Tregan Lippens

Student

After graduating from Escanaba Senior High School in 2022, Bay College student Tregan Lippens officially became a college student during the Fall 2023 semester. However, he had already started taking Bay classes through his high school well before then.

“I took the Early College program so I could get a year done at Bay without having to pay out of pocket,” he said.

According to Tregan, this program helped him adapt to the world of higher education by striking a balance between the structure of high school and the freedom of college.

“I had guidance from the people at my high school while gaining more individuality and choosing my path at Bay,” he said.

Tregan has continued to enjoy his experience at Bay as a full-time student.

“I love it here. There’s support anywhere I look, there’s organizations I’m involved in, there’s counselors here when I need them—there’s even the Career Closet, where I can get a suit,” he said.

He also noted that his instructors have been “great,” especially now that he’s had a chance to form more meaningful connections with them by taking classes offline.

“I’m doing an in-person semester, finally. I did a lot of online classes previously; to be honest, that was a lot harder for me,” Tregan said.

Along with his classes, Tregan has stayed busy at Bay by participating in extracurricular activities. During the Winter 2024 semester, he was the vice president of the Bay College/LSSU Regional Center Business Professionals of America (BPA) Student Club.

“It’s given me a lot of good life experiences,” he said.

Though he is currently majoring in Liberal Arts, Tregan plans to switch his major to Communication soon. He had always been interested in this field but had not thought of it as a passion until recently.

Tregan’s experiences with the BPA Club played a crucial role in his decision to pursue this career pathway.

“I had an opportunity to refine my public speaking skills; then, we traveled to California, where I competed at the BPA National Leadership Conference. I took first place in both of my events there,” he said.

When the Winter 2024 semester ended, Tregan graduated from Bay with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts. This fall, he planned to transfer to Northern Michigan University to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication; after that, he will try to find a job where he can utilize this degree.

“It basically comes down to any field where I get to put that talent of communication to the test—whether that’s public relations, journalism, or whatever my experiences at NMU steer me toward,” he said.

He also expects to look back at his time as a Bay student fondly.

“I’ve learned and I’ve grown, and that’s how I’ll remember my time here,” Tregan said.