Category: Students

Kalamazoo College Unveils Spring 2022 Dean’s List

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Two students sit on the Quad during the Spring 2022 term
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Spring 2022 Dean’s List.

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Spring 2022 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for the Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group for Spring 2022.

Spring 2022

A

Shannon Abbott
Morgan Acord
Khalil Adams
Isaac Agranoff
Kelley Akerley
Shahriar Akhavan Tafti
Rachel Alarcio
Adnan Alousi
Lana Alvey
Farida Amini
Darsalam Amir
Olivia Anderson
Paige Anderson
Mia Andrews
Ava Apolo
Alexandra Armin
Lora Armstrong

B

Tolkien Bagchi
Annalise Bailey
Lindsey Baker
Chloe Baker
McKenzi Baker
Elizabeth Ballinger
Madison Barch
Samuel Barczy
Abigail Barnum
Kristy Barrett
Aleksandra Bartolik
Hunter Bates
Mitchell Baty
Jenna Beach
Blake Bean
Cameron Beauregard
Annabel Bee
Curtis Bell
Carolyn Bennett
Maci Bennett
Thomas Bentley
Anthony Berkimer
Jonah Beurkens
Anna Binkley
Katherine Black
Nora Blanchard
Rose Bogard
Zachary Borden
Sam Boritzki
Daphne Bos
Mairin Boshoven
Holly Bowling
Haylee Bowsher
Emily Braunohler
Austin Bresnahan
Lauren Bretzius
Penelope Brewer
Eamon Bronson
Jonathan Brunette
Anna Buck
Anna Budnick
Marilu Bueno
Thomas Buffin
Elizabeth Burton
Lauren Bussell

C

Jacob Callaghan
Grace Cancro
Vanessa Cardenas
John Carlson
Chloe Carlson
Isabella Caza
Alexandra Chafetz
Jessica Chaidez
Iris Chalk
Connor Charamella
Josetta Checkett
Emily Cheng
Benjamin Chosid
Kennedy Christl
An-Ting Chu
Maile Church
Madeleine Coffman
Sedona Coleman
Quinn Collins
Rowan Cook
Kyle Cooper
Indigo Corvidae
Haley Crabbs
Violet Crampton
Abigail Crocker
Lilian Crowder Smith
Emma Curcuru

D

Nicholas Dailey
Shayla Dailey
Beatrix Damashek
Kylah Davis
Emma Davis-Rodak
Claire de Vries
Tali Deaner
Kiernan Dean-Hall
Sophie Decker
Julia Del Olmo Parrado
Ethan DeNeen
Catherine Dennis
Sarah Densham
Olivia Depauli
Vincent DeSanto
Laura DeVilbiss
Liam Diaz
Sofia Diaz
Melissa Diaz Cabrera
Brooke Dolhay
Marissa Dolorfino
Adam Dorstewitz
Rorie Dougherty
Sydney Dowdell
Ryan Drew
Imalia Drummond
Patrick Dunfee
Katia Duoibes
Hannah Durant
Gina Dvorin

E

Eli Edlefson
Jairo Eguia
Alden Ehrhardt
Carter Eisenbach
Sara Elfring
Rebecca Elias
Adaora Emenyonu
Sara English
Justin Essing
Gabrielle Evans
Sam Ewald

F

Olivia Fairbank
Ella Faris
Colton Farley
Madalyn Farrey
Andreas Fathalla
Emma Fergusson
Janet Fernandez
Anna Fetter
Samuel File
Morgan Fischer
Peter Fitzgerald
Julia Fitzgerald
Parker Foster
Caroline Francis
Grace Frazier
Caelan Frazier
Emma Frederiksen
Hana Frisch
Tristan Fuller
William Fulton

G

Ethan Galler
Kaitlin Gandy
Ana Garcia
Aliza Garcia
Brynna Garden
Grace Garver
Trish Gatsi
Johanna Ghazal
Farah Ghazal
Julia Ghazal
Griffin Gheen
Georgios Gkolois
Max Gordon
Lillian Grelak
Elizabeth Grooten
Natalie Gross
Matthew Gu
Zoe Gurney

H

Sophia Haas
Aiden Habboub
Yoichi Haga
Emma Hahn
Emily Haigh
Grace Hancock
Vien Hang
Garrett Hanson
Madeline Harding
Eleanor Harris
Lucy Hart
Isabelle Hawkes
Tanner Hawkins
Beatrice Hawkins
Wallis Hechler
Hannah Heeren
Megan Herbst
Maya Hester
Ella Heystek
Sierra Hieshetter
Sam Hoag
Garrick Hohm
Thomas Hole
Julia Holt
Benjamin Homminga
Cole Horman
Joseph Horsfield
Molly Horton
Charles Horvath
Tyler Houle
Gavin Houtkooper
Sharon Huang
Jakob Hubert
Samuel Hughes
Audrey Huizenga
Lukas Hultberg
Trevor Hunsanger
Madelaine Hurley
Benjamin Hyndman

I

Juan Ibarra
Jalen Iereneo

J

Angela Jacobo
Colton Jacobs
Ashani Jewell
Ryan Johnson
Ellie Jones
Maxwell Joos

K

Amalia Kaerezi
Kiana Kanegawa
Judah Karesh
Timothy Karubas
Maria Kasperek
Ava Keller
Meaghan Kelly
Ella Kelly
Blake Kelsey
Samuel Kendrick
David Kent
Roze Kerr
Mahum Khan
Hunter Kiesling
Jackson Kiino-Terburg
Meghan Killmaster
Vivian Kim
Joshua Kim
Si Yun Kimball
Lily Kindle
Mikayla Kindler
Isabella Kirchgessner
Alaina Kirschman
Alexander Kish
Joergen Klakulak
Sofia Klein
Lena Klemm
Allison Klinger
Steven Kloosterman
Ella Knight
Marie Kohrman
Anexy Koizumi
Cole Koryto
Daniel Koselka
Marissa Kovac
Katherine Kraemer
Christian Kraft
Brandon Kramer
Rachel Kramer
Nikolas Krupka
Kieya Kubert-Davis
Koshiro Kuroda

L

Onora Lancaster
Jordon Larco
Kathryn Larick
Annmarie Lawrence
Madeleine Lawson
Lam Phuong Le
Grace Leahey
Dillon Lee
Margaret Lekan
Alejandra Lemus
Sydney Lenzini
Ellie Lepley
Ginamarie Lester
Kelsey Letchworth
Milan Levy
Sage Lewis
Thomas Lichtenberg
Connor Lignell
Cassandra Linnertz
Sichun Liu
Luis Lizardo-Rodriguez
Ava Loncharte
Alvaro Lopez Gutierrez
Ellie Lotterman
Madeline Lovins
Teresa Lucas
Nicholas Lucking
Isabella Luke

M

Selina Ma
Deven Mahanti
Samantha Major
Natalie Maki
Andrew Mallon
Angela Mammel
Arjun Manyam
Lesly Mares-Castro
Victoria Marquez Gomez
Isabel Martin
Molly Martinez
Stephanie Martinez
Gracen Martini-Zeller
Harshpreet Matharu
Kanase Matsuzaki
Lillian Mattern
Nicholas Matuszak
Claire McCall
Lauren McColley
Dylan McGorisk
Leo McGreevy
Ashlynne McKee
Grace McKnight
Abbey McMillian
Amy McNutt
Zaydee Menchaca
Crystal Mendoza
Sophia Merchant
Eva Metro-Roland
Luke Middlebrook
Cooper Mills
Jade Milton
Jazmine Minchaca
Andrejs Minka
Ameera Mirza
Lauren Mitchell
Caleb Mitchell-Ward
Lina Moghrabi
Raven Montagna
Brooklyn Moore
Mackenzie Moore
Aiden Morgan
Ryan Morgan
Isabel Morillo
Martin Morison
Samantha Moss
Arein Motan
Phumuzile Moyo
Elliot Mrak
Matthew Mueller
Miles Muirhead
Jasmin Murillo
Anna Murphy
Madison Murphy
Ryan Muschler
Rishaan Muthanna

N

Alex Nam
Blagoja Naskovski
Matthew Nelson
Nicholas Nerhood
Alexis Nesbitt
Elizabeth Nestle
Nguyen Nguyen
Char Nieberding
Alexandra Noel
Malin Nordmoe
Caroline Norton
Rohan Nuthalapati

O

Ileana Oeschger
Alina Offerman
Larkin O’Gorman
Akinyi Okero
Emma Olson
Tyler Omness
Gabe Orosan-Weine
Eliana Orozco
Olivia Oswald
Fatima Ortega
Gunzi Otj

P

Ella Palacios
Joshua Pamintuan
Jenna Paterob
Isabella Pellegrom
Kaitlin Peot
Anthony Peraza
Ilene Perea-Sanchez
Alexander Perry
Addison Peter
Devon Peters
Scott Peters
Michael Peterson
Eve Petrie
Sydney Pickell
Benjamin Pickrel
Megan Ploucha
Elaine Pollard
Evan Pollens-Voigt
Noah Prentice
Lucas Priemer
Elena Pulliam
Mason Purdy
Noah Pyle

Q

Luma Qashou
Aarzoo Qureshi

R

Elle Ragan
Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci
Julia Rambo
Jessie Ramirez
Ali Randel
Dominic Rascon-Powell
Clarice Ray
Sara Reathaford
Laura Reinaux Silva Oliveira
Kelli Rexroad
Zoe Reyes
Keegan Reynolds
Maxwell Rhames
Sheldon Riley
Ashley Rill
Katherine Rock
Jocelyn Rodriguez
Reyna Rodriguez
Lily Rogowski
Joshua Roman
Luke Rop
Alec Rosenbaum
Panayiotis Rotsios
Mia Roukema
Matia Rourke
Tabitha Rowland
Oliver Rubin
Marcus Rucker
Charlotte Ruiter
Angel Ruiz

S

Tyler Sakalys-Moore
Richard Sakurai-Kearns
Sydney Salgado
Ethan Sandusky
Leslie Santos
Isabel Schantz
Leo Schinker
Vivian Schmidt
Zoe Celeste Schneberger
D.J. Schneider
Eden Schnurstein
Lia Schroeder
Madeline Schroeder
Beth Schulman
Audrey Schulz
Hannah Schurman
Aleksander Scott
Nilah Seals
Ruby Seiwerath
Delores Shackelford
Usaid Bin Shafqat
Isabella Shapiro
William Shaw
Steven Shelton
Cassidy Short
Joseph Shumunov
Josie Shuster
Emma Sidor
Petra Sierra
Samantha Silverman
Kiersten Sjogren
Colby Skinner
Meganne Skoug
Pieter Slager
Austin Smith
Olivia Smith
Ping Smith
Owen Smith
Grace Snyder
Jack Soderberg
Asante Solomon
Allison Sokacz
Hanis Sommerville
Erin Somsel
Larissa Soto
Jonah Spates
Maxwell Spitler
Camran Stack
David Stechow
Joseph Stein
Eleanor Stevenson
Meredith Steward
Emma Stickley
Hayden Strobel
Eller Studinger
Hannah Summerfield
Matthew Swarthout
Kaleb Sydloski
Ella Szczublewski

T

Chau Ta
Samuel Tagget
Madison Talarico
Claire Tallio
Nicole Taylor
Claire Taylor
Suja Thakali
Kaia Thomas
Levi Thomas
Kaytlyn Tidey
Sophia Timm-Blow
Simon Topf
Danielle Treyger
Frances Trimble
Mary Trimble
Nghia Trinh
Maria Tripodis
May Tun
Aija Turner
Oliver Tye

U

Duurenbayar Ulziiduuren
Tristan Uphoff
Ifeoma Uwaje

V

Christopher Van Alstine
Megan Vandyke
Emma Van Houten
Samantha Vande Pol
Hannah Vander Lugt
Cameron VanGalder
Josseline Vazquez
America Vilchis
Nathan Vogel
Lucille Voss
Jessalyn Vrieland
Thanh Vu

W

Joseph Wade
Ava Wagle
Megan Walczak
Elle Waldron
Andre Walker
Lucinda Wallis
Madison Walther
Elizabeth Wang
McKenna Wasmer
Riley Weber
Margaret Wedge
Elias Wennen
Emerson Wesselhoff
Samantha White
Tanner White
Dylan Wickey
Katelyn Williams
Skai Williams
Carson Williams
Riley Wilson
Jordyn Wilson
Joshua Wilson
Laurel Wolfe
Zachary Worthing
Lydia Wright
Kevin Wu

X

Lingrui Xiang

Y

Elyse Yost
Mikayla Youngman
Hillary Yousif

Z

Maddie Zang
Camryn Zdziarski-West
Jacob Zeller
Margaret Zorn

Phi Beta Kappa Chapter at K Welcomes Newest Inductees

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Phi Beta Kappa logo says, 'Dec 5, 1776'
The Delta of Michigan chapter of Phi Beta Kappa celebrated
41 Kalamazoo College inductees from the class of 2022
on June 8.

The Delta of Michigan Chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Kalamazoo College welcomed 42 inductees for 2022 at an induction ceremony on June 8, 2022. 

The mission of the Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought and recognize academic excellence. Founded on December 5, 1776, the Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society. Around 10% of U.S. colleges and universities have Phi Beta Kappa chapters, and these chapters select only 10% of their arts and sciences graduates to join. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court justices and more than 150 Nobel Laureates.  

Phi Beta Kappa inductees for 2022 include:  

  • Isaac Agranoff
  • Natalie Barber 
  • Aleksandra Bartolik 
  • Irie Browne 
  • Gabriel Walker Chung  
  • Rachel Cornell
  • Haley Crabbs 
  • Shayla Dailey 
  • Eva Deyoung 
  • Jake Fales 
  • Faith Flinkingshelt 
  • Lena Gerstle 
  • Katie Gierlach 
  • Abigail Gray 
  • Ella Griggs 
  • Madeline Guimond 
  • Emiley Hepfner 
  • Sam Hoag 
  • Joseph Jung 
  • Mikayla Kindler 
  • Marissa Lewinski 
  • Ellie Lotterman 
  • Isabella Luke 
  • Ruicong Ma 
  • MacKenzy Maddock 
  • Clara Martinez-Voigt 
  • Grace McKnight 
  • Mihail Naskovski  
  • Udochi Okorie 
  • Eve Petrie 
  • Molly Ratliff 
  • Lily Rogowski 
  • Tommy Saxton  
  • Lia Schroeder 
  • Isabella Shansky-Genovese 
  • Abby Stewart 
  • Hayden Strobel
  • Rina Talaba
  • Omar Thaj  
  • Annie Tyler 
  • Megan Vandyke 
  • Carter Wade 

Eight Heyl Scholars Choose K

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Lillian Daniels for Heyl Scholars
Lillian Daniels ’26
Olivia Cannizzaro for Heyl Scholars
Olivia Cannizzaro ’26
Annaliese Bol for Heyl Scholars
Annaliese Bol ’26
Michael Ankley '26
Michael Ankley ’26

Eight Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields have earned Heyl Scholarships to attend Kalamazoo College in the 2022-23 academic year. 

The Heyl Scholarship Fund was established in 1971 through the will of Dr. Frederick Heyl and Mrs. Elsie Heyl.

Frederick Heyl was the first chemist at The Upjohn Company, later becoming a vice president and the company’s first director of research. He also contributed to about 80 research papers and patents while teaching chemistry at K. He maintained a lifelong passion for science and education and was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from K in 1937.  

Anoushka Soares
Anoushka Soares ’26
Brigid Roth
Brigid Roth ’26
Alyssa Park
Alyssa Park ’26
Devi DeYoung '26
Devi DeYoung ’26
Abigail Houtrouw for Heyl Scholars
Abigail Houtrouw, WMU

Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance. 

This year’s recipients of the scholarships, their high schools and their prospective majors are: 

  • Michael Ankley, Kalamazoo Central, physics.  
  • Annaliese Bol, Loy Norrix, biology. 
  • Olivia Cannizzaro, Vicksburg and Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center (KAMSC), 3+2 engineering.  
  • Lillian Daniels, Loy Norrix, biology. 
  • Devi DeYoung, Hackett Catholic Prep and KAMSC, physics or biology. 
  • Alyssa Park, Portage Central and KAMSC, computer science. 
  • Brigid Roth, Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC, biology. 
  • Anoushka Soares, Portage Central and KAMSC, biology. 

A ninth Heyl scholar this year, Abigail Houtrouw, has graduated from Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC. She will attend the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing.

Alumni Reflect on the Advice They Would’ve Given Themselves

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Students, faculty and staff practice the procession for Commencement on the Quad
Graduates-to-be on Thursday rehearsed the processional they will execute during
Commencement on the Quad at Kalamazoo College.

Spring term finals are over. Kalamazoo College’s faculty and staff are preparing for Commencement. And seniors, through a traditional rehearsal, have received their last instructions for Sunday’s ceremony. To help smooth the students’ transitions away from undergraduate life, we asked some faculty and staff who are K alumni themselves to share what advice they would go back and give themselves as they graduated.

Here’s what they had to say of that advice. We hope it will be valuable for the class of 2022.

Professor of History Charlene Boyer Lewis ’87

“Remember that no matter how carefully you plan for the future, something is going to come along to change your plans—and sometimes that change will be amazing!”

Enrollment Systems Manager Dan Kibby ’91

“Looking back, I cannot remember a single instance where I later wished I’d been less kind.”

Kalamazoo College Chaplain Liz Candido ’00

Two male faculty and a female grad-to-be on Commencement stage during rehearsal advice
Graduates-to-be Thursday were advised they will
shake hands with President Jorge G. Gonzalez, receive
their diploma, move their tassel and have their picture
taken while crossing the stage.

“Be imperfect. Some of the best things in my life have come as the result of some screw-up or mistake. Lose your fear of doing it wrong or incorrectly, and let yourself blunder into something unexpected and wonderful!”

Web Content Specialist Martin Hansknecht ’20

“Know that the skills you developed while at K are deeply transferable across industries, and be open to the curve balls life throws at you. But before that, take time to celebrate all you have accomplished during your four years at K—even though it may feel self-indulgent to celebrate anything positive during the dawn of a pandemic.” 

Admission Counselor Lezlie Lull ’20

“Say yes. Visit your friends. Enjoy your weekends. As you transition into a new life stage, take your time and enjoy the small moments, and don’t forget to visit your parents!”

We’re excited for the class of 2022 to join the ranks of our alumni!

Signing Day Spotlights Students Headed to Graduate School

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Amanda Morrison Signing Day
Amanda Morrison ’22
Annie Tyler '22 Signing Day
Annie Tyler ’22

Bright careers await the seniors graduating soon from Kalamazoo College, including those in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Six of them were spotlighted recently during a Signing Day, featuring some of the scholars who are moving on to graduate programs this fall.

Much like student-athletes would gather to sign letters of intent when selecting their collegiate destinations, the chemistry students met to officially declare their educational next steps. The event was first envisioned by Subi Thakali ’21, Alex Cruz ’21 and Angela Ruiz ’21, who desired an academic answer to the accolades a student-athlete might receive during a Signing Day. Professor of Chemistry Jeff Bartz organized it that first year and even borrowed a photography backdrop from the athletics department.

Now, grad-school bound chemistry students from K receive some brief fame through social media as their pictures and destinations are featured in the department’s Twitter and Instagram accounts. Suja Thakali ’23, a leader in the Higher-Level Education in Dow student organization, planned much of this year’s event with Bartz again borrowing a backdrop. The students among the honorees on the Signing Day were:

Lia Schroeder
Lia Schroeder ’22
Grace McKnight on Signing Day
Grace McKnight ’22
  • Annie Tyler, who is heading to Yale University for a Ph.D. in organic chemistry
  • Amanda Morrison, who will join the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis for a master’s degree in medicinal chemistry
  • Grace McKnight, who will attend the Grainger School of Engineering at the University of Illinois for a Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics
  • Lia Schroeder, matriculating at Rutgers University for a Ph.D. in biophysical chemistry
  • Faith Flinkingshelt, moving on to the University of California-Irvine for a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry
  • Ola Bartolik, who is seeking a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Michigan.

The chemistry department expects the tradition to continue next year alongside students from the biology department. But for this year, Tyler’s destination is especially noteworthy as she will be the first Heyl scholar from K to be awarded a Heyl Fellowship in more than 15 years. Heyl scholars are high-achieving high school graduates from Kalamazoo County, who receive full-tuition scholarships to attend K in a STEM program or Western Michigan University’s Bronson School of Nursing. K grads who successfully matriculate to Yale are eligible to apply for the Fellowship.

Ola Bartolik
Ola Bartolik ’22
Faith Flinkingshelt
Faith Flinkingshelt ’22

Tyler—a chemistry and religion double major, Kalamazoo Central High School graduate and Kalamazoo Promise scholar—said Yale wasn’t a graduate school on her radar until she realized the possibility of attending on a Heyl Fellowship.

“When I visited the campus and chemistry building, Yale was the only place I visited where I didn’t have an ‘I like this, but here’s this issue I have with it’ feeling,” Tyler said. “I liked everything about it. I liked that it was in a new place, and that they seemed really excited about recruiting students. I could very easily picture myself at Yale for the next five years.”

The Heyl Fund will cover up to four years of Tyler’s tuition and fees along with a stipend in the Fellowship. For the upcoming academic year, those costs add up to more than $80,000.

“I’m really honored that I was chosen for the Heyl Scholarship and the Heyl Fellowship,” Tyler said. “The scholarship allowed me to attend Kalamazoo College in the first place. To see that my last four years of work at K have allowed me to become a Heyl Fellow makes me really proud and excited to continue the work.”

Biology Student Gains Skills, Perspective Working at Kalamazoo Lab

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Dwight Williams' lab at Dow Science Center
Maddy Harding ’22, third from left, was one of a group of K students performing research in
the lab of Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Associate Professor of Chemistry Dwight Williams
last summer. Harding also holds a job at local lab Genemarkers, where she has assisted
in COVID-19 PCR testing.

Almost two years ago, Maddy Harding ’22 found both a way back to Kalamazoo and an inside perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic. 

After being sent home with the rest of the Kalamazoo College campus in spring 2020—home for Harding being a tiny town in the middle of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado—she returned to Kalamazoo about five months later, in July 2020. 

“I didn’t really have a plan, but I wanted to be back in Kalamazoo,” Harding said. “I had a roommate, so we found an apartment and looked for jobs.” 

Harding quickly found a position with Genemarkers, a genetic research lab in Kalamazoo that had pivoted in the spring from its previous focus on personalized medicine and product development to COVID testing.   

A biology major with a psychology minor and neuroscience concentration, Harding would attend virtual classes during the day before going into the lab to prepare COVID test samples for PCR testing. 

“I would go to work at 4 p.m. and stay until we finished, which some nights was 10 or 11 p.m.,” Harding said. “The facilities test all day and then they send all their samples in and they want results the next day. All the samples come in between 4 and 6 p.m., cooler after cooler after cooler. We were at one point in the winter receiving 3,000-4,000 samples a day. There would be coolers stacked to the ceiling full of patient samples.” 

Maggie Harding '22, who has worked at Genemarkers lab, holding her Senior Integrated Project
Maddy Harding ’22 completed her Senior Integrated Project testing a drug that could
help protect against neurodegenerative diseases on roundworms. She has honed her
lab skills working for the local lab Genemarkers for the past two years.

The lab worked to maintain a 24- to 48-hour turnaround time on all samples. 

“We were just trying to get through as many samples as possible in a short time while also being accurate and careful,” Harding said. “We were in full PPE [personal protective equipment]—scrubs, gown, shield, mask, two pairs of gloves. There were definitely stressful situations and a bit of fear, especially at the beginning, because that was before vaccines and I was touching COVID every single day. My coworkers are great, though, and I felt like I was making an impact on a lot of people. I’m glad I was able to help in some way.” 

Even as K returned to in-person classes and the schedule grew more challenging, the job offered Harding inside information on the state of the pandemic. Harding found it interesting to see how the number of samples and positivity rates fluctuated and to understand the PCR testing process.  

“My friends would always ask me for more details about what was actually going on,” Harding said. “I could tell them what pharmacies to go to at the peak times when our lab had one of the shortest turn-around times.” 

At times, Genemarkers has provided COVID testing for various pharmacies, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and colleges, including K. 

“That was tough at times,” Harding said. “The samples come with requisition forms that have the name and all the information for the patient. I would see people I sit next to in class, see their names on a COVID test. I don’t ever see the results with the name, and of course with HIPAA privacy laws I couldn’t say anything. Even though it’s all confidential, it was an interesting dynamic to navigate.” 

As the rate of testing has slowed, Harding has transitioned into a research-and-development role with Genemarkers, testing the efficacy and safety of various skin care products. 

Working at Genemarkers has taught Harding important lessons about working in a team, problem solving and working under pressure. 

The job has also boosted Harding’s lab skills, which helped when working on her Senior Integrated Project, researching the neuroprotective effect of a drug targeting serotonin receptors in C. elegans, a type of roundworm. 

“We looked to see if the drug has neuroprotective effects and it did, so that was exciting,” Harding said. “We did have some significant results. Neurodegenerative diseases are a big problem. There are a lot of different types and one of the problems in treating them is that they all have different mechanisms of action of neuronal death. A lot of treatments look at each one specifically. This research looked at them more collectively to see if there was more of a common process of cell death that is occurring in all of the different diseases.” 

Although much more research is needed, Harding’s work could eventually contribute to a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. 

The Genemarkers position has also had connections to Harding’s coursework at K. At the height of COVID testing, she had to keep a dream journal for a dreams and consciousness class and discovered that about half her dreams were stress dreams about working in the lab. 

“Right now, I’m in a genetics class and I’m learning all the little details I was missing for understanding the actual science I was doing,” Harding said. “Yes, I know I’m isolating RNA and then amplifying that using PCR, but what does that actually mean on the microscopic level? I’m learning that now in class so it’s cool to more fully understand the work I’ve been doing for so long. That’s a fascinating intersection between school and work.” 

Harding is currently applying for medical school and hoping to start that in fall 2023. 

“I just accepted a job for a research technician position for next year, for my gap year, and I think the Genemarkers experience made me a competitive applicant because I’ve worked there for so long and have learned a variety of useful skills,” Harding said. 

The job, at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, involves research on mitochondrial function. After graduation, Harding will move to Chicago for the job. Many of Harding’s K experiences will apply to the lab tech work. 

For example, she will be working with rodents, which she has done via psychology research during her time at K. Harding helped run a taste aversion learning trial which has possible implications for cancer patients who often develop aversions to certain foods during chemotherapy treatments. 

In addition, Harding took a topics class for seniors on neurodegenerative disorders in the fall that operated like a journal club. 

“We read different papers every single week and presented the findings of the scientific literature to the class,” Harding said. “I got exposed to a lot of cutting-edge techniques that are being used and now I’ll be using them next year.” 

Harding learned about the lab tech opportunity through a professor’s connection to a K alumnus who works in the lab. 

“It will be cool to talk to him about K,” Harding said. “It’s always fun to meet K alumni outside of K in a different context. You share this niche experience because it is such a small school and has so many traditions.” 

K Honors 30 with Senior Leadership Awards

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Recipients of 2022 Senior Leadership Awards
The 2022 Senior Leadership Awards recipients are (top row, from left) Matt Dubin, Aramide Ap-Oyin, Mihail Naskovski, Rushik Patel, Trish Gatsi and Walker Chung; (second row, from left) Zoe Zawacki, Ella Knight, Jake Fales and Hayden Strobel; (third row, from left) Aaron Martinez, Grace McKnight, Emme DeConinck, Dylan McGorisk and Alex Wallace; (fourth row, from left) Ella Palacios, Nilah Seals, Caroline Norton, Kayla Carlson and Reyna Rodriguez; and (front row, from left) Abby Stewart, Hannah Hong, Julia Ghazal, Mauricio Guillen, JP Pamintuan and Shayla Dailey. Not pictured: Ruth Butters, Kaitlyn Dexter, Darby Scott and Ian Yi.

A total of 30 students known for their invaluable contributions to the Kalamazoo College community were honored Friday, May 13, at the 18th annual Senior Leadership Recognition Awards.

The recipients represent talented athletes, outstanding academic performers, members of the President’s Student Ambassadors and student-organization standouts. Here are the honorees:

  • Aramide Apo-Oyin, nominated by Alexandra Altman, Admission
  • Ruth Butters, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement
  • Kayla Carlson, nominated by Sara Stockwood, Center for Environmental Stewardship
  • Walker Chung, nominated by Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Shayla Dailey nominated by Karyn Boatwright, Psychology
  • Emme DeConinck, nominated by Bryan Goyings, Women’s Soccer
  • Kaitlyn Dexter, nominated by Justin Berry, Political Science; and Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement
  • Matt Dubin, nominated by Brian Dietz, Student Development
  • Jake Fales, nominated by Vince Redko, Men’s Lacrosse
  • Trish Gatsi, nominated by Jackie Srodes, Center for Career and Professional Development; and Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Julia Ghazal, nominated by Danielle Turner, Residential Life
  • Mauricio Guillen, nominated by Francisco Villegas, Anthropology and Sociology
  • Hannah Hong, nominated by Daniela Arias-Rotondo, Blakely Tresca and Regina Stevens-Truss, Chemistry and Biochemistry; and Danielle Turner, Residential Life
  • Ella Knight, nominated by Mark Murphy, Women’s Tennis
  • Aaron Martinez, nominated by Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Dylan McGorisk, nominated by Vince Redko, Men’s Lacrosse
  • Grace McKnight, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement; and Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Mihail Naskovski, nominated by Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund; and Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement
  • Caroline Norton, nominated by Mark Murphy, Women’s Tennis
  • Ella Palacios, nominated by Kathryn Sederberg, German Studies; and Rachel Love and Rick Barth, Science, Math, Business and Economics Learning Centers
  • JP Pamintuan, nominated by Jackie Srodes, Career Development
  • Rushik Patel, nominated by Alexandra Altman, Admission; and Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Reyna Rodriguez, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement
  • Darby Scott, nominated by Katie Miller, Women’s Basketball; and Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Nilah Seals, nominated by Hunter Magrum, Residential Life
  • Abby Stewart, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Civic Engagement
  • Hayden Strobel, nominated by Diomedes Rabago, Spanish
  • Alex Wallace, nominated by Sandy Dugal, Kalamazoo College Fund
  • Ian Yi, nominated by Mark Riley, Men’s Tennis
  • Zoe Zawacki, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Moises Hernandez and Riley Gabriel, Center for Civic Engagement

Houseless to Benefit from K Team’s Work

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A Kalamazoo College faculty member and three of her students are among the people looking to help local houseless women and their young children achieve housing and health equity.

Visiting-Assistant-Professor-Jennifer-Mills-Helps-Houseless-Moms
Visiting Assistant Professor of
Psychology Jennifer Mills is the grant
writer for the Home Start Initiative, a
local project that aims to help
houseless women and their children.
Playgrown CEO Michelle Johnson
Playgrown CEO Michelle Johnson

Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology Jennifer Mills—with visionary assistance from Playgrown CEO Michelle Johnson—is the grant writer for the Home Start Initiative, a Kalamazoo County-backed project that will build a development of 10 homes with a park, parking area, community courtyard and more near a former makeshift houseless encampment next to the Kalamazoo River at Ampersee Avenue.

The Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners awarded the Home Start Initiative, a collaboration between Playgrown and the Institute of Public Scholarship, more than $318,000 in April for the sake of addressing a local shortage of affordable housing. Specifically, it will help people living at or below 30% of the Area Median Income (AMI) eventually achieve ownership of the homes in the project.

Mills, an expert in the social determinants of health, said the most exciting part of the project for her is that the initiative is partnering with Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine as well as the health department and Healthy Babies Healthy Starts in Kalamazoo County to ensure that women and their children will obtain at least five of those homes. Her students then will build a research agenda around the partnership and track health outcomes.

“We know in public health that a relationship exists between housing equity and health outcomes,” Mills said. “We’re trying to intervene early to give children some of the stability that can impact those social determinants of health. We’ll be working closely with the medical school and the public health department to identify all the measures we want to track.”

A groundbreaking is expected this fall. In the meantime, students such as Janet Fernandez ’25 and Natalie Pineda ’25 will interview the houseless community from the same area at Ampersee and Hotop avenues, where they conducted interviews in a previous first-year seminar.

Natalie-Pineda-Helps-Houseless-Women-and-Their-Children
Natalie Pineda ’25

The day they first showed up for those first-year seminar interviews, Fernandez and Pineda saw community members hurrying to pick up their belongings and worrying about where they could go next with the encampment being shut down.

“I think their stories are really important because they’re often just seen as being ‘the homeless,’” Pineda said. “If we’re acting as a community of Kalamazoo, and if we’re trying to provide better housing for people who live here, the most important place to start is with their stories and asking what their needs are because they’re the ones who are living that situation.”

Taking those stories and providing equity is an important part of sustaining the community, Fernandez said. Both Fernandez and Pineda are from communities, Chicago and Los Angeles respectively, where significant numbers of people are houseless. It’s nothing new to either of them. Yet the Home Start Initiative represents the first time Fernandez has seen a project of its kind.

“We have institutions and places in our cities where houseless people can go and sleep overnight,” she said. “But you’ll never see a program like the one we’re working on, where people get to live in a house and eventually own it. Trying to build that generational wealth is incredibly important.”

One of the first measures of success for the Home Start Initiative would be improved reading scores for the children involved over the next few years.

Skyler Rogers ’23

“Within the first few years of life, a lot of the social determinants of health begin to play a role in how a child’s brain develops and how different processes in the body take place,” said Skyler Rogers ’23, a third K student participating in the project.

“Having a stable, foundational childhood can change things drastically. It can impact a child’s cognitive abilities from a young age, and that’s where third-grade reading levels come into play. By the time a child reaches third grade, you can estimate their likelihood of graduating from high school and moving forward in life.”

As their work progresses, all of K’s representatives contributing to the Home Start Initiative are taking pride in their work. It’s a big investment that might not always represent what some in Kalamazoo believe is a top priority in addressing the issue of houselessness, but Mills and her students aren’t just assuming what the houseless community needs to provide a bare minimum of support. Instead, they’re talking to people to determine their exact needs.

“It feels amazing to see this,” Pineda said. “The amenities provide lifestyle help and can really ground a person to help them get back on their feet. Any other homeless shelter can provide you with a roof over your head for one night. But this project is helping people stay stable for a long period of time. It can help you get a job. If you have children, they provide daycare. All those aspects are important and add to these stories. It’s easy to think the homeless just need somewhere to sleep. But these are people, too, who will get a chance to start their lives again with this project.”

Chemistry Student Selected as National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow

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Portrait of National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow Ola Bartolik '22
Ola Bartolik ’22 has been selected by the National
Science Foundation as a Graduate Research
Fellow to support her graduate career at the
University of Michigan.

Ola Bartolik ’22 has been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a Graduate Research Fellow to support her graduate career at the University of Michigan.

Bartolik will graduate from Kalamazoo College in June with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry with a biochemistry concentration and a psychology minor. In August, she will begin a Ph.D. program at the University of Michigan, where she previously participated in research in the lab of Paul Jenkins for her Senior Integrated Project.

The National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in STEM disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $34,000 and a cost of education allowance of $12,000 to the institution. The fellowship also provides access to opportunities for professional development.

Approximately 2,000 applicants are offered a fellowship from among more than 12,000 applicants per competition.

“I think it’s really important that students at K be aware of the fellowship,” Bartolik said. Bartolik said the application process offered experience in writing a research proposal and bolstered her grad school applications by showing she was already thinking about funding and research. While Bartolik had considered taking a gap year before entering graduate school, the combination of the fellowship offer with the community she has already found at the University of Michigan while working on her SIP proved irresistible.

“I was having a lot of doubt as to whether I could really put myself through a Ph.D. or whether I had the skills and the knowledge to do it,” Bartolik said. “If the National Science Foundation saw enough potential to invest in me, that makes me think I’m ready for grad school.

“When I posted the announcement on my academic Twitter, Paul Jenkins retweeted it, and the University of Michigan neuroscience program retweeted it, too. The head of the program emailed me that I should be really proud. I hadn’t even committed to graduate school yet and they were already celebrating with me.”

Bartolik was also quick to share the news with the chemistry department at K.

“We are very proud of Ola,” said Blakely Tresca, Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “This is an amazing accomplishment for an undergraduate student before starting a Ph.D. program. Ola is the first chemistry major in 25 years to earn this honor while still a student at K.”

Bartolik will earn her Ph.D. as part of the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) at the University of Michigan, an umbrella program that comprises a variety of research fields including neuroscience, pharmacology, biochemistry and more.

“I’m really interested in trying to combine either neuroscience and pharmacology, or neuroscience and chemistry, for designing new drugs or new molecules that could be used for research or for therapeutic purposes,” Bartolik said. “My goal has always been to combine chemistry with neuroscience because I like chemistry; I don’t want to let go of it. Neuroscience can be very bio-heavy and I feel like having a chemist’s perspective on biological systems like the brain is really valuable.”

While her graduate work in PIBS is funded, Bartolik said, research opportunities can be limited based on each lab’s available funding.

“The fellowship opens me up to more lab opportunities and makes it easier to secure a spot in a lab,” Bartolik said.

At this point, Bartolik is interested in possible careers with a pharmaceutical or biomedical company as well as the field of science communication.

“Something that’s been interesting to me more and more is science communication, and how to effectively communicate science to people who don’t have the background,” Bartolik said. “The SIP was good practice; even though it was to a chemistry major audience, I still had to explain how neurons work and why this research is important. I found that I like presenting; I don’t get as nervous as I used to. And I like to geek out about my work around neuroscience, so I think that’s something I want to explore more, opportunities in journalism or some sort of science communication.”

In addition to the professional affirmation and practical benefits, the award is personally meaningful to Bartolik.

“My father passed away in 2017 from a heart attack,” Bartolik said. “He always supported me in high school, in everything I did. And I feel like he would have been so proud of me. I felt him with me, celebrating. My parents left everything behind in Poland so my sisters and I could have a better life and more opportunities. I feel like I’m fulfilling that and trying to make the most out of the life I’ve been given.

“I feel like this is what I was meant to do.”

NSF has funded Graduate Research Fellowships since 1952. More than 70 percent of fellows complete their doctorates within 11 years, 42 fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences. Applications are generally due in October. For more information, visit the National Science Foundation website.