Kalamazoo College tied for 11th in 2018 among small colleges and universities sending alumni to Teach for America, which recruits outstanding leaders to become lifelong advocates for educational equality in the U.S.
Kalamazoo College ranks 11th among small schools sending its alumni to Teach for America as seven from the class of 2018 joined the education organization’s corps.
Teach for America’s recruits work for at least two years in a low-income school district classroom, where they nurture students and build their own leadership skills. The experience helps recent graduates gain the context and clarity they need to move on to graduate school or continue developing educational equality in any sector. Recruits receive salaries and some receive student loan forgiveness.
The recruits, in 51 communities nationwide, will team up with more than 56,000 alumni leaders, who work as professional educators, policy makers, lawyers, business owners, nonprofit administrators, medical professionals and more, to expand children’s opportunities. Of the organization’s 3,600 recruits from more than 700 colleges and universities, seven recruits are 2018 K grads.
This year’s recruits are among Teach for America’s most diverse since its founding in 1990 with more than half the recruits identifying as people of color, about 45 percent coming from low-income backgrounds, and about a third being the first in their families to graduate from college.
Teach for America Recruitment Manager Jess Hernandez says K’s place in the rankings figures considering the sense the College’s students have for community engagement and the students’ highly respected educational achievements.
“We only accept about 14 percent of the recruits who apply, so Kalamazoo College should be proud it’s contributing such excellent numbers,” said Hernandez, who has worked with K students for about two years. “We’re looking for students who are leaders, and we’re looking for strong academics. Kalamazoo College students check off those boxes,” noting program and K alumni such as Michigan Rep. Darrin Camilleri.
“We see it in their civic engagement,” she added. “We see it in their orientation leaders. We know that (Teach for America) offers Kalamazoo College students an opportunity to continue their service work after college and that’s really attractive.”
Stryker’s contribution establishes a 10-year scholarship program at the College for talented students in need of financial support.
Kalamazoo College is proud to announce today the establishment of the Jon L. Stryker Future Leaders Scholarship Program. Through a generous $20 million contribution from Jon Stryker, the scholarship program has been created to assist students in need of financial support and to further Kalamazoo College’s commitment to diversity within its student body. The program, beginning in academic year 2018-2019, will provide $2 million in scholarships annually over the next 10 years.
Jon Stryker ’82 believes education for all people is a highly effective way to break the cycles of marginalization and inequality that continue to plague this country. His generous $20 million gift will provide scholarships to future leaders seeking a Kalamazoo College education.
The Jon L. Stryker Future Leaders scholarships will primarily support students of color, first generation college students and students from lower income families.
“We are incredibly grateful to Jon Stryker for this remarkable gift that opens the doors of our unique institution to students who otherwise would not have this opportunity. The future of our society depends on our ability to develop leaders from diverse backgrounds. It is an honor that Jon has placed this tremendous trust in his alma mater,” said Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez.
Stryker’s contribution supports and affirms the goals of the College’s new strategic plan, “Advancing Kalamazoo College: A Strategic Vision for 2023.”
Additionally, the gift is being made in anticipation of Kalamazoo College’s next fundraising campaign and is intended to encourage other alumni, families and friends of the College to contribute $20 million toward endowed scholarships.
“I am thrilled to be able to make this contribution to my alma mater with the goal of advancing diversity and inclusion in higher education,” Stryker said. “Supporting a pathway to higher education for all people is a highly effective way to break the cycles of marginalization and inequality that continue to plague this country. There is much more work to be done and my hope is to inspire more members of the Kalamazoo College community to make additional contributions to support diverse students at K.”
The scholarships made possible by Stryker’s contribution and others like it will have an immediate and long-term impact for current and future members of the College’s student body.
Jon Stryker, a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., is an architect and philanthropist. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Kalamazoo College in 1982 and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of California at Berkeley. In 2000, he established the Arcus Foundation to support the advancement of LGBT civil rights globally and the conservation of the world’s great apes.
He has been an influential contributor to Kalamazoo College over the years. He serves on the College’s Board of Trustees, and has made more than $10 million in funding grants to support the College’s highly ranked study abroad program and enrollment diversity efforts. In 2008, he established a $5.6 million grant to fund the tuition and financial support of 50 Posse Scholars, a program of the Posse Foundation to pair high-performing public high school students from underrepresented groups in higher education with full, four-year academic scholarships.
Additionally, his Arcus Foundation awarded the College more than $25 million in grants to create and sustain The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The center became fully operational on campus in academic year 2010-2011 and supports the College’s goal to develop emerging leaders and sustaining existing leaders in the field of human rights and social justice. Stryker also funded the award-winning building that houses the center. This building, designed by Studio Gang in Chicago, was dedicated in September 2014.
Through these and other donations, Stryker has given a total of $66 million to Kalamazoo College. For Stryker’s devotion to K, he was awarded the College’s Distinguished Service Award in 2010.
Kalamazoo College is a nationally recognized residential liberal arts college located in Kalamazoo, Mich. The creator of the K-Plan, Kalamazoo College provides an individualized education that integrates rigorous academics with life-changing experiential learning opportunities.
Though Kalamazoo College chemistry professor Tom Smith has had 40 years to devise just the right formula for ensuring the success of his students, they’ll tell you that he had it from the very start. Alumni — led by two who were part of the first class Smith taught in the 1978-79 school year, Chris Bodurow and Bob Weinstein, both ’79 — are in the midst of a fundraising effort that has endowed the Thomas J. Smith Student Research Fellowship in Chemistry. The fund honors the retiring Smith, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, by supporting an initiative he chose, and which is close to his heart: independent summer research.
As Tom Smith, the Kalamazoo College Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, retires after 40 years as a student favorite, some of his former students are honoring him by endowing an independent summer student research fellowship in his name.
With Min Soo Kim ’19 designated as the first recipient, the endowment drive is entering its second phase. Bodurow is personally pledging a match of up to $20,000 in contributions with the goal of expanding the number of students who receive the fellowship each summer, a priority for the College as its new strategic plan re-emphasizes the K-Plan tenets of experiential education and independent scholarship.
Testifying to the devotion Smith inspires: He has been designated an Alpha Lambda Delta National Honorary Society Favorite Teacher by first-year students 13 times since 2003. In addition, he has directed the Senior Individualized Projects of 70 students, was named a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation Scholar and was awarded the Florence J. Lucasse Fellowship for Excellence in Scholarship or Creative Work and the Dr. Winthrop S. and Lois A. Hudson Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research at Kalamazoo College.
It doesn’t take a list of awards, however, to understand the influence Smith has had on students, and the profound sense of appreciation it has engendered in the more than a dozen alumni who have contributed some $130,000 for the endowment.
Bodurow and Weinstein were seniors when Smith arrived at the College, fresh from post-doctoral work at Caltech. They said Smith immediately took on a role that went far beyond just teaching chemistry.
“He really had a very strong propensity to encourage us in our studies and in our post-Kalamazoo College strategies in our lives. He quickly identified students he thought ought to pursue graduate degrees and encouraged us,” said Bodurow, who went on to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University and has had a distinguished career in drug research. Now retired from Eli Lilly and Company, where she was senior research director, external sourcing, for the Medicines Development Unit, she is a member of the board of the American Chemical Society and is president of PharmaDOQS, a consultancy.
“Tom was very deliberate about understanding our strengths and passions and directing us,” said Bodurow. “It was all because of his strong commitment to launching us, and he made sure we had a strong post-Kalamazoo plan. It was quite extraordinary. If you talk to anyone who has had Tom as a professor, they will tell you a similar story.”
Weinstein does.
“He helped us understand what it meant to go to grad school and how to get to grad school. He was telling us what it was like and challenging us with projects,” said Weinstein, who earned his Ph.D. at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is president and CEO of Robertet USA, an arm of the French-owned maker of flavors, fragrances and natural raw materials. “It didn’t take Tom Smith very long to say, ‘This is what the College is about: I will prepare these students for graduate school or medical school and really dedicate myself to helping them.’ ”
Smith, he said, “was the engine behind me. To be able to contribute to his legacy at K is a privilege that I am proud to be able to do. I honestly believe that nothing I have accomplished would have been possible without Tom Smith and K.”
Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said few things are more meaningful to professors than to have former students credit them for their successes. To have them go a step further and fund an endowment in their name, he said, “is both an honor and an affirmation that you have achieved the goal motivating every educator, and that is to make a real difference in your students’ lives.”
Smith called it “humbling.”
“You think you’re getting your job done and then you discover decades later that the impact has lasted,” said Smith, an aficionado of hiking and movies, who described the honor as a fitting capstone for his career.
“So often when I say goodbye to students, I tell them, ‘Go out and make the world a better place,’ ” he said. “It becomes a lifelong interaction. That’s why we do this.”
To contribute to the Thomas J. Smith Student Research Fellowship in Chemistry, or to discuss creating an endowment in the name of another favorite faculty or staff member, contact Kalamazoo College Vice President for Advancement Al J. DeSimone at 269.337.7292 or Al.DeSimone@kzoo.edu.
Imagine an opportunity to travel abroad, retrace your heritage, teach English in a foreign country, greet family you’ve never known and promote international understanding between cultures. Katie Johnson ’18 will have that opportunity through a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant that will take her to Lithuania this fall.
Katie Johnson ’18 developed a taste for international travel when she studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary. She liked the experience so much that she decided to apply for a Fulbright grant when she returned. That grant will take her this fall to Lithuania.
Johnson – a business major and psychology minor from Okemos, Michigan – has yet to receive the specific assignment that details her Fulbright destination city and school. She expects, however, to work in a rural village within about three hours of the capital, Vilnius.
Johnson will travel to Washington, D.C., for an orientation in July before heading to Lithuania in late August or September.
Kalamazoo College was identified as one of the top-producing Fulbright colleges and universities in the 2017-18 academic year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to research, study or teach English abroad for one academic year.
Such recognition is one of the highest honors the federal government gives with regard to scholarship and international exchange. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected as a result of their academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields, to promote international understanding.
“I feel very fortunate to have attended K,” said Johnson, who has also served on the Athletic Leadership Council, received internships and held an externship at Ryzome Investment Advisors during her college years. “I don’t think I would’ve had these opportunities at another school.”
Johnson chose Kalamazoo College because attending would allow her to play for the women’s lacrosse team while still getting to study abroad. That led her during her junior year to Budapest, Hungary, where the people she met and the independence she gained shaped her world view and sparked her desire to seek more adventures.
“I got back from study abroad and I decided to apply for a Fulbright because I wanted to study abroad again,” Johnson said, noting she soon began a year-long application process. “I thought the opportunity to teach English was interesting. Plus, my grandfather is from Lithuania, and my grandma and great-grandma were teachers. It seemed like a great fit.”
Since then, Johnson has begun learning Lithuanian through her grandfather.
“It’s a hard language to pick up because only about 8 million people in the world speak it,” Johnson said, although she is attending a church in Chicago where the sermons are in Lithuanian and talking with friends who have traveled to Lithuania. She also has a best friend from Estonia with whom she bonds over a similar culture and family background including grandparents who immigrated to the United States for the same reasons.
“I’m going to go and hope for the best because I want to understand more about the Lithuanian culture and how it has changed since my grandpa arrived after World War II,” Johnson said.
Among recent K representatives receiving Fulbright grants, Johnson joins:
Andrea Beitel ’17, who earned a research/study award and is in the United Kingdom.
Riley Cook ’15, who earned a research/study award to travel to Germany.
Dejah Crystal ’17, who earned an English teaching assistantship in Taiwan.
Sapana Gupta ’17, who earned an English teaching assistantship in Germany.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni will celebrate a day honoring Kalamazoo College’s philanthropic donors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Hicks Student Center.
Students participate in Grateful for K Day by writing thank-you notes showing appreciation to Kalamazoo College donors.
Sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Fund, Grateful for K Day – conducted twice a year – calls on students to honor the importance of philanthropy in sustaining and enhancing Kalamazoo College by writing personalized notes to thank donors for their support. Donations help about 98 percent of K students receive scholarships or some other form of financial aid.
All students are welcome to participate. Coffee and cookies will be served.
If you’re a donor, please share your “Why I Give” stories on our website or Facebook page, where you can also learn more about Grateful for K Day.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 at the Hicks Student Center for Life after K. Timasha Woods ’07, a global human resources business partner at Amgen, concludes our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event.
Timasha Woods ’07
Global Human Resources Business Partner, Amgen
Timasha Woods ’07 is currently working with Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company based in Thousand Oaks, California.
Timasha Woods ’07 decided early that her choice of work needed to suit her ever-evolving interests in food, global travel, servant leadership and random adventures. Working in the human resources (HR) field continues to suit those interests and afford her the opportunity to help others effect change within large, complex companies.
She has provided her quirky brand of HR support to a myriad of client types, including but not limited to, unionized employees, sales teams, decorated army generals, and currently, vice and senior vice presidents including one former surgeon general of the United States. She attributes her continued interest and success in the field to her willingness to go where the experience is and partnering closely with her clients to understand the business.
Timasha is currently working with Amgen, a biopharmaceutical company based in Thousand Oaks, California. The company is comprised of 20,000 global employees whose mission, simply and elegantly stated, is to serve patients. Timasha earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Kalamazoo College.
Timasha is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Charting Your Course: How to Make the Most of the Career Summit, 1:30 p.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams.
Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams. His additional responsibilities include investment prospect generation, investment structuring and execution and due diligence of potential acquisitions. Mike serves as a member of Valor’s Investment Committee and as a director of Manduka, one of Valor’s portfolio companies.
Before joining Valor, Mike served as a senior advisor and co-investor in numerous private-equity transactions. Previously, Mike served as chairman, chief executive officer and president of FTD Group Inc., a leading provider of floral and specialty gift products. FTD Group Inc. was a private-equity transaction led by Leonard Green & Partners.
Mike previously held positions as president and chief operating officer of FTD Inc., president and CEO of FTD.com, and vice president of marketing of FTD Inc. Before FTD Inc., Mike worked at Perry Capital LLC and Salomon Brothers Inc. Mike also served on the Board of Directors of Rewards Network Inc., Youbet.com and OptionsXpress.
He currently serves on the board of All Weather Inc. and Motorsport Aftermarket Group. In 2011, he was named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from Kalamazoo College.
Mike is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
Building a Company: How Founders Launch and Grow Companies, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Charting Your Course: How to Make the Most of the Career Summit, 1:30 p.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Esperanza Cantú ’11, a project leader in the Data Planning and Evaluation Division at the Detroit Health Department, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Esperanza Cantú ’11
Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan.
Project Leader, Data Planning and Evaluation Division at Detroit Health Department
Originally from Monte Alto, Tex., Esperanza Cantú has held various working and volunteer positions in fundraising, mentorship and coalition-building for health equity since moving to Michigan. In 2016, Esperanza transitioned to the Detroit Health Department, where she currently serves as a project leader in the Data, Planning and Evaluation Division. In her current role, she is coordinating a communitywide strategic planning process for health; efforts will result in a community health assessment and five-year community health improvement plan for the city of Detroit.
In 2016, Esperanza also accepted an appointment from Gov. Rick Snyder to serve on the statewide Hispanic/Latino Commission of Michigan. She serves as chair of the Finance Committee, and will build capacity to reduce inequities in state resources and services to the Hispanic and Latino community.
In her spare time, Esperanza enjoys spending time with her husband Micah Smith ’10, traveling to the Rio Grande Valley to visit family and running. Esperanza earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Kalamazoo College, where she participated in the student groups Latinx Student Organization and el Movimento Estudiantíl Chicano y Chicana de Aztlan (M.E.Ch.A). She received her Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health.
Esperanza is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Thriving as a Woman in the Workplace, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Ed Hortelano ’83, a global vice president of research and development at Loparex, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Ed Hortelano ’83
Since September 2015, Ed Hortelano has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC.
Global Vice President, Research and Development at Loparex
Ed Hortelano began his career at Covestro (then Mobay) in New Martinsville, W.V., where he held positions of increasing responsibility in the U.S., Germany and China. Although he spent most of his Covestro career in research and technical roles, he also worked in production, sales and business development.
In October 2010, Ed joined the Global Non-Wovens Division of Bostik Inc. in Wauwatosa, Wis. He managed the global technical activities for the division and led the research activities for the hot melt, pressure-sensitive adhesive technology platform.
From May 2013, until his departure, Ed served as the chief technical officer for Bostik. Since September 2015, Ed has served as the global vice president for research and development at Loparex LLC. As the senior research and development executive for the company, he is working to build a global technical community and to improve the processes and delivery of new products and technologies.
Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Kalamazoo College and a Ph.D. in physical organic chemistry from Wayne State University. He worked with Professor Ernest Eliel as a postdoctoral research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ed and his family live in Raleigh, N.C. When he is not working or traveling for work, Ed enjoys spending time with his family as well as running and biking around Raleigh.
Ed is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 10 a.m. April 7
Tips for Bringing Your Identity to Work, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
Registration for Career Summit 2018 is now closed. Students who are interested in attending but have not registered are welcome to stop by the registration table in the Hicks Student Center atrium before the session they would like to attend. Walk-ins will be accepted as space permits, especially on Saturday. See the Career Summit schedule online by clicking on ‘Agenda.’
A distinguished group of alumni will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Career Summit 2018. The event is two days of practical preparation April 6 and 7 for Life after K. Drew Dumsch ’90, the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, continues our series of features highlighting our speakers for the event. To learn more, visit our Career Summit 2018 news story.
Drew Dumsch ’90
Founder and President/CEO, The Ecology School
Drew Dumsch ’90 is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. He will be one of the featured speakers at Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2018.
Drew Dumsch is the founder and president/CEO of The Ecology School, a residential environmental learning center on the southern coast of Maine. Since its founding in 1998, The Ecology School has educated more than 175,000 children and adults and trained more than 350 ecology educators through the science of ecology and the practice of sustainability.
Drew is currently leading a capital campaign to purchase the 105-acre River Bend Farm in Saco, Maine, and over the next two years construct the most sustainable residential environmental learning center in the country. The Ecology School at River Bend Farm will include a full-scale agroecology farm operation, community environmental education programs, field ecology research and buildings constructed and certified under the Living Building Challenge and Living Community Challenge through the International Living Future Institute. River Bend Farm will be a 21st Century Education Center for Resilience, Healthy Communities and Conservation.
Drew has had leadership positions with the Maine Environmental Education Association and the New England Environmental Education Alliance and is also active with the North American Association of Environmental Education and the Residential Environmental Learning Centers national network. Drew earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Kalamazoo College and his master’s degree in English from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Drew is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:
Roadblocks and Potholes: Surmounting Inevitable Challenges, 8:30 a.m. April 7
Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
Social Entrepreneurship: Finding Solutions to Community Problems, 10:45 a.m. April 7
Crafting a Whole Life: How Work Fits with Family, Community, Self-Care and Fun, 11:30 a.m. April 7
Other Scheduled Speakers
Bill Duane ’94, retired superintendent of well-being, Google
Brad O’Neill ’93, CEO and co-founder, Depot Global Inc.
