News
Bradshaw Makes the Most of Her Second Act at SMC
Published on May 5, 2026 - 4 p.m.
There seem to be two distinct Kaylee Bradshaws. Both hail from Hartford.
One has a straight-A grade average and was selected to speak at Southwestern Michigan College’s 59th Commencement May 9.
She will address the School of Arts, Science and Business and the School of Nursing and Health Services ceremony at 1 p.m.
Chloe Itimu will be speaking at the School of Arts, Sciences and Business and the School of Advanced Technology ceremony at 10 a.m.
Kaylee 2024-25 was a commuter student who started in general studies. “I didn’t expect any of this to happen. I would just come to class and leave. It was kind of lonely, honestly. I didn’t talk to a lot of people. When I got the opportunity to work at the advising center, I thought it would be good job experience.”
Kaylee 2025-26 blossomed into a resident assistant in Keith H. McKenzie Hall (“we have all the basketball players, a couple track and a couple wrestlers”), worked in the advising office, networked, made connections, found her passion and optimized the full college experience.
Bradshaw received an Award of Excellence, the Cecil Kirby Memorial Scholarship, the Frank Wysocki Scholarship and a Summer Bridge Scholarship.
Kaylee 2.0, armed with her SMC business degree, plans to transfer to Western Michigan University for a bachelor’s degree in marketing.
Bradshaw, whose mother attended SMC, said community college “was a no-brainer because when I started college I honestly didn’t know what I wanted to do, career-wise. I figured starting at a community college and saving some money, I could figure it out and go to a four-year from there.”
“I’ve decided to pursue marketing at Western,” she said. “I talked to Michelle (Orlaske, Director of Marketing) at the Aloha Luau” about working in the SMC marketing office this summer.
To speak at Commencement, “Students are picked from staff nominations. I know for sure of two. After that, you have to apply and answer a bunch of questions. From the applicants, they choose who they want to speak. I’m very excited to speak. It’s a big honor, but I also think it’s funny because I’ve never taken a speech class.”
“I work in the advising center right now,” Bradshaw said, “so I’ve made a lot of good connections with staff that way, plus I’m really involved on campus. I became an RA in res life and I’m really involved in AKO Bible Study Club as well, so there’s three main different parts of student life that I’m active in.”
“In the advising office, I work the front desk” in the David C. Briegel Building. “Check students in, help them make appointments. We get a lot of people who don’t know who they need to talk to or are trying to find resources, so we direct them to where they can get the help they need. The most frequent question is who is my adviser? Or, they can’t log into their SMC Wired account, so we send them to IT’s Help Desk.”
“The weirdest question I got was someone trying to apply to the stenography program, which we don’t offer.”
Bradshaw attended the Career Fair and met someone from Midwest Energy and Communications (MEC) in Cassopolis.
“I contacted them later and set up a job shadow,” she said. “I absolutely loved that. I also job shadowed at a dental hygienist’s office and at a hospital when I thought I was going to go into health care. If I could do anything with marketing, I’d like to do sports marketing, but that’s hard to get into, and I want to stay local.”
Bradshaw said her main involvement is Bible Study Club.
“Three out of five of my school days I spend the afternoon doing stuff for Bible study. We have small groups Monday and Tuesday. I also serve on the worship team, which practices Wednesdays. After Bible study, we go rock climbing or to McDonald’s. We went bowling this past Saturday.”
The worship team plays music, including at some churches.
“We have three guitars we rotate, a bass, piano and three singers. I play guitar and sing,” Bradshaw said. “A long time ago I played ukulele.”
Bradshaw considers her path through SMC “a progression.” Kaylee 2.0 marks a sort of return to her high school self.
“I was very involved and outgoing” at Grace Christian School, where she was valedictorian of a six-member graduating class.
“I don’t know what happened to make me drop off,” she laughed. “I think I had a hard time switching to college because I had such a small school. Coming here was scary.”
“I would tell myself to be more involved my first year,” she said. “I made like one friend and didn’t go to any events. Not only socially, but professionally, (her involvement) has helped me. Kathie Gries is a great resource at the advising center. Melinda Stockwell is a great resource. They can connect you to people for when you move on.
“I’ve talked to people at Western about student worker jobs there and I’ve done job shadowing. I’m getting marketing experience because I met Michelle.
“I really love SMC. All the people I’ve met here are great and the faculty and staff are super helpful! I’ve learned a lot, both socially and professionally. I feel like it’s really prepared me to go to a four-year next year. It’s been a great step in my journey because I had no idea what I wanted to do.”
The community can learn more about the commencement ceremonies at swmich.edu/commencement.
