Rust Belt Market in Ferndale, where all of the stores offer handmade or found wares and are only open Friday-Sunday. Ash was able to arrange his full-time schedule at Moosejaw in Madison Heights, where he has worked for 10 years, to four 10-hour shifts, Monday through Thursday. His employer has been accommodating to his outside venture in other ways as well.

“The CEO brought his sons in and staffed the store one Saturday, so I could have a day off,” says Ash, who spent it on Lake St. Clair near his home in St. Clair Shores. “Kayaking is what I love to do. It gives me a fresh perspective.”

Committed to something larger than himself, Ash doesn’t mind the long hours his dual vocations require. And working with like-minded individuals has done nothing less than restore his faith in humanity.

“Everybody here wants everybody else to succeed,” says Ash. “So much more gets done through cooperation instead of competition.”