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.”

At 24, newly-married John Der-Ghazarian already has an excellent grasp on life. The second eldest of nine children, he developed a maturity far beyond his years, due in part to helping out with his siblings and being homeschooled in his youth.

“It kind of pushes you to try to learn yourself, before you get into an academic setting,” notes Der-Ghazarian. “We had to be self-motivated through that.”

Der-Ghazarian’s parents were also instrumental in his development into the person he is today. His mother stayed at home with her children, overseeing their schoolwork and taking them to medical appointments, while his father, a mechanical director and a “work with your hands sort of guy,” brought financial stability to the family.

“Every day was a hard day for him,” adds Der-Ghazarian. “Just sort of seeing mom and dad with their work ethic was inspiring for me.”

After high school, Der Ghazarian came to Macomb, uncertain as to the exact path he wanted to follow. “That was something I found here at Macomb, was what I wanted to do. And that kind of guided everything I’ve done up until this point.”

It was through a psychology course taught by Katherine Lorenzo that Der-Ghazarian came to the realization, “Wow! I want to use my life to help somebody else. I want to make somebody’s life a little better.”

Soon thereafter, Der-Ghazarian spoke with an advisor, who set him up with an action plan. He took his prerequisites at Macomb with the goal of transferring to Rochester College at Macomb’s University Center to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He would go on to receive the honor “Most Distinguished Graduate” at Macomb’s 95^th commencement ceremony.

“I could never have dreamed of standing up there and saying a speech,” gushes Der-Ghazarian. “And that’s a credit to the professors. It’s a credit to my classmates. It’s a credit to the selection committee, who all took the time to help me become who I was at that moment.”

Following Der-Ghazarian’s graduation from Rochester College, he set his sights on the priesthood. But after he was accepted to the seminary, he began to question whether he was being called to help others in another manner.

“It didn’t feel like [this] personally lined up with where I would be going,” ruminates Der-Ghazarian. “I prayed about it, thought about it, talked about it. And I finally said, ‘I’m going to hold off for now.’”

That turned out to be a sound decision, because, soon after, he met his future wife, Michelle (pictured above with Der-Ghazarian). They share a great deal in common. Both were homeschooled. Both work in the medical field. Michelle is a nurse, while Der-Ghazarian is currently employed as a clinical manager for HealthQuest Physical Therapy.

“After I said no to the seminary, I sort of readjusted toward a new helping profession, and one that I’m ecstatic about,” tells Der-Ghazarian, whose background in psychology has helped him greatly in his career. He says that it’s important to understand people and work with them to ensure they’re approaching physical therapy with the correct mindset.

“If you go in and think, ‘I just need surgery,’ the chances are you’re going to need surgery,” relates Der-Ghazarian. “If you come in there with, ‘I’m going to do these exercises. I’m going to get better,’ there’s a good chance you could get better.”

Der-Ghazarian plans on going back to school for a master of science degree, and would like to work toward becoming a physician assistant. He is confident in knowing that the terminology and concepts he learned at Macomb will continue to help him advance in his education and career. “Almost all of what I do now goes back to what I learned here at Macomb, whether that be anatomy and physiology, psychology or even philosophy,” says Der-Ghazarian. “I would tell [anybody] coming out of high school, or any person that’s looking to better themselves and they don’t know how, go to Macomb. It’s going to allow you to find what your passion is.”

When Suneeti Dash begins practicing osteopathic medicine in a few years, she is confident that what she learned in Macomb’s Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program will help her compassionately address the needs of her patients and work as a team with other health care professionals.

“As a pre-med student, it’s always important to get clinical experience. Some med schools recommend or even require patient care hours,” says Dash, who has just started her studies at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Missouri.  “I considered Macomb’s EMT program, but it was 16 weeks long.  The CNA program was the best and easiest way to get those hours.”

Dash and her twin sister, Suruchi, attended Central Michigan University (CMU) in Mount Pleasant after graduating from Dakota High School in 2015. Both received Bachelor of Science degrees in May. They attended Macomb’s CNA Program while home on a summer break, completing the less than six-week program before returning for their junior semester at CMU.   After becoming certified nursing assistants, they were hired for ongoing, part-time work at Angelica’s Place, the assisted care facility in Romeo where they completed their clinical practicums.

“They were very flexible with our schedules. We worked there every break or weekends home for two years,” says Dash. “I learned a lot about helping patients feel comfortable.  It’s one thing to see someone do it, and another to do it yourself.”

Among the skills Dash acquired in the CNA Program were getting patients in and out of bed, dressing someone who has had a stroke (affected side first) and easing the anxiety of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, who can become agitated by sharp fluctuations in light and weather.  The experience validated Dash’s decision to become a doctor.

“I always enjoyed going into the science labs, and my plans just solidified from there,” says Dash, whose twin is also pursuing an osteopathic medical degree, but at Michigan State University in East Lansing.  “I don’t know where my residency will take me, but I wouldn’t mind coming back home to Michigan to practice.”

After serving as an emergency room scribe and typing up notes for doctors during her last year at CMU, she is leaning toward emergency care as a specialty.  But Dash intends to explore all the options over the next four years at Kansas State.  Regardless of what hospital her residency is at or what area of medicine she chooses to specialize in, she believes her training in Macomb’s CNA program has prepared her well.

“When I walk into a hospital, I will be able to have a good rapport with nurses,” offers Dash, whose future plans include volunteering with a global humanitarian organization like Doctors Without Borders to treat those with little or no access to medical care.  “And if the team needs me to do something, I will be able to do it.”

Sharon Que (shortened by her family from Querciagrossa) inherited the Italian artisan spirit of her ancestors, but discovered a passion for wood grain and the curvilinear scroll of a Stradivarius all on her own. From a wood model-making apprenticeship at Macomb and General Motors, she has fashioned a successful career for herself as a violin restorer, with clients that include The Henry Ford.  Still, she is always searching for that next, new endeavor that will inspire her to do even more.

“After high school, I started right off taking art classes at Macomb,” says Que, who had been encouraged on that path by a teacher impressed by her artistic ability.  After two years of ceramics, photography and general education courses, she transferred to the University of Michigan and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. Interested in acquiring a new skillset that would allow her to work with her hands while supplementing her income as an artist, Que returned to Macomb and signed up for its wood model-making program.

“Artists tend to gravitate toward the trades,” relates Que, one of few women at the time to be accepted into a GM/UAW-sponsored apprenticeship program. After four years of training, she received her journeyman’s card and a full-time position at the GM Tech Center.  “We made models of everything from armrests to small hinges.  I loved that job, it was so intellectually demanding, and Macomb was a part of that – it perfectly prepared me.”

After two years at GM, however, Que was in search of a new challenge that would require less than 10 hours a day, six days a week.  She came across an article about two Ann Arbor violin makers and decided to pitch them the idea of hiring her as an assistant.  Another apprenticeship ensued as Que learned the violin restoration trade, including how to play the instruments she was entrusted with, before branching off on her own with both her employers’ blessing and referrals.

“I worked for these two fabulous violin makers for 13 years,” says Que, who lives in Ann Arbor with her husband Tom Phardel, retired ceramics chair at the College for Creative Studies. “The Henry Ford has an amazing collection of violins that they decided to bring out of storage, and that’s when my former employer sent them to me. These instruments are so expensive, so valuable, I have to work on them in The Henry Ford’s own restoration studio.”

Que is also a sculptor and she maintains separate studios at home to accommodate her two artistic pursuits.  Her sculptures have been exhibited in Venice, Italy, San Francisco and Chicago, as well as being part of the permanent collections of the Detroit Institute of Arts and Oakland University.  Locally, she is represented by the Simone DeSousa Gallery in Detroit, which describes Que’s work as a marriage of “traditional and industrial.”  And it is to the latter that she recently returned.

“I’m back at GM,” enthuses Que. “I get to work in one of the buildings designed by Eero Saarinen,” a mid-20^th century leader in industrial design. She also marvels at the old photographs that line the hallway and her second opportunity to be at the heart of what makes Detroit the Motor City.

“I needed a change again, and the auto industry is pretty exciting,” says Que, who has been relearning the wood model-making trade in all its fully digitalized glory.  “I’m still running my business part-time, my customers count on me, and I couldn’t let them down.”

And, too, there are those moments she would miss when she is restoring a violin, perhaps with a Bach violin concerto playing in the background, when its lyrical beauty charms her all over again. “You really can get lost in it,” says Que.

Tod Hardin attended Macomb in the early 1990s after graduating from Chippewa Valley High School.  He took political science and journalism classes and discovered interests and talents that continue to drive him today as a defender of the world’s waterways.

“I had two Macomb professors who were my educational mentors,” says Hardin, who transferred from Macomb to Wayne State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations.  “They made it fun. I loved going to school there.”

Hardin is the director of operations and communications for Plastic Oceans International, a Malibu-based conservancy organization.  He recently returned from Easter Island in the South Pacific, known for its monolithic rock sculptures (maoi) built hundreds of years ago by the Rapa Nui.   But it was what was washing up on the island’s shores that brought Hardin there.

“Eight billion tons of plastic currently pollute our oceans, and that’s just a guess,” says Hardin.  “We will live to see a day when there is more plastic in the ocean than fish.”

Plastic Oceans partnered with Breathe Conservation, founded by Sarah Ferguson, a long-distance swimmer from South Africa, on the Swim Against Plastic, an event designed to increase awareness about the environmental impact of plastic consumption.  It also gave Hardin a crash course in the culture of the Rapa Nui who still call Easter Island their home.

“Before Sarah could get in the water, they came to us and said: ‘There is a ceremony we have to do so nothing bad happens,’” relates Hardin, and he doesn’t discount the possibility that it might have intervened with the high winds and strong currents that were forecast for the swim.  “All I know is that the storm that was supposed to hit, didn’t.”

Overcoming Easter Island’s rocky coast and chokingly salty seas, as well as three jellyfish stings, Ferguson became the first person in history to swim completely around the triangular island.  She finished the approximately 40-mile swim in a little over 19 hours.

“We estimated it would take her at least 24 hours to swim it,” says Hardin. “That she did it in 19 says a lot about her endurance and her commitment to this cause.”

It’s the same cause that drew Hardin away from the marketing and advertising firm he founded and still manages. Plastic Oceans had been a client for four years when Hardin decided to sign on as part of its small, global staff.

“It was a combination of wanting a better work/life balance and wanting to do work with a higher purpose,” says Hardin, who joined Plastic Oceans a year ago and works remotely from his home in St. Clair Shores.  “A lot of what we do is about awareness and education.”

Hardin worked in marketing at Motor City Casino in Detroit for 12 years before moving out West, where he lived for a decade as he grew his firm. He appreciates that his role with Plastic Oceans has allowed him to return to his roots, not only in Michigan, but in political science and journalism as well.

“Plastic does a lot of amazing things and has its good uses. It’s the single-use items that are impacting our waterways, and it’s not just the oceans, it’s our lakes and rivers as well,” says Hardin, who also works with the Belle Isle Conservancy on its coastal cleanups.  “If everyone would skip the plastic bags, don’t ask for a straw and exchange plastic water bottles for the reusable kind, that would make a big difference.”