Lansing Community College Success Coaches, Brendan Finnerty and Laz Lane connect with Kyle Thelen, a recent graduate of LCC, who reflects upon his transformative experiences during his academic tenure. Their conversation delves into his personal challenges, particularly the adversities he faced stemming from a significant injury in high school, which catalyzed a profound reevaluation of his aspirations and self-perception. His narrative underscores the paramount importance of community and the influence of supportive relationships in fostering personal growth and resilience.

Website: Academic Success Coaching at LCC

All right, welcome to another episode of the Student Success Stories podcast. I am one of your co hosts, Brendan Finnerty, and in the studio with.

Me today is Laz Lane.

Today's episode is brought to you by Allergy Season. Nothing in unites people quite like Allergy season and being congested. Today's guest is Kyle Thelen.

He just finished up his last semester at LCC this spring and is moving on to some next steps that we'll dive into a bit more as we talk. One thing we want to highlight first off is he's worked at Horrock's during his time as a student. So a lot of people in Lansing know Horrock's.

It's a very unique Lansing spot. So Kyle, tell us a little bit about Horox from an insider perspective. What's something people ought to know about it?

And we just talked about a really cool story before the episode started that you can definitely tell if you are willing.

Yeah. So I mean, Horrock's is a great place. I'm sure a lot of people have been out there, but it's family owned and things like that.

So coming out of it, they're great people to work for, honestly and they genuinely care about what they do and they try and take care of people and take care of the people that work for them. So it's been a great place to work and a lot of fun too.

The story we were talking about, if you've ever been back there, there's that pond and the beer garden and the nursery area. So I was actually out on a canoe today putting out little plants.

So if you're around there and you hear this and you see those plants out there, that was me.

Yes. Yeah, you can think of them. Awesome. I don't think I've ever seen any kind of flotation device or anything really on that pond except for maybe birds.

It is definitely an experience. A little tippy. And that water's not the cleanest.

Is the plan for the. Is the plan for the canoe to stay there or what's.

No, it's going down. It just came from my boss's house, so he's taking it back there.

This was just a day of fun.

For the employees Day of fun, of riding around and $5 if you ever want to ride on it.

Sweet.

Really? Is it.

No, no.

Like, that's not a bad promotion.

I was gonna say, I got some pool fl. We could probably get a name.

Yeah. Gotta sign a waiver form and everything.

Yeah, right.

Yup.

So what's the. Is there, like, a secret day that people. There's a lot of people who. Everyone knows about Horrock's, I'm assuming.

But not everyone shops there, are there? Like, certain days with certain sales. It's pretty expensive, but it's a lot of value with it, too.

But are there certain days or what's the best day to shop on? Weekends are crazy. I know.

Yeah. Don't go on the weekends.

I've drove by it plenty of times. I'm like, yeah, there's more people there than at LCC's ramp right now. Like, this is crazy.

Special days. Not really necessarily, if I'm being honest, but if you want to go, like, go in the morning. It's so chill in the morning. Like, there's nobody there.

You can do whatever you want. You can actually move, which is nice. I'll be working. Sometimes I'm like, okay. I get so overwhelmed just because there's so many people.

But, yeah, go in the mornings. It's actually pretty nice in the morning.

In and out.

Yep.

Cool.

Well, let's take it back a little bit. Before Horox. Just tell us a bit about where you're from and kind of how your upbringing shaped you.

Yeah. So I'm from Laingsburg, small town just outside of Lansing.

I'm sure a lot of people have heard of it, but growing up there was nice because it was quiet and. But at the same time, we were close enough to things where people got to go out and experience a lot of different things and whatnot, So.

I really enjoyed growing up in the country. For the most part, not being in the city is good for me. I learned a lot.

And things like that had a lot of different people playing into me, so it was cool.

So with that type of living, is that what you plan to do in the future? Because I know a lot of people live in a city, and sometimes they get that peace and quiet, and then they're like, man, I want this.

And then there's people who the opposite. They're like, man, this is too quiet. I want to have more fun, I guess. Air quotes in the city and things like that.

So do you see yourself living in, like, a country type of area, city, or.

In all honesty, I go back and forth on it. Like, I think about it, I'm like, dude, I would really like to be out in the country and do my own thing.

But then I'm like, subdivision wouldn't be bad.

There's so many different things and so much that, you know, I haven't had the opportunity to experience yet, to know if I know the answer to that, but I wouldn't mind it. But I also know that there's other things out there, you know?

Gotcha.

Good answer, good answer.

So you grew up in Laingsburg. Now, was it location or what is the reason? What brought you to lcc besides it being like the best school ever?

But go ahead. It was definitely that. I just literally had no clue what I was doing.

Okay.

Like, I was like, man, I.

There's a whole backstory to it that, I mean, I don't know if we have time to get into it, but I came out of high school and I had a lot of stuff go down at the end with some injuries and things like that. And I was like, man, I don't know if I want to go into the trades, which I had kind of originally thought I wanted to do.

So I was like, I guess I got to go to college to figure out something. Like, I can't sit around and do nothing. But I didn't want to go to a four year because I was like, I don't know what I want to do.

I can't spend that money. So I just came to lcc, started taking classes, and hoped that I would figure it out along the way.

Cool. Cool. Did you ever have any.

I mean, looking back at everything, I know you've had, like a great run here, but do you ever regret not going to possibly a four year, maybe msu, Central, Western, any of those schools or.

Honestly, no, because especially where I was coming out of it, I don't think that I would have gotten into the right crowd that I should have been in going into it.

It's been honestly a blessing to like, not know it at the time, but look at it now and see, like, yeah, this is like the right place that I should have been in that, like, I needed to be, because I still have the opportunity to go to Four University. Yeah, true, true. So I still have that experience and get to get away from home and things like that. So it's been. It worked out. Right?

Nice, nice.

Yeah.

Well.

And you, you know, you've mentioned that and like, I'm your success coach, so I know this, but you've obviously spent time at LCC and have explored some potential pathways. Like you said, you started out not knowing what you wanted to do. What did that process look like in terms of clarifying?

And just what did you notice for how things changed as you got closer to, you know, what you're pursuing?

Yeah, like, I always knew, like, the general area that I wanted to be in. Like, I, like, I mentioned being in the trades and stuff. I wanted to do that, and I still enjoy doing that.

Like, I like working with my hands and things like that. So for me, figuring out what I wanted to do was a lot of trial and error.

Like, I thought I wanted to go into construction management, and then I thought I wanted to be a lineman, and then I thought I wanted to do this and that. So a lot of it, honestly, was one taking classes, people say prerequisites aren't worth it, which debatable.

But, like, some of them are actually, like, you know, nice to explore stuff.

Like, the sociology class I took was great, and it gave me a lot of perspective on different things that people walk through and things that I haven't experienced, but I can still understand looking from an outside perspective.

So getting that stuff in my back pocket and then trying to figure out certain paths to walk down and having doors close and different ones open was just trial and error. I can't really explain that. It was something that I, like, sat down and planned out and said, this is what I'm going to do.

These are the steps I'm going to take. It was more just like, all right, let's try this. And if it works, if it worked, you know.

Yeah, yeah. Was there an emotional piece to that as, like, opportunities that you thought might be what was going to open up, didn't.

And then, you know, trying something new, like, was that kind of baked into that?

Yeah, definitely. Emotionally, yeah, there was a big part of it.

And I think that that's the reason why I, like, walked down different things and tried different things. Was like, oh, emotionally, I was, like, so invested in it.

And then I got into it and I was like, yeah, you know, I don't know if that's exactly where I thought I wanted to be or what I wanted to do. So I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing to walk through those emotionally, but it definitely played out. And I've gained.

I've learned a lot about myself through that process, too.

Yep.

Well, that's a good testimony.

I've had students in the past, and even now where, you know, one they're afraid to make mistakes or, you know, if they're undecided on which pathway to go through, they just sometimes just take classes just to do it. Some stop going, which is totally fine.

I tell people, as you grow in age, no matter what, you're going to change, so your interests may change as well. So sometimes having one door close or having something not happen or go your way, sometimes that's always for a reason. So.

Yeah. And I think. I mean, just knowing a little bit about your story, like, it's a testament to overcoming a fear of failure or disappointment.

Oh, for sure.

Yeah.

Yeah. There's still a lot of that, too.

But, I mean, that's kind of the whole point of walking through stuff, you know, is to try and step out and in faith and take a leap, you know?

Yep.

Yeah, definitely.

So kind of along the lines of that, you know, what in your life has been one of your biggest challenges, and what type of role did that play into, like, what you plan to pursue now? Whether it's, like, a past or, you know, current challenge, what kind of challenges did you face that helped you?

So I kind of mentioned before, like, coming out of high school, I had some injuries and stuff, so I, like, totally blew my knee out entirely my senior year of high school.

Sorry. Was it a sport?

Yeah, I was doing it playing football.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

What position?

I played slot in, like, safety corner.

Okay. Wes Welker, slash, whoever's a good corner right now?

Well, Edelman.

Edelman. Okay.

Yeah.

Yeah, a little bit. I mean, I'm a small guy, so, you know.

But you're quick, though, I'm sure.

See, see Lions got a few corners nowadays.

Yeah, they do. You know, we'll see how it turns out. Sorry, go ahead.

No, no, you're good. Yeah. So the.

That, for me, like, having that happen in the timing that it did, you know, my senior year, it was, like, really knocked me down pretty far. Like, I, like, had all my confidence, all my hope in these wrong things, you know, with people or relationships or whatever you want to call it.

Yeah.

So when that happened, I, like, totally lost all my confidence in myself and, like, got into some things that weren't exactly the right path and where I should have been doing and what I should have been spending my time and things like that.

So that overcoming that challenge and finding the right outlets and the right things to put my faith and my hope in, and, I mean, I'm not trying to make this a religious thing, but Jesus was, like, a big part of that, and it would Be wrong for me to not say that and give that glory to him, because, I mean, I would not be here today if it wasn't for the way that he came and totally changed my life, my perspective. So.

Amen.

Yeah. Amen. Yeah.

Overcoming that challenge and finding the right outlets, having that and feeling alone and Lee, having my confidence gone really has given me, like, this. Overcoming that has given me. Shaped me into somebody who wants to help people.

Like, I want to see people who not see people struggle, but see people struggling and go and say, hey, man, like, let's. Let's change this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Let's see you grow. Let's watch you grow. Like, you guys do it every day.

So moving forward and going into new things, like, that's kind of the main goal is like, I can do whatever, but I just want to see people growing. It's.

That's good.

Yeah, I think that's really well said. I mean, I think a big thing that you have been hitting on, like, people take classes, that's something that you do throughout your time.

Yeah.

But you also become someone as you're going through that, and I've certainly seen that with you over your time.

So I think that's an important thing that you have just described that is probably important to summarize is, like, there's something that you're doing, and there's a process that you're going through, but then there's maybe a little bit more subtly somebody that you're becoming as you step up to, you know, different things, embrace challenges, go through the highs and lows.

And as you're thinking about people and how you want to help and serve, do you have any more reflections on, like, anything like that or kind of a message that you want to, you know, make sure to share and kind of on, like, the personal growth or development side or.

Yeah. I mean, I would just say that, like, no matter where you are, there's always an opportunity to lift people up around you.

Like, and it could be something as simple as taking the time to say hi to somebody every day. Like, literally, it can be a coworker you never talk to or, like, you don't work with, but walking in and say, hey, how you doing?

You know, it can really, like, change people's, like, day. Like, having that solid thing that happens every day, and, like, you know, somebody's got your back on it. It's the best thing.

Yeah. Saying hi alone, like you said, that goes a long way, too. And, you know, people go through.

Everyone goes through something, but you Know, how bad is it in that moment or in that time or during that season, you know, and sometimes somebody, just a random stranger, whoever.

Whether you're in the McDonald's drive through and you pay for the car behind you or anything like that, like, those small things go a long way that people. Some realize, some don't. But, man, that's good. That's a good testimony, too. But just kind of a question that may throw you off a little bit.

If you had any chance, any opportunity, everything paid for. What's a vacation spot that you would go to?

Oh, oh, okay. I would go to. This is a basic answer, but I would go to Greece.

Greece.

Okay. Yeah.

It's not basic, though. I don't think that. But go ahead.

I respect it. Thank you. But I just. I always, like, grew up liking all the Greek, like, mythology and stuff like that, so it'd be really cool to see all that stuff.

And it's beautiful over there, so.

Yeah, so.

Oh, so you've been there or you.

I've seen pictures. No, I haven't been there.

Gotcha.

Well, Google. Yeah. Little Google images.

You know, we had a guest before, say, Bora Bora. Was that me and you? Brendan?

Probably.

I think there somebody said Bora Bora. I'm like, whoa.

Okay.

I didn't think. I always think that people will say, yeah, like, somewhere within the States. I don't know why, just because of, I don't know, demographics, I guess.

But yeah, that's a.

Maybe our world's a little small.

Yeah, we need more vacation time.

Any. Are you into, like, any of the history stuff, too? Or like, any of the. Kind of like the monuments or things like that?

Would you check that stuff out or would you mostly hang out on a beach?

Oh, no, I would go and see all the ruins and stuff like that. Or like, Greece or like, going Rome would be cool too, but kind of all in that same bubble of like, just ancient.

Ancient world.

Yeah.

Yep. For sure.

Cool. When you were here at lcc, you've taken quite a few classes. What's been your favorite class or what was the most enjoyable class that you've had?

Yeah, I know I mentioned earlier, but the sociology class that I took was a ton of fun one, but it also was, like, so beneficial, like, just learning about the different, like, challenges that different demographics and people face just based on where you were born, like the county you were born. Like, it was really cool to see that and, like, understand that. So, like, I felt like.

I felt like I kind of understood it going into it or, like, I didn't know that I did, but I felt like I could understand different perspectives easily going into it. But it totally, like, put, like, I don't know, words to it and made different connections that, like, I didn't know that I had.

It's cool to, like, listen to music of big things. I do.

So to listen to music and be able to, like, put that into actual environment and to, like, understand it in a different way is really cool and totally changed the way I look at people.

That's a pretty popular class, too. I know a lot of students take it one. It has a lot of transferability as well. Like, pretty much every college will take it.

But students who, at least from my experience, my conversations, when they take that class, like, after or even during, they're like, man, I did not expect this class or to learn this much. Like, I'm enjoying it. You either love or hate it. I feel like it's one of those type of classes.

There's a lot of reading that's involved and, of course, exams, which no one loves. But I think just learning about different cultures, backgrounds, different perspectives.

You can see, like, if you combine that with some of the psychology classes, you really understand. At least you understand more about humans, their behavior, things like that. I took.

I took a lot of psychology and the sociology, so I definitely know what you're. What you're referring to.

Yeah, well, and it's a good testament, too, I think, just to being open to going into a class, right? And, like, what could it be? What could I take away from this?

You know, rather, that's a completely different mindset than, like, I don't think I'm gonna like this. You know, I'm not really gonna apply myself to it or be open to picking up anything and just get my way through.

Like, that's a very different mindset that it sounds like for you paid off, you know, not just from, like, receiving a grade in the class, but also, like, how do you see the world? How do you interact with people?

We'll get into a second, like, what you're getting into, because I want to make sure students know, like, okay, you've been here, but where are you going?

You have experience and took a lot of classes in, like, the trades, and you mentioned that earlier, but just talk a little bit about what that looked like, what you got into, you know.

Yeah, definitely. It's beneficial. And, like, I know I'm not going directly into them. Like, I'm gonna do them some other stuff before I get there, but they're cool.

And the classes. The professors know a ton. Like, going into it.

Like, I took a couple electrical classes, just, like, basic lineman stuff before I was like, all right, door closed. But it was cool to go into that and, like, learn stuff that, you know, you didn't even understand or, like, think.

So it's cool how knowledgeable they are and how willing they are to share that knowledge with people, especially because it's not like they are professors. They're guys that are in the field and coming out of it or retired and whatnot.

So seeing them wanting to pour into people and teach them the skills and the different tricks that they've learned is cool.

Yeah. So you did some electrical. You were doing a lot of construction as well, correct?

I never took any construction classes.

Was it architecture? Remind me.

I didn't take any.

All right, well, I'm just.

I mean, I've worked those. Those kind of jobs, like, and stuff in high school and those, so.

But you mentioned earlier you were thinking of construction management, correct?

Yeah. So I wanted to go to msu.

See, there it is.

There it is.

See, I got you.

But I never actually got to that point in my process.

Yep, it happens. But I give a lot of credit to West Campus. Those programs are phenomenal. And like you said, they're not just any instructors.

Like, you have to have experience. You have to be certified or whatever the requirements are. But, you know, some students, they.

They may not always find the specific class that they need, which. Kind of unfortunate sometimes, but it's also about. You want the best teacher. You want someone who's actually available to teach that class.

So that's part of it. But, yeah. Glad you had a good experience out there. And that building, man, is real nice. Really nice.

Yeah. For those who haven't been to West, Check it out.

Check it out for sure. So you finished your last semester in spring. What's next after lcc? And how did you ultimately decide what was next or what is next?

So I'm moving to Mount Pleasant to go to Central. Okay. Yeah. I'm transferring up there for entrepreneurship. And honestly, a lot of it was. Yeah, trial and error. And I, like, I still want to.

What I want to do is build houses and, like, do it to flip and things like that.

But I also want to go up there just to have the experience of going to that and growing in community and faith and things like that, which I've gotten connected to up there. So it's cool to kind of kill two birds with one stone in that aspect, but Also to say, this is what I want to do.

This is what I wanted to do the whole time. I knew it, but I didn't know how to get there. And I still don't.

But that's kind of cool that now I've come from this place of not wanting to make a mistake to saying, all right, we're going to go and try this and really pursue it. So, yeah, I want to do that.

And I want to do it in a way that I am able to help people and build their forever homes and things like that and doing in a way where I know that I'm not screwing them over.

Yeah, for sure.

So, yeah.

And how did you. As you were going through that process, can you identify a moment when it felt like, okay, this is it, you know, this is the move I'm making.

Kind of some of that clarity.

Yeah. So up until spring break, I was like taking those electrical classes and saying, all right, I'm gonna be in alignment stuff.

I'd ended up not getting into that program for next fall. So then I was like, alright, I got a whole year where it's not like I can just sit here and take classes at lcc.

I gotta figure out, like, what I'm gonna do. I either gotta get a different job to work toward that still or whatever. I had to figure some stuff out also.

Fall of 26.

Yeah. So I'm transferring to Central next fall. Like, I'll be there.

Oh, gotcha.

Okay.

Okay.

This coming fall. So I didn't get into the lineman program.

And then my sister who goes to Central right now was like, hey, we're going on a mission trip for spring break. Do you want to come? And I was like, yeah, I guess so. I don't have anything better to do, you know, whatever. Yeah. I was like, sure.

But like, it's not like I knew anybody that was going on it. I was like, all right, yeah, my sister. Let's go. Let's go do it.

So I went on that and it was a totally different, amazing experience where I gained so much perspective about community and how important it is and to your growth and who you surround yourself with and things like that. So I just like felt like I was being called to go do it. Like, I was like, this didn't work out. This didn't work out. This didn't work out.

And it was like, you have this door where you get to pursue what you want to pursue, really grow in your faith and build relationships with people that are going to build you up. So it was like, the first thing where I walked into and I was like, okay, I'm not afraid to do this. I'm not, like, overwhelmed doing this.

Like, I feel like this is what I am supposed to go do, and I'm comfortable doing it. And that's not to say that there's not uncomfortableness in it, but it's a totally different feeling walking into it than anything that I was before.

It was just like, all right, I guess I'll try this, because I don't know what else to do. Yeah, this is like, I want to go pursue this and do this.

Yeah.

Well.

And a huge thing that you've mentioned with that is the community aspect.

So any thoughts or reflections that you have on the importance of community, whether, you know, people here, here at LCC or as they look at whatever their next steps might be, how's that, you know, played out for you?

And, yeah, you got to sit back and take a look at who is in your circle. Like, I mean, people say it all the time, but, like, it's actually so true.

Yep.

It's like, who are you surrounding yourself with? Who do you want to be?

It's not like it is about the people who are around you, but it's like, who in your soul, like, in your heart do you want to be? And then you got to go find that. Like, sometimes it's not easy to do that.

Like, it's definitely hard to leave people who, you know, you have these deep connections with and you've grown up with or whatever.

But if they're not gonna build you up in the right way, and they're not going to lead you toward who you want to be and what you're trying, your goals, your missions. And that's not in a selfish way. Right. But you gotta. You gotta reflect on that and you gotta make some choices.

And that's not to say that you're not still there for the people that are around you, like, that's so important. But it's also important to put yourself first in some aspects, but also understand that there's bigger things at play.

Definitely.

Well, and, I mean, from what you've told us, like, you've made important life moves based on the right community. So I definitely think that sounds like part of your story.

Yeah. Oh, for sure. Which I said it's not always easy, but it's the right thing to do, you know?

Yeah. Yeah. All right, so as we kind of just wrap up here, is there any parting reflections or any, like, big takeaways that you want to share?

Kind of leaving your time at LCC and moving on.

Keep your mind open to different things. Like, and don't get discouraged when things don't go your way.

Like, it's always, it's always part of a bigger plan, you know, and walk into every situation, even if you don't want to. Be there with an open mind and just go with the flow. See what doors open, follow the right things, surround yourself with the right people.

It'll all work out.

Sweet.

Yeah. Never know what can happen.

Sweet. Awesome. Well, thanks everybody for tuning into this episode of Student Success Stories. Like I said, I'm Brendan Finnerty and.

My co host is Laz Lane.

Thank you, Kyle for being here. Awesome hearing your story, you know, know, getting to share it with people listening.

So to listen to other episodes, go to LCC Connect.com or if you have a story you'd like to share with us, reach out to success storiescc.edu. thank you for taking the time to listen to Student Success Stories.

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