Director's Message The Fall semester has started and our halls are filled with excited students again! As I watch them moving through the building to find their new classrooms, I feel so much compassion for them. They are excited, but also nervous about what to expect. About a third of them are the first in their family to attend college, and many are making big sacrifices to come to Kalamazoo Valley. The student survey we conducted last semester showed that 75% of our students were working and going to school at the same time - and half of them were working 40+ hours a week. I appreciate the grit, courage and determination of Valley students! As alumni, I'm sure you can remember those early days when you wondered what class was going to be like and whether you belonged. You probably remember the fatigue of juggling responsibilities, but also the pride of accomplishment. Fortunately, these students are in the right place - Kalamazoo Valley, and the whole community, is backing them as they work toward their dreams! PS: Our biggest fundraiser of the year - the Opportunities for Education scholarship fundraiser is scheduled for September 26. Come join the party and show your support for these hard-working students! www.kvcc.edu/foundation.
Alisha Siebers
Associate Vice President for College Advancement
Executive Director of the KVCC Foundation asiebers@kvcc.edu
269.488.4821
INDIVIDUAL TICKETS FOR THE 2024 OFE ON SALE NOW!!! Come join us in raising funds for student scholarships at Kalamazoo Valley Community College at the 2024 Opportunities for Education Event.
The September 26 event at the Kalamazoo Valley Food Innovation Center will feature some of the region's most popular restaurants along with student and faculty chefs from the college's culinary and brewing programs. Guests will enjoy a walk-around tasting under a big tent where they can sample signature dishes along with beer, wine and other beverages. Tours among the vegetables, flowers and herbs growing in the Food Innovation Center's greenhouse will also be available. Purchase tickets here
Alumni Spotlight - Derick Waters
Derick Waters earned an associate degree from Kellogg Community College and had planned to transfer to Western Michigan University. When the coronavirus pandemic caused nationwide shutdowns, he switched gears - and that led to his career as a brewer.
"I worked as a server and bartender while living in Kalamazoo until 2022 when I decided to open my own food business, Dirty Vegan," he said. "I ran Dirty Vegan for two years making vegan comfort food until one day I decided to brew a home brew batch of beer. I was hooked and wanted to learn everything I could about beer. I discovered that Kalamazoo Valley Community College had a brewing program and I signed up right away."
Waters said he appreciated how accessible his instructors were. "My professors had great availability to spend time on class material in depth and interact with students one on one," he said. His sustainable brewing training - which involved learning through real trial and error in the full-size on-campus brew house- helped him land a job in the brewing industry. "There is so much science, technology, mechanics, and vernacular that was so foreign to me until I began my course work," Waters said.
Upon graduation, he was hired as an industrial brewer at Short's Brewing Company. "I brewed on a 30-barrel system and I turned two batches per shift," he said. "I lived up north and worked there for six months before returning to Battle Creek to take a position at Handmap Brewing as a brewer." He is currently training to be the Head Brewer for Handmap. "I brew beer, do cellar work, packaging, set brew schedules, write and audit SOP's, run lab testing, do general maintenance, recipe development, and am learning to oversee all brewing operations," he explained.
Waters thinks people who don't like beer simply haven't sampled enough. "I'd like people to know that there are endless possibilities of beer styles and flavors," he said. "There is a beer for everyone. Check out Taps on Tuesday's at Kalamazoo Valley's culinary building as well as Handmap Brewing." Alumni Business Directory on Foundation Website Our Alumni Business Directory is growing! Check out all the alumni owned businesses.If you are a business owner, add yourself to the directory here. Not a business owner? We encourage you to support the Kalamazoo Valley alumni or student-owned businesses in your community by tapping into their services and offerings. Business Directory
Image based on photograph by Brian K. Powers
Collecting Black History: Murphy Darden's Legacy The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is excited to announce it has acquired just over 200 items from the private African American history and art collections of the late Kalamazoo historian Murphy Darden, Sr. This is the museum's most significant acquisition since the 1930s, according to Museum Director Bill McElhone.
"We are honored to provide a new forever home for many of Darden's artifacts of local and national historical interest, as well as for his sculptures, paintings, drawings and multi-media artwork chronicling often untold stories of the African American experience," McElhone said. "The pieces will serve as an invaluable resource for the museum, local students and the entire community." Learn more
Staff Support If we can be of any assistance to you please give us a call.
Alisha Siebers Annette Chapman
Executive Director Foundation Officer & Grant Coordinator
269.488.4821 269.488.4442 asiebers@kvcc.eduachapman@kvcc.edu
