Holland Public’s John Vega (pictured right) was showing me around the brand-new high school Van Raalte Tech last week and introduced me to a couple of the kids. It’s always kind of interesting to talk to some of the older kids and see where they’re at in terms of college plans, career goals and so on.

Sodaney Ky (left) told me she was thinking about going to go to GRCC, to pursue medical training of some kind — nurse or certified nurse assistant. She said it was funny, because her mom was also thinking about doing the same thing.

My mom’s going to be going there with me. We’re both going to be doing medical fields. We can be doing homework, with me and my mother. Awkward, you know, but that’s nice.

Actually, I’m sure this is happening more and more as laid-off parents return to college in order to start a new career in a growth industry.

GRCC enrollment at the “Lakeshore Campus” or Holland area is now at 1,309, a 34 percent increase over last year, Lakeshore Campus director Dan Clark told me this morning.