Jeffrey Bess

Student

After focusing on work for a few years after high school, Bay College student Jeffrey Bess began taking college classes in 2024. So far, he said his college education has been going smoothly.

According to Jeffrey, he graduated from Ishpeming High School in 2018.

“Then, I worked in multiple jobs. I worked with AmeriCorps on the conservation side, at Jilbert Dairy in Marquette, and in a few other roles,” he said.

Jeffrey decided to take classes at Bay after signing up for Michigan Reconnect, a program that offers free community college tuition to eligible Michigan residents. He chose Bay for a few reasons, including the fact that his sister had gone there in 2018.

“I have friends from around here—that made it easy to move up to Escanaba, too,” he said.

Even though the Winter 2024 semester was Jeffrey’s first semester as a Bay student, he already found much to like about the college.

“It’s been going well. There’s lots of help and resources available to Bay students, which makes it easy to stay on track,” he said.

He also appreciated Bay’s small class sizes and dedicated teachers.

“They’ve been extremely helpful. They want you to reach out, and they care about the well-being of their students,” Jeffrey said of his instructors.

In addition to these advantages and other benefits, Jeffrey has had no trouble getting around Bay’s campus.

“The campus is easy to maneuver—you’re not getting lost very frequently,” he said.

As a Bay College student, Jeffrey is majoring in Water Resource Management. He became curious about this field back when his sister was still a Bay student.

“Being around major water resources like Lake Superior and Lake Michigan made me interested in how we use, clean, and distribute that water,” he said.

Jeffrey also noted that Bay is one of just a few schools offering a degree program along these lines.

“It’s one of the only programs like it in the country,” he said.

After the Fall 2026 semester, Jeffrey hopes to graduate from Bay with an Associates Degree in Water Resource Management. From there, he aims to get a job in this field (and, eventually, to get additional credentials at a university).

For the time being, Jeffrey said he is simply proud to be a Bay student.

“Bay is a great resource to anyone in the community and the Upper Peninsula,” he said.