For Delta College alumnus Tom LaCroix, success was not a straight line. It came together through curiosity, responsibility and a willingness to try something new.
Growing up in Midland, Michigan, LaCroix said he was like many high school graduates, unsure what to do next but interested in how things worked. “I enjoyed taking things apart,” he said, describing a curiosity that later shaped his career. With encouragement from family members who also attended Delta College, he enrolled close to home while he figured out his direction.
At Delta, LaCroix studied pre-engineering and built what he now sees as the most important part of his education. “That fundamental education is the building blocks for everything else that you learn in your life,” he said. He described himself as a “B, C student,” but said the experience mattered more than grades. “Community colleges provide the best value in education, especially in those first years,” he said.
His plans changed when financial challenges made a four-year engineering degree out of reach. Newly married to his wife, Sara, LaCroix said he made what he called a “radical” decision to join the U.S. Navy’s nuclear power program.
“I had done some research and found out about their nuclear power program,” he said. “I scored really well on the entrance test, and the recruiter was super excited, ‘this one’s a no-brainer, you're going to go be Navy nuke.’”
That choice led to a 12-year career in the Navy. As a nuclear-trained electronics technician and reactor operator aboard the USS Michigan submarine, LaCroix worked with one of the most complex systems in the world. “It’s a tremendous amount of responsibility to be at the control, ensuring that it’s operating safely,” he said.
Life on a submarine demanded focus and endurance. Rotating through six-hour shifts in an 18-hour cycle, LaCroix said he developed discipline and a strong sense of accountability. “Responsibility has always been a theme for me,” he said. “And in the nuclear world, integrity, doing the right thing when no one is watching, is everything.”
That mindset carried into leadership. Although he once saw himself as an individual contributor, LaCroix said his time as an instructor and mentor changed his perspective. “Leadership is a journey,” he said. “You’re not born with it. You develop it by stepping into uncomfortable situations and learning as you go.”
After leaving the Navy in 2000, LaCroix moved into the private sector, applying his skills at Stryker Medical in manufacturing and product development. He later returned to the nuclear field, working at Palisades and DTE Energy’s Fermi plant. In 2023, he joined Holtec as a site project manager at Big Rock Point.
Today, LaCroix oversees a decommissioned nuclear site, focusing on safety, compliance and long-term planning.
Looking back, he said Delta College gave him a strong foundation, both in the classroom and in life. “I grew up a lot in those three years,” he said.
