**** Producer's Note: The following is a general transcript of LCC Connect's weekly radio program. Contents include but may not be limited to podcasts, program imaging, announcements, and PSAs. More detailed and accurate transcripts of the podcast episodes featured in this broadcast can be found at LCCconnect.com or by following the links provided in the show notes of this episode. ****

Welcome to Student Success Stories, hosted by.

Lansing Community College's Academic Success Coaching Team.

We believe in working with students to help them identify and utilize their strengths.

We empower them to succeed at LCC.

And accomplish their academic goals. On Success Stories, we dive deeper into.

The backgrounds and the stories of LCC.

Students and learn how they turn challenges to triumphs.

Thank you for joining us on another episode of the Student Success Stories podcast. The podcast where we meet with current and former LCC students, hear about their stories, and get to know them a little bit more. I'm Laz Lane and my co host, Larry Smith. So today's guest is a current LCC student hailing from South Bend, Indiana. This student is a business major, the youngest of six siblings, spends times outdoor and a huge Marvel fan. Let's welcome Joe Hrabowski.

Thank you for having me here.

Welcome, Joe.

Hey, thank you.

I got a question for you, Joe.

Talk to me.

It looks like you were born in South Bend, Indiana, but moved to East Lansing at five years old. How did that affect who you became?

You know, that's a great question. I think for me, I've always been blessed with having five older siblings. So I think with that comes only a larger family, but comes a greater sense of community. So when we moved here, you know, I was. I just finished kindergarten, and, you know, we packed up, we got here, remember, early August, and we were just so excited to be in a new place. You know, I think at that age, you don't have a lot of attachment. You know, you're really focused on. For me, at least, I was a. I was a bigger kid. So I always liked my sweets and I. You know, I liked my games with my brother and my sisters. And so I think moving to a new town was the coolest thing, especially one that was by Michigan State because we. We were Notre Dame fans. But my dad always talked about Michigan State, so it really just brought a whole new place to start fresh. Nothing but positivity and a whole lot of games outside. Cause we grew up by some woods, and that was the place to be. You know, it was a nice change of pace.

Yeah. Not trying to start any drama, but if it's MSU versus Notre Dame, who you riding with?

All right. Triangle of trust. I'm a Buckeye, so that might be worse. That's what I was saying. So that's one of those things. I gotta be careful who I sell to, but I feel like I can say. Say that, but. Yeah, my. You know, my grandpa, he taught at Ohio state for about 45 years.

Oh, okay.

My. All my. Actually, all my relatives went to Ohio State. You know, my dad worked for them for his first job. And mainly, you know, a big thing, I think, was just having that. When my grandma lived with us, she was a big buckeye, so I kind of gained that with her. Because to see someone get so excited, even at the, you know, the age of 92, it kind of inspires you to, you know, to kind of back them. So it's always been my thing.

Well, you got ties to the buckeye, so that's.

But I bleed some green. I bleed some green. I'll say go green.

Okay, But. Okay, so you're the youngest, and like you said, when you're. When you're five years old, you're not really attached to anything. So, you know, a brand new place. Like, it's not like you're leaving friends behind or anything. So it probably wasn't as emotional for you. How old is your oldest sibling or siblings? I'm sure that affected them, and I.

Think that definitely was. We're almost all about three years apart. So, you know, the oldest at that time, she had graduated a couple years from college before, and she actually stayed in the area, but the four others came. So my oldest brother, Willie, he was. At the time, he was what that would have been. He was 19. Yeah. So he was just about to finish up high school. He just had, actually. So for him, it was really hard, I think, because we're a very, I'll say, traditional family in the sense that we're a large Catholic family. And so with that, you know, my dad always wanted us to stay together. So I think at that age, you're a little bit more trying to find yourself. You want to express yourself a little bit more, and moving takes away a lot of those elements of who you were. Because he was established with all of his clubs and all that. So that was a harder part, I think, to see them struggle with that. But thankfully, one thing I think my parents did such a great job was always remind us that family's always there. So through that, we were all able to always connect. We would always find ways to make something, a game, something to pass the time, because, I don't know, we realized how lucky we were to be together, and that was a really big blessing. I think I'll always take that as a blessing.

That's good. That's good. Yeah, I'm pretty sure. I mean, that has to affect everybody that's moving. Not just a different city, a different state, too. So I can only imagine.

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. Change your pace. Definitely a change of pace.

Yeah. So part of this, I guess you could say, process of bringing on students. We asked for just background, a little bit of background information. I always look through the student's account, too, just to see, you know, maybe president's list, Dean's list, things like that. So I've noticed you and I share the same exact birthday outside of the year. Yep. Yep.

Give me one of those.

Yeah. Yeah.

There we go. I knew I liked this guy. I knew I liked him. I had a feeling. I had a feeling.

So my question, because I was affected. I just want your opinion. Our birthdays are so close to Christmas. I didn't have five siblings and I still, you know, got it seemed like more. They said, oh, you get double the. How did you grow up with the birthday so close to Christmas? Because it sucked for me.

Let me tell you. I still love it. I still couldn't agree more. And I think I was as much. I would like to say I was an easygoing kid. I was so dramatic. You know, being the youngest of six, you get used to having your way. And the worst thing ever was I would just get one big gift other than we're just gonna combine them. This is gonna make it even better. I was like, come on. I would get so upset. And I think, thankfully, as I got older, probably around, I'm gonna say, sixth grade, is when I was like, you know what? It's not a big deal. I got a bike. I'm happy with that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I was able to kind of make it less of an issue. But when I was younger, I felt like my world was crumbling. I was like, are you serious? Why? Why? But I survived. I persevered.

I think I had a couple of birthday parties. That was about it. Everything else was just.

Yeah, yeah.

It wasn't much, but kind of hard.

Was the biggest corporate holiday of the year.

Oh, yeah.

And both of you have turned out to be fine young men.

I'm telling you, that could be the sign. That's what I'm saying. This guy. Appreciate you.

Thank you, Larry. You should let my bosses know. Maybe I get a raise or something.

I can do a review. I can do a review. I'm great at Yelp reviews. All right.

I'd like to know who made the biggest impact on you growing up.

Can I give a two part answer on this one?

Absolutely.

Okay, so I'm gonna start off with my dad. He has always been my biggest role model. You know, he grew up and not the easiest conditions. You know, he grew up living in a house a fifth the size of the house he lives in now. You know, he was the first to go to go to college and graduate. His dad worked for a GM at a Fisher Body plant down in Ohio, and that's where our whole family's from. And so he really, you know, he kind of set the road for me and my brothers, my siblings, of kind of what it looked like to carry your own and what it looked like to be an adult, but to also figure out who you are. And for him it was. He got his first job when I was 12. So I incidentally got my first job when I first turned 15 because I was like the youngest you could at my age. And through that, he was always there to sacrifice. He has always taught us at a young age, you have to learn to die into yourself. That was kind of this big thing he'd always say from a young age. And a lot of times it kind of comes off more from a religious standpoint. But I really take that with me from my day to day, because if that means I have to die to myself a little bit more because I'm holding the door for someone in the rain and I'm a little more wet, that's fine. If that means I'm dying myself a little bit more because I'm going to let two people cut across for me and I'm not going to get upset in traffic, that's great. But it's bigger things, right? If that's me donating some of my paycheck to charity, that's gonna be something I always do or I try to donate some of my time to just conversation on the street. There's two guys in East Lansing that live by the Marriott. They're homeless instantly, but guy named Alex and then there's a guy named Scott. And there are two guys that they can be a little bit over the top sometimes and a lot of people avoid them. But just taking one or two minutes just to talk to them and they're not always the sanest of conversations. But I think just trying to give to others more than I give to myself has always been a thing my dad taught me. And he did that because he would finish up, you know, he was the dean for the admissions program at MSU. So his day started at 6:00am, finished at 4:35. And every single day, I don't kid you. And when I was in first grade, I was one of the worst readers in my class. He would take an Hour after dinner. And he would read with me, you know, and that's. That's after he had processed, report after reporting, after meeting.

Long day.

And I almost get emotional about it because I am where I am because of that. You know, I was not a good student in the beginning. I was, you know, I constantly was distracted. I definitely had adhd. I think just. Just to the point of how many times my teacher had to pull me aside. He'd be like, you gotta actually pay attention here. But the greatest thing my dad would always say from a young age, every morning he'd say, joe, F O, C U, S. And I'd say, what does that spell? I'd say, focus. He says, that's what you're gonna do today. And that taught me, you know what I mean? It was the first step in the right direction, and it got me hopefully where I need to go. So he's the man. But.

All right, the second part.

A second part. Now, that's the question. There's a guy named Eric Sudhal, and he has been the manager that I had when I first started working at the Marriott in East Lansing. And talk about, you know, so many parallels with my dad, but I will always talk about this because it was truly the most impactful day in my life. Was. It was early May. I got my first job as a bellman. You know, I remember I was sweating bullets when I was biking there. Cause I was like, what am I gonna say? I was like, I'm too young to. I was like, I'm gonna talk to adults. Like, I was a very nervous kid up until this job because as much as I like talking, I love, you know, hanging out with my siblings. I always felt like I wasn't saying the right thing. So that kind of got me, you know, insecure when I was in middle school. So I remember I bike over there and I got on the job, thankfully, and I clock in and I put my backpack down and I go to the manager at the front desk. I was like, oh. And who do I talk to? I was like, just for what I do as a bellman. He's like, oh, well, Eric's going to take care of that for you. And this is the general manager who's working with a full set of housekeeping, sales, accounting, all this. That guy took me through every part of my job. He helped me get up to the room, show me how do the floors break down. He sat with me and ate dinner with me. And this is a guy who just really showed he cared.

Yeah.

And to See that? And to, you know, I'm working for the same guy now as a supervisor at the same hotel, it is nothing but admiration and respect. It's the same thing as my dad. You know, it's someone that I aspire to be, but someone who I feel I'm only a portion of, you know, in all the good ways. So it's just. It's a real blessing to have both those men in my life. Especially I think in the times, like when I've had struggle, I could turn to them and they could be honest, they could be frank. Even if that's not something I want to hear, it's something I need to hear so much that I feel like I haven't even gotten close to paying back. I'm just grateful and truly grateful.

Yeah, that's always good to hear. And especially as men who, you know, we always need guidance growing up.

And that male figure too, I think. Yeah. Obviously, you know, having a mom figure too is a big thing, but. Oh, yeah, the relation. I think sometimes you find more in common.

Yeah. And as you get older, it's, you know, mom is always mom. Mom's gonna nurture you, love you unconditionally. All that. Dad will too. But dad most times will show the tough love or. Yeah, Larry knows a little more.

The bad cop.

Yeah.

Yeah, I knew about tough love.

I think we all need it sometimes.

But you get to a certain point where you can have those conversations as not just father, son, or even I'll just call him your mentor, you know, something like that. But it gives you an opportunity to have that one on one as like a friend or just adult to adult. Pretty much man to adult.

A friend is a perfect word.

Yep.

I think that's the greatest thing you can ever have is someone who you not only have a parent, but then to one day, they obviously you'll always respect them. But to be able to gain their respect is a beautiful thing. And I think for a lot of people, sometimes that causes strife because you feel like you're never enough. And you feel like, how do I. It's like, well, they're your parent. And I really believe that every parent will love you unconditionally. Yes, they will always respect you, they always care for you, but you have to put in the effort to do the same for them. Absolutely.

Yeah. So you moved to Michigan, and I'm pretty sure part of it may have been location. But why LCC brought you to lcc? Besides coach Larry Smith over here, I'll.

Talk about the man, the man, the myth, the legend right here. No, you know, it's funny because I was. As many students, I think, can relate to this, and even adults, you know, I kind of got stuck in that weird time of COVID So it was, like, starting my junior year, and I remember it was March, when they said, hey, guys, three weeks off. And I went crazy. I was like, that means three weeks to play tennis, skateboard. I was like, this is the best thing ever. And obviously, three weeks goes to two months, two months go to a year, and then you slowly start to get a case of cabin fever. I'm rocking back and forth in the corner of my room. No, I'm kidding. But, you know, you feel like you're starting to go a little stir crazy. And so, for me, that really put everything on its side, because I wanted to play tennis in college, and I was going to go up to Northern Michigan, and I was going to have everything set up to be class president my junior, senior year. All this kind of stuff that got flipped on me, and so I really felt lost. And then I was like, dad, I'm not going to college. I don't need to. I was like, I get that. The five little siblings did. I was like, but that's not for me. I was like, I am working. I was at Dick Sporting it at the time. And I was like, I got good money here. This is gonna be it for me. I was like, I can do what I want. My free time. It's gonna be good. And then my dad was like, Joe. He's like, I enrolled you at lcc. And I was like, what? And he's like, I enrolled you at Lansing Community College. I was like, dad's like, I don't need college, Joe. He's like, take a look. And so that week, I remember this was before the classes started. I took a walk and I took like a. I'm very much of a sentimental guy, and even for times that. I don't know why, but I remember I listened to a little guy named Johnny Cash. And I put that music on, put my headphones, and I walked around the campus, and I just looked at students who were reading, reading in the grass with their friends, or I saw teachers coming and going in between the A and S building and Gannon, right? And it was something so much different from Michigan State because you could tell that here people knew your name. You know, you're not a number on a line. You're not getting lost three miles in between your classes. There was a sense of something. And so Even though I think I kind of dragged my feet, the moment I started to make connections between who these people are and, you know, what a community is, it started to pick up. And now Larry can attest that obviously did not pick up in the first. The first time, because I'm gonna fully admit, you did good. You did good. I paid him to say that, folks. I paid him to say, 20 bucks, Chris. 20 under the table. No. But I don't know. I've realized that for me to live my best life, I have to be honest with my life. And a part of that was, I didn't care. Larry would text me. This guy talk about truly, one of the most impactful guys in my life is Larry Smith. Because he texted me every single week. He would say. I remember that I'd get these texts early morning, and it would piss me off because he would remind me how much I wasn't doing. And in all the best ways, though, right? He would say, did you get those classes set up? And I'd say, yep, I'm get to it, you know, And I would say that day after day, because I was either wanting to go. Go on a date, or I was. Want to work a couple extra hours, or I want to go to the skate park. All these things. And not to take it to a serious spot. But my mom, you know, when. When she got cancer, that was kind of a big thing for me. That was his turnaround part, because then I would still get those texts from Larry, and I was like, I need to. I need to make the most of this, because my mom always kind of pushed us to be happy and pushed us to find this. And so to have Larry be that lifeline all the way through, I mean that with all my bottom of my heart, I would not be back in school if Larry wasn't the counselor that I had, because he was the one who stuck by my side. He gave up when my dad did. You know what I mean? Like, my dad was like, joe, it's your life. And not that my dad gave up on me, but my dad gave up on this idea of me going to school because he could see my demeanor. He could see the way I talked about it. Larry was the thing that got that flame to really grow, because I was like, someone's gonna be able to reach out and help me. And that was Larry. And I even met the guy yet. It was all over text.

And I'm telling you, with our first meeting, something just clicked because I knew you had it. I knew you had it. You had told me you've been in the work world for a while, and just meeting you for the first time, I knew there was something behind there. And now it's coming to fruition.

You taught me that. That really is. I didn't believe it till I met you. No.

Well, it's here.

That's what I'm saying.

And you are too, my man.

I appreciate that, sir. I appreciate that.

Look at you, Larry. See, you do. Do your job.

See, once in a while, you catch him on a good day. Catch him on a.

Don't report that.

Don't report that.

That's good, though. That's good to hear. We all know Larry. We love Larry. It's always fun working with him. But to hear about outside of our team as well, just seeing the students on the grass that you were referring to, people knowing your name, things like that. And I've said this before, I think on another episode is community college. I don't know what to say as far as, like, a label or a specific word. But a lot of people, I guess, underestimate a community college every time.

Every time.

Sometimes the smaller places are. It's at least the best place to start.

Ain't that the truth? I just. I think that is one thing. And I. And I. And I. That's. I guess that's a small mission I have on my own. Is anytime I can. I will always say, you know, where I'm getting my education, why I went there, you know, because it really is crazy to think about. I talk to people who go to Michigan State, which is a great school, of course, but they say, you know, they have never really got close to their teacher. Teachers know their name, you know, they don't really have a way to ever be on office hours. So to have this where it's like, I have a political science teacher that I can ask any question I have when I'm reading a hard part of Leviathan from, you know, by Thomas Hobbes. And he will take time and he'll email five minutes after. Or I have Larry, who's always saying, what do you need? And I've got a teacher who I had my freshman year in English, and she says, hey, Joe, in the hallway. Like these little things, I think, that build a community. It's not just you see people and you see them daily. No. It's that you have something to grow on.

Yeah.

And that's why I think this. I want to do something, anything I can do for the school because it really. It turned me around. It made Me realize that I do have something to offer. Because honestly, for a long time I felt like I didn't. I felt like, yeah, I can crack a joke, yeah, this or that. But I got to such a negative and dark spot in my life. I am just really so blessed for not only Larry, but the school and the resources that they have to offer the students. It's unbelievable. I can't believe people don't talk about it more because go stars, baby. That's all I'll say.

Go Stars.

I will talk about it until I retire. I've worked in four year institutions my whole life, mainly because I coach football. But when I got here at lcc, I learned that this college in the state of Michigan has the most useful resources than I have ever seen on any campus in the state of Michigan.

Truth, ain't that it? That's right.

And now we're gonna get back to you. You travel to different cities due to traveling for work. What has been your favorite trip or favorite city to visit so far?

You know, I said this to my dad this last summer. I got the really cool experience of going to Chicago a couple times to work at one of their hotels by the airport. And I told my dad on my drive from the first time when I was driving there halfway through, I said, dad, next time you see me, I'm going to have the patience of Mother Teresa. I think I could have cried driving through that traffic like that was one of like, oh my gosh, talk about me being dramatic. I was just. Even with all the Frank Sinatra playing, I was like, I hate this, I hate this, I hate this. But once you get there, I love the opportunity to grow in something I'm completely not versed in. And a big city is just that, like I'm a, I'm a country type of guy, even though I didn't grow up in the country.

Gotcha.

But I like things to be slower. I like things to be a little bit quieter. I appreciate the kind of pace of how it is when you go up north and you have this kind of sense of calmness. Everything that Chicago is, is not that.

Absolutely.

That's the best part.

I lived in the up for three years now.

Where in the Up? Remind me again.

Well, first I was at Northern Michigan.

So I coached best city ever, Marquette.

And then I was up in Houghton, Michigan at Michigan Tech. Absolutely gorgeous. In the summer, you're not going to see the ground until May come, if not June. I was up there at Michigan Tech for three years and we only had spring ball Once.

That's like a sick dream. That's like a sick dream right there.

Oh, my gosh.

But that must have been in the best spring ball game of your life.

Oh, my gosh.

We were just happy we could get out there on the feet.

Right, Right.

Exactly.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah. That's tough, Chicago. I would have taken the train. That traffic. That traffic. Yeah, I should have.

I should have.

Next time, right?

Exactly.

Take the train.

This July. This July.

You can sit back, relax, and, you know, you'll be. You'll be good there. But. So you. You said that you're a big Marvel fan.

Killed.

There's been a Marvel. I like Marvel. There's been a lot of fans who have said Marvel is kind of falling off a little bit. What's been your. What was your favorite Marvel movie? I guess that's not.

Talk about a big question. That's. Yeah, that's probably why I'm single, because I like Marvel so much. But, you know, I just watched. I finished last night. You know, I finished all my. All my econ chapter reading. I said I'm gonna treat myself, and I'm gonna watch Captain America, Civil War.

Okay.

And that's my personal favorite. I just. It's just like, the first time I watched it every time. Like, if someone could watch me, you'd be, like, almost concerning, because I think, oh, that's sick. I'll be like, awesome. I'm, like, saying things that a sixth grader would say, and I don't. I'll be. I'll be confident about it because I just really appreciate. I appreciate the original comics themselves, but I like the adaptations. And obviously, a big thing for us as kids was going to those movies together, like, me and my siblings. That was always the big thing, because I was. You know, I always wanted to be Thor. My brother was Captain America, and so we always had these things. I think a lot of it, too, is nostalgia, but I will 100% admit I'm a geek through and through, so that's what I love. That's what I love now. How about you, though? You got to tell me that for you guys. Come on. Can't leave me hanging.

Ooh, favorite one. The. The Civil War, I think, was one of the best ones. I don't know if I have a.

Favorite, but Favorite Avenger. How about that?

I was. Oh, favorite Avenger.

There's only one right answer.

Thor.

See, I'm a Captain America guy.

I got Captain America. I like him.

Thor's the strongest.

Thor's my guy. I Don't know. Probably because when I played some of the, like, the ultimate alliance video games or whatever.

Champions.

You can use the Thor's hammer, whatever. The thunder, lightning, whatever. He just had more, I guess, abilities. He could fly with a hammer.

What the heck?

Yep. So you guys are into it.

Come on, you, Larry, talk. Come on, talk to us.

I wasn't into the comics, though, but the movies. Movies were good.

My guy is the green guy.

That's good. That's a Hulk.

The Hulk is my guy. Yeah, he's all natural.

That's right.

He was in the Avengers in. In whatever comic stage, but.

And they came out with a red Hulk.

The red one.

That's how, you know they're struggling. They're just starting to make reiterations of different, like, let's go, Captain Britain. No, I'm kidding.

I used to troll people a little bit and say my favorite character was Thanos.

They just get a little bit nervous, like, okay, it was.

It was pretty funny.

That's how you get a good conversation going right there. See the reaction alone.

They had a good run, though. I mean, they can still continue it, obviously, but definitely questionable. It's been tough, so.

Yeah. No, I agree. I agree. I will say, I saw that. You know, it's a quick little side story. Me and my. One of my buddies are really big fans of Marvel, like, every day at work. You know, he's one of the accountants at the hotel, and I work at the front desk. So we kind of cross paths a lot. We're always talking about, like, the latest fandom and, you know, oh, did you see this? This? So we, me and him book tickets that day we get there, I was like, oh, it's going to be a quiet show. We're going to the 6:31 in the evening. It's the third day it came out. We'll be good. The seats, we got 14 other, like, middle school girls got the same ones next to us. So we're there and we're decked out in Marvel stuff, and then there's just all these girls next to us, and we're trying to sit there, look like adult. And I was like, why do we do this? Why do we do this? But it's fine. We got through it. It was a great movie. Everyone should go see the new Captain America. Brave New World.

It was good. I seen it.

Right? Not too bad.

All right, we're going to change the ambiance a little bit. What's your biggest fear?

That's a good one. Okay, so I don't know about you guys. Do you guys have, like, just physical fears or. Because I have one mental and one physical.

Bring it. Okay.

Physical is. If you ever saw the movie called Kingsman, they get locked in a room and the room starts being filled with water that is mine. So I guess drowning, essentially. But that would be the worst one. If I'm in a submarine or.

I don't know.

That's a little bit intricate. But I guess my mental fear, and this is going to be pretty deep. Is my fear that I can never truly give myself validation. Like the validate for myself. I think I can always look at that from other people. But to truly have that within yourself. I think it was Aristotle who said, there's no greater mastery than mastery over one's mind. And I think that really is something that we all hope to get. And I think we all try to get in different ways, but it takes time. And I think if you can at least know you're on the right footpath, that gives security from that fear. The drowning fear is different because I just don't know how to swim. So it's kind of a realistic. Yeah, it's bad. Larry's bad. I told you. You got to teach me. No.

Here we go, man.

You going fishing?

That's what I'm saying.

Right, Right.

I like to live dangerously. To see me out there with four life vests on. Got my floaties.

We gotta get you in the pool.

Yes, we do. Yes, we do.

But, Joe, you have nothing to fear. You just keep attacking every day. Because you're special, man.

You're special, man.

You are special.

I appreciate you.

I think your fear, too. That brings its sense of humility as well. So that, I mean, that's a really. Shouldn't say. That's a good fear. But you know what?

I think it is, right?

The humility part in it is good.

I'm telling you. Humility and gratitude, those are the. You can go far with those two things. What you have in your pocket, what you got on your back. If you got humility and you got gratitude, you can go as far as you believe. I really believe that. You know what I mean? I think that's just life. If you can make it that way.

There it is.

Well, it was fun, Joe. This was quick, you know, Just want to thank you for joining us today, and we appreciate your time.

Can I close with one question for each of you guys?

Sure.

What would you say in your time being here at lcc because you guys both have spent time here. What has been the most impactful thing that you've either learned from this community or the biggest thing that you want to continue focusing on while you're here. Because you guys are both pillars, I think, of this school.

Learning to meet students where they are, learning to meet students where they are and to engage and try to enhance their motivation to succeed.

Perfect.

And I would say seeing those students from start to finish, you may not need meet them on day one, but seeing them, you know, apply, register everything that they need to do. The beginning steps are probably the most challenging, I would say, because of how many small tasks that you have to complete. But just seeing them grow, whether just as a student or professionally, whatever it is, I just like to see that transformation. Yeah, yeah, we just all like to see students succeed. That's. That's what it is. That's why it's such a good community. It's a community college, but it's a community for the community.

So it's a big base.

Yeah. Yeah.

Well, thank you, gentlemen. I really, I'm blessed to be here. So thank you again.

Yeah, thank you.

Thank you.

All right. And if you want to be a guest on our podcast, contact us at Success storiescc. Edu and check out all the other shows that LCC has@lcc connect.com.

Foreign.

Thank you for taking the time to listen.

To student success stories.

To listen to this episode or previous.

Episodes of success stories, visit lccconnect.com we want to connect with you and learn about your successes.

So if you or any other LCC.

Student wants to share their story, connect with us@Success StoriesCC. Everyone has a success story.

Let's hear yours.

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College's downtown and west campus offer newly.

Renovated conference and event spaces that can accommodate over 500 attendees. LCC offers convenient locations, free event parking.

And on site customer service.

For more information about LCC's conference and event spaces, visit lcc.

Edu and search conference.

Hey there.

This is Dedalion and I want to invite you to join me for a show called behind the Connection. It dives into what's happening behind the scenes here at LCC Connect. It also provides you early introductions to new podcasts, some of the Connect initiatives that we are putting forth, and of course, insights into the concept of building the Voices, vibes and vision of LCC Connect. Find out more about it at our website. It's lccconnect.org.

Hey America, we need to have a Little talk. We've got more food in our country than we know what to do with. Food at the grocery store and food in the the vending machines. Fast food, health food and seafood. We've got so much food that anything people don't buy we just throw out. Yet 17 million kids in America struggle with hunger. That ain't right. Luckily, the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks has volunteers gathering excess food and getting it to hungry kids. They're kind of like food angels. Yeah, I made that up. It's kind of catchy. Hello people. This isn't rocket science. We could solve hunger today. To start, become a food angel yourself by supporting Feeding America and your local food bank@feedingamerica.org we can't do it without your help.

To help solve hunger in mid Michigan and to find your local food bank, visit feedingamerica.org brought to you by Feeding America and the Ad Council. The Adult Enrichment Program at LCC offers classes in watercolor, creative welding, motorcycle safety, photography and more. All classes are non credit. Information about the Adult Enrichment program is available at LCC.edu. keeplearning.

LCC Connect voices, vibes, Vision.

You're listening to Art Happens Here, the podcast that explores the often curious and occasionally amazing art installations on, in and around the campuses of Lansing Community College. I'm your host, Bruce Mackley. A few years ago, the director of our Fine Science Academy approached the marketing department for a rebrand. Turns out the fire science logo that they'd been using for many years, it just didn't work. It couldn't embroider well and it was time for, for a refresh. So we worked with them and developed what they currently use, which is the LCC dynamic star combined with a Maltese cross. Turned out cool. I mean, we, we spent some time on it and there was multiple levels of refinement, but we arrived at what they, what they liked and it is on everything out there. You know, it's, it's badging T shirt designs. You know, they have stickers for the vehicles. It's very, very cool, especially given this group because LCC's Fire Science Academy is one of the best of its kind in the nation. And that is no joke. They're wonderful to work with. Well, what was also included was a metal sign. Although this isn't really a sculpture, sculpture does intersect with, with place making and place making intersects with branding. And this is kind of, I'm going a little bit off track here, but it's important. It'll come back around. There was a sign of this logo, it was a fabricated out of steel, multi level thing. I think it was like three feet across that the, the technicians in our tech careers department machined. They machined the, the perfect. You know, the lettering, all of it was very, very cool. And it was painted professionally and mounted on the wall. And it has, it's great. It's. It's gorgeous. It is absolutely gorgeous. Interestingly, I found out later that when the grads have their cadet pictures taken, they stand in front of this thing, which I thought was cool too. And it hit me how many times that particular image is cut to be seen. And I'm, I'm basing this on some conversations that occurred early in the process where, you know, why can't we just do a flag? You know, why can't we just do a large sticker on the wall? Which would have been fine, it would have been okay. But this thing is something else. I mean, it really makes a statement that we're here and we're going to be here, right? So I'm looking at this, seeing the cadets pictures, every one of them standing in front of this emblem, this gorgeous glossy metal thing on the wall. And it struck me from brand equity perspective that how many times is this going to be viewed, this image? I mean, you look at family rooms and living rooms and fire station offices are going to be populated with proud pictures of whomever standing in front of this thing. Not to mention social media. Very compelling. Oftentimes, you know, you probably know this, but firefighters, police officers, the military are generational occupations. There's a deep commitment to these career paths that exists nowhere else. Maybe nowhere else, let's be honest. So it occurred to me that maybe years from now, some fire grad is going to be standing in the exact spot that their mother, father, aunt or uncle stood. And that's pretty cool. Art happens. Here is a production of LCC Connect. If you want to check out what I've been talking about, visit lcconnect.org thanks for lending us your imagination.

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For service members ready to make their transition into a civilian career. Lansing Community College helps veterans navigate their educational path with the option to earn college credits for military experience in related fields. Personalized support from confidential counseling to help find VA benefits and fast track programs in information technology and medical specialties. To find out how, visit LCC.edu and search military credit.

This message is for Shawna, my mom.

Who just finished her high school diploma.

I wanted to say I'm so proud.

Of you for Finishing school. You taught me it's never too late.

To achieve your dreams.

I hope to make you as proud.

As you have made me.

When you graduate, they graduate. Finish your high school diploma for you and for them. Visit finishyourdiploma.org to find free and supportive adult education centers near you. Brought to you by the Dollar General Literacy foundation and the AD Council. The Lansing Community College foundation provides scholarships that make education possible, change students lives and uplift our community. Students may apply for scholarships November 1st through January 31st. Learn more at LCC EDU Scholarships, LCC Connect Voices, Vibes, Vision.

Hello, friends, and welcome to Coach Cuts.

Corner.

Streaming bright from Michigan's capital city. This podcast is dedicated to helping you better understand the who, the what and the why of mental performance, personal growth and lancing stars baseball down on the fingers. Coach Cuts Corner, brought to you by.

Eyewash in collaboration with Lansing Community College.

And now, here's your host, Stephen Cutter.

Welcome to Coach cutscorner, where we challenge limits, push for greatness, and develop athletes who thrive on and off the field. We've built a program centered on discipline, self belief, and relentless preparation. Each week I bring you insights from my coaching journey, conversations with high performers, and lessons that drive winning habits. If you're serious about growth, whether as a player, coach or leader, you're in the right place. Let's get after it. Today. I'm excited to have our co host and assistant coach here with the stars, Jeff Allen, back on the show. Jeff, how you doing today?

I am doing phenomenal. Sunshine in the capital city. Snow's all melted. Can't beat it.

That's very true. We're going to talk today about reflection, why it's so critical, the pros and the cons to it, and how we can use it to keep growing. After that, we'll pivot to a quick recap of our spring trip in Mississippi. Jeff, let's start with your take on reflection. How do you define it and why do you think it matters?

Well, I think reflection is definitely one of the most important parts of growth. You know, it's. It's hard to grow from anything if you're not reflecting on what's been positive and what's been negative through it. I guess I think that it matters just because, like, you have to know what obstacles you faced and overcome and if you have failed with those obstacles, what, what caused you to fail, you know, and just being able to kind of attack it with a plan rather than just accepting it and then just kind of repeating the same thing because I Feel like we're kind of habitual creatures as humans?

Very much so, yeah.

I mean, and if you don't have a plan, you're just, like I said, you're just going to repeat it and repeat it. And that's the definition of insanity right there.

So true and. Exactly. It's a deliberate process of looking back on your experiences so we can move forward more effectively and hopefully more efficiently. Let's dive into some of the ways we can reflect. And I, I really think about the first thing that comes to mind is journaling. It's, it's such a great way to be able to reflect. I use it a lot, not only in baseball, but in life, to go back to certain places and times, different points of the year, in season, for us, out of season, different points in my life, and say, okay, this is what I was thinking at this point. And this is. Might have been what I was worried about. And it, you know, it all worked out. We also use team debriefs, which I like to call, well, better hows. We will definitely, after games, practices, we'll talk about, you know, what we did well, what we need to do better, and then the biggest thing, which is action, how we're going to do that. And then of course, I think the third thing when I think about reflection is mindfulness, the ability to just be able to come back to center. And for me, a quick journaling session after practice or games goes a long way. I also like chatting with people that I trust and coaches in general that have shared the journey that you're currently in. It's a little perspective from another person that can usually bring a lot of clarity. Yeah, let's break down the benefits. For me, reflection builds self awareness. It's how I spot patterns in my coaching or my personal habits. How do you see it? What's your breakdown of the benefits?

I think the benefits kind of like what you were touching on in the last part there is, you know, bringing yourself back to center, just kind of being where your feet are. I feel like reflecting and going over what I'm grateful for through my journey has helped me a lot with that because like we talk about a lot, it's not always going to be sunny and 75, but we still grow through those situations where it's not like that. So I think that being able to look back even on the times where you thought everything was very difficult and see what you grew in that situation, I think that that that has helped me a lot. I think that on the opposite side of that I've. I've been very critical of myself at times and before, you know, kind of maturing, I fell into the habits of, you know, reflecting on it and then not putting action towards it. And it just kind of becomes dwelling on it and it. It's not very positive. It doesn't help you grow a whole lot in those situations.

And I hope that we can talk about that as we get into some of the cons of reflection, as we kind of stair step through this. And, and I love what you say because absolutely. It adds that extreme help if you can learn from your mistakes.

Yeah.

And rather than getting hung up on the fact that something maybe went wrong, you start asking why? And that transforms a setback into a valuable lesson. And that reminds me of what Marcus Aurelius said. You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. And that's exactly what reflection does. It keeps the focus on what we can control, our mindsets and our response, rather than dwelling on external factors. And it also does something like it can. The pros of it can reduce stress. If you're going through your experiences somewhat methodically, it frees your mind from replaying them endlessly. Instead of regret or worry, you move on with what we like to talk about a lot, which is action or a plan. Let's get into the cons of reflection, because as great as reflection is, there's an enormous downside and we see it in athletics a lot. In the game of baseball, you hit on a couple of them, but you want to talk about some of the cons that you're aware of.

Yeah, definitely. The reflecting without action is probably the number one that sticks out to me. Also being able to reflect on those situations and see the positives in those negative situations as well. I mean, it's not all going to be positive, but typically there's going to be at least one thing or two things in those situations that you can take away and say, okay, I did this well, I'm going to keep doing this well, and I'm going to move forward and adjust on the things that I didn't do well. I think Augie Garrido had one of the best quotes for it, and he was talking about how baseball is not a game of failure, it's a game of opportunity. And I think having that mindset going into things and being able to kind of stay optimistic, but not too optimistic where you're seeing everything through rose colored glasses, but you're also reflecting and growing from the things that you failed at and being able to, like we talked about, have a plan moving forward. I think that not being too critical of yourself is definitely going to help you kind of stay away from those cons of reflection.

I'm definitely guilty of being hyper critical of myself and definitely guilty of overthinking. I'll turn an event over and over in my mind, which then can lead to what we teach our players, which is paralysis from analysis. You want to reflect just enough to learn, but not so much that it puts up a wall and stops you from what you're trying to do or stack the next brick or take the next step. It's a hundred percent like Seneca warned. For the people that listen. I'm a huge stoicism fan and love studying stoics. It really lines up with mental performance. It lines up with the sporting world. And Seneca said we suffer more often in imagination than in reality. If we let ourselves spiral into what ifs and could haves, we always will lose the momentum to move forward. I like that there's a huge danger of negative bias focusing too much on what went wrong. Reflection should lead to constructive, positive change, not beating you down. And I think that's the hardest struggle that we all deal with when we're trying to reflect. And it ends up being usually a pretty big con because it's the. I'm not, you know, solid enough at this. I, I'm not tall enough. I'm, you know, I'm, I'm not fast enough. I'm not strong enough. And you just keep reflecting on all the things that you're not. And you're, you endlessly are beating yourself up versus maybe taking an action plan for things that are within your influence. You may not be able to affect your height, but you can change things like your speed. You can change things just like your, your mindset. You can change your belief systems. Yeah, work ethic, the, the ability to work hard. It's, it's a muscle that you learn how to do. And it really starts. You know, I had somebody the other day asked me, like, coach, how do I start building confidence? And I didn't really have to think that long about the answer. And it's, it's. You, you keep the promises that you make to yourself. That, that's how you start to build confidence. It's, it's being genuine and honest with yourself. And then you start making some promises. I'm going to do this. I'm going to eat healthy, you know, whatever it is, I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can today in practice. And then that practice comes and you give 100% in practice. When you do that, that's how you build confidence.

Yeah.

And that's the, and that's where, like, reflection can help because you can reflect back and you're struggling. And my math grades, 56% right now, you can reflect and say, well, I didn't study hardly at all over the last two weeks. So that's a great reflection because I can make a actionable plan to move forward. And I think as we've talked about some of the pros and cons, we want to be able to balance reflection and action. And I kind of want to talk about that a little bit. For me, I like to schedule it usually it's about once a week. Usually it's on Sundays. Sometimes our schedules are super weird in the sports world, and sometimes we're on a bus for long hours and things like that. But usually on Sundays, I like to reflect. I'll start with, start, stop, and continue what I want to start doing, what I want to stop doing and what I want to continue doing. But it's usually once a week. And then I'll just kind of dive deep into what I want to get better at. And the overall premise of what I'm trying to replay over and over in my life is, does this make me better?

Yeah.

And I'm, I'm, I throw that against the wall for everything that I do. And a lot of times I'm getting the, no, this does not make me better. And so through that reflection, that helps me say, okay, well, maybe I need to make a little bit of a change here.

Yeah.

How about for you? Because I kind of laid out, you know, like my structured way. But how about for you for trying to balance reflection and action? Do you have any processes that you might use?

Yeah, mine's pretty similar. Typically when it, when it comes to like baseball related reflection, I like to reflect like as soon as practice is done or even defensively, specifically, like if we get through with our NDD session and I really liked something, I'm going right to my notebook as soon as we're done and, you know, putting a star next to it, or if I, I didn't like how something ran, or if it wasn't very efficient, I'll go in there and cross it out and put whatever suggestion I had at that time and then kind of add that into the next practice plan when I'm working on it. As far as just life in general, I try to reflect pretty regularly. Like I said, I've kind of struggled with being where my feet are in the past. So reflection wise, I like to give gratitude pretty regularly. I could do better about it. I would say probably once or twice every two weeks I send out a text to somebody that's helped me in the past or is currently helping me and you know, let them know that I'm grateful for everything that they've done for me. And I feel like that really helps me stay centered in where I'm at and that even if you're having a bad day, you know, it's being able to show what you're grateful for can kind of boost the morale a little bit and help you keep moving forward. So I think that that's a huge one for me is being able to express gratitude to the people that have helped me. But yeah, that's kind of my process with it. It's an evolving process for sure, but that's where I'm at right now.

Pretty solid. I'm a firm believer in gratitude walks and being able to, to just go out and take a 15 or 20 minute walk where all you're thinking about is the things that you're thankful for.

Yeah.

And being really intentional about that. And sometimes that can be just a walk around the yard, it can be a walk down the sidewalk or you know, walk around campus and really just that's a reflection in a, in a positive way. So that's a positive pro of reflection is just being going over the things that you're thankful for. And I think we all have a lot of things to be thankful for and sometimes the negative things overwhelm us and we forget about all the positive things we had. I want to shift gears here a little bit and talk about our spring trip. We just got back from Biloxi, Mississippi where we stayed and then we traveled and played some of the top teams in the country. Mississippi baseball and baseball in the south is much different than it is, you know, in the cold weather states. And it's different in a lot of ways. One of the biggest ways is they get to start their season pretty early and they've been practicing outside and typically when we go down there, we are playing our first games of the year and typically they're usually 15 to 20 games in and the experience of the season and, and the flows of playing time and pitchers and everything is somewhat worked out and it's somewhat of a buzzsaw for our team to go down there every year because it's really challenging and we haven't had a season yet where we've left Mississippi with a winning record, but if we were just going down there for the scoreboard and the winning record, then we'd stop going down there.

Right, Right.

We go down there to play some of the best teams in the country so that we do get experience, we find out what we need to work on, and we'll get into the Stockdale paradox and some of the stuff that we've been teaching our team lately with that reflection piece and. And the differences between how important real is realism is and optimism and balancing those out. What stands out to you when you think about our spring trip of 2025?

Well, it. Like you said, it was very, very different. You know, you go down there and it's. It seems like every guy that they have thrown off the mound is sitting 90. So it's. I mean, you see that every once in a while here in Michigan, but it's. Every guy that they're rolling out, they're pretty much in Mississippi.

Yeah, I think our players were. Had somebody top 98 or 99 on the mound, you know, so, yeah, it's.

It's.

It's definitely different. What else?

Yeah, I think that you. You kind of. You. You really start to see who has put in the work throughout the off season, and I think that's really cool. You know, it's that invisible growth that we talk about all the time. Pretty consistently, you would see the guys that were putting in the most work showing up to practice early, leaving late. They're the ones that are out there making the plays. So it's really cool to see that paying off for them. I think that there's always going to be something to learn and grow from from those. So I really enjoyed being able to see what we did in a game situation and, you know, jot notes down as we're going. So I already get a plan rolling before we even leave Mississippi for what we're going to be working on when we get back.

One thing I've been reflecting on is how everyone stepped up during some tough matchups.

Oh, absolutely.

We learned a lot about our defense. And you're pretty much in charge of our defense. That's one of your roles in particular. And we found out kind of where we thrive and then where we need some more work. Any key lessons you plan to carry forward on what you saw down there with the defensive side?

Yeah, I think that just, you know, especially with us being able to get outside right now, I think just hammering out as many reps as possible and you know, just preaching to be aggressive, you know, communicate. Yeah, communicate and, you know, being, being one step ahead of where the play is going. I think that's, that's a huge piece.

And being on time, you know, being present.

Yeah.

You know, all those things. And I. Another huge benefit of reflection is those are like carrying points that we're moving forward. We have a solid, very solid defensive team this year. And instead of just, you know, not reflecting on it or anything else, we, we take it and we, we say things like, well, how can we get better?

Yep.

And from like my perspective, I, I saw a lot, some small injuries that could have been avoided with better preparation. And, and it's a reminder that reflection isn't just mental, it's physical. Are we giving our bodies the rest and recovery that they need? Overall, though, it was a great trip. I'm proud of how the team represented our college down there in Mississippi. We spent the week playing more games and we're currently on a five game winning streak. And part of this whole reflection podcast is, you know, we're trying to share insights in what we're doing in our program. And we came back with, you know, not a great record, but the second best record that we've ever had coming out of Mississippi, which was, which was three and five. And currently today we're on a five game winning streak. And some of the things that we've been teaching our players is the, the synthesis, pushing the rock up the hill and, you know, and then doing it again and doing it again and doing it again. And then we also started teaching about the Stockdale Paradox, where the, really, the premise lies with that the value of striking a balance between realism and optimism. And with the Stockdale paradox, Officer Jim Stockdale was captured in Vietnam and he was held in captivity for eight years. And he saw a lot of people that had been captured alongside him have belief systems that they were going to be released by Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving would come and go and they would not, they would not be released. And then they had dreams of that it was going to be Christmas and, and Christmas would come and go and eventually they died of what he said was basically broken hearts. And how he survived for eight years, which is just absolutely insane, was he combined the realism with. This is where I'm at right now, with the optimism of never losing his faith or his belief system. And we try to practice that in our program. We practice it on a daily basis of keeping the belief and the expectation levels really high, but using the realism of this is where we're at right now and not losing sight of that and continuing to try to stack bricks to to get better.

Yep. Yeah.

Well, I appreciate you coming in today and I appreciate all of our listeners. Make winning in life your habit, not your goal. Excellent is not an outcome, it's a daily standard. Our mission is to build athletes and teams that compete at the highest level, not just on game day, but in every aspect of their journey. Build the right habits, lead with intent, and push yourself beyond the limits others set for you. And don't forget to cherish the small moments they pass by in a blink of an eye. Until next time, keep stacking bricks and go stars. Coach Cutscorner is recorded live in the WLNZ Studios, with Dalian Lowry and Jereny Robinson providing engineering and production assistance. Thanks, Coach, for listening. If you enjoyed today's podcast, please share it and follow us on all forms of social media. Our program has been built and maintained with the help of many great people. If you want to be part of our mission, you can donate using the link in the show notes below. You can learn more@coachcutter.com and more about our team@lccstars.com see you next time.

This is WLNZ Lansing. You're listening to LCC Connect, a weekly program that features the voices, Vibes and vision of Lansing Community College. To find out more about LCC Connect programs or to listen on demand, Visit us@lccconnect.org LCC Connect, voices, vibes, Vision.