Category: Students

Dean’s List Winter 2017

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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 Winter 2017 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 Dean’s List upon receipt of the final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group of more than 300 students, and good luck in Spring Term, 2017.

Winter 2017

A  B   C  D  E  F   G   H   I   J  K   L   M  N   O  P   Q  R   S   T   U   V  W   X   Y   Z

A

Maddy Adams
Azra Ahmad
Isak Akervall
Michelle Alba
Allegra Allgeier
Cheyenne Allyn-White
Kristen Amyx-Sherer
Georgie Andrews
Steven Andrews
Hunter Angileri
Lucas Arbulu
Mary Beth Arendash
Lauren Arquette
Meredith Ashton
Max Aulbach
Juan Avila

B

Bailey Baas
Sonal Bahl
Martin Barrera Vicente
Ethan Beattie
Grace Beck
Ben Behrens
Dylan Beight
Will Bell
Kate Bennett
Erin Bensinger
Brigette Berke
Daniel Bidwell
Maribel Blas-Rangel
Kyra Blum
Vanessa Boddy
Serena Bonarski
Jake Bonifacio
Maddi Booth
Riley Boyd
Emily Boyle
Drew Bremer
Heather Brown
Molly Brueger
Joel Bryson
Andrew Buchholtz
Mary Burnett
Thaddeus Buttrey
Shanice Buys
Erin Byrd

C

Alex Cadigan
Abby Calef
Mackenzie Callahan
Madison Campbell
Micaela Campos
Kefu Cao
Angel Caranna
Shannon Carley
Justin Carlson
Owen Carroll
Rachel Carson
Marissa Cash
Kebra Cassells
James Castleberry
Sharmeen Chauhdry
Sherry Chen
Chido Chigwedere
Tapiwa Chikungwa
Maddie Chilcote
Liza Chinchilakashvili
Nutsa Chinchilakashvili
Emiline Chipman
Daniel Cho
Josh Cho
Samantha Choknumtumnukit
Iffat Chowdhury
Paige Chung
Yoensuk Chung
Jack Clark
Joe Cleary
Elizabeth Clevenger
Chris Coburn
Quin Colwell
Carmen Compton
Hannah Cooperrider
Valentina Cordero
Austin Cramer
Ethan Cuka

D

Addie Dancer
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Druanna Darling
Amelia Davis
Corrin Davis
Robert Davis
Ximena Davis
Sophia Davis-Rodak
Eric De Witt
Tim DeCoursey
Joshua DeGraff
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Green Dickenson
Anthony Diep
Dominic DiFranco
Alexis Diller
Tuan Do
Mikayla Doepker
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Nate Donovan
Libby Dulski
Alivia DuQuet
Kayla Dziadzio

E

Cameron Earls
Adam Edery
Tristyn Edsall
Emma Eisenbeis
Tiffany Ellis
Anna Emenheiser
Anais Emory
Melissa Erikson
McKinzie Ervin
Amanda Esler
Lia Evangelista
Ihechi Ezuruonye

F

Rachel Fadler
Alex Fairhall
Emily Finch
Anders Finholt
Matthew Flotemersch
Mone’t Foster
Jack Fowler
Christopher Francis
Rachel Frank
Ian Freshwater
Annah Freudenburg
Lydia Fyie

G

Felipe Gabela
Alicia Gaitan
Owen Galvin
Liam Gantrish
Amanda Gardner
Brett Garwood
Katie George
Sarah Gerendasy
Carina Ghafari
Camille Giacobone
Josh Gibson
Kelen Gill
Danielle Gin
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Nebiyat Girma
Samantha Gleason
Beau Godkin
Dominic Gonzalez
Marlon Gonzalez
Rj Goodloe
Monica Gorgas
Adam Gothard
Janelle Grant
Keenan Grant
Andre Grayson
Claire Greening
Gelinda Guo
Maya Gurfinkel
Gus Guthrie

H

Jessie Hansen
Martin Hansknecht
Maverick Hanson-Meier
Jacob Hardy
Eric Hart
Mara Hazen
Alyssa Heitkamp
Ashley Henne
Daniel Henry
Gabrielle Herin
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Addie Hilarides
Sophia Hill
Kento Hirakawa
Louis Hochster
Megan Hoinville
Aly Homminga
Taylor Horton
Daniel Horwitz
Annabelle Houghton
Yuxi Huang
Nicole Huff
Ayla Hull

I

Bradley Iseri

J

Sadie Jackson
Aliyah Jamaluddin
Alejandro Jaramillo
Clare Jensen
Jon Jerow
Hanna Jeung
YanYan Jiang
Amanda Johnson
Paige Johnson
Emily Johnston
Brittany Jones

K

Kamalaldin Kamalaldin
Sharat Kamath
Maria Katrantzi
Alex Kaufman
Greg Kearns
Johanna Keller
Christian Kelley
Christina Keramidas
Jasmine Khin
Dahwi Kim
David Kim
Eunji Kim
Gyeongho Kim
Min Soo Kim
Yejee Kim
Savannah Kinchen
Ian Kobernick
Joe Koh
Julia Koreman
Matthew Krinock
Lily Krone
John Kunec
Jennie Kwon

L

Megan Lacombe
Phuong Anh Lam
Bryan Lara
Zoe Larson
Madeline Lauver
Andrew Laverenz
Sebastian Lawler
Phuong Le
Stefan Leclerc
Sabrina Leddy
Alex Lee
Joo Lee
Kelsi Levine
Emily Levy
Rachel Lifton
Xiang Lin
Rosella LoChirco
Sara Lonsberry
Lee Lotus
Elise Lovaas
Abby Lu
Nick Ludka
Cam Lund
Liam Lundy

M

Sydney Madden
Sam Maddox
Jessica Magana
Madisyn Mahoney
Kayla Marciniak
Helena Marnauzs
Cydney Martell
Elizabeth Martin
Kathryn Martin
Sophia Martin
Sam Matthews
Kevin McCarty
Aaron McKay
Katherine McKibbon
Branden Metzler
John Meyer
Danny Michelin
Briann Millan
Chelsea Miller
Joshua Miller
Myranda Miller
Sangtawun Miller
Suzanne Miller
Zach Miller
Jamie Misevich
Michael Mitchell
Vane Monda
Jake Mooradian
Maddie Moote
Alejandra Morales
Zach Morales
Aidan Morley
Amanda Moss
Ryan Mulder
Emma Mullenax
Libby Munoz
Stuart Murch
Hannah Muscara

N

Zhi Nee Wee
Kyle Neuner
Ellen Neveux
Viet Nguyen
Skyler Nichols
Annie Nielsen
Nick Nizzardini
Jonathan Nord
Skyler Norgaard
Emily Norwood
Brooke Nosanchuk

O

Evan O’Donnell
Eli Orenstein
Colleen Orwin
Michael Orwin

P

Dylan Padget
Daniel Palmer
Karina Pantoja
Jimmy Paprocki
Alan Park
Christina Park
Kayla Park
Andrew Parsons
Cayla Patterson
Caleb Patton
Marlisa Pennington
Jessica Penny
Allie Periman
Sean Peterkin
Uyen Pham
Katherine Pielemeier
Tony Pisto
Maylis Pourtau
Nicole Prentice
Maren Prophit
Tulani Pryor
Danielle Purkey

Q

 

R

Erin Radermacher
Ari Raemont
Hannah Rainaldi
Yajaera Ramirez
Malavika Rao
Zack Ray
Tori Regan
Erin Reilly
Mili Renuart
James Reuter
Dulce Reyes Martinez
Megan Rigney
Tucker Rigney
Cecilia Ringo
Philip Ritchie
Ben Rivera
Scott Roberts
Becca Rogers
Justin Roop
Melanie Ross-Acuna
Jeremy Roth
Orly Rubinfeld
Elli Rubin-McGregor
Devin Rush
Tim Rutledge
Keigan Ryckman
Matthew Ryder

S

Shiva Sah
Rumsha Sajid
Tanush Samson
Danielle Sarafian
Anselm Scheck
Katharine Scheck
Austen Scheer
Ashley Schiffer
Ashley Schmidt
Natalie Schmitt
Sarah Schmitt
Jacob Scott
Jd Seablom
Eli Seitz
Yeji Seo
Jasmine Shaker
Sharif Shaker
Chase Shelbourne
Riley Shepherd
Jenna Sherman
Arun Shrestha
Kylah Simmons
Jacob Sines
Karishma Singh
Griffin Smalley
Austin Smith
Ben Smith
Erin Smith
Logan Smith
Maggie Smith
Adam Snider
Katie Sorensen
Shannon South
Mariam Souweidane
Sophie Spencer
Katie Spink
Sydney Spring
Maya Srkalovic
Austin Sroczynski
Nora Stagner
Gabriel Stanley
Evan Stark-Dykema
Grant Stille
Petra Stoppel
Andrea Strasser-Nicol
Michelle Sugimoto
Sarah Sui
Caroline Sulich
Shelby Suseland
Garrett Swanson

T

William Tait
Aidan Tank
Emma Tardiff
Hanna Teasley
Nana Temple
Audrey Thomas
Louise Thomas
Natalie Thompson
Eric Thornburg
Charles Timmons
Paige Tobin
Ben Toledo
Alayna Tomlinson
Elizabeth Topper
Zachary Tornow
Brooke Travis
Dakota Trinka
Ronald Trosin
Myles Truss
Hassan Turk
Matt Turton
Shelby Tuthill

U

Lexi Ugelow

V

Mick Valatkas
Cynthia Valentin
Madison Vallan
Kaela Van Til
Adriana Vance
Austin Vance
Joshua Vance
David Vanderkloot
Zach VanFaussien
Erica Vanneste
Taylor VanWinkle
Greg Vasilion
Natalie Vazquez
Travis Veenhuis
Cory Vincent
Aiden Voss
Liam VosWilliams
Koji Vroom
Anh-Tu Vu

W

Raoul Wadhwa
Evie Wagner
Colin Waller
Hedy Wang
Madeline Ward
Jake Wasko
Ailih Weeldreyer
Jack Wehr
Cameron Werner
Sarah Whitfield
Annarosa Whitman
Nora Wichmann
Jessica Wile
Rachel Williams
Blake Willison
Meg Wilson
Raen Wolmark
Camille Wood
Julia Woods
Madeline Woods
Lindsay Worthington
Alexis Wright
Kate Wynne

X

Cindy Xiao
Terence Xu

Y

Samantha Young

Z

Julie Zabik
Matthew Zhiss
Amy Zhu
Ruijin Zhu
Ian Zigterman

K Students Excel in a Japanese Speech Contest

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K Students Study JapaneseThe heritages of sophomore YoungHoon (Richard) Kim and senior Jie Xu are rooted in Korea and China, respectively. Both students are also fluent in English. And both recently excelled in a competition featuring the language of fourth country–Japan. YoungHoon won the Consul General Special Prize in the annual Michigan Japanese Speech Contest, held at Wayne State University last week.  His speech was titled “I Don’t Like Him.”  In it, he expressed his ambivalent feelings about Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, considered by many a potential winner of a Nobel Prize for literature. YoungHoon’s extensive knowledge of modern Japanese literature impressed the audience. Jie was a finalist in the speech contest. In her talk, “Preserving Traditional Chinese Art,” she discussed how a pottery class she took at K in her first year provided her an opportunity to rediscover the pottery and the tea ceremony that are part of her Chinese heritage. That renewal, in turn, led her to expand her interest, geographically, to include the pottery and language of Japan.  Also of note, Jie passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) 2nd Level, a significant achievement for someone who has not participated in study abroad, according to assistant professor of Japanese Noriko Sugimori. K’s success in the speech contest was surely a team effort. Said Professor Sugimori: “We are particularly grateful to our Japanese teaching assistants—Yoji Hayashibe, Kaoru Ishida, and Reika Murakami—for their insightful feedback on the early drafts of YoungHoon and Jie’s speeches.” At K YoungHoon is majoring in East Asian studies and in philosophy; Jie is majoring in art. Pictured after the contest are (l-r): Ms. Takako Shibata, Japan Society of Detroit Women’s Club; Jie and YoungHoon; the Honorable Mr. Mitsuhiro Wada, Consul General of Japan in Detroit; and Professor Sugimori.

An Opportunity to Express Gratitude

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Gratitude Grateful for K
Students take advantage of “Grateful for K Day” to share their gratitude in handwritten thank-you notes to K donors

Kalamazoo College invites students, faculty, staff, alumni and others to celebrate “Grateful for K Day” on Wednesday, April 5, 2017.

Sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Fund, and formerly called “Tuition Freedom Day,” the April 5 event educates students about the important role philanthropy plays in sustaining and enhancing Kalamazoo College and (hopefully) inspires them to express their gratitude for the alumni, parents, faculty, staff and friends who generously support the College each year.

On Grateful for K Day students write hundreds of thank-you notes to express appreciation for the generosity shown through philanthropic support of Kalamazoo College. More than 98 percent of K students receive scholarships and/or some form of financial aid. This day acknowledges K donors and helps to educate students on the impact philanthropy has on their education and K experience.

What can you do on Wednesday to honor generosity and express gratitude? If you’re a student, please visit the Hicks Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. to write a thank-you note or two to our donors. After you’ve written your notes, grab a cookie and hot chocolate!

If your a donor, please share your “Why I Give” and “Why I am Grateful” stories on our website or Facebook page, where you can also learn more about Grateful for K Day.

Thanks for helping to put the K in thanKs!

K Student Group Aids Refugees

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As refugees face ostracism and persecution in fleeing from natural disasters, violence, war and other hardships, a Kalamazoo College student organization is reaching out with a helping hand.

K Student Group Supports Refugees
Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo (ROK) raises awareness of refugees and their struggles, while connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations that offer displaced people the resources they need. Emily Worline (left) is the group’s founder.

Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo (ROK) raises awareness of refugees and their struggles, while connecting volunteers with nonprofit organizations that offer displaced people the resources they need. Many Americans might envision refugees as people who live in camps thousands of miles away. But this organization of proactive students sees the needs of local families, and sparks change in Kalamazoo.

The organization has been so well received outside the college that Western Michigan University and Michigan State University have established their own chapters of ROK, with a University of Michigan chapter a possibility. Each chapter cooperates with community and government organizations to accomplish its mission of connecting the community to the global migrant disaster to benefit those displaced. Through education, building relationships and fundraising, they aim to bridge the gap between displaced populations and communities. ​

Katryn Walsh ‘19 is the president of ROK at K, leading a small-but-determined group of about seven regular Kalamazoo College members, while planning for growth.

“The process of relocating is often times an extremely difficult, disheartening, and tiring process so our hopes are to be supportive and positive for families that have moved to an unfamiliar community,” Walsh said. “As for the volunteers, I believe it is important to raise awareness and educate everyone about refugees and the current refugee crisis in our world right now.”

Cecilia De Boeck ’17, a Kalamazoo College student from Iowa City, Iowa, and an international and area studies major, preceded Walsh as ROK at K’s president. She first was inspired to work with refugees during an internship in the summer of 2015 in Minneapolis. There, she worked at the International Institute of Minnesota, an organization that helps refugees apply for green cards.

“I think this is important because we’re creating a bridge between the displaced population and Kalamazoo,” De Boeck said. “Some cities have done pretty well welcoming refugees, but we’re making sure they’re welcome here.”

De Boeck added she’s looking into one day working as a paralegal, hoping she can do pro bono work for immigrants, refugees and vulnerable populations.

“We’re working to put a face to the refugee crisis by creating a platform for their voices to be heard,” says ROK’s founder Emily Worline, while mentioning her organization’s effort this year to donate furniture through Samaritas, a social ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in Kalamazoo. “This is an issue that is not going away.”

Such civic engagement is a vital tenet of the K-Plan, Kalamazoo College’s approach to experiential education. What opportunities will you find when you research our student organizations? Learn more about groups such as Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo today.

K Plans Career Summit for April 7 and 8

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A select group of K alumni who are leaders in their fields will join Silicon Valley executives and venture capitalists for Kalamazoo College’s Career Summit 2017 — two days of practical preparation for Life after K.

K Career Summit
Kalamazoo College alumnus Brad O’Neill (center), a serial entrepreneur and investor, will lead K’s Career Summit on April 7 and 8.

Through interactive break-out sessions, themed panel discussions, and networking opportunities, students of all majors will gain priceless information about what to do (and what not to do) to position themselves for success in a fast-changing and unpredictable global job market.

Led by Brad O’Neill, creator of K to the Bay and a serial entrepreneur and investor, this exclusive opportunity to connect with industry leaders takes place on the Kalamazoo College campus so as many students as possible may participate.

The scheduled speakers are:

  • Jeanne Blondia ’87: Vice president of finance and treasurer, Stryker Corp.;
  • Jonathan Carr: Director of finance, SurveyMonkey Inc.
  • Priyanka Carr: Vice president of strategy and operations, SurveyMonkey Inc.
  • Val Cole ’83: Retired senior executive, Apple Inc.; consultant and philanthropist;
  • Amy Courter ’83: National president, Women in Defense; chief operating officer, inerTRAIN;
  • Lindsey Haswell: Director of litigation, Uber Technologies;
  • Ed Hortelano ’83: Global vice president for research and development, Loparex;
  • Terri Kline ’80: President and chief executive officer, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan; executive vice president, Henry Ford Health System;
  • Om Malik: Partner, True Ventures; founder, Gigaom;
  • Michael McFall ’93: Co-president and chief executive officer, Biggby Coffee;
  • Brad O’Neill ’93: Senior vice president of global sales and success, SurveyMonkey Inc.; creator, K to the Bay; serial entrepreneur and investor;
  • Hilmon Sorey: Co-founder and chief revenue officer, CareerSofia;
  • Elena Verna: Senior vice president of growth, SurveyMonkey Inc.; and
  • Jeff Wycoff: Co-founder and managing partner, Fort Point Capital Partners.

For more information, visit the Career Summit schedule of events.

Magazine Honors K Student for China-Relations Pursuits

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A magazine edited by students at Yale College is recognizing a Kalamazoo College student for demonstrating exceptional promise in China studies and furthering U.S.-China relations.

China Relations Student Amanda Johnson
China Hands Magazine is recognizing Kalamazoo College student Amanda Johnson for demonstrating exceptional promise in China studies and furthering U.S.-China relations.

China Hands Magazine judges chose Amanda Johnson ’17, an economics major and a political science and Chinese minor, for 25 Under 25: Leaders in U.S.-China Relations. As a junior at K, Johnson was one of just 171 undergraduate students nationwide to earn a Boren Scholarship to study abroad in Beijing and Harbin, China. The scholarships are named for former U.S. Sen. David L. Boren, the principal author of the legislation that created the National Security Education Program. Only four Kalamazoo College students have ever earned a Boren Scholarship.

Johnson interned in China as an event planner and writer with the Beijing International Society, where she worked alongside diplomats from around the world. The non-profit organization dedicates itself to expanding an international understanding of Chinese politics, economics and culture.

In other activities at K, Johnson has served as a secretary of finance for K’s Student Commission, a consultant for the student Writing Center, and a teaching assistant for the Economics Department. She plans to pursue a career in international economic policy with a focus on U.S.-China economic relations after graduation.

In establishing the “25 Under 25” honor in 2013, China Hands Magazine wrote, “We aim to highlight students and young working professionals who have worked to further mutual understanding between these two countries. As they continue building bridges between the two countries – whether in government, business or the social sector – we hope their stories will inspire others from our generation to do the same.”

Judges this year included Robert Daly, director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States; Graham Webster, a senior fellow at The China Center at Yale Law School; and George Chen, an award-winning journalist and 2014 Yale World Fellow.

First-Year Student Wins Entrepreneurship Grant

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Kalamazoo College Student Mansi DahalMansi Dahal ’20 has a vision so impressive that the Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA) has awarded her one of its Independent Innovators Network Scholarships. The scholarships recognize entrepreneurial concepts submitted by students from the 15 MCA schools. Mansi will receive a $5,000 scholarship in spring. The overall top entrepreneurial concept will be selected by MCA in the coming weeks.

Her goal after graduation in 2020 is to open a small clothing manufacturing business that employs women who have been physically, verbally and sexually abused. She envisions an operation–small at first–that incorporates design, production, marketing and advertising and sales. She plans to begin her business in Nepal, the home from which she matriculated to Kalamazoo College.

In addition to training and employment, her operation would provide housing and food for those employees who need it. The growth of her business will help ameliorate an important social issue. “Women who have undergone such trauma are often left jobless and without support,” wrote Mansi. With training, new skills and employment opportunities the women can regain power in their lives. Improvement in the lives of women has been a cause important to Mansi since her adolescence. At that time her first careers yearnings leaned toward medicine. And undergraduate study in the United States was not part of her plan. “Nothing happens according to my plans,” she says, “and I’ve been delighted by that.” When she first arrived at K, she was considering a major in economics. However, her first-year creative writing class has her thinking about a possible major in English.

She has a year before declaring a major (which happens in the sophomore winter term), plenty of time and opportunity to exercise her liberal arts spirit. Whatever her major ends up being, it will apply to the business idea she’s determined to bring to fruition–a business she hopes to expand to countries outside of Nepal. And the profits from that business Mansi plans to invest in its growth and to donate to organizations that promote sustainable hygiene and health for girls worldwide.

Wilderness Leaders

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Wilderness Leadership ConferenceTwenty-four K students attended the Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference recently, hosted by Central Michigan University and Mystic Lake YMCA Camp. Six K seniors presented four different workshops at the conference. Workshops and presenters included: Wilderness Solitude as a Rite of Passage for Emerging Adults (William Bartz, adapted from his Senior Individualized Project work), Meaningful Program Elements of Kalamazoo College’s LandSea Outdoor Orientation Program (Sharayu Salvi, adapted from Sharayu’s SIP work), Title IX and Outdoor Education (Emily Kowey and Danielle Gin, adapted from Emily’s SIP work), and Building Top Rope Climbing Anchors (Josh Cho and Siwook Hwang).

Senior Leaders

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Senior Leadership Award, Class of 2017, Kalamazoo College.Thirty-five Kalamazoo College seniors (class of 2017) were honored with the institution’s prestigious Senior Leadership Award. These remarkable individuals include teaching assistants, peer instruction leaders, resident assistants, team captains, all-conference and academic all-American selections, Dean’s List honorees, student ambassadors for the president of Kalamazoo College, departmental student advisors, Center for Career and Professional Development career associates, and interfaith student leaders. One has even served as the mascot, Buzz the Hornet.

They lead or participate in groups that include, among others, Sisters in Science, Frelon Dance Troupe, College Singers, Young Men of Color, Black Student Organization, Coalition for Reproductive Justice, Hillel, Swim for Success, the Cauldron, Health Professions Society, and the Athletic Leadership Council. Some have distinguished themselves as Hornet athletes in golf, soccer, softball, baseball, tennis, basketball and swimming; as performers in theatre and music; and as persons committed to thinking, listening and acting in collaboration on behalf of civic engagement and social justice.

Above all, these 35 individuals are, as one nominator wrote, “exemplary human beings.” Congratulations, seniors. Pictured are (l-r): front row–Moises Hernandez (holding his son Gael), Emily Levy, Marlon Gonzalez, Lauren Perlaki, Elizabeth Clevenger, Jacob Scott, Dana DeVito, Colleen Orwin; second row–Thaddeus Buttrey, Grace Smith, Kathleen Sorensen, Allie Brodsky, Suma Alzouhayli; third row–Allia Howard, Sarah Bragg, Kayla Dziadzio, Suzanne Miller, Sabrina Dass, Gabrielle Holme-Miller, Emily Kowey; fourth row–Melissa Erikson, Anh-Tu Vu, Riley Boyd, Ellie Goldman, Erin DuRoss; back row–Nate Donovan, Eric DeWitt, Douglas Robinett, David Smith, and Sidney Wall. Not pictured are Sarah Glass, Chenxi Lu, Leland Merrill, Branden Metzler, and Lindsay Worthington.

Photo by Anthony Dugal

A Distinguished Dozen

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Kalamazoo College 2017 Class Agents
Class agents (and their majors) for the class of 2017 are (l-r) front row–Kamal Kamalaldin (computer science), Bianca Delgado (political science), Kriti Singh (economics), Emma Franzel (theatre arts), Brooke Travis (anthropology and sociology); middle row–Emerson Brown (economics), Emily Levy (anthropology and sociology), Emily Finch (English and history), Chris Francis (economics); back row–Alivia DuQuet (political science and women, gender and sexuality studies) and Eric DeWitt (economics). Not pictured is Amanda Johnson (economics).

The class of 2017 has its agents, a dozen as distinguished as they are diverse. Alivia DuQuet, Amanda Johnson, Bianca Delgado, Brooke Travis, Chris Francis, Emerson Brown, Emily Finch, Emily Levy, Emma Franzel, Eric DeWitt, Kamal Kamalaldin and Kriti Singh come from four states and three countries and represent eight different majors, five different study abroad programs on four continents, one study away program and a K-Trek (K to the Big Apple). Seven will enter the work force after graduation (several with jobs already lined up), two will go to graduate school, two will take a gap year then proceed with their graduate educations, and one will do Teach for America before beginning grad school. Senior Individualized Projects ranged widely, and topics included, among others, state sexual education policies, climate adaption strategies, cultural institutions in Palestine, corporate venture capital investments, the Dodd-Frank Act, parental attitudes regarding corporal punishment, feminism performance theory and the U.S. primary care industry.

All of the class agents were asked why they wanted to take on this lifetime role. Their answers, understandably, varied and yet shared some common themes: an appreciation of the K learning experience, a desire to remain connected to classmates and the College and to pay forward the benefits of a K education. “Throughout my time at K,” said Singh, “I have realized the importance of financial support and support from alumni. I would love to be actively involved because a lot of students (unknowingly) benefit from the support from the people who have been giving back.” Kamalaldin agrees: “I want to be able to improve Kalamazoo College and stay connected to its mission. I want to give back the tremendous support and educational opportunity that Kalamazoo College gave me.”

Photo courtesy of Tony Dugal