HawkStrong: Luciana Decina found her path, and mental health support, at HFC
HFC student Luciana “Lulu” Decina got the nudge from her mother, Suzanne Stegman, who is an HFC alumna, to enroll at the College.
“When I was looking into colleges, my mom and I had a long talk,” recalled Decina, of Plymouth. “She told me HFC’s a good place, having taken classes there herself. We took a tour of the College, and I was impressed with the art program. HFC also had a transfer agreement with Eastern Michigan University. I knew I planned to transfer to EMU, so it all worked out.”
Everything fell into place at HFC
Born in Commerce Township, Decina is the middle of three daughters and an alumna of Canton High School. She will graduate from HFC in May 2026, earning her associate degree in studio art. After graduation from HFC, Decina plans to transfer to EMU. There, she will major in fine arts and minor in ceramics. She also plans to earn her K-12 teaching certificate at EMU. Her goal is to teach ceramics at the high school level.
“I didn’t have a good experience in high school, but everything changed when I came to HFC,” said Decina. “My GPA has skyrocketed, and everything fell into place. Things just clicked when I took ceramics classes here. My mental health is so much better because I’m doing what I love, which helps so much.”
It was taking HFC fine arts instructor Steve Glazer’s introductory ceramics class that changed Decina’s life.
“I took one ceramics class in high school and hated it. I took one ceramics class at HFC and loved it! It just opened my eyes to so many possibilities,” she said. “I love HFC. It’s a great school. It teaches students a lot outside the realms of math and science. I found the art classes here very freeing; the faculty encourages creative freedom. They open the studio early and close it late, which lets me work on my projects and add as much detail as I like.”
Faculty cares about students and their subject matter
Decina’s passion is sculpting dragons. The New York Times bestselling series of fantasy novels about dragons called Wings of Fire, written by Tui T. Sutherland, inspired Decina’s imagination. So has Dollightful, where old toys are transformed into unique, one-of-a-kind characters.
“Both have helped me find my artistic voice and my style,” said Decina. “My earliest memory of art is when I was 10. I got a sketchbook, which I filled with drawings. I still have it and look at it from time to time to see how far I’ve come. I still draw – mainly dragons and similar creatures.”
Glazer and fellow HFC fine art instructors Ashley Berry and Mariam Ezzat have had a positive impact on Decina.
“Steve inspired me to love ceramics. I really didn't like it, but he showed me I can make other things than just pots, bowls, and cups,” she said. “Ashley inspired me to keep drawing and helped me develop different styles. Mariam inspired me just to keep going. She always told me to continue doing what I love.”
“Lulu has been a really fun student to work with in every class,” said Glazer. “She knows how to follow directions, while at the same time she is able to think ‘outside the box.’ She is one of a group of students whose work would easily hold their own against students at four-year schools.”
HFC has prepared Decina well to transfer to EMU.
“It led me to a better place academically and mentally. I met my forever friends in the ceramics program,” she said. “HFC is a great school, especially for the arts. It offers lots of opportunities other colleges don’t have. Having all these opportunities has been very helpful, and the faculty here really care about their subject and their students.”