Valerie Grays, the Student Life Advisor in the Office of Student Life and Engagement at BCCC, is an important and integral figure in the lives of our students on and off campus. Not only is she responsible for planning the different events for our students on campus, but she is also the advisor to the Student Government Association as well as the liaison for the various student clubs and organizations.
Grays has an extensive background in student affairs, having worked in the field for more than 25 years. “That includes positions at Bowie State University and UMBC,” said Grays. She attended UNC Charlotte where she received her BA in Biology and a second major in African American and African Studies. Grays has been a part of the BCCC family since 2011, when she arrived as an administrative assistant in the First Year Experience Program, which was housed in the Student Success Center. “Because of my Student Affairs background, I was given the opportunity to work in Student Life and again, work directly with student programs, leadership and development.”
Impacting the lives of our students in both small and large ways is a highlight of the position for Grays. Forming positive relationships through her leadership role has helped students in their personal and academic lives. “I am proud of being given the opportunity to connect with and in some small way, help with the development of our students,” she said. “I love helping them realize that they are smart, super talented and that they can do anything that their minds dream of and beyond. Being a resource for their success is awesome.”
Grays has grown to see BCCC as a second family, not just the students but the faculty and staff as well. “Student Life and Engagement is a family,” she said. “We are small but mighty. We see students grow and develop from that first day on campus to them walking across the stage on graduation day.” Being a part of students’ growth and development throughout their time at the College has provided Grays and her co-workers with many heartfelt moments and memories. “We laugh together, we cry together,” she said. “Helping and making time for our students is not just our job but our passion.”
Grays can remember the recent joy of having a student come back and personally tell her and her team that they accomplished their goal of graduating with a 4.0 GPA and as valedictorian at Morgan State University and many other inspiring moments. “I remember last fall when some former students got the Student Life staff, SGA and BCCC students together for an off campus dinner,” said Grays. “It was great and the old stories being told had us laughing all night. I think it says a lot when your students still want to come back and hang out with their advisors.”
Grays is a proud and dedicated mother of four with her two youngest sons in college. One of her sons recently graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park and she couldn’t be prouder. She finds time to be active in her daughter’s school, church and community. She presently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Children’s Scholarship Fund Baltimore. She is also happy to work with and for our students and her team in Student Life and Engagement. “I am so blessed to work with colleagues that have the same drive, compassion and commitment to our students and to BCCC as a whole,” she said.
