ESCANABA — Each year, Bay College selects an Outstanding Graduate from each of the six divisions at the college. The graduate is selected by their instructors for their academic excellence, leadership and community service.

Grace Kraniak was selected as the 2021 Outstanding Graduate for the Arts & Letters Division, with the award being sponsored by Bink’s Coca-Cola Bottling Company, the Bay Faculty Association and the Bay College Foundation.

Kraniak started her journey at Bay College in the summer of 2018 and stated, “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to attend college and it was my parents that gave me the motivation to enroll. After taking a few classes, I fell in love with it. My instructors encouraged me to ask questions, join discussions and expanded my perspective. The staff at Bay College assisted me with choosing the right courses to stay on track and gave me pointers on how to be a successful student. Best of all, Bay’s TRIO program taught me how to come out of my shell and made me feel at home. I’m so thankful that I ended up enrolling at Bay.”

In November 2020, Kraniak earned an Associate of Arts degree from Bay College. She will continue her education at UWGB Marinette Campus to pursue a Bachelor in Fine Arts in Writing. Grace’s future plan is to be a business and book publishing editor. In addition, Grace hopes to become a college instructor after realizing her passion for helping others learn while she was a tutor at Bay.

Kraniak is seeking employment in her chosen field, and is currently employed on her family’s farm. In her free time, she enjoys writing fiction and poetry and spending time with her cats.

Visit the website www.baycollege.edu/bayawards to watch a short video of Instructor Renee Strom presenting the Outstanding Graduate Award for the Arts & Letters Division to Grace along with her acceptance speech for this great honor.