Cindy Ritter & Abby Kozal

Cindy Ritter grew up in Detroit and has lived in Grand Rapids for 55 years. She began her career as a dental hygienist and later became an elementary school teacher after graduating from Aquinas.  She is now retired but stays busy with her five sons and 16 grandchildren, her church (St. Robert), as a Kent County CASA and refugee resettlement volunteer, and with scrapbooking, softball, and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes.

Abby Kozal is a senior at Aquinas College, graduating with a Bachelor’s in English with a Writing Emphasis and minoring in Studio Arts. She has been an active member of the Aquinas community as a Writing Center Consultant, TRIO SSS Peer Mentor, and Culture Editor for the student newspaper. Abby is also very involved with the Theatre Department.

As part of an Aquinas College class on preparing for life after college, students were paired with mentors from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) across the street from the College. The course capstone project was a Generation Swap podcast interview exploring how generational differences can be a source of strength and growth.