There are many staff members at Kearsley High School whom students know very little about.

Mrs. Colleen Grathoff, career development facilitator, helps students better themselves for their future.

But not many people know Grathoff’s story.

Grathoff was born at St. Joseph Hospital in Flint, February 1961 to Carol and Elden Ives.

“My father was a firefighter at AC Spark Plug (General Motors), and my mother was a pricing specialist at AC Spark Plug,” Grathoff said. “I have one older sister, named Maureen, who now lives in Montana with her husband and family.”

Grathoff has been fortunate to have had a close relationship with all of her family, many of whom she travels with.

She thoroughly enjoys traveling.

“Growing up, I was very fortunate to have traveled to many states in our country and into Canada,” Grathoff said. “I have fond memories of trips out West, to the east, into Canada, and, of course, Up North.”

As a child, Grathoff attended Bentley Community Schools from kindergarten all the way to her senior year.

Grathoff was an avid member in her school’s band, playing clarinet and tenor saxophone.

She also twirled rifle in her school’s band.

“Our band program was amazing,” she said. “And we traveled to Washington, D.C., to march in the Cherry Blossom Festival parade, and we even got to march at Disney World in Florida.”

Grathoff nearly pursued a career in music.

Upon leaving high school, she attended the UM-Flint for a semester and then transferred to Mott Community College.

“At Mott, I completed my associate’s degree in office occupations and administrative assistant,” Grathoff said. “At that point, I went into the workforce as a secretary, administrative assistant. I worked in this field for approximately 16 years, and it really was not my idea of a dream job.”

Grathoff worked several different jobs. She has worked for General Motors, as well as the United States Probation and Parole Department, for instance.

While working for the U.S. government, she decided to go back to UM-Flint to complete her bachelor’s degree.

She completed her degree while working full-time, raising two toddlers, taking care of a home, and being married.

Grathoff is married to Mr. Joseph Grathoff. They have been married for almost 32 years and met while working at Buick.

“I was a secretary and he was a college co-op student. We hit it off right away and found that we had many of the same interests,” Grathoff said. “He is also a musician (trombone) and was very involved in his school’s band program. We both also have a love of travel, good food, bicycling, and camping.”

Grathoff completed her bachelor’s degree in December 1995 in psychology and sociology.

A year later, Grathoff decided to quit her job in order to stay home and raise her children.

The Grathoff’s have two children together: a daughter, Samantha, and son, Alex.

“Our daughter, Samantha, is 26 and works for the University of Michigan-Flint as a lecturer, community outreach liaison, and lab manager for the Chemistry Department,” Grathoff said. “Samantha is very academic and works very hard at everything she does.”

At the moment, Grathoff and her family are preparing for her daughter’s wedding, which will take place in September.

Grathoff is ecstatic to be welcoming her new son-in-law to the family.

But she cannot forget about Alex.

“Our son, Alexander, is 22 and works for U.S. Xpress as an over-the-road semitruck driver,” Grathoff said. “He drives all over this great country and delivers all sorts of products from rolls of steel to dog food.”

With an amazing support system from her family, Grathoff was able to pursue a successful career at Kearsley Community Schools.

Grathoff has been working for Kearsley for the last 11 years.

“I started working at Kearsley in the fall of 2005 in my current position as career development facilitator,” Grathoff said. “I have always felt grateful to be hired into Kearsley, as I feel that this is a wonderful place to work.”

Grathoff could not think of anywhere else she would rather work.

Four years ago she also took on the role of the National Honor Society adviser.

“I truly love working with students more closely and getting to know them better,” she said. “It has been a great deal of fun, and I am so happy to be able to do this.”

But it was not easy for her to finally land her perfect job.

Grathoff was not able to use Career Cruising back in high school to find her best fit.

“I truly feel that this job was a calling as I was one of those students who had no clue what to do after high school,” Grathoff said. “I know what it is like to work in a career field that is not a good fit as I did it for 16 years.”

Grathoff encourages students to take Career Cruising and Educational Development Plans seriously. She would like students to not only be successful but to enjoy their careers.

If she had one wish, it would be to have the opportunity to spend more time with each individual student to help them strive for a successful career.

Grathoff is always looking to help students and is a contributing member to all of their futures.

Today, Grathoff continues to travel and expand her horizons.

She has also gotten back into bicycling.

This month, Grathoff will participate in a 60-mile bike race.

If you see her in the hallway, not only should you wish her luck, but also thank her for being here at Kearsley, and doing her share to better students’ futures.