Jim Piché earned 3 degrees and a certificate after 30 years of work

It was a proud moment for Jim Piché and his family when he walked across the stage at HFC’s Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 10, where he received three associate degrees and a certificate of achievement – all of which were 30 years in the making.

The Edsel Ford High School alumnus and U.S. Army National Guard veteran, who has completed coursework at Oakland University, earned:

• An associate degree in theatre
• An associate degree in liberal arts
• An associate degree in general studies
• The Michigan Transfer Agreement certificate

“It's odd to finish a journey I began 30 years ago,” confessed Piché, of Dearborn. “I never really considered going back to HFC to finish anything, because I thought that ship had sailed a long time ago. It wasn't until I was looking into becoming a substitute teacher and pulling my transcripts from the colleges I attended when my wife (HFC Academic Affairs Project Manager Denise Modrzynski-Piché) told me I should look into what I would need to get a degree. Then we realized that I needed a single math class to earn multiple degrees.”

Dr. John-Michael Sefel for the win!

Math was always his most difficult subject. Piché was unaware at the time he first attended HFC (then Henry Ford Community College) that he has dyscalculia, a learning disorder affecting a person’s ability to understand number-based information. As Piché got older and learned more about his challenges, he learned ways to work around them. This allowed him to succeed in the single math class standing in the way of graduation.

“HFC recently changed their additional 20-credit-hour requirement for earning multiple degrees. Now students can earn as many credentials as possible, provided we complete the required classes. I have taken multiple classes at multiple schools, but I never achieved a degree,” he explained. “In the end, I had a lot of credits to pull from. Then I became aware that a single math class could grant me several degrees, and after finding the right fit and a tireless effort on the part of HFC Theatre Director Dr. John-Michael Sefel to evaluate and transfer in the necessary credits earned from other schools, I was able to take the one math class and earn the three associate degrees and the MTA certificate. My cap at graduation reflected that experience!”

“Where I felt like me the most”

Born in Harmony, MN and raised in Dearborn, Piché is the eldest of three sons. He enrolled at HFC upon graduating from Edsel Ford in 1995, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. After exploring several fields, Piché found a home in HFC’s Theatre program.

“Theatre was where I felt like me the most,” said Piché. “Theatre was, and still is, the ultimate culmination of every discipline. My education in theatre prepared me more for life and academics than anything else could. It teaches you improv (adaptability), public speaking, problem-solving, critical thinking, history, English, foreign language, civics, social studies, and so much more. It is quite literally the multi-tool of academics. The education I received in the HFC Theatre Program prepared me for anything life threw my way.”

His first role in an HFC production was as Salieri’s valet in Amadeus. Afterward, he appeared in every HFC production for the next several years. In 2001, he appeared in the Dearborn Youth Theatre’s production of Peter Pan as a favor to the late HFC theatre instructor Dale Van Dorp, alias “the Voice of Dearborn.” Piché played Mr. Smee, while Van Dorp played Captain Hook.

Piché became the master electrician and head lighting designer for the Michael A. Guido Theater in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center in Dearborn when it opened in 2000. He was involved either behind-in-the-scenes or on the stage in several independent theatre troupes across the Metro Detroit area.

“When I went to HFC in the mid-late 1990s, the theatre program was in its golden age. We produced shows of the highest quality with some of the best local actors of the day lending their talents to the shows. I grew exponentially by just being around those people,” he said. “That same feeling I got from 1990s is alive and well under Dr. Sefel. I know these students in the program today will go on to do great things.”

Overcoming the worst of Guillain-Barré Syndrome to return to the stage

Piché was absent from the stage from 2007-17. During that period, he served in the military from 2007-13 as a combat medic and saw action in Afghanistan. He returned to the stage in 2017 in a production of The Diary of Anne Frank as a guest artist at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, which directed by the late HFC theatre instructor Gerry Dzublinski.

“I first met Jim in 1999,” recalled retired HFC theatre instructor Dr. George Popovich. “He was a lead in my production of When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder? Jim was a mainstay of the theatre program, working closely with Gerry. Before Gerry passed in 2019, Jim spent months organizing a celebration for Gerry that took place in the Adray Auditorium. Gerry's former students came from every corner of the country and filled the Adray with their respect and love. Jim is a deep, kind, and loving person.”

In late 2022, Piché returned to the HFC stage as Captain Ahab in The Passage, the College’s critically acclaimed retelling of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Playing the maniacal Ahab, who has a prosthetic leg, was therapeutic for Piché, who at the time had overcome the worst of Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a serious neurological disorder that can include paralysis and lifelong disability. Piché now wears braces on his legs to help him walk.

“Ahab was my darkest thoughts,” said Piché. “He was my Mr. Hyde.”

Piché was diagnosed with GBS in early 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. At one point, he was completely paralyzed except for movement in his eyes and one eyebrow. He rallied and fought back, thanks in great measure to his wife’s and family’s unswerving support. He defied the doctors’ expectations.

“I am constantly making small improvements,” he said. “Every so often I do something I couldn't do before.”

A better, well-rounded person

Since the fall of 2022, Piché has worked at Dearborn High Schoo as a Career and Technical Education teacher. In the 2025-26 academic year, he plans to work with colleague Gregory Viscomi, who teaches English and drama and is the Director of Theatre and Drama at DHS, and assist with the award-winning theatre program.

In his CTE, classes, he said, “We focus more on construction than woodworking. I also teach 'geometry in construction,' which combines geometry and construction, so the students get a hands-on practical approach to math. This helps students to learn better by tactile and hands-on learning, and evidence shows that students who take this class on average do better on their SATs. It’s the start of a new construction pathway being developed in the Dearborn Public Schools where students who take three years of CTE classes will graduate with multiple industry certifications. It's in the early stages, and I’m excited by the prospects. We need more students going into the trades. So many tradesmen are aging out, with nobody to replace them.”

He explained how he’s able to teach without a bachelor's degree or teaching certification.

“CTE teachers like me have worked in the fields they teach,” said Piché. “CTE teachers get something called an annual authorization and require a Certified Information Professional certification in order to teach. A CIP certification is state-approved, which means you have shown that you possess the necessary skills and knowledge to teach CTE classes. My CIP certification is the 60-hour pre-builders license certificate. You also have to have many hours in the industry as well as attend certain conferences for CTE teachers. It does make for a steep learning curve stepping into a teaching role, as a large amount of the job has nothing to do with the subject matter, such as classroom management and pedagogy.”

For Piché, it all circles back to the experience of learning through theatre.

“I have worked in multiple jobs in multiple disciplines over the course of my life. My education in theatre made me a better person and employee,” he said. “I was a better medic in the Army because I learned improv and critical thinking in theatre. I’m a better presenter by doing theatre and learning the art of public speaking. I’m better at human interaction because of theatre. I’m better at the math required in my jobs because of theatre. I learned hard work and unyielding dedication to a project because of theatre. I learned to become a multi-skilled tradesman when it came to skills and knowledge in the theatre. I know I’m biased, but I believe theatre makes you a better, well-rounded person."