Lake Michigan College has garnered two national awards for its efforts to engage students in the 2024 election process.
LMC student Renato Recillas of Fennville has been named to the 2025 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. This honor recognizes student leaders nationwide who excel in supporting their peers with voter registration, providing nonpartisan resources, and ensuring eligible college students can cast informed ballots.
Recillas, the only community college student from Michigan to receive this distinction, is among just 232 students nationwide to be included on the Honor Roll. During Fall 2024, he collaborated with LMC Political Science faculty member Dr. Tiffany Bohm to host various events and activities designed to educate students about the election process and foster civic engagement.
Additionally, LMC has been designated a 2025 Voter Friendly Campus by Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project and NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. This marks the fifth consecutive year the College has received this prestigious designation.
The Voter Friendly Campus initiative recognized 272 colleges and universities that implemented effective practices to encourage student participation in the political process and help eligible students overcome barriers to voting.
LMC earned this designation after rigorous evaluation of its written plan to register, educate, and mobilize student voters in 2024, its campus-wide voter engagement implementation, and final analysis of these efforts – all spearheaded by Dr. Bohm. As one of only 47 community colleges to receive this recognition, LMC stands out among institutions serving collectively over four million students across diverse two-year, four-year, public, private, rural, and urban campuses.
"Our goal is to provide Lake Michigan College students with nonpartisan support that opens the door to a lifetime of informed civic engagement and empowers them to have their voice heard," stated Dr. Bohm. "We are excited to have our work recognized through these awards and to see the results of our efforts through the active participation of our students in the voting process."
