“At my old school, they said I would never graduate. I proved them wrong,” Grice said.
When Grice did not receive adequate support in school, his parents and others opened a private K–12 school for neurodivergent students called New Independence Academy. Grice and another student were the first to graduate from the school in 2016.
After graduating from high school, Grice’s parents encouraged him to think about what he wanted his next step to be. When Grice considered attending college, he discovered that WCC’s Simulation and Game Development program could allow him to pursue his interests in gaming and design.
WCC’s newly renamed Game Art and Simulation Design program provides students with hands-on training in 3D modeling, animation, audio/video production, graphic design, programming, and quality assurance to create simulations and video games. The program offers an Associate in Applied Science degree and three certificates.
Grice enjoyed creating games in his classes, learning how original developers create games from scratch, and gaining knowledge through the expertise of WCC’s faculty. “They helped me out a lot,” he said about his instructors.
WCC Simulation and Game Development Instructor Cheyenne Prybylinski said it was a wonderful experience teaching Grice in the program. “Kenneth was good about asking questions when he needed help,” she said. “He even took multiple projects home and worked on them there. He took extra time out of his day to complete work, and he was a great student in the classroom.”
After seven years of hard work and determination, Grice earned his associate degree in 2025, achieving a significant goal he had set for himself.
Throughout his time at WCC, Grice gained confidence and enjoyed being a college student. He plans to continue his journey in WCC’s Cybersecurity program in the fall.
Grice’s parents shared how proud they are of their son for graduating and persisting in his academic endeavors at WCC.
“They never thought he would graduate from high school, and look at him now—he has graduated from high school and college and is working toward a second degree,” Grice’s father said.
“When he was younger, they never thought he would even be able to communicate,” added Grice’s mother. “To know all he has accomplished to get to this point, to see him fulfilling his dreams—there’s no other word but proud.”
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