Today, Griffen Meadows is a freshman at Bay College’s Escanaba campus—but he hasn’t always been a Michigan resident. Previously, Griffen was a student at Eastern High School in Louisville, Kentucky.
“I wanted a change of environment—I had been in Kentucky my whole life, so something new was nice,” he said of his decision to sign up for classes at Bay.
Griffen started studying at Bay during the Fall 2024 semester. Aside from some organizational issues, he said his classes have been going well so far.
“I’m getting a lot better (at organization) because I’m making a schedule for myself,” he said.
Though her teachers all have different teaching styles, Griffen said they also have something in common—their commitment to their students.
“So far, I feel like all of them definitely want me to succeed,” he said.
He went on to say that his experiences with instructors at Bay have differed from his interactions with teachers as a high school student.
“They treat you more like an equal…they’re like, ‘You can come talk to me, we’re on the same level here,’” he said.
At Bay, Griffen is majoring in art and design.
“I was about three years old, and I made a drawing and someone was like, ‘Wow, that’s really good!’ So I kept drawing and kept drawing—I’ve been drawing my whole life since then,” he said.
Eventually, he hopes to find work as a tattoo designer.
“I figured I could help people with meaningful tattoos,” Griffen said.
So far, Griffen has not taken any classes related to her major; instead, he is focusing on completing general education courses. However, he hopes to take several art classes at Bay in the future.
“I want to take Drawing I, and I also kind of want to take a photography class and maybe something to do with sculpture,” he said.
Griffen hopes to graduate from Bay at the end of the Winter 2026 semester. At that point, he plans to start looking for opportunities in her chosen field.
“I’m hoping to find an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop,” he said.
For the time being, Griffen said he has enjoyed his first few weeks as a Bay College student.
“All the staff here are really nice, and they all want you to succeed,” he said.