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‘I want to do that’

Grad with grit: Michelle Koetsier

Kent ISD — Michelle Koetsier’s co-workers have always been supportive, encouraging her to expand her career options and consider entering the field of nursing.

“They would say to me, and still do, ‘you would make such a great nurse,’ ” Koetsier said. 

The holdup? No high-school diploma.

A special education student who attended Kelloggsville Public Schools, Koetsier left high school when faced with the prospect of having to attend beyond her senior year. 

Fast-forward a few years, when Koetsier began working for Sunset Senior Communities, which owns a number of residential facilities for older adults including Jenison’s Sunset Manor & Villages. It was through the company that Koetsier earned nursing assistant certification. 

“It’s not easy, but if it is something that you really want then you just have to push yourself through.”

— Michelle Koetsier

She realized she wanted to go further and made a call to Grand Rapids Community College, but learned her opportunities were limited without a high-school diploma.

So she enrolled in Kent ISD’s adult education program to earn a GED. She attended three days a week at the Leonard campus, and soon more doors started to open. 

Like the day Program Navigator Lindy Clayton walked into her class. Clayton had come to talk to students about Kent ISD’s Career and Technical Education programs. 

Michelle Koetsier (second from left) with Program Navigator Lindy Clayton, Phlebotomy Instructor Yvonne Alles, and Kent ISD Adult Education Director Oogie Lamar

Another Door Opens

CTE programs offer specialized training to students who are on track to get a GED. Students receive hands-on experience and may earn certifications in fields such as phlebotomy, pharmacy assistant, welding, information technology, and construction. Clayton said those who complete the programs leave with skills employers are looking for, especially entry-level positions.  

CTE courses are available only to those who are working toward completing a GED; students are required to attend GED courses while enrolled in the program. Most complete coursework within a few months, Clayton said. 

Michelle Koestier said she believes you really want something, you just have to push yourself to do it (Courtesy)

Clayton visited Koetsier’s class last fall to talk to students about the CTE phlebotomy class, which focuses on drawing blood. 

“I knew it was something I wanted to do,” said Koetsier, who had already achieved much of the training offered by her employer at Sunset. The trick for her was balancing the extra class with her GED classes, work and family. 

But Koetsier did not have to look far for support. Co-workers immediately encouraged her, she said, and family members stepped up to help with her children. 

She was one of 11 students who graduated this winter from the phlebotomy course. Since the start of the program in the winter of 2019, there have been 77 people who have completed CTE courses. 

Depending on requirements, as some fields also require the completion of the GED program before being able to apply, many students have started work in their studied field, especially those in welding, said adult education Director Oogie Lamar.

“Michelle is right on track,” Lamar said during the graduation celebration. Koetsier now is on her way to finishing her GED, he added, and qualified for the Futures for Frontliners program, which will help cover the college costs.

Michelle Koetsier with Kent ISD Phlebotomy Instructor Yvonne Alles

Make the Call

“I just really want it all,” Koetsier said as she held her phlebotomy program certificate. Drawing blood has been added to her work responsibilities at Sunset Manor.

Clayton said Koetsier is representative of many of the students who participated in adult ed programs like CTE, juggling responsibilities while trying to follow paths to better opportunities.

In addition to home, family and school, Clayton said, Koetsier “has also been working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic as an essential worker, taking care of our population’s most vulnerable.”

Koetsier said it has been a challenge, juggling it all.

“It meant some sacrifices, not being able to hang with my husband or spend as much time with my kids,” she said. “There are also times where you just have to take the time for you and what you are trying to achieve. That means you may need to call in and take a day. It might mean taking a nap, so you can have a special dinner with your kids. 

“It’s not easy, but if it is something that you really want then you just have to push yourself through. I know for me the sacrifices are going to be worth it down the road.”

Koetsier plans another four years of balancing school, work and family life as she continues on her path to become a nurse.

“I am glad I told myself not to be stupid, and to make that call to GRCC,” Koetsier said. “It made me more determined to overcome my challenges to reach for that dream of becoming a nurse.”

Part of the fun of graduation is taking pictures with classmates
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Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
Joanne Bailey-Boorsma is a reporter covering Kent ISD, Godwin Heights, Kelloggsville, Forest Hills and Comstock Park. The salutatorian for the Hartland Public Schools class of 1985, she changed her colors from blue and maize to green and white by attending Michigan State University, where she majored in journalism. Joanne moved to the Grand Rapids area in 1989, where she started her journalism career at the Advance Newspapers. She later became the editor for On-the-Town magazine, a local arts and entertainment publication. Her eldest daughter is a nurse, working in Holland, and her youngest attends Oakland University. Both are graduates from Byron Center High School. She is a volunteer for the Van Singel Fine Arts Advisory Board and the Kent District Library. In her free time, Joanne enjoys spending time with her family, checking out local theater and keeping up with all the exchange students they have hosted through the years. Read Joanne's full bio

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