Megan Riksen:

Hello and welcome to the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen. Today my co-host is Dani Lauer. Hi Dani.

Dani Lauer:

Hi Megan.

Megan Riksen:

And today we are talking about our adult learner population at GVSU. In recent years, we have seen a ton of growth in this population, so we thought it would be fun for our audience to get to know who our Grand Valley adult learners are. So to start, I think it would be helpful to know how GVSU defines an adult learner. So the first thing obviously in the name right, that comes to mind is age. So adult learners are considered those who are 25 years old and above. However it also is about life experience. So you might think about a veteran coming back to school, parents juggling classes, while also raising children, people switching careers after years in the workforce. Each of these subgroups would also be considered a part of the adult learning community, even if they aren't necessarily over 25. So this population is classified by age, but also by life stage or experience. And GVSU has around 1,350 individuals who are considered adult learners.

Dani Lauer:

That's a pretty big chunk of the population.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, it actually really is.

Dani Lauer:

More than I would think. That's really interesting. So I'm curious, you know, let's kind of pivot to what adult learners are studying and how and where they're taking classes. So interestingly enough, the number one major for adult learners at Grand Valley is integrative studies. And we have a specific program called the LEADS Program. LEADS stands for Lifelong Educational Attainment for Determined students. So if you know you're ever been in banner and you've seen a class coded as leads, you try to add it to your schedule and you get a registration error. It's because these classes are reserved specifically for the cohort of adult learners in this program. What's really cool about the LEADS program is it's accelerated, it's fully online. And so when we think about, you know, maybe the different responsibilities adults have when they're in school as well, they need that extra support and that flexibility and this program gives adult learners just that. And we typically have around 150 students in the program at any given semester. So yeah.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah, it's a great program, great option.

Dani Lauer:

Super cool, and we can have adult learners because it's fully online coming from anywhere. They don't have to be here in West Michigan. But we also have a lot of adult learners in other programs too. A lot of nursing majors, computer science, psychology, social work. So, you know, a lot of different majors here at Grand Valley. And you know, speaking of that online program, I think the perception might be that the majority of all the adult learners are taking classes fully online. And that's actually a myth. As of fall of 2023, we actually had 45% of adult learners who had all in-person classes. So almost half of that 1,350 individuals are totally online in classes with traditional age students here in Grand Rapids and in the Allendale campus. Only about 20% are fully online, and then that remaining 35% have kind of a mix of both online and in person. And so I think this is important to know because adult learners bring such a different perspective to the classroom, right. They have that life experience. That work experience. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. So how amazing, right, to have an adult learner in your in-person class who's bringing a wealth of knowledge and just a completely different perspective to the classroom.

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. That's really valuable for everyone who's sitting there. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. Yeah. So yeah, let's, let's dig into that a little bit more. Adult learners are coming to GVSU from very diverse backgrounds. So we might have learners in their mid twenties maybe someone who's already holding a bachelor's degree and then some that might be obtaining a degree for the very first time. So you're gonna see a lot of variety in how these students are coming to campus. Some adults are bringing in credits from an outside institution of, of higher ed or sometimes even the military. Some adult learners are parents of young children. Others might be in class with their child. Right?

Dani Lauer:

Yeah. We've seen a story in GV Next. I know there was a story last year of an adult learner and her daughter graduating in the same ceremony.

Megan Riksen:

Yes. Pretty cool. Pretty cool. Yes. so many adult learners have extensive experience in the workforce and are bringing, they're learned on the jobb skills with them. And we know that adult learners bring such a variety of experiences and like we said, that can make classroom discussions more vibrant, maybe more nuanced, getting to hear a different perspective. Mm-Hmm. <Affirmative>. But we also know that having demands outside of the classroom can pose some challenges that are more difficult to overcome.

Dani Lauer:

So today we are actually gonna be interviewing an adult learner here at GVSU who works in our office. Her name is Shelby Huerta and Shelby is our intern for adult and alumni marketing and social media here in the Career Center. So welcome to the podcast Shelby.

Shelby Huerta:

Thank you so much for having me on.

Dani Lauer:

Absolutely. Glad you're here. So I have some questions for you just about what it's like to be an adult learner here at Grand Valley. So to start, would you mind just sharing your major, your hometown, and if it's okay, your age?

Shelby Huerta:

Of course. I like to be an open book. I'm originally from Florida. I started at Grand Valley last year studying advertising and public relations. I am 28, so I definitely fit the bill.

Dani Lauer:

<Laugh>. Wonderful. So can you give us a little bit of your background? What brought you to GVSU?

Shelby Huerta:

Yeah, of course. So funny story, I started my career prior to Grand Valley in the military. I joined the Air Force at 20 and for six years I had the position of air crew flight equipment. So that just means a fancy way of saying I worked on equipment for the flights, for the air crew members, anything like that. And my husband, he is from Michigan Holland mainly. And he asked me one day after we got outta the military, he said, Hey, you know, would you like to live in Michigan? And I said, I would love to. Oh so we moved to Michigan and I looked into Grand Valley and now here I am,

Dani Lauer:

Here you are. So you're from Florida, not from Michigan. Probably didn't even know Grand Valley existed, but now you're here and a part of the learning community. So we love that. So can you, I mean, I'm just so curious. You are an Ad & PR student, so are all your classes in person? Do you have some online? What's the mix look like for you?

Shelby Huerta:

Currently at the moment a lot of them are in person and I take all of my classes in person. I have had the option and the opportunity to take some online and they were great. But as a PR and a student, I feel like there's a benefit to the in-person structure. You really get to make those connections that you might not be able to when you are, you know, online. Still a great option. But I really like the in-person ones.

Dani Lauer:

Definitely. Yeah. So can you give us a little bit about your experience specifically as an adult learner being in the classroom, maybe both with students and some of your professors? What is that like for you?

Shelby Huerta:

Of course, I've had nothing but great experiences in the past year that I've been at Grand Valley. I'll say it can be intimidating. When you're an older student, you feel like you should know a lot of things. You feel like you are at that place in your life where I should already know how to do X, Y, Z. But we're all here to learn. And I've felt that with both my classmates and my professors, it's been a learning curve. But you can't be afraid to ask questions when you need to.

Dani Lauer:

That's great. So you feel like you have a lot of support and just getting to be a part of the community here at Grand Valley?

Shelby Huerta:

Most definitely. I can say this college and this program I'm in are exceptional at really bringing people in. You come in I think unsure, unsure of what you're able to do as a student or as a, you know, an adult learner. But it's great that you're able to really kind of grow into your abilities.

Dani Lauer:

Yeah, definitely. So tell me a little bit about your involvements on campus. I know you're a part of GrandPR, you're already involved with the veterans community here. So can you tell us a little bit about Yeah. Your campus involvement?

Shelby Huerta:

Yeah, of course. So as an advertising and PR major there's a lot of great opportunities on campus. One of them that I'm involved in is GrandPR. It's a nationally affiliated integrated communications firm. So what we do is we work with real clients in the in public relations sphere. And that allows us to create those meaningful connections and those opportunities to really showcase the skills and the knowledge you've learned through your courses. And then for my veteran involvement, I'm a part of the peer advisor program. So this allows me to reach out to incoming veterans who may be transfer students, freshmen, and I'm able to reach out to them and say, Hey, you know, school can be overwhelming, it can be a lot and we're here to help you. So whatever needs that they may need, whether it's a person to talk to, a resource they might not know about, I'm happy to help and I'm happy to help a fellow vet.

Dani Lauer:

That's super cool. I mean, how nice, right, to have just another person on campus who has been through maybe something similar or really understands their life experience that they're coming into Grand Valley with.

Shelby Huerta:

Definitely.

Dani Lauer:

I love that. What about some challenges? I'm curious what kind of challenges do you feel your fellow vets or even adult students might have in coming to Grand Valley?

Shelby Huerta:

Yeah, I think, I mean everybody has challenges as a student, whether you're 18, you know, 30, whatever the case may be. But I think as an older student you come with what can feel like a lot more responsibilities. I can't relate when somebody doesn't like their roommate. I have a husband and sometimes it's not the best, but you know, I come home, I see him, I see my dogs. It's just different responsibilities and the challenge of juggling all of these things you have to deal with in life beyond just a bad roommate or you're not doing so great in a class. I would definitely say Grand Valley offers a lot of opportunities to help you when you have challenges. I can say for myself that having the option to go to tutoring office hours sometimes, you know, just going to work, especially at a campus job, there's that flexibility that comes in and allows you to have difficult days, but to get past them, to manage them as needed.

Dani Lauer:

Such a good point. So those student services that we hear about on campus, like those are available to adult learners too, that's not just for traditional age students.

Shelby Huerta:

Oh, definitely. I, I think it's a misconception that as an adult learner you don't need these resources and I feel like I couldn't be more grateful for the resources that we have here. I can't tell you how many times I've gone to tutoring for Spanish <laugh> and definitely needed it or I've gone to my office hours to talk to my professors. Sometimes it's just a question. Sometimes it's maybe you're doubting how you're doing on a project. You might need that reassurance that, hey, no, you're doing great. You under, you understand the topic. So it's good to have that like availability and all the resources that Grand Valley offers.

Dani Lauer:

Definitely. So Shelby, what advice do you have for someone maybe who's thinking about coming to Grand Valley? They're not here in classes yet, but they're considering coming back to school and they're an adult learner. Do you have some advice for them?

Shelby Huerta:

Yeah, I think you'll probably hear tons of advice and you know, you get to pick and choose what you wanna take, I guess with you <laugh>. But I would definitely say never be afraid to ask questions. Being an older student or just being somebody going back to school at any age, it can be really hard to admit when you're not sure or when you're confused. So if you're given the opportunity to talk to teachers or resources, anything like that, ask questions. Don't be afraid because you might feel stupid in the moment, but once that question's answered, it'll make everything a lot clearer.

Dani Lauer:

Amazing. That's such good advice. Well, Shelby, thank you so much for joining us today. Thanks for sharing a little bit about your story.

Shelby Huerta:

Thank you for having me on.

Megan Riksen:

Yes, Shelby, thank you so much. And I think it's just cool to hear from someone who is bringing, as we talked about some of that life experience and showing that lifelong learning really is awesome. And we hope that all of you listening are inspired by maybe some of the people who are in class with you. So if you're not an adult learner, maybe take advantage of picking the brain of, you know, someone who might have some different experiences from you in the classroom. So thank you so much to everyone for listening and we hope you tune in to a future episode soon.