Maria Jo Williams Story

Just Another Runner’s Story May 2026 Written by Gale Fischer  

Somebody is Always Watching

“Having influence is not about elevating self, but about lifting others.”

—-Sheri Dew

All athletes have the potential to inspire and serve as role models. Running can offer the opportunity to lead by example in a way that is different from most sports. A daily routine of running is often on display for others to observe, not in an arena or on live television, but out on the streets and neighborhoods of our communities. Anyone who sees a runner out on the roads, including every driver or passenger in a car that passes a runner and every child playing on the playgrounds and in the yards surrounding the streets that a runner traverses, could be the next person who is inspired to embrace physical activity. It might be a one-time observation, or it could be a scenario of a driver seeing the same runner at the same time, Monday through Friday, on the same stretch of road as they make their daily commute home from work. One does not have to be a non-runner to draw on the motivation of other runners. As a long-time participant in running, I always take notice as I drive along roads, seeing individuals embracing our sport. I feel that every runner has an intriguing story that can uplift many. Positively influencing others might be something that we never think about as runners, but the impact we have on friends, family members, acquaintances, and complete strangers is real, even if we are completely unaware of it. Being a positive example is something that this month’s featured runner, Maria Jo Williams, loves about our sport.

Running has been a part of Maria Jo’s routine for much of her life. “I started running when I was about twelve years old,” she explained. “There was a 5K race in my hometown of Colon. I hadn’t trained and just decided to sign up. I finished in second place. This kind of hooked me.” Maria Jo continued running after this initial experience, with it becoming a big part of who she is. “I kept running on my own after this race, and later I joined my school’s cross-country team in 7th grade,” Maria Jo said. “I also joined my middle school track team in that same year. My events included the 800-meter open, 1600-meter run, and 3200-meter run.” 

Running became an important part of Maria Jo’s life almost immediately. “I loved it and was running year-round,” she added. “I would find local races to sign up for every summer. I continued with track and cross-country through high school.” Maria Jo attended Colon High School for her freshman and sophomore years before transitioning to Vicksburg High School to finish her high school and athletic career. She experienced success with her teammates while at Vicksburg. “We qualified for the state cross-country meet in my senior year at Vicksburg,” Maria Jo recalled. “We had an awesome team. At that time, cross-country was a 3-mile race. I was lucky not to have any major injuries in high school. My fastest race for cross country was 21 minutes.” 

Maria Jo graduated from Vicksburg High School in 1993. Her days as a student athlete may have been finished, but this didn’t keep her from enjoying running. “I continued to run on my own until I had my first child, Leslie, a few months later,” Maria Jo noted. “I started running again about five months after Leslie was born.”

Like many who have been running for years, Maria Jo has had to battle setbacks. “I have run consistently since starting back after Leslie was born, other than taking a year off to deal with a herniated disc in 2019,” she explained. “I had to do a lot of lifting for my job, which contributed to my back injury.” 

Maria Jo enjoys running on her own and what it does for her mentally and physically, but connecting with other runners is also something that keeps running exciting for her. “Through the years, I have run several 5K races, 10K races, and half-marathons. I have run one full marathon, the Sunburst Marathon in 2015,” Maria Jo said. “I’d like to try another someday. The local races provide opportunities to run with and interact with other members of the running community, and kind of help to keep me motivated. After all of these years, races still get me excited and give me the jitters. One of my most memorable races was a first-place overall finish for a 5K in Coldwater for the Branch County Coalition Against Domestic Violence race in 2018. This was very exciting for me. My favorite half-marathon was the Falling Waters Half Marathon near Jackson, which I ran in 2017. Through the years, I have done much of my running with others. I ran with a group from Branch County for many years until I moved to Battle Creek in 2023. I ran for a year on my own when I first moved to Battle Creek, before finding others to run with. I also had to take some time off when I first moved to Battle Creek because of my back.”

Maria Jo’s herniated disc has never fully healed. She talked about continuing to run while managing this injury. “For many years, I dealt with my back injury and was still able to run, but in the last few years, I have been receiving injections in my back every three months to reduce the pain. This has helped, but the doctors want me to have surgery on my back. I am scheduled for a surgery consultation in June.” Maria Jo wants to hold off on surgery as long as possible, but understands that it may be necessary one day.

Maria Jo always seems to find a way to keep running. She talked about what draws her to the sport. “I have run for almost 40 years. It’s really an addiction. Part of it is I want to hold on to that level of fitness. Running makes me feel strong and energized. Even when I struggle to breathe and my body hurts, I feel awesome. Running has always been enjoyable, even when I was a child and not doing it as a regular activity. I can remember the joy of running as a kid, when playing tag and other games on the playground with my classmates. I like to run the roads and trails, but also like to do speed work on the track. I prefer running in the morning. It feels better to start my day with a run.” 

Maria Jo feels happy to have played a part in the fitness journeys of some of her family members. “My daughter ran cross country in high school,” Maria Jo recalled. “It was awesome to watch her compete as a high school runner. My son would sometimes run with me when he was younger. As adults, they still run. My daughter is more consistent with her training, but my son doesn’t train much and just shows up to race. It is neat to see my kids enjoy an activity that I am passionate about. My husband and his sister don’t run but have started walking. They come with me to races and sign up to walk the 5Ks.” 

Maria Jo likes to get others involved in being active, not just her family. “I feel that as runners, we influence others who see us out on the roads running,”  she said. “I’m always striving to influence others to run and to be active.” 

Running can provide many positive outcomes for participants. As Maria Jo reminds us, the benefits that are received from running can extend to non-runners as well.

Everyone has a story.  Stay tuned next month for another runner’s story.

Dave Studer Story

 For the Love of the Game

“If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

—-Mark Anthony

A career of working with our youth can provide contentment and joy spread out over multiple decades. Even with the moments of fulfillment, teaching, coaching, and mentoring can be exhausting. For many in our profession, retirement planning begins as we near the thirty-year mark. The rewards are much appreciated, but there comes a time when a new chapter must be written, and a change of pace is needed. Harper Creek varsity wrestling coach Dave Studer has taken a unique approach in his career. He has almost doubled the thirty-year mark with Harper Creek. His love for his craft is what keeps him coming back year after year.

Dave is unique among our employees in many ways, but perhaps what sets him apart most from the rest of us is his age. At 82, he may have a few decades or more on most of us, but his years as a teacher and a coach have kept him young. He reflected on his childhood. “I was born in Port Huron, Michigan, in 1944, the second oldest of six siblings. We grew up in Port Huron, went to school in Port Huron School District, and graduated from Port Huron High School, which at that time was a three-year high school for 10th through 12th grade.”  

Dave was small in stature compared to the other athletes attending his high school, but he didn’t let this deter him from participating in sports. “I played football my sophomore year, but found a more suitable sport for me after this,” Dave said. “A friend of mine encouraged me to try out for wrestling. At this time, there were no divisions for high school wrestling in Michigan. We had a really solid team that competed with some of the state’s bigger schools. I had some very talented teammates who pushed me to be a better wrestler. They always dominated me during our practices, but this only helped me achieve success during our competitions. I went undefeated in our league, the Eastern Michigan League, for my entire three-year career.” Some of Dave’s high school teammates and coaches were successful in their sport beyond the high school level. “For my last two years, we had an excellent coach, Anthony Benito, who had wrestled at Bowling Green,”  Dave explained. “He was a small guy but tough, and he knew what he was doing. I had teammates who competed for Miami of Ohio, and another for Eastern Michigan. Two who graduated a year before me went to wrestle at Michigan.” Dave competed at the collegiate level after high school. “I wrestled in the 95-pound weight division in high school and was recruited by coaches from Western Michigan, U of M, and Eastern Michigan,” Dave noted. “I considered going to Michigan, but decided to go to WMU because I was unsure if I could handle the academics at Michigan.” Dave graduated from high school in 1962 and went to WMU to compete in the 123-pound weight division.

Dave was a dedicated athlete in high school, but he quickly found out that competing at the DI collegiate level required a higher level of commitment. “I found out in college that the coaches and team owned my time,” Dave explained. “Between off-season conditioning and the regular season, we were preparing for the competition year-round. We couldn’t even go home for Thanksgiving. The dorms were closed for the holiday weekend, but our coaches would find people we could stay with. When I was in college, the only athletes who used the weight room were the wrestlers and the track team's throwers. The football team never used the weight room. At that time, it was believed that bulking up would hurt the skill level required for football.” 

Dave enjoyed participating in athletics during his high school days and wanted to continue in this capacity as an adult. “Ultimately, I wanted a career as a coach,” he said. “I would coach Little League Baseball when I came back home from college each summer. When I enrolled at WMU, I decided to major in physical education and minor in health and psychology.” 

Dave finished at WMU in 1968 with everything completed except for student teaching. “I was working for the government in the Job Corps Division, so I decided not to do my student teaching,” Dave noted. “Harper Creek was looking for a fill-in wrestling coach in 1968 as the middle of the school year approached. The AD contacted my college coach for references, and he gave them my name. I received a call to come coach for Harper Creek. This was supposed to be temporary, but it turned into a lifetime career.” 

Because of the opportunity presented by Harper Creek, Dave was doing what he wanted to do. He was in his element. “I continued to coach and work for the Job Corps but eventually quit the Job Corps to do my student teaching in physical education at Harper Creek High School,” Dave recalled. “My first season as wrestling coach was a success. My athletes wanted to win but were kind of soft. I brought some of my Job Corps kids to practice with them to help build their mental toughness. Through the season, they learned to become tough. We won the regionals meet that year. It was exciting as a first-year coach. I can still remember the names of all of the kids on this first team. The development of each of them as wrestlers carried over to other sports.” 

After Dave took over as wrestling coach, Harper Creek administrators also wanted to hire him as a teacher. “After I began coaching, I did my student teaching in the physical education department at the high school,” Dave explained. “The next school year, I started my first teaching position, traveling between Beadle Lake, Sonoma, and Wattles as the district's first elementary PE teacher. Other job duties included running the 6th-grade camp for Beadle Lake.” Dave met his wife, Julianne, while working as Harper Creek’s district elementary PE teacher. Julianne was a sixth-grade teacher at Beadle Lake at the time. “Julianne was an outstanding teacher and has received several awards as a teacher,” Dave said. “We were married in Las Vegas in July of 1975. I have one daughter, Julie Ann Sims, and a son, David G. Studer, and Julie has a son, David R. Studer. We have four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.”

Wrestling has always been Dave’s passion, but he spent his teaching career coaching three sports seasons each year. “I was the JV football coach my first year of teaching. I coached football for about three years,” Dave shared. “I was also coaching boys' tennis in the spring. When Harper Creek added a girls’ tennis team for the fall, I quit football and started coaching girls’ tennis. I coached tennis up until I retired from teaching.” Dave enjoyed his role as boys and girls tennis coach and the success his teams experienced. “The last girls’ tennis team I coached had two girls receive full-ride scholarships,” Dave said. “Marie Cameron went to Grand Valley as their number one singles player all four years, and Nicky Schwarz attended Saginaw Valley, where she was their number one singles player all four years. In their senior year, they met at their college conference finals, where Nicky won.” Dave’s tennis teams won more regional championships through the years than his wrestling teams have won, with three for the boys’ program and two for the girls' program. “My last ten years of coaching tennis, the boys' team went to the state meet every year, and the girls went eight out of my last ten years,” he noted. “I had some success coaching tennis and really enjoyed it.” 

Dave started his tenure at Harper Creek as the district elementary PE teacher, but the bulk of his teaching career was spent at the secondary level. “After leaving the elementary schools, I split my time between the Middle School and High School, teaching physical education,” Dave explained. “Eventually, I was just teaching at the high school. I have also taught health and psychology. I taught weightlifting classes. I started the Bigger, Faster, Stronger Program at Harper Creek. For several years, I also taught gymnastics classes at the high school. Eventually, the equipment began to deteriorate and became unsafe. The district couldn’t afford to get new equipment, so gymnastics was dropped.” Dave is a firm believer that the skills involved in gymnastics are important for development in all sports. Through the years, he has incorporated the tumbling components of gymnastics into his wrestling practices.

For the bulk of his career, Dave’s schedule spilled over from the school day to evenings and weekends with athletic practices and competitions. He even took on a hobby beyond teaching and coaching that consumed much of his time. “I had always had a desire to raise cattle,” he explained. “Julianne and I owned a farm near Marshall, where I was able to raise a small number of cattle, but over time, this farm became too small. Eventually, we found a bigger farm near Albion and bought it. I still raise cattle today, but on a much smaller scale. For several years, I was teaching, coaching three sports seasons, and raising cattle.”

After more than three decades, Dave was ready for his life to slow down some, but not to go on full pause. “When I retired from teaching in 2001, I had spent about 35 years in this role,” Dave said. “I gave up coaching tennis, but still wanted to coach wrestling. I have seen over the years what wrestling and athletics can do for the development of kids. You are on your own on the mat, but you still have teammates. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to see young kids mature and graduate from high school and become active members of the community. I tell the kids that if they can wrestle, they can do anything in life. I’m grateful that I can still do this. I will be 82 in May. I know that coaching has kept me young. What I have noticed is that there is a community in wrestling. The kids compete on the mat, but they are a community off the mat.”

Like many coaches, Dave has witnessed the impact of his sport on future generations. Athletics teach our kids specific skills aligned to their sport, but the common thread for all sports is the life lessons that are learned that mold young athletes into productive adult workers, dedicated spouses, and loving, supportive parents. He has seen many of his former athletes come back to Harper Creek to make their mark on our community. This list includes Beadle Lake 2nd Grade teacher, Nicole Schwarz, one of Dave’s former tennis players. Former wrestlers for Dave who currently work for the district or have in the past include Joe Yurisich, who has served as teacher, administrator, and coach; Jim Robinson, who has coached and filled the role of maintenance supervisor for many years;  Larry Quick, who has been a teacher and coach for his alma mater since 1993, as well as Tony Evans and Joe Ramos who have come back to their home school to coach.

Dave’s passion for teaching and coaching has been the driving force for his years of dedication to Harper Creek, but there are other factors. “Next year will be my 60th year of coaching,” Dave shared. “I will keep doing it as long as I feel that I am making a difference for my athletes. My expectations for kids have never changed. I have had opportunities at both the high school and college level to leave, but I have always enjoyed it here and never really had any desire to pack my bags. I have had a lot of support from the administration, staff, and community here at Harper Creek.” 

Going to work each day is an integral part of life for most individuals in our society. If you hate your job, then your life will be one of misery. If your job does not bring you joy but is still tolerable, then your life can be manageable. If you are lucky enough to have a passion for your job and benefit from the joy that it brings you each day, then your life is blessed. Nearly 60 years into his career as a teacher and coach, it appears that Dave’s chronological age does not match his biological age. The joy that his job has given him is likely a major ingredient in Dave’s recipe for slowing the aging process. This joy has also kept him coming back every year for nearly six decades.

Jeff Robert's Story

 Bronson Battle Creek Hospital ER nurse, Jeff Robert’s journey to becoming a nurse was put on hold a semester into nursing school after surviving being hit by a car while jogging. He overcame some major debilitating injuries to eventually resume life as normal. He first became curious about a career as a nurse almost 20 years ago. “I was part of the 21st Century Health Program at the Calhoun County Tech Center,” Roberts explained. “This was a program that touched on many aspects of joining a health related field. After going through this program I realized I wanted to be a nurse. I graduated from Harper Creek High School in 2007, applied to KCC,  and began taking the required prerequisites as a college freshman.” 

Roberts received his certified nursing assistant (CNA) certificate in 2009 but would have to wait to work for higher credentials. “At the time I enrolled at KCC there was a long waiting list to get in the nursing program,” Roberts noted. “I started working at Battle Creek Health Systems, now Bronson Battle Creek Hospital, as a patient care assistant full time after receiving my CNA certificate, while I waited to get into the nursing program.” Roberts worked patiently for his opportunity to be accepted to KCC’s nursing school for four years, gaining experience as a CNA. “I was finally accepted into the nursing program in 2013,” Roberts recalled. “I dropped down to working only weekends at the hospital and focused on my classes during the week. Nursing school was very demanding with the time required for going to classes and studying.” 

Roberts was working diligently and had just started his second term of nursing school when a major setback stalled his progress. “I had implemented a routine of running to stay healthy,” Roberts noted. “While out on my daily run on January 23 of 2014, a car hit a patch of ice and lost control before striking me. I was immediately knocked out. I was taken by ambulance from the scene to Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo. I don’t have any memories of being hit, or of  anything from my time in the Bronson Trauma Unit. My first memory after the accident didn’t come until a month later.” 

Roberts was in critical condition and sustained many injuries that were potentially life threatening or life changing. “I remained in a coma for a week after the accident,”Roberts said. “I sustained some pretty significant head trauma. I also fractured my hip, had bilateral lower spiral fractures in both legs, and had an open book pelvic fracture. Three separate surgeries were completed to put my hip back together. My pelvis was also fused back together. I still have hardware in my right hip. My legs eventually healed on their own and did not require surgery. My jaw and neck sustained fractures as well. I was bed ridden until the time I was sent to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center in Grand Rapids four weeks after the accident. There was a period of time when my medical team didn’t know if my neurological or brain function would fully recover.”

Robert’s medical team could not predict his prognosis for the first few weeks but they continued to do all that they could to stabilize his condition and gave him a fighting chance for full recovery. “When I was physically ready for rehab my doctors sent me to Mary Free Bed. They were hopeful that intense therapy could help with a full recovery, but they didn’t know for sure,” Roberts explained. “I had occupational therapy, physical therapy, social therapy, cognitive therapy, and speech therapy while at Mary Free Bed, spending six hours a day with these therapies. It was an extremely intense process. This schedule remained the entire time I was at Mary Free Bed, for about six weeks.”

Roberts had to start from ground zero, learning many basic skills again, including talking, dressing himself, feeding himself, and walking. The support he received from each specialized therapist and from family members was crucial in his recovery but he wouldn’t have progressed if not for the work he put in everyday. By the time he was released from rehab he was out of the woods, and on his way back to a normal life but there was still work that remained. “When I was discharged from Mary Free Bed I was still in a wheelchair,” Roberts noted. “I was about 75% of the way back to full recovery. I went back home to live with my girlfriend, Ashley. I still needed 24 hour assistance at the time. If Ashley wasn’t available I went to my parents to stay. I also had to continue with physical therapy on an outpatient basis at Southwest Rehabilitation Center once a week. I was finally walking about six weeks after coming home. I continued with physical therapy for another month. By June, less than six months after the accident, I had fully recovered.” 

Roberts had overcome physical trauma and a traumatic brain injury to become fully independent again. He was able to go back to work as a CNA at Bronson Battle Creek and he hoped to continue to pursue a nursing degree. “I was put back on a waiting list for nursing school," Roberts explained. “There were some who questioned whether or not I could handle the rigors of nursing school because of the trauma I had been through. I was finally placed back in nursing school in January of 2015. Nursing school was demanding before my accident but after all that I had been through with the accident, school was even more challenging. I was given some accommodations for testing. Nursing school is unlike anything and it was a great feeling to be done and also to accomplish this after everything I had experienced. I went back in 2017 online through Western Governor’s University to earn a BA in the science of nursing in 2018.” 

After earning his nursing degree in 2016 Roberts started a full time career. “I began working in the ER at Bronson Battle Creek in May of 2016 as a brand new graduate nurse,” Roberts said. “I had planned on being a critical care nurse but ended up applying to the ER and accepting a job there. Working in the ER is definitely interesting. You never know what’s coming through the front door and you have to be prepared for anything. I like the fast pace of the ER. I can imagine myself working in the ER for years to come.”

Robert’s experience has given him a perspective on day to day life. “As it pertains to what life lessons have I learned,” Roberts reflected, “one of the biggest things that I have taken in is the importance of accepting each moment as it is and never taking anything for granted. Unfortunately I had to learn this the hard way.” 

Roberts quickly resumed normal life after fully recovering from his accident. He and his girlfriend, Ashley were married after he started back to nursing school, on May 30, 2015. “We have three kids,” Roberts noted. “Braxton is 14, Ethan is 10, and Landon, our youngest, will be 8 in April. I have returned to running now and completed a half-marathon, which has helped to affirm my full recovery. I wish that I could run more but time doesn’t always allow it. Ashley doesn’t enjoy running as much as I do but she has supported me with this, running with me and completing some races with me.”

Like her husband, Ashley’s perspective on life would be forever changed after the accident. “I think our faith has been affirmed through all that Jeff has been through. We definitely could have gone down a totally different path. We are very grateful for the support that has been given to us.” 

Wattles Park Elementary Story

  Inspiring Students and Staff

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”

—Coleen Wilcox

Each of us has our own unique teaching journey that has led us to our current position with Harper Creek. Some of our teachers have taught the same grade or content in the same building and classroom for their entire careers. Others have also called Harper Creek home for the duration while completing stints in more than one position and different buildings within our district. There are also teachers in our schools, including Beadle Lake Spanish teacher Lesa Kenney, who have gained experience with other districts prior to coming to Harper Creek. Lesa has made stops at several school districts in our area, gaining valuable experience along the way, but has now found a home here at Harper Creek. 

Lesa was raised in Battle Creek for much of her childhood and has lived here all of her adult life. “I was born in Coshocton, Ohio, on November 4, 1981, the oldest of three children of my parents, Craig and Coessa Kenney,” Lesa said. “My sister Leslie was born in 1983, and my brother Michael was born in 1984.” Lesa and her family were still living in Ohio when she started kindergarten. “I walked to school every day, starting in kindergarten on my own,” Lesa recalled. “I remember Mom always hugging me before I left for school each morning. Both of my parents worked, so I had a babysitter who watched me when I came home from school. My dad would leave work at noon to pick me up and drive me to the babysitter’s house, before going back to work. We would often stop at Taco Stop, a local restaurant, to get lunch.” 

Lesa and her family came to Michigan the summer after she finished kindergarten. “We moved to Springfield,” Lesa explained. “My dad was transferred here with his job. He worked at Clow Piping Company. Dad eventually started working at Musasshi in the Fort Custer Industrial Area. He worked at a few other places and retired as a salesman for RSB Transmission, an auto parts company in Homer, after they closed a few years ago.

My mom worked as a waitress when we still lived in Ohio, and when we came to Springfield, she enrolled at KCC to get her degree to be a paralegal.  She continued to waitress and began an internship at the Calhoun County Courthouse while getting her degree at KCC. She started working there full-time in 1993 and continued there for 27 years before she retired.” 

Moving to the Battle Creek area and leaving extended family was initially a challenging transition for Lesa, but she was able to create many fond childhood memories here.”I remember going skating every weekend at Midway Rolling Rink,” Lesa recalled. “Mom would bring my siblings and me, and as many friends as we could fit in our van. Skating was one of my favorite activities growing up. After the pandemic, I dusted off my old skates, which were over thirty years old, and started skating again.”  As an adult, swimming and being in the water have become one of Lesa’s biggest passions. This began as a child, with time spent at Fort Custer State Park and on the shores of Lake Michigan. “We also went to Eagle Lake often during our summer vacations to swim when I was growing up,” added Lesa. “It was a great family time. Many summer afternoons were also spent in Lake Michigan at Warren Dunes State Park.”

Lesa and her siblings went to Battle Creek Public Schools. “We went to Valley View Elementary, Springfield Middle School, and Battle Creek Central High School.” Lesa enjoyed music as a child. “I participated in band and choir starting in middle school,” she said. “I played in the marching band, wind ensemble, and I played the flute. I also participated in softball and volleyball at Springfield Middle School. I stopped playing sports in high school. I just didn’t enjoy the competitive nature.”

Lesa’s mom instilled in her and her siblings the concept of a hard work ethic. “I started my first job in ninth grade, working at Post Gardens. They were flexible with after-school activities,” she explained. “My family struggled financially, so this was a way that I could pay for some things on my own.”

Lesa graduated from Battle Creek Central in the spring of 2000 and started college that fall. “I went to KCC for three years after high school, studying music and Spanish education,” Lesa noted. “I had wanted to be a music teacher since middle school. My middle school music teachers, Ms. Stewart and Mr. Waters, inspired me to want to teach music. I studied Spanish because my husband spoke mostly Spanish at this time, and I didn’t speak any Spanish. Both of us are now fluent in Spanish and English. He does have some thickness in his accent, but he is capable of communicating well in English.”

Lesa earned her associate's degree in both Spanish and music from KCC in 2003. She continued her education from there to pursue her teaching degree. “Music had been my passion for many years, and I wanted to share this passion with students,” Lesa reflected. “I wanted to be a choir instructor, and part of the process for being accepted to a college program to do this included a singing audition. This was a highly competitive process. I auditioned at Central Michigan and Western Michigan but didn’t get in.”  Lesa took a semester off from school and went to work full-time at Post Gardens. She needed some time to think about things. Although it didn’t look like being a choir instructor was going to work out, Lesa still wanted to be a teacher. “I went back to school, enrolling at Western Michigan in January of 2004 in the education department, majoring in Spanish and minoring in English. Four weeks later, I started working part-time at Springfield Middle School, working with Hispanic students who were struggling with the English language.” 

Working with Springfield Middle School’s Hispanic population helped to provide on-the-job application to the content she was learning in her classes at Western, but this wasn’t the only positive aspect of her new job. “It was neat to go back and work with some of my former middle school teachers,” Lesa said. She graduated from Western Michigan in 2007. She had to resign from her job at Springfield Middle School to complete her internship at Battle Creek Central High School. She finished her internship with her teaching certificate, ready to start her career. 

Lesa began her career in education in 2008 and spent the next decade gaining experience in various teaching roles across multiple school districts. There were many circumstances that were responsible for her playing musical chairs, moving from district to district. Still, she was able to take in valuable lessons from each assignment and eventually found a permanent home.  “In my first year out of college, I worked at Verona Elementary providing bilingual support,” Lesa commented. “I did this for one school year and then went to Albion to teach high school Spanish starting in 2008 for two years. I left Albion in 2010 and taught elementary Spanish in Maple Valley for the 2010/2011 school year. After one year at Maple Valley. I went back to Springfield Middle School as a bilingual support interventionist for the 2011/2012 school year. I continued to look for a teaching position while working as an interventionist at Springfield and accepted a job at Pennfield as a high school and middle school Spanish teacher starting in the fall of 2012 for two years. I left Pennfield after two years and accepted a job with Hastings Public High School for one year, teaching Spanish. Then I accepted a job with Jenison High School near Grand Rapids to teach Spanish. I was at Jenison for three years.”

After her three-year stint with Jenison High School, Lesa joined our team at Harper Creek. “I started teaching Spanish at Beadle Lake in 2018,” Lesa shared. “I appreciate that our elementary students here at Harper Creek are learning Spanish. Young children can grasp concepts related to learning a language. It makes sense to teach them a second language at a young age. My goal is for my students to learn Spanish, but also to create an atmosphere that accepts making mistakes and learning from them.”

Lesa draws on her music background as a Spanish teacher. “One of the things that helped me learn Spanish as a young adult was singing,” explained Lesa. “I try to incorporate music and singing into my lessons. I also use hand gestures as part of my teaching. My emphasis for teaching Spanish is the language component, and I also embed the cultural part of the curriculum into my lessons.”

One of Lesa’s goals is to provide enrichment opportunities outside of the classroom for learning. “We have taken our students from all three elementary buildings to the Hispanic Flamenco Ballet for the past few years, which has been paid for through a grant,” Lesa said. “This experience has inspired me as a teacher. We have hosted this event for a few years. Next year, it will be at the Kellogg Auditorium, with Harper Creek hosting it again. I’m hoping kids from other schools can go. It’s exciting for me to promote cultural equity for not just Harper Creek students but also students throughout Battle Creek and Calhoun County to have opportunities for these experiences.” 

Like many of our other teachers, Lesa has a child who is a student in our district. “My daughter Zuleyka is in second grade at Beadle Lake,” Lesa shared. “I love having her at school with me. We have signals for each other that we use when we see each other in the hallway. I feel she loves being with me at Beadle Lake. I am dreading when she goes to middle school.” Zuleyka was born when Lesa was 36. Lesa and Zuleyka’s father, Poli, met while working at Post Gardens when Lesa was in high school. They started dating and married six years later in 2004.

Lesa also started a second job, working part-time evenings, weekends, and summer vacations around the same time she started her teaching career. “I started working at the YMCA part-time, teaching swim lessons in 2006,” Lesa explained. “My sister, Leslie Fuller, started working at the YMCA in 2000. The YMCA needed lifeguards, and Leslie convinced me to apply to work there. She said that I could work part-time during the school year and pick up more hours during the summer. I started lifeguarding in 2007 and started mermaiding in 2018. I work events at different pools and lakes in the area as a mermaid. Currently, I teach water aerobics, group swim lessons, and private lessons for Hampton Aquatics at night, on weekends, and during the summer.” 

Lesa had always enjoyed being in the water during her childhood summers, spending time swimming on Eagle Lake and Lake Michigan. However, working as a lifeguard and swim instructor allowed her to develop a deeper love for being in the water. “I love swimming for the enrichment component,” she said. “Being in the water soothes my soul. It seems to naturally de-stress me. Whatever stress I have had is gone after teaching swim lessons.” Lesa has also worked part-time working as an interpreter for Voces, a community organization that provides services for the community. 

Lesa has experienced a major health scare over the last few years that has required time out of the classroom, giving her an appreciation for life. “I went in for a regular wellness exam in August of 2024,” she explained. “I had just turned forty-one, so I was told that I needed to do a routine mammogram. I previously had a mammogram in 2023, and the mammogram in 2024 showed a difference from the one in 2023, so I had to get a biopsy. I was officially diagnosed with breast cancer in November of 2024. I didn’t have to do radiation or chemo, but had surgery in January of 2025 to remove the tumor. Medical tests confirmed that  I had the BRCA 2 gene, so I also had to have a second surgery to have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in June. I had reconstructive surgery in December on my breast. One of the most difficult things for me with these surgeries is not being able to get in the water.” 

Lesa has had a positive impact on her students during her time at Beadle Lake while also providing inspiration for other staff. Co-worker Penney Durbin talked about the influence Lesa has had on her. “Despite facing the challenges of breast cancer and undergoing reconstructive surgery, Lesa has continued to inspire both her students and her colleagues. Lesa truly brings language learning to life for her students, orchestrating enriching field trips for grades one through twelve, including the upcoming Flamenco Ballet. Her efforts not only enhance their educational experience but also instill a love for learning in her students. What sets Lesa apart is her unwavering positivity and the genuine affection she shows for all the children she teaches. Lesa's dedication to providing the best education for students at Harper Creek Community Schools is exemplary.”

Penney’s kind words for Lesa truly illustrate that, as educators, we all have the opportunity to make a difference for our students, but also that our impact can go beyond our students. The guidance, mentorship, and inspiration we provide for our co-workers creates a ripple effect in how each of us has a positive impact on students.