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I loved the campus; I loved the students;
I loved the professors most of all
because they're all so dedicated.
Grand Valley State University opened its doors to you....
You learn things you never thought you'd learn.
Which in turn opened up the world.
I got to go abroad with a couple of other students here
on campus, and we went to Iman, Jordan.
I'm very excited.
I'm the first one in my family to graduate!
More than 70-thousand alumni have benefited
from the rich academic life at Grand Valley
and an impressive number are leaders in their fields.
One of my notable accomplishments would be my
first Emmy nomination with NBC's The West Wing.
Troy Hardy moved to Los Angeles the day after he graduated
from Grand Valley in 1995.
Hardy is the Alumni Association's choice
for Distinguished Alumnus.
He worked his way into a music editor role,
working on popular TV shows like The West Wing and CSI.
He's been nominated for numerous Emmy's,
three since starting his own company --
Meltro Music in L.A. CSI was special for me.
It was the first show I'd gotten on my own.
Hardy has completed work
on 250 television shows including Grey's Anatomy,
E.R., and iCarly.
As for his time in Allendale, he remembers the professors.
Those professors that went above and beyond
and took some extra time to give you advice during or after class
that wasn't necessarily covered in the textbooks.
Hardy grew as a musician at Grand Valley,
but he says he grew the most after training
to be a resident assistant.
Some of the stuff was sobering.
We visited domestic violence shelters and we got the chance
to help out in soup kitchens,
and it probably altered me the most
out of everything at Grand Valley.
Football played a key role
in Corey Edwards' time at Grand Valley.
He came out of Grand Rapids' Ottawa Hills High School
and wore #32 as a defensive back
for the Lakers from 2005 to 2008.
He says the discipline
of football helped him in the classroom.
You have to study the plays, and you have to out there
and perform it just like in class, you have to study
for class and perform a paper or a presentation.
I think football helps you with character
and class at the same time.
Edwards showed his character by working hard in,
even when it wasn't easy.
He used tutors, academic advisors and made it a point
to build relationships with professors.
Now he's building relationships with teens
at Oakdale Park Church in Grand Rapids where the future teacher
and coach is interning.
They really try to understand like, where almost close
to your age, so how do you get to the point of going to college
and playing at Grand Valley?
How do you get to that point?
What do you have to do?
And I tell them.
Everything's not perfect, so you're going to go to school,
there are going to be times when you don't get good grades,
but it's how you react to it.
I would love to work with refugees at some point.
I love helping people.
Kirah Rawls is another graduate who is intent
on making her mark on the world.
She majored in International Relations at Grand Valley
and studied abroad this summer at the University of Jordan.
I've never learned so much so quickly.
I've never had my view on the world so turned upside
down by going to this brand new place where you have perceptions
of this place and once you go there,
they're completely different.
Rawls made the most of her time at Grand Valley.
She helped found the Yoga Club which now has more
than 100 members, and she took advantage
of Grand Valley's liberal education.
I fell in love with Arabic, and then I took a Conflict
and Conflict Resolution class, which taught me a lot
about just how many people are in trouble in the world
and need this kind of help, and it made it more real for me
that I could help them if I really put myself
into the position and really work hard at getting
to the place where I can change things for people.
Professor of mathematics, Dr. Paul Fishback,
is changing students lives daily.
He is the Alumni Association's choice for Outstanding Educator.
I was quite surprised.
I work with such a great group of people in the department,
really really talented educators,
and I've learned a lot from them.
Fishback received a bachelor's degree in mathematics
from Hamilton College and went on to earn his doctorate
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992.
He joined Grand Valley's faculty in 93.
I think there is a big emphasis on people growing as teachers
over the course of their career and not just being good teachers
but being excellent teachers.
Fishback is described by his students as approachable...
patient...
and engaging.
The university is so generous in terms
of providing financial opportunities to students
through the student summer scholars program.
The fact that we have a student computer ratio that's much
better than the national average.
We really offer students a lot for their money
and I'm very proud to be part of that.
I really feel like I got a very well-rounded education here.
I feel like I'm confident in math; I'm confident in writing;
I'm confident in speaking.
I feel good coming out of this college.
My advice to the graduates, after graduation,
take your family, sit them down, look them in the eye,
and tell them how much you love them and then beg them
to let you move back in.
Seriously, life is way too short to be unhappy.
Be flexible, everything that you've learned
at Grand Valley is going
to ultimately help you in the future.
Congratulations, you made it!!