Isaac Reimer

Assistant Professor of Communication

The spirit of teaching at a community college was captured by a student I met a couple of years ago. Let’s call them LOR. LOR was returning to school after taking a 6-year break. LOR was one of the best students I ever had. 

I don’t say this to mean LOR always turned in perfect work, that they always captured the intent of my assignment or received straight A’s. Far from it. They enrolled as the first member of their family to attend college, receiving no support from home and without the generational knowledge and skills many of us take for granted when getting a higher education. Things like how to properly send an email, where to receive additional financial aid, how to access information about courses, were all new concepts for them.

What LOR did have were passion and determination. The time LOR had spent away from school crystallized a desire for what to do with their life. They also had an extreme drive to make that passion a reality. There were plenty of bumps in the road for LOR. In my class alone, there were multiple major assignments that proved a real difficulty. But at no point did I ever feel they gave up. Every week they returned and attacked the content in earnest. They stayed after class and asked questions, seeking alternative ways for the information to be explained. They used the tutoring systems any time an assignment proved troubling. LOR left my class with one of the hardest earned A’s I’ve ever given.

I had the honor to write a letter of recommendation for LOR, they were applying to U of M’s transfer program. It did not surprise me in the least to discover LOR had received a full ride to the University of Michigan. They are currently leading their own research proposal, one of the very few who are, as an undergraduate, and are currently talking with top universities around the country about grad school.

For me, LOR captures the spirit of community college, of what we truly try to be. We are here to prepare students for the next step, regardless of where that step takes them. I am constantly reminded that opportunity never runs out for those who have a desire and a passion for more, and am heartened to see LOR in many of my students today.