Commencement stories: Graduates reflect on their time as Lakers

Winter Commencement ceremonies will be held May 1 and 2 at Van Andel Arena.

Since high school, David Arellano knew he wanted to attend college, seeing it as a route to success. Arellano said GVSU felt like an opportunity to be independent while still being close to his home and family in Wyoming. 

Arellano combated homesickness by staying close and connected to his community.

“Latino Student Union helped me out from a personal standpoint,” Arellano said. “I was able to meet other people, friends and make a community. I was able to be dependent on them and not have to be so alone in college.”

During that first year, he and some friends casually discussed the idea of becoming the Latino Student Union president. Three years later, those conversations became his reality. Arellano served as the organization's secretary and a resident assistant before applying to be the LSU president.

Arellano accessed resources available to him and got involved in campus life, which he said helped pave his way to success. In addition to Latino Student Union, Arellano has been involved in Laker Familia, Destino, Monarcas Ballet Folklorico, TRIO and the Cook Leadership Academy. 

“Laker Familia helped not only on my academic side, but also on my personal side, too,” Arellano said. “My advisor, Thalía, helped me out with navigating through personal situations.”

Arellano said he honed in on his major while in high school. 

“I knew since around my senior year of high school what I wanted to major in: anything to do with the brain," he said. "Psychology has always been, in a way, like a calling. It's always been one of my interests and I felt like it was just the right choice for me.”

During his junior year, Arellano took on an additional major, behavioral neuroscience.

“Going into college, I started learning about how psychology works: the research, statistical analysis and the paperwork of proposals,” Arellano said. “Then I found out about behavioral neuroscience because of a friend of mine in that major. I learned that it was more about the anatomy, the physical parts of how the nervous system, the brain and neurons function. And that was also something that I was really interested in, which still goes along with the question of how the brain works.”

Without his community and without these resources, programs and organizations, Arellano said his experience at GVSU might have looked much different.

“The majority of solutions to all of my problems have always been my community,” Arellano said. “That's always been the consensus that I've come to. We’re humans, we're social animals. It's really key to remember that you're not alone in every situation, that there is always going to be someone who wants to help you.”

After graduating, Arellano hopes to continue his education in psychology and behavioral neuroscience in graduate school, financing that education through a job or internship in the field. 

— Cass Wainwright is a senior writing major and a student writer for University Communications.

Sophia Curtis will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. From a young age, Curtis said she knew she would work in health care and decided on nursing while in high school. 

Her life completely shifted at age 16 when her parents died. Curtis said one of the lasting impacts of their deaths was her elevated desire to help other people. 

“I have a younger sister, who was 11 when it happened," Curtis said. "To be able to be that support for somebody else was really important to me, to help somebody through whatever it is they’re going through. 

"Because if my sister and I didn’t have the support system we had, our lives would look so different from what they do right now. I’m just so grateful for that.”

During that challenging time, the support Curtis received from her family helped her realize her interest in psychiatric nursing. She was unsure of her capabilities in the area until an experience she had while working as a certified nursing assistant. 

“I had a patient one day who made me realize I could do this. We just had a really great conversation and I felt so helpful in that situation. Something just clicked and I realized that this was what I wanted to do,” she said. 

Curtis attended a middle college program and completed an associate degree one year after graduating from high school. When it was time to find a university, she toured Grand Valley with her grandma and fell in love with the campus. Leaving her hometown two hours away, Curtis said she knew the transition to Grand Valley might be difficult, but found she could still rely on her support system from a distance. 

“We’re a super-close family, and we are heavy on communicating and checking in on each other," she said. "We weren’t really like that before the loss, so it kind of brought us closer together. I feel like that made the college transition a little bit easier.” 

She also found a welcoming and supportive community in Campus Ministry. 

“That was super helpful for my transition into college, but also the loss of my parents and everything I went through really helped me build my relationship with my faith," Curtis said. "Because that was such a priority to me, I found a community here that strengthened that importance. If I didn’t already have that desire, I wouldn't have met so many people who offered me great support.”

Curtis is the president of the Student Nurses’ Association, a student organization dedicated to empowering future nurses through advocacy and service.

“With SNA, I have developed really strong leadership skills. I feel like I’ve gotten really good at taking what people say and using it to advocate for them,” she said.

Curtis said those two communities have been instrumental in preparing her for the move into the professional world. 

“After I graduate, finding some way to invest my time and volunteer would be so fun. Nursing has such a high burnout rate, so it’s important to find something that fills your cup," she said. "Campus Ministry has really helped ingrain in my mind that finding something fulfilling away from work is so important to transitioning into a professional role."

After she graduates, Curtis will work at an inpatient facility within a behavioral health center. She plans to become licensed as a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner.

She reflected on her future, saying she hopes to impact patients in situations both similar and completely different from her own experiences. 

“The fact that one day, I could help even one person and see the way it impacts the trajectory of their life, makes it all worth it,” Curtis said. 

— Sofia Ellis is a senior writing major and a student writer in University Communications.

Jacob Dunham never thought he would one day earn a master’s degree. Dunham was the first member of his family to earn a bachelor’s degree, and pursuing a master’s of business administration in his early 40s while working full-time and raising two kids seemed like a daunting task.

“I was a terrible student in high school. I barely graduated on time. Getting my bachelor’s, I thought I had done great, but getting a master’s degree was next level,” Dunham said.

Dunham has come a long way since his years in high school. It was his history teacher who took the time to tell Dunham what he was capable of if he applied himself and put in the effort. Since then, he has taken it upon himself to prove his teacher right.

After earning his associate’s degree from Grand Rapids Community College, Dunham pursued a bachelor’s degree at Grand Valley, majoring in public and nonprofit administration. He said he chose Grand Valley because it was where his wife and childhood best friend, Al, earned their degrees.

After graduating from GVSU in 2019, Dunham moved into operations management, including working for the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

Dunham’s pursuit of an MBA started with Al, a book and a long hike.

Dunham and his friend had taken up rucking, hiking with a weighted backpack. During one of their rucking excursions through Millennium Park in 2024, Dunham and Al discussed a book they had both read that centered on misogi, a Japanese practice modernly adapted as a challenge designed to break comfort zones and push beyond one's perceived limits.

During their conversation, Al challenged them both to come up with their own misogis. Dunham’s friend chose to challenge himself to qualify and compete in the Boston Marathon. Dunham challenged himself to take the next step in his education, and as Al began training for marathons, Dunham applied to Grand Valley’s MBA program.

To earn his master’s, Dunham had to face more than just challenges in the classroom. He turned 40 a few weeks before starting classes, the same age his dad reached before he passed.

“This weird thing happened where I kind of just felt this cloud come over me,” Dunham said. “I made it to where my dad made it, and now it's like, how much time do I get beyond that?”

Dunham began experiencing brain fog and anxiety. He leaned on previous experience as a social worker to know the importance of advocating for his mental health. He consulted medical professionals and communicated with his support systems to assist him as he worked through his challenges. He succeeded in his classes, but at times, he said it felt like he was barely holding on.

“I was white-knuckling. I felt like I was having to do the work three times over to be successful,” he said.

As he continued to work through his mental health challenges, Dunham received a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder. Continuing to work with his support system, he found the right medication and began to see his executive function and focus return.

For Dunham, choosing gratitude was a huge factor in helping him persevere through his mental health challenges. As challenges continued to appear in his pursuit of his MBA, including raising his kids and losing his job, it was gratitude that kept him going.

“The way we approach life in good times isn’t nearly as important as the way we approach life in hard times,” Dunham said. “Gratitude is one of those things we can choose to engage daily.”

Persevering through the trials, Dunham and his friend both accomplished their goals. On April 20, Dunham and his wife flew to Boston to watch Al run in the Boston Marathon. Twelve days later, Al will be in Van Andel Arena to watch Dunham walk across the stage and receive his diploma.

“It’s totally full circle,” Dunham said. “I feel really fortunate to have people in my life who not only support me, but push me to be the best version of myself.”

– By Thomas Chavez

Fresh off a long weekend of filming her senior thesis, film and video major Jaiah Jones knew that it was what she’s most proud of from her time at Grand Valley. 

She wrote and directed a short film over the course of a semester and a half while juggling classes, work, clubs and two minors. 

“It was the most fun I've had on a film set ever,” said Jones. “I was surrounded by people who took it seriously, enjoyed their time and worked really hard. There was a support system of people who truly wanted to be there.” 

That support system was essential throughout her college career, said Jones, including Jakia Marie, Africana Studies program coordinator, who suggested Jones pursue the minor after taking an introductory gen ed course with Marie. 

“It really broadened every aspect of my education,” Jones said. 

In addition to Africana Studies, Jones also minored in theater and worked on multiple shows in backstage roles. Jones was also a part of YBBW: You Beautiful Black Woman, where she served on the Eboard and as fundraising chair. 

“It's a specific group just for Black women on campus, because there is not a big saturated community here,” said Jones. “I love that; especially making connections and networking, but also gaining friends. I have gained so many friends.” 

YBBW’s biggest event of the year is Hair Show, a fashion show that showcases hairstylists and their work. A theme is chosen, and stylists work with models on campus to put on a fashion show. The winner gets bragging rights, said Jones, who also produced a documentary in 2025 about the work done in preparation for the show. 

Being involved in so many things allowed Jones to find where her limits are, and helped her learn how to prioritize the things that were most important to her, like working on a film set and building community with her friends. 

“College isn’t just a bucket list to check off while you're here,” she said. “I came here. I did what I needed to do. I had my burnouts. But you learn from it. That's what I am happy with: I am not a quitter. My mom didn't raise a quitter. My dad didn't raise a quitter. I am here.”

-- By Julianna Schrier

Anywhere you go at GVSU, there’s a fairly high chance you’ll run into Annah Stang. 

“I feel like I’ve been able to do everything that I pictured, and then a little bit more,” she said, beaming as she reflected on her time as a college student. 

The marketing major has had a full schedule in her years at GVSU: Her resume includes work in the Promotions Office, Rainbow Resource Center and in the center for Health and Wellbeing as a wellness peer educator, as well as extracurricular involvement in Student Senate, her sorority, Alpha Sigma Tau and Women in Business (just to name a few commitments).

Rooted in a deep passion for service and giving back, Stang said she always knew what her desired career path would look like. “I think I always wanted to do marketing and nonprofit administration, I just didn't have the right words for what that looked like.”

It wasn’t until her social media and marketing internship with Broadway Grand Rapids that she started to put the pieces together. There, she assisted with the Broadway Arts Access program.

“It was Broadway Grand Rapids’ 35th anniversary, so they did a lot of work with different community partnerships," Stang said. "I really saw that this is what I would love to do – working with other nonprofits in some kind of community relations role.” 

When she thinks of impactful moments as a student, her internship isn’t the only one that comes to mind. Stang’s turning moment was GVSU’s Teach-in during her junior year, where she helped lead a presentation titled Invisible Barriers to an Interdisciplinary Education . 

“That was the first time I realized that I am worthy of speaking about this, and that I do have something to say,” Stang reflected. “It was the first time I really felt capable. Like I was made to be in that space.”

This only scratches the surface of Stang’s GVSU experience. There was, of course, the time she was nominated as a Homecoming Court Royal, or when she took part in a student-led play. Or, most recently, when she was on a billboard as part of GVSU’s new advertising campaign.

For a person with a full plate, she’s intentional with her advice to future Lakers. “Be a sponge. Take all the opportunities, yes, but I would amend that to: Say yes to the things that align with your values. Saying yes to everything is also saying yes to burnout. But saying yes to things that will help you grow and that get you excited is the most important.”

– By Sarah Dudinetz