Your Impact
YOU MAKE AN IMPACT
Thank you for being part of the Aquinas community.
Because of you, Aquinas students have the opportunity to access a life-changing education and thrive throughout their college journey and beyond. Your generosity does more than provide scholarships, programs, and resources. You open doors, remove barriers, and change lives. Every gift makes a meaningful difference, and our students know it.
Below, you'll find stories shared by our students and alumni themselves— powerful reminders of the impact you've made and the lives you've helped shape through your support.
Building Career Ready Skills
In January of 2026, rising senior Michelle VanWeelde used the skills she learned at Aquinas to secure a marketing internship with Kent
Companies. Click here to read her reflections on the importance of feedback, mentorship, and planting your
own tree as a young professional.
In his own words
“There were many opportunities for people to give up on me. And yet, nobody did… When I struggled, people invested in me. When I disappointed people, they challenged me. When I doubted myself, they believed in me. And when I considered walking away, they pulled me a little bit closer.”
-- Alexander Rodriguez, '26
Watch all of Alex's speech below, or click here to read the full text.
More Stories with Impact
Big Dreams to Breakthroughs: Aquinas Saints Tackle Cancer Research and New Chemical Reactions
Having secured funding from a Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant, these Saints are spending the summer working on two projects— one in leukemia chemotherapeutics and the other in developing a new chemical reaction using visible light. Dr. Anthony Allen is lending his expertise and guidance as their...
Saints and Sculptures: Sawyer Shank Takes Summer Position Maintaining World-Class Art in Grand Rapids
This summer, Aquinas senior Sawyer Shank has joined AQ alumnus Dale Domer ’15 to clean and preserve the sculpture for future generations.
Three Degrees, One Community: The Aquinas Journey of Maegan Garlock '02, '11, '17
Maegan Garlock didn't plan to go to Aquinas College. She had committed to Grand Valley State University for physical therapy when life shifted course: she was pregnant, her father worked on the AQ maintenance crew, and the small campus on Robinson Road suddenly made more sense than anywhere else. Aquinas...
Alumni Spotlight: Bridget Baehl
For Bridget Baehl, finding her place at Aquinas College wasn't part of the original plan, but it became the defining chapter of her journey toward a career in higher education.
Want to learn more?
Catherine Hutchins, Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship
Email: hutchinsc@aquinas.edu
Phone: (616) 632-2820