Picture Yourself Here: Conor Whitchurch

At one time, Conor Whitchurch, 38, felt stuck in a dead-end job. But now, he's a Kalamazoo Valley Community College intern, club president and a student who's completing two associate degrees with plans to complete a bachelor of arts degree.

He and his wife Emily moved to Kalamazoo from Colorado seven years ago. Because his father-in-law, Mike Babb, helped start Kalamazoo Valley's Sustainable Brewing program, Whitchurch was familiar with the college and its offerings. "I was working in an office job that was becoming more and more unsatisfying as time went on and it was clear that my advancement there was limited and my future insecure. I decided it was finally time to get a degree, intending it to be a bachelor's degree and I knew that the best way was to take classes at a community college first and then transfer to a four-year college," he said.

He's now majoring in both sustainable horticulture and business administration. He is also an intern at the ValleyHUB food hub in Kalamazoo Valley's Food Innovation Center. He qualified for funding through Michigan Reconnect which covers the cost of tuition. His wife was also able to use Michigan Reconnect funds when she took classes in Kalamazoo Valley's baking certificate program.

"When I first decided to get a degree, based off of my preexisting skillset and experience, I chose business administration as a very general degree. I took a few semesters and had a 16-credit hour semester lined up that I was, given my performance up to that point, likely to do very well at, but then my father, for whom I was the primary caregiver, began declining and being unable to take care of himself," Whitchurch said.

Whitchurch became overwhelmed, spoke with an advisor and reduced his class load. "The following semester my wife convinced me to try a change of pace and take some classes in an area about which I have been passionate on a hobby level," he said. That semester, fall of 2023, he earned a 4.0 GPA in 15-credit hours of sustainable horticulture classes and also started working part time at ValleyHUB. He's now on track to finish a sustainable horticulture degree in five semesters total and then resume classes to complete a business administration degree.

He has enjoyed his sustainable horticulture classes, especially those taught by Dr. Sara Tanis, the director of the sustainable horticulture program. "The field trips have also been terrific and I can't imagine the program without them," Whitchurch said.

Both of Whitchurch's internships are based at the Food Innovation Center. "Part of my BA internship was to help build the internship program at the Food Innovation Center and then I was also the first participant in it as a sustainable horticulture intern," he explained. "It has been going quite well, my supervisors and I think." He also founded the college's horticulture club and serves as its current president.

Whitchurch has continued to excel despite his father's illness and eventual death last semester. "Thanks to the understanding and flexibility of the instructors at Kalamazoo Valley, I was able to visit my dad every day for two-and-a-half months, take time off when he passed, and still earn A's and B's in my four classes," he said. "I've never before lived through times as challenging, busy, productive, and - apart from the personal loss - satisfying as the last two years have been at Kalamazoo Valley."