Ryan R.
You might know him as the owner of Dynamo or recognize his face from TikTok—Ryan Redoute has accomplished quite a bit proceeding his graduation from Michigan State University in Media Management. Ryan embodies a true Michigander and embraces his Mitten-roots. After leaving Michigan to explore Chicago, Ryan found himself “longing for the #lakelife again.” Ryan [...]
David G.
As the son of an Army father, joining the Army himself, and attending school to receive his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while still on Active Duty, David is no stranger to constantly moving around and relocating! David was born in Kansas City, Missouri, but lived all over the world because of his father’s career in [...]
Steven L.
Steven’s story is a special one for our team here at Hello West Michigan. Steven uploaded his resume through our free job search assistance service to find a job, and ended up finding a position at our strategic partner, The Right Place, working in the same office space as our HWM team! Like many, Steven [...]
Drew D.
From the U.S Air Force to Nursing School at West Shore Community College, Drew has many stories to tell. He grew up in Lafayette, Indiana, while his father taught at Purdue University. From there, he would move to Washington for some years before his family decided to return to their homeland of West Michigan. Upon [...]
Yug G.
Though Yug grew up in India, he has become very familiar with West Michigan. Yug went to Calvin College (now Calvin University) for his Bachelor’s degree and then Grand Valley State University to receive his Master’s in Education. A few years after graduation, Yug and his family relocated to Indiana. However, after some time, he [...]
Mackenzie H.
Originally from the East side of the state, Mackenzie fell in love with the outdoor lifestyles of Grand Rapids. Like many, Mackenzie was laid off due to the pandemic. However, she saw this as an opportunity to explore the city and the outdoors. In fact, during quarantine, Mackenzie visited 10 national parks in 2.5 weeks! [...]
Camila N.
While Camila may have lived in the U.S for the past 10 years, her journey originally began in her home country of Brazil. After spending 2 years in Connecticut and 6 in San Francisco, it was time for her and husband to relocate to West Michigan. In 2008, Camila and her husband decided to travel [...]
Danielle T.
Like many young professionals, Danielle decided to go off and explore a new place after graduating from Hope College. She packed her bags, left the country, and moved to the Dominican Republic where she spent the past eight years. After being away from her family for so long, she and her husband decided they wanted [...]
Steven K.
What do an orange tabby cat and a 15-foot-long U-Haul have in common? They were all essential for Steven’s transition from Ohio to West Michigan. After seven hours of travel, he finally arrived at his new apartment on the West side. Steven made the transition to West Michigan to work for our member, Amway, as [...]
Soniyaa D.
What do Mumbai, Chicago, Boston, New York, and Milwaukee have in common? They are all places that Soniyaa has lived in her life. She’s traveled across the globe but when her husband relocated to West Michigan, she found herself wondering, “What, and where, is Grand Rapids, Michigan?” She knew of Detroit, Michigan, because of family [...]
Kelly E.
Post-graduation life can be scary and certainly unpredictable for many new college graduates. Kelly understood this firsthand as she was nearing graduation from a university in Indiana and deciding between staying in Indiana or moving home to West Michigan. While exploring potential job opportunities, Kelly knew that all her friends from her hometown had left [...]
Jalisa D.
After completing her degree, Jalisa packed her belongings into her car and left the sunshine state of Florida to begin her journey as a Michigander. She built up her four-season wardrobe and quickly learned that the acceptable way to tell others where you are from in the state is by pointing to a spot on [...]
Sarah H.
Born and raised in West Michigan, Sarah is a true Michigan native. Sarah started her education at Kellogg Community College and continued to Western Michigan University to receive her bachelor’s degree in physics. After undergrad, she decided it was time to leave her home in West Michigan to attend Ohio State University where she would [...]
Zach T.
Originally from the East side of the state, Zach fell in love with the laid-back lifestyle of Grand Rapids after living downtown during a summer internship with Gordon Food Service (GFS). His summer spent on the West side and working at GFS exposed him to many new experiences and professional connections. Zach was first introduced [...]
Nanda F.
Born and raised in Wyoming, Michigan, Nanda appreciates the diversity and growth that she’s seen in West Michigan throughout the years. Wyoming is the third largest community in West Michigan so it’s no wonder that Nanda loves to socialize and spend time with family and friends. She even had 16 bridesmaids stand up in her [...]
Daniel J.
Being a father of four who enjoys the city and life in the country, West Michigan is the best of both worlds for Daniel. Daniel attended high school, college, and graduate school in West Michigan. After completing his degree, he ventured out of the state and found himself living in several different states. He has [...]
Chelsea F.
Though she grew up in Ohio and went to college there, Chelsea was no stranger to West Michigan. The region was a frequent vacation spot for her family, and now, she’s made it her home. After deciding West Michigan was where they wanted to be, Chelsea, her fiancé, and their two dogs packed up their [...]
Mason N.
Mason grew up in a small suburb of Chicago, but decided to venture to West Michigan to attend college at Grand Valley State University. After moving to Indianapolis post-graduation, Mason decided to settle down in Indiana. Little did he know, West Michigan would be calling him back to the region years later. After living [...]
Lindsey B.
If someone would have told Lindsey 15 years ago that she would eventually buy a house minutes away from her parents and send her kids to the same school she went to, she would have called you crazy. But here she is, and she is HAPPY! After growing up in West Michigan and graduating from [...]
Justine B.
Vacation and family. Those were two reasons Justine came to visit West Michigan while growing up on the east side of the state, but living here wasn’t in her college plan. Though everyone in her immediate family went to Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Justine decided to venture to the Windy City. She loved the [...]
Andy B.
Though he grew up in Wisconsin, Andy was no stranger to West Michigan when he was a child. His family’s historic cottage near Traverse City was a frequent summer spot. Some of his earliest memories were of time spent on the shores of Lake Michigan, and as a result, he fell in love with the [...]
Gary P.
Born in Lansing and raised in Hastings, Gary is no stranger to West Michigan. He attended Michigan Technological University in the Upper Peninsula--or “God’s Country” as some like to call it -- and continued his education at Oakland University. After graduating with his masters in mechanical engineering, Gary lived in Detroit while working in the [...]
Kera C.
Born and raised in West Michigan, Kera grew up in Kalamazoo and graduated from Michigan State University (there was an automatic and proud “Go Green!” at the mention of her alma mater). She has always enjoyed being close to the Lakeshore and wanted to stay close. During her senior year at MSU, she interned for [...]
Jamie
The ironic part of hiring Jamie to be an intern with Hello West Michigan is when she started with us, she had every intention of leaving West Michigan when she graduated from GVSU. In previous blogs, Jamie has written a lot about having southern roots and how that has affected her life. She wanted that [...]
Lexie and Ian
Our MI Made Mixer event in March brought together all kinds of people from all different backgrounds, and we had the pleasure to connect with one couple who was especially unique with their story: Ian and Lexie. They caught up with other relocatees at Flanagan’s after finishing up free yoga at the GRAM across the street, and it didn’t take long to realize how special their boomerang [...]
Kelly P.
Originally a Michigan native, Kelly was born in Cadillac but grew up in Northern Indiana after her family moved there when she was two. After meeting her now husband, she spent her teen years around the beaches of Lake Michigan, visiting his hometown of St. Joe, Michigan. This was when Kelly first fell in love [...]
Tim D.
Tim grew up in East Grand Rapids and loved all of the outdoor opportunities that surrounded him while also being close to an urban downtown. He loved going camping, visiting Lake Michigan, and being able to get out and appreciate all of the scenic nature around his home. He also loved the “warmth of people in West Michigan” and the people [...]
Scott B.
Scott is a Michigander, born and raised, but has also worked and lived in places like California, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio. The common thread for all of these locales is water. Scott loves living near water and the beach (Ohio is technically considered a Great Lakes State). But Michigan is the Great Lakes State and West Michigan has always been Scott’s true home. After being in a [...]
Eva R.
Eva has a serious case of wanderlust, and it has taken her a multitude of places: Ohio, Kentucky, both Carolinas, and Texas just to name a few. Between her desire to explore different places and a variety of work assignments with her employer, she has had the opportunity to see different parts of the country [...]
Jennifer R.
Jennifer is a Chicago native who has been in the marketing communications field for more than 20 years. Previous roles included time with the Chicago Board of Trade and Office Max, however she was laid off at her previous job due to the recession. Following the downsizing, she was left with a question of where [...]
Brandy M.
Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Brandy has roots and strong ties here in West Michigan that she could not help but return to. Upon graduation from Western Michigan University in 2008, Brandy decided to move out to Las Vegas, Nevada where she worked for 8 years in personal assistance and event managing—even working for [...]
Jeffrey S.
Jeffrey’s list of residences reads like a list of iconic American cities. He was born and raised in Livingston, New Jersey before attending college at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating, he lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York, and then headed to San Francisco, California where he obtained a masters degree at [...]
Amber G.
After only a month of living in West Michigan, Amber, a North Carolina native, already feels at home. Living in North Carolina and later attending college in Florida, one might think West Michigan is an odd place to land. But Amber and her boyfriend yearned for a change of scenery, and found themselves drawn to [...]
Lauren C.
Raised in West Michigan, Lauren headed to Chicago for her first job offer after graduating from Calvin College. Like many West Michigan Natives, Lauren wanted a change of scenery, which she found working at a youth choral program as their general manager. After another move, this one even farther from home to Seattle, Lauren got [...]
Don R.
Hailing from Lansing and a graduate of Western Michigan University, Don worked all over Michigan before moving to Massachusetts and then to Upstate New York to work on the vendor side of the IT industry. Don‘s biggest motivation to move back to his home state was the birth of his first grandchild. As an IT [...]
Olivier
Originally from France, Olivier spent the last 15 years living and working outside of London, England. But when his wife began thinking about relocating for her job with Amway, the couple began to consider leaving the bustling life of London for a more family-centered life in West Michigan. Both cities have their merits, but the [...]
Lisa
As a West Michigan native, Lisa already finds the beaches of Grand Haven very familiar. Leaving her hometown of Spring Lake behind, Lisa went to college at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. After graduating with a degree in Communications and Marketing, Lisa got married and moved to the East side of the state where her [...]
Monty K.
Normally when you speak with college students about their hometowns, the last thing they say about it is that “it is magical.” Typically, the plans for a soon-to-be graduate consist of hopping in the car to the big city just named “Hottest Town for Singles,” or “Top 10 Cities to Find a Job,” sometimes [...]
Joel R.
Joel is originally from Pennsylvania, however attended Michigan State University. While at college he met his wife, whose family was originally from Michigan. After college the both of them moved back to Pennsylvania for two years before moving to South Carolina. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia 30 minutes north in Washington’s Crossing, Joel [...]
Anne G.
Anne is a firm believer in deciding what she wants and making it happen. As native Michigander from the opposite side of the state, she considers herself fortunate to have made her dream a reality in Grand Rapids. Anne’s last semester of college was dedicated to finding a health care public relations job in [...]
Peter B.
Like many Michigan natives, Peter wanted to try something new after graduating high school. He picked Butler University in Indianapolis and left for the big city. Butler was full of opportunities for Peter where he worked throughout school and upon graduation, landed a job working for a trucking company. Peter found the experience enjoyable but knew [...]
Anthony A.
Michigan’s Internship Movie and Mixer in June,” said Anthony. “I met several people, passed my resume along, and got a call a week later.” Anthony couldn’t be happier with his “first real job.” He enjoys getting new projects and having new responsibilities. A fun team helps too. “My team is warm and friendly. I’ve had [...]
Gigi B.
“I don’t have any winter clothing” seems like a pretty good excuse not to move to West Michigan from your warm home in Austin, Texas. But that reason didn’t fly for Gigi, whose husband wanted to relocate to West Michigan for his custom home building business. “We moved back in January and I didn’t want [...]
Shannon W.
I am a Michigander, born and raised. I studied at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) for both my undergraduate and master’s degrees. As part of my graduate program, I had the opportunity to participate in a great assistantship with GVSU’s Career Center. This was my first experience engaging corporations with universities. Upon completion of my [...]
Drew H.
Originally from Kalamazoo, I am very familiar with west side of state. I moved to Saginaw sixteen years ago for work. Recently, my wife, a WMU grad, accepted a role with Meijer in Grand Rapids so I was what Hello West Michigan calls a trailing significant other. Because Meijer is a member of Hello West [...]
Tim M.
I grew up in Allendale, Michigan. I attended Miami University from 2000-2004 and upon graduation; I joined the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant. While in the Marine Corps, I lived in Hawaii, did two combat tours in Iraq, attended graduate school in Monterey, California, moved to Virginia, and did another combat tour in Afghanistan. [...]
Kristen D.
I grew up in Grand Rapids, MI, and after college, I moved to Chicago for five years where I worked at an ad agency. I think being away for five years and living in a really big city gives you a different perspective on where you grew up. I saw Grand Rapids and West Michigan [...]
