Welcome to Grand Valley State University and the Laker Village Apartment Community! We hope you’re getting excited for the upcoming school year! Please read throughout the rest of this document to learn more information about Laker Village and to meet the staff.

Laker Village is the only townhouse-style apartment complex at Grand Valley. The property has a ton of green space for residents to play field games, relax in their hammocks, or cook out in their gas grills. For most apartments, common spaces like the kitchen and living room are on the first floor, with bedrooms and the bathroom on the second floor; in the four-bedroom apartments, there is an added bathroom on the first floor. Some units are one-story apartments, plus there are a few efficiency-style units located on the South end.

From 8am-10pm, residents can visit the Laker Village Community Centers, where they can do laundry, check their mail, and relax in the great rooms. Residents can visit the Laker Village Front Desk in the North Community Center, and play volleyball behind the South Community Center in the sand volleyball courts.

The residents here are eclectic and diverse, coming from various cities, backgrounds, and academic majors. Laker Village students range from freshmen to graduate students, with the majority of the population being in their second year at Grand Valley. Something unique to Laker Village is the high amount of student athletes, international students, and transfer students.

Laker Village is conveniently located on the South side of campus, back towards the soccer fields. Just across the parking lot is the Mary Idema Pew Learning and Information Commons, the Kirkhof Center, and just a short walk away from The Connection, the closest dining option to Laker Village.

To get to know the staff, please continue onto the next page. The last page shows some cool events and programming for you to come to when you get here!

We’ll see you soon!

~ THE LAKER VILLAGE STAFF

WELC

OM

E V

ILLA

GER

S!

MEET THE LAKER VILLAGE

RESIDENT ASSISTANTS

JORDAN PALMERBuildings: 2, 4, 5

Jordan is a senior studying

International Business and

Accounting with a minor

in East Asian Studies. He

enjoys playing sports such

as basketball, football,

and soccer.

NIA BASHIR-BENTONBuildings: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9

Nia is a senior majoring in

Business Management.

She enjoys boxing,

swimming, spending time

with family, and napping.

ALEXIS FRENCHBuildings: 10, 11, 13

Alexis is a senior studying

Athletic Training. She is a

part of Relay for Life and

has studied abroad in

China. She enjoys

spending time with her

grandma and mom.

ERIC MOSCHELBuildings: 26, 30

Eric is a senior majoring in

Human Resource

Management and

Psychology. He enjoys

naps, almost any sport,

the outdoors, and going

on 2am adventures.

KIARA TIMMONSBuildings: 14, 21, 22, 25

Kiara Timmons is a junior

majoring in Biomedical

Sciences, but will be

switching majors soon. She

is from Detroit, and enjoys

dancing, hanging out with

friends, and shopping.

GAGE PAULBuildings: 24, 27, 28, 29

Gage is a junior double

majoring in Cell and

Molecular Biology and

Biomedical Sciences. He

enjoys motorcycle riding,

camping, hiking, and

video games.

GURDIP SINGHBuildings: 12, 16, 17, 18

Gurdip is a junior majoring

in Nursing. Gurdip goes by

Gary, and enjoys playing

Frisbee, traveling to new

destinations, and having

bonfires!

BEE FINKBuildings: 15, 19, 20, 23

Bee is a junior majoring in

Political Science with

minors in Philosophy and

Writing. They enjoy writing,

singing, theater and

makeup.

Assistant Living Center Directors

CRISTINA CZYRKA

All Laker Village

Office: South CC

My hometown in Saline, Michigan. I completed my undergrad degree at the University

at Buffalo in Health and Human Services with a concentration in Community and

Mental Health and a Minor in Counseling. The reason I went to Buffalo was to compete

on the d1 varsity swim and dive team. I like snowboarding and any kind of water sports.

My hidden talent is I can wiggle my ears.

BRANDON SANTANA

All Laker VillageOffice: North CC

I am from the suburbs of Chicago and I am a second-year graduate pursuing my

master’s in the College Student Affairs Leadership program here at Grand Valley State

University. I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Instructional Design and Technology

from Western Illinois University. I enjoy spending time with my dog, riding motorcycles,

listening to music, and playing video games. I also like to try to new restaurants and

explore the Grand Rapids area.

CANDICE CADENA

All Laker Village

Office: North CC

Hey Villagers! My name is Candice! I’m so excited to have you in Laker Village this year.

A little bit about myself: I received my undergraduate degree from Soka University of

America, in Aliso Viejo, CA (originally I am from Corona, CA) and received my Masters

in Education from Grand Valley State University in 2017. In my spare time I like to cook,

camp, and practice Polynesian dance.

Living Center Director

MEET THE LAKER VILLAGE

Professional staff

TRAN

SIT

ION

S S

CH

ED

ULE

FO

R

FIR

ST-Y

EAR /

TRAN

SFER S

TU

DEN

TS

WEDNESDAY - AUGUST 22, 20186:00pm-7:30pm First-Year/Transfer Community Meetings

Laker Village Community Centers

7:30pm-9:30pm Transitions Welcome & Speaker Joe MartinFieldhouse Arena

THURSDAY - AUGUST 23, 20189:30am-11:45am Small Group Meetings

Various Classrooms

12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch

1:15pm-2:45pm Healthy Relationships – Dorian and MarshallFieldhouse Arena

3:00pm-4:15pm Small Group MeetingsVarious Classrooms

4:30pm-5:30pm Advising Center MeetingsVarious Classrooms, Kirkhof Center, Fieldhouse Arena

7:00pm-7:45pm Optional: Campus ToursBetween Kindschi Hall of Science and Fieldhouse

7:45pm-9:30pmClass of 2022 Photo & FanFestLubbers Stadium

FRIDAY - AUGUST 24, 201810:00am-11:am Academic Success Module

Various Classrooms

11:30am-12:30pm ConvocationFieldhouse Arena

1:00pm-2:15pm Lunch and Faculty PresentationVarious Classrooms

2:30pm-4:15pm Presentation by Rev. Dr. Jaime WashingtonFieldhouse Arena

4:30pm-6:00pm Social Justice Center CelebrationsKirkhof Center

8:00pm-12:00am Optional: Meijer ManiaStandale, MI Meijer

Laker Kickoff PartySaturday, August 25

9:00pm-11:30pm

Fieldhouse

Live Eat RecFestSunday, August 26

2:00pm-6:00pm

Rec Center

Group Exercise: Try it Before You Buy ItMonday, August 27 –

Wednesday, August 29

Various Times/Locations

Campus Life NightTuesday, September 4

6:00pm-8:00pm

Parking Lot H

Silent Disco

Friday, September 7

9:00pm-12:00am

Kirkhof Lawn