FACES OF GRCC

Detroit,” Kennedy said. “I have a
physics class that night and will
not be able to go to the concert.”
Kennedy is going to summer
camp, Electric Forest and Pearl
Jam this summer.
Besides being a student, Kennedy
is in his 20th year volunteering
at a local nonprofit, the
Community Media Center, where
he is a programmer for the local
radio station 88.1, WYCE.
“I am a volunteer programmer.”
Kennedy said. “People
would like to refer to us as
deejays but we are not told what
to play, when to play it and how
many times to play it so we call
ourselves programmers.”
Not knowing what the next
song is going to be, Kennedy is
one of the 75 volunteers that
are the last bastion of what real
radio is.
“People ask what we play and
I tell them everything and anything
but hair bands, gangster rap
and corporate country,” Kennedy
said.
Listening to the station, you
could hear anything from Frank
Sinatra to the Sex Pistols. The radio
station plays an eclectic mix
of jazz, rock, blues and world
music.
“If I come across somebody
that has not listened to WYCE
I tell them to listen four or five
times throughout the week
because it is like the weather,
always changing and never the
same,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy describes himself
as the epitome of a “broke ass
college student,” who is married,
having met his wife on a blind
date while in high school. He first
saw his wife at a Halloween party
in 1980. She was dressed as a
Southern belle and Kennedy was
too shy to talk her. He just stayed
in the corner playing music.
Kennedy’s first date with his
wife was to a high school play,
“South Pacific.” Kennedy used a
line from the play, “I consider it
a good night when I get a handshake”
on his future wife at the
end of the date.
“I barely kissed her goodnight
that night and 36 years later it’s
still the same,” he said, with a
laugh. “I still shake her hand.”
Kennedy said he does do some
things around the house. His wife
cooks and does the dishes. He
does the laundry and studies.
“I am doing really well in
school,” Kennedy said. “I have
been on the Dean’s list six out of
the seven semesters.”
With a grade point much
higher than in high school, Kennedy
attributes the new success
to time management, utilizing
the tutoring system and talking
with the professors and fellow
students.
“It’s been fun. I don’t mind being
the old man in the back row
screwing up the curve,” Kennedy
said. “I have had great professors
and I have been challenged in all
my classes.”
As a full-time student taking
12 credit hours, he found 15 was
too hard. Kennedy offered some
advice to younger students and
to the college.
“The one thing they (the
school) should tell a first year
student is look out for week
nine and week 10 because that
is when everything comes to a
head,” Kennedy said. “Your term
paper is due, you seem to have
tests in your other classes.”
To students, Kennedy suggests
to get points early instead of
falling behind later.
“Do your homework, read and
participate in the class and you
will not be struggling at the end
of the class,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy never thought he
would make it through, but he
has been able to move on with
the help of the tutoring that
GRCC offers.
“I really appreciate the math
tutoring department and the computer
tutoring department - they
both have really helped me out
alot,” Kennedy said.
In one of his classes, the class
developed an app for Grand
Rapids Festival of the Arts. It
was part of a 2015 Armen Awards
project and the team came in
second place.
“It was a great learning experience
to be on a team,” Kennedy
said. “Being in nonprofit I know
what it’s like when the dollars
are not there. It was a worthwhile
challenge to help out on
something that has been in Grand
Rapids for over 40 years.”
As one of the senior members
on campus, Kennedy gave a few
philosophical suggestions to the
younger generations of students
attending GRCC.
“Be nice to everybody because
you never know who you are
going to run into later in life. Everybody
should dance.” Stealing
a line from the ‘Interns,’ Kennedy
said. “Look up three inches.
There is a world out there. Get
out of your phone.”
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