Kellogg Community College offers more than education – it offers community and, in some cases, family. Literally. Here are just a few stories of Bruins who started their forever stories at KCC.
Hannah and Isaac Lake
KCC Nursing alums Hannah and Isaac Lake, originally of Battle Creek, had only been dating for four months when they were married Dec. 17, 2022, but they’d known each other since meeting at a fiddle and folk dancing class in high school. The pair stayed in touch throughout the years as they made their ways separately through the Nursing Program, Hannah graduating in 2017 and Isaac in 2019, both with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree.
“I would reach out to Hannah frequently as I got ready to enter the Nursing Program, asking for tips and tricks to succeed,” Isaac says today. “Little did she know I was also using that as an excuse to talk to her and get to know her better.”
Both became nurses and have worked in the field since graduation, Hannah as a medical surgical nurse at Bronson and as a pediatric outpatient and school wellness nurse for a local health center. Isaac worked as a float pool nurse for Bronson for two years and has been a travel medical surgical nurse for the past two years with assignments in Tennessee, Michigan and Arizona.
The couple reconnected in July 2022 on a camping trip in Tennessee and felt an instant connection; they started dating in September, got engaged that Dec. 9 and got married eight days later.
Currently the couple is in Casa Grande, Arizona on a travel nursing assignment. They’re travelling year-round with their camper and two dogs, taking assignments across the U.S. and following the sunshine.
Married life is awesome, they say, and they love going on adventures together. Through the affordability of KCC and scholarships from the KCC Foundation, both were able to graduate debt-free.
The Nursing Program was challenging, but worth it, and has allowed them to travel and achieve their goals.
“KCC was an amazing experience for me,” Hannah says. “I had so many amazing professors and mentors. I still keep in touch with some of them, too. KCC gave me the foundational education I needed as a nurse and prepared me for further education.”
“I loved the community aspect and down-to-earth nature of KCC,” Isaac says. “I had excellent instructors every step of the way. KCC got me ready for the real world by keeping the important things important and by providing opportunities off and on campus to gain experience in my field.”
Dayna and Ryan Page
Dayna Page, of Battle Creek, attended KCC as a dual-enrolled Pennfield High School student starting in 2015 and after high school graduation in 2016. She attended KCC until transferring to Western Michigan University in 2018, where she ultimately earned a Bachelor of Science in Language and Hearing Sciences with a minor in American Sign Language Studies.
While a student worker in KCC’s Service-Learning Department in 2017, her supervisor asked her to give a presentation for a student tour of the College’s community garden greenhouse. Little did she know, no tour was planned.
“The day of the presentation arrives and I head out to the campus greenhouse a few minutes before the students were supposed to arrive so I could get things ready,” Dayna says. “I remember hearing music but not thinking much of it. As I unlocked the greenhouse door, I noticed it was decorated with lights and rose petals and I was caught off guard until Ryan came up behind me, popped the question, and I said yes!”
Her then-boyfriend – now husband – Ryan Page had worked with Dayna’s supervisor to arrange a surprise proposal. The two were married May 11, 2019, and today have a 2-year-old daughter (along with a dog and two cats). After a couple years as a stay-at-home mom, Dayna now works at a local high school.
Dayna says she still talks to her then-supervisor from KCC today, and that the College had a positive impact on her future.
“KCC allowed me to stay home, work and save money,” she says. “It also allowed me to build relationships. It prepared me for my future by giving me a secondary educational foundation starting in high school, which progressed on to a four-year university.”
Alissa and Daniel Taylor
Alissa Taylor, of Portage, graduated from KCC with an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree in 2016 and married her high school sweetheart, Daniel Taylor, Jr., on June 11, 2016. (Daniel, also a KCC alum, graduated with an Associate of Applied Science in Graphic Design.)
The couple started dating as sophomores in high school and had been dating for eight years by the time they got engaged. Still, it was a surprise to Alissa when Daniel took a knee at her Nursing Pinning Ceremony the day before commencement.
“I thought he was up to something because he left the house in the morning and had errands to run that lasted all day, which is not typical for him,” Alissa says. “I was hopeful it was coming, but was truly shocked that it actually happened. He wanted to do it at pinning because both my parents, his dad and a few of my friends were there, so they could be included.”
Today the two have been happily married for seven years and are homeowners in Portage with a 3-year-old son and a 9-month-old daughter (along with two dogs).
After graduating from KCC, Alissa became a registered nurse and worked at Ascension Borgess Hospital on an ortho/neuro floor before transitioning to the labor and delivery unit. She currently works in labor and delivery at Bronson while pursuing a master’s degree to become a women’s health nurse practitioner.
“KCC had a huge impact in our lives,” she says today. “KCC prepared me for the future by encouraging me to continue my education and helping me gain the confidence and desire to keep learning. The professors in the Nursing Program really helped push me to succeed.”
Share Your Story
Do you have an interesting KCC story to tell? Share it via the online form at kellogg.edu/alumni!
This article first appeared in the December 2023 edition of BruIN magazine. To read the issue online, please visit kellogg.edu/bruinmagazine.