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Schoolcraft College has provided a cornerstone of leadership not only for education but for the communities in Western Wayne County. Part of that leadership has been the Trustees elected to represent our community college district.
FridayMusings appreciates the growth of Schoolcraft College and the impact it has had on providing educational opportunities after high school graduation, and on opening the doors for older returning students who decide to continue expanding their career goals or opening their minds to new and invigorating subject matters.
On October 24, 1961, residents of the Livonia, Plymouth-Canton, Garden City, and Clarenceville school districts voted to establish a community college to create an environment for individuals seeking the opportunity to grow intellectually and strengthen their economic independence. Northville Public Schools joined the district in 1963.
Originally called Northwest Wayne Community College, the name was changed in February 1963 to Schoolcraft College in honor of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, a 19th century explorer and scholar who played a part in the early development of Michigan.
The Schoolcraft College Board of Trustees since its founding has functioned as a team and that team today is unanimously endorsing these three candidates, Dillon Breen, Angela Jaafar, and Candy Little. FridayMusings is taking the early step in also strongly endorsing Breen, Jaafar, and Little.
A fourth candidate, former Trustee Joan Gebhardt, has decided to join the race, but her decision to run one year after resigning from the Board, does a disservice to the existing Board which upon her resignation last year opened up the application process and unanimously selected Livonia resident, Candy Little to fill the unexpired term of Gebhardt.
Residents appropriately thanked Gebhardt for her tenure on the Schoolcraft Board, but now Schoolcraft has turned the page with new Trustee Candy Little joining the Trustee team. Thank you Candy Little for stepping up last year to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Gebhardt.
Candy Little works for Merck as both a Senior Clinical Research Specialist and Institution Lead Clinical Research Associate. She has been active as a volunteer in the Livonia community for over 16 years. She was an active volunteer on various committees until her daughter graduated from the Math, Science, and Computers (MSC) program at Churchill High School in 2022. She stood out in the application process and we will benefit from her community and professional skillset when elected to a full term.
Angela Jaafar previously served on the Northville Board of Education, has served as a commissioner for Parks and Recreation, Advisor for the Senior Advisory Board (Northville), and serves as a member of the Detroit Zoological Authority for Wayne County. She brings a background of community leadership from which Schoolcraft will continue to benefit.
Dillon Breen has served on numerous Livonia commissions including serving on the Livonia Human Relations Commission, the Livonia Local Officers Compensation Commission, and the Livonia Brownfield Redevelopment Authority. Dillon was a 2019 Fellow in the Michigan Political Leadership Program (MPLP) at Michigan State University. He understands the connection with citizen engagement, as a member of the Livonia Rotary Club, and brings the kind of citizen ownership that will continue to benefit Schoolcraft College.
In this election year, it will be difficult to parse the ballot to all candidate positions we must scrutinize. Educational positions should be paramount for local voters. FridayMusings encourages you not to ignore Schoolcraft College Trustee when you vote and to consider this strong endorsement for Candy Little, Angela Jaafar and Dillon Breen.
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