Honors College alumnae to discuss careers at Meijer lecture

Three alumnae of the Frederik Meijer Honors College at Grand Valley will return to campus on October 15 to discuss their careers and how they use their education to impact both their local and global communities.

The event, "Live. Learn. Lead: The Honors Effect at Home and Abroad" will take place at 5 p.m. in Kirkhof Center room 2204. 

The three speakers include Juanita (Flores) Bocanegra ('97), Rachael (Voorhees) Orose ('04), and Lisa (Sharp) Patel ('89).

Bocanegra majored in international relations at Grand Valley and then earned a J.D. from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. With more than 20 years of combined experience in the legal field, including private practice with Rhodes McKee, PC in Grand Rapids, Bocanegra now serves as the assistant prosecuting attorney with the Ottawa County Prosecutor’s Office. Her Spanish/English bilingual skills and bicultural experiences have been an important asset for her employers and the communities she serves. She lives in Holland, Michigan.

Orose earned a bachelor’s degree in public and nonprofit administration at Grand Valley and a master’s degree in the same field from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. She currently serves as vice president of network and business development for the Molina Foundation, where she has coordinated the distribution of more than 15 million new books and educational materials to children from low-income families. She and her family reside in San Diego, California.

Patel studied biopsychology at Grand Valley before going on to earn a master's degree in molecular biology and genetics from Wayne State University’s School of Medicine and a Master’s Certificate in international food law from Michigan State. She is now the executive director of global regulatory compliance at Kalsec®, a global producer of natural flavors, colors, antioxidants and hop products for the food and beverage industry. She lives in Portage, Michigan, where she has completed multiple half and full marathons and 50k races.

For more information, visit gvsu.edu/honor