Kalamazoo Valley alumni Allen and Abby Burch, have engaging careers that keep them passionate about the work they do. In addition to full-time marketing positions with their employers, the duo operates their own business, LeWayne Productions.  

"LeWayne productions is a part-time side gig," Abby explained. "We operate it this way so that we can enjoy our work and stay passionate about what we do. We mostly provide professional photography and high-quality branding."

The couple married in 2010 and established their business a year later while still pursuing their degrees at Kalamazoo Valley. They credit their experiences at the college for leading them to their careers and for inspiring them to start LeWayne Productions. Allen notes that they are especially grateful for the connections they made while taking classes. 

"We really valued our professors," he said. "Shout-out to professor Aubrey Rodgers. She was actually the person who inspired us to start our own business. Not only was she encouraging of our dreams but she was also encouraging in the classroom too."

Abby graduated with an administrative assistant degree in 2012 and Allen with a time-based media degree in 2013. "We chose Valley for the diverse educational options that met our needs as non-traditional students," Abby said. The two were reverse transfer and commuter students and note that the college's diverse class offerings were instrumental in their journeys.

"It's never a bad option to go to a community college," Allen said. "It's more affordable while still trying to figure out what you want to do. It exposes you to new opportunities and experiences that you have yet to become passionate about."

Allen notes that their experiences with Kalamazoo Valley have also been beneficial outside of work with LeWayne productions. "It's given me lots of opportunities in my daily job," he said. "I've had the pleasure of working with many major companies, including Harley Davidson."

Learn more about LeWayne Productions here. 

New Scholarship - Alumnus PJ Mielke
 

The PJ Mielke Wind Turbine Scholarship has been recently established.  PJ attended and graduated from Kalamazoo Valley's Wind Turbine program as a Service Wind Turbine Technician.  This was a second career for PJ as he was in the military and later worked in crime prevention.  After graduating from the program, he went on to work at a wind turbine company and became a valuable resource as the go-to man turbine building and problem solving.  This scholarship was established in honor of PJ so that others can also have the opportunity to learn this career that he so loves.  Anyone enrolled in the Kalamazoo Valley Wind Turbine program is eligible.

Summer and Fall 2024 Community Education ClassesKalamazoo Valley Community College provides engaging learning opportunities for community members of all ages. See classes here. These non-credit offerings include a variety of enrichment classes, corporate training sessions, culinary instruction and professional development. Register at www.kvcc.edu/community.

Thanks to funding from the Kalamazoo Foundation for Excellence, a full scholarship is available to residents of Vine, Edison, Oakwood, Eastside and Northside neighborhoods. Please email  or call 269.548.3315 for a discount code if you live in one of these five neighborhoods.

Museum Planetarium Show of Queen's Biggest Hits Coming in August
Eleven of Queen's biggest hits, such as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Another One Bites the Dust" and "You're My Best Friend" have been paired with incredible full-dome graphic visuals to create a memorable planetarium experience. The 38-minute "The Queen Light Show: From Mercury With Love" will be presented every Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in August. The show is intended for grades 5 and up. The cost is only $3, with free general admission to the museum. Click here to buy tickets and to learn more about the show.