HFC welcomes back Alayna Kondraciuk, a long-term Hawk
The author Thomas Wolfe’s famous quote, “You can’t go home again,” does not apply to Alayna Kondraciuk (pronounced “Khan-DRAH-chook”).
“I’m excited to be back at HFC!” said Kondraciuk, a Flat Rock resident. “It has been extremely easy to settle in. I have felt very welcomed since I have been here.”
An HFC alumna whose parents – HFC Assistant Director, IT Application Services Jerry Kondraciuk and HFC Assistant Director of Enrollment Services, Assessment, and Orientation Nikole Ford-Kondraciuk – work at the College, Kondraciuk recently returned to her alma mater as an Admissions Associate. She reports to HFC Director of Admissions and Recruiting Tracy Perry.
“The addition of Alayna to the team is exciting and promising,” said Perry. “As a former HFC student who successfully transferred to one of our partner schools (EMU), she embodies the success of our transfer programs. Her presence in the Admissions and Recruiting team will undoubtedly attract potential new students.”
“I’ve been a Hawk my entire life!”
“I’ve been a Hawk my entire life!” said Kondraciuk, the eldest of two daughters.
When she was a child, Kondraciuk would come to work with her father (also an alumnus of HFC) and got to know the campus and the people. After graduating from Flat Rock Community High School, Kondraciuk enrolled at HFC.
As a student, Kondraciuk was heavily involved in many organizations and activities. She was a member of the Henry Ford II Honors Program and the HFC chapter of the Alpha Xi Mu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK). She was also a Mellon Fellow) and a success coordinator through HFC’s Transfer Bridges to the Humanities@Michigan program.
As a member of the "Ironic Femmes" (a pun on the Periodic Table abbreviation for the element iron), Kondraciuk was one of three HFC students comprising a team that was the first community college in the nation to earn first place in the Student Cupola Contest, a national metal-pouring competition, held at Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, AL in 2023.
“Sloss was such a fun and unique experience,” said Kondraciuk. “We were the first community college to participate, and we crushed the competition! I joined a team where unfamiliar faces outnumbered the familiar ones, and I quickly learned the importance of preparation, confidence, and trust. Competing with liquid iron is no joke and requires readiness and belief in oneself and the team. It was a great competition and team-building experience.”
Not long after that, Kondraciuk was a member of a team of HFC students named by the National Science Foundation and the American Association of Community Colleges as one of 12 finalists in the 2023 Community College Innovation Challenge. One of the team’s mentors was HFC Pre-Engineering Program Director Dr. Hassan Mohseni Nameghi.
"We are grateful to have Alayna back at our College as Admissions Associate," said Nameghi. "She demonstrated exceptional leadership and teamwork in bringing our team to the top finalists in the Community College Innovation Challenge in 2023. Her persistence, time management, planning, and business insight were key to our team’s success. Her journey from a student at HFC, her transfer, and her success reflects the belief that 'Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.' We are confident that she will be a shining asset in helping our students succeed."
Promoting the College experience: one of the faces of HFC
Kondraciuk’s experience at HFC led to an unexpected promotional opportunity. She could be seen, beaming a broad smile, as part of an HFC ad campaign on billboards in Flat Rock, Southgate, Taylor, Dearborn Heights, and Detroit with the tagline, “Driven to succeed.” This advertising spot, along with its digital companions, was visible during 2022 and 2023.
“I actually found my face on several billboards – at least five to my knowledge. I had seen four with my own eyes. The billboard I didn’t see was supposedly on a digital one that cycled through different advertisements. Someone reached out to me and said they had seen my face while driving on I-75,” she explained. “My friend messaged me over Thanksgiving 2022 and said she saw my face on a billboard in Taylor. Then, on my drive to campus after Thanksgiving break, I saw it myself. It was right there on Telegraph and Ecorse, just before I-94 (going northbound on Telegraph).”
Kondraciuk felt honored to be one of the faces of HFC when she was a student.
“Seeing my face on a billboard with the words ‘Driven to succeed’ reflects my own journey and is a testament to the opportunities and support provided by HFC,” she said. “It's a reminder of the dedication and hard work that have brought me to where I am today, and I hope in this new position I can inspire others to pursue their goals with the same determination.”
Holder of many degrees
Kondraciuk earned the following from HFC:
- Associate degree in supply chain management
- Associate degree in general business
- Michigan Transfer Agreement Certificate of Achievement
- Supply chain management technician certificate
She also is a Certified Logistics Technician through the Manufacturing Skill Standards Council. Through HFC’s 3+1 Articulation Agreement with Eastern Michigan University, Kondraciuk transferred to EMU, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in technology management in just one year. It's the same degree her dad earned in 2018 from EMU, graduating summa cum laude.
“EMU took all 90 of my credits from HFC via the 3+1 transfer agreement,” she said. “I had two scholarships to support me the single year I attended EMU: a merit-based Regents Scholarship and the EMU PTK Alumni Scholarship from being a member of PTK at HFC.”
Her dad expressed his pride.
“Alayna is a strong, intelligent, and independent young woman,” he said. “Once she sets a goal, she works tirelessly to achieve it. She completed a 3+1 agreement between HFC and EMU in three years. She graduated from HFC and EMU less than a year apart – 357 days! She completed five academic credentials in three years, including two associate degrees and one bachelor’s degree. Her mom and I could not be prouder of what she has accomplished so far and look forward to celebrating her future achievements.”
One of the great things about Kondraciuk's new job at HFC is she was selected through a resume-redaction process that meant the hiring group didn't know who she was until she made it to the interview process on her own merits. This ensured that bias (due to family members working at the College) would not be part of the hiring process. And she's made it a point to create a reputation for hard work and dedication to her role.
Providing potential students a fun, informative campus tour
One of Kondraciuk’s Admissions responsibilities includes planning and hosting campus tours. She contacts many schools and organizations, then takes students (and families) on guided tours of HFC’s main campus.
“My job is to provide potential students a fun, informative experience around campus – and lunch!” she said. “As an HFC alumna, I am confident in my ability to give potential students an accurate representation of campus and student life, as well as inform them of the many programs and pathways that HFC offers. There are diverse programs to meet the diverse needs of students. I'm really excited for this portion of the job.”
Kondraciuk spoke about what brought her back to HFC at this time.
“My familiarity with the College was one thing that attracted me to this position. I know many of the faculty from when I was a student,” she said. “I was also attracted to the logistical side of the role. I have experience planning and coordinating events, so the campus tours portion was a great fit. I thought the admissions documents processing portion was interesting too. In addition to campus tours, I help review student applications and transcripts, as well as assisting my team, students, and other staff members in any way possible. In my opinion, this position has a great mix of computer work and campus work, so I'm excited for all the parts of it.”
