Spring 2025

51ĀŅĀ× womenās soccer wins second national championship
The 51ĀŅĀ× women's soccer team went undefeated for the 2024 season, bringing home their second national championship title in the program's history.
Read more about the soccer championshipIn this issue
Letter from the 51ĀŅĀ× Foundation Chair
Looking back, I see how much can change in such a short time. How passion and perseverance
continue to shape the journeys of 51ĀŅĀ× students and alumni.
In the Fall 2024 issue of Journeys, I shared my thoughts on the importance of infusing passion into our lives. For me, those passions have included baseball and community, which led to my 12 years with the Great Lakes Loons and the Michigan Baseball Foundation. It was there that I met my good friend Eric Ramseyer, a 51ĀŅĀ× alumnus, who is featured in this issue. His journey mirrors the same drive we see in so many Delta students.
This issue celebrates that drive as we highlight the 51ĀŅĀ× Womenās Soccer Team, 2024 national champions, whose teamwork and grit set them above the rest. We introduce you to Isaiah Kabban, a dual enrolled student who graduated high school with two 51ĀŅĀ× degrees and Natalie Sika, whose advocacy work is powered by positive change. We recognize the generosity of our donors that make these journeys possible with special features of two new scholarship endowments and a spotlight on a donor thatās been giving to the college since 1979.
I hope you find inspiration in these pagesājust as I have. As the Chair of the Delta College Foundation Board of Directors, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the Spring 2025 issue of Journeys.
Paul Barbeau
Chair 51ĀŅĀ× Foundation Board of Directors
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Student Profile with Isaiah Kabban
In the summer of 2024, dual enrolled 51ĀŅĀ× student, Isaiah Kabban of Harbor Beach was one of the two delegates selected to represent Michigan at Boys Nation in Washington DC. He is now at Delta preparing for law school and a future career as a civil rights attorney.
Read more about Isaiah -

President's Speaker Series: Dr. Rebekah Taussig
Dr. Taussig is a mom, a wife, an educator, a disability advocate and a self-proclaimed scrappy misfit. She visited 51ĀŅĀ× as part of the Presidentās Speaker Series where she challenged us to think bigger and more critically about what average looks like and the barriers that bar others from inclusion.
Learn more about Dr. Taussig -

Public Media Updates
Threats to PBS and NPR have escalated recently. The current administration has proposed canceling our Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) federal grant money. What can you do to help?
Read the latest about 51ĀŅĀ× Public Media -

Alumni Feature: Eric Ramseyer
For Eric Ramseyer, 51ĀŅĀ× wasnāt just where he started his higher educationāit was practically a second home. Growing up, he spent countless hours on campus, not just in classrooms or at the pool, but in the boiler rooms and other spaces most students donāt often see.
Read more about Eric's story -

Written in the starts
After Delta nursing student, Justin "Taz Man" Burk, passed from colon cancer in 2018, a āstarā was purchased at the 51ĀŅĀ× Planetarium in Justinās memory, making him a permanent fixture at 51ĀŅĀ×.
Read more about Justin -

A General Motors Timeline
General Motors has partnered with 51ĀŅĀ× to offer the GM Automotive Service Educational Program (GM-ASEP) since 1979. Graduates of the program leave 51ĀŅĀ× prepared for a successful career in the automotive industry, having completed all the GM-required technician training and earning an associateās degree in automotive service technology.
Read more about Delta's history with GM -

Rushman Endowment
The Glenn A. and Elna N. Rushman Scholarship Endowment was established by Amy Rushman in honor of her beloved parents to support students studying for future careers in education.
Read more about the Rushman family -

Be curious, not judgmental
Natalie Sika graduated from 51ĀŅĀ× this spring with an Associate in Science and was selected as one of the 64th Commencement ceremony speakers. She's now ready to move into a career helping others.
Read more about Natalie -

Grant Endowment
In 2019, Jim and Lynda Grant established an endowed scholarship in their names to be used exclusively for deserving graduates of Au Gres Sims High School to attend 51ĀŅĀ×. This decision was driven by a desire to make a positive impact on the Au Gres community through financial assistance and creating opportunities for pursuing higher education.
Read more about Jim and Lynda Grant -

Graduate Student Awards
51ĀŅĀ× celebrated the success of its high-achieving students, from the Class of 2025, during its annual Graduate Student Awards Ceremony. In recognition of the best and the brightest of our students, who have excelled academically, award recipients were honored on Monday, April 21.
See the full list of recipients
Contributors
Executive Editor & Executive Director of Institutional Advancement
Pamela Clark, ā77
Graphic Designer
Luke Goodrow, ā14
Feature Photographer
Matt Brown, ā15
Feature Writer
Jessica Gavord, ā12
Contributor
Leanne Govitz
Support 51ĀŅĀ×
Your generosity today will impact 51ĀŅĀ× students and programs for many years
to come.
Contact us
51ĀŅĀ× Foundation
A013
foundation@delta.edu
989-686-9224
Hours
Monday ā Thursday, 8am ā 4:30pm
Friday, 8am ā 4pm
