Kalamazoo College is spotlighting its President’s Student Ambassadors to let you know who they are and the roles they serve for K. As student leaders, ambassadors serve as an extension of the president’s hospitality at events and gatherings, welcoming alumni and guests of the College with a spirit of inclusion. About 15 students serve as ambassadors each academic year. The students selected show strong communication skills and demonstrate leadership through academic life, student life or community service. Meet Maxwell Rhames ’25 through a Q-and-A conducted with Social Media Ambassador Blagoja Naskovski ’24.
Maxwell Rhames ’25 from Adrian, Michigan, is a chemistry major with minors in anthropology and sociology. He is involved heavily with the chemistry department as a research student and a teaching assistant. He is also a member of the Academy Street Winds, a leader of K’s chemistry club, and a member of Higher-Level Education in Dow, an organization that seeks to eliminate boundaries for students pursuing graduate school in the natural sciences after K.
What’s your favorite part of your K Experience?
“My absolute favorite part about being a student at K is working alongside such amazing faculty. The professors here are exquisite and truly care about making sure that their students understand the material and can apply it in relevant and advanced ways.”
Why did you accept the invitation to serve as a President’s Student Ambassador?
President’s Student Ambassador Maxwell Rhames ’25 is a research student and teaching assistant in the chemistry department.
Rhames, Arias-Rotondo and Ann Marie Johnston ’24 talk about undergraduate research in this video produced by Ethan Galler ’25.
Rhames (left) helps Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo and Caelan Frazier ’23, in the lab in the summer of 2022.
Rhames (second from right) was among five students who participated in the American Chemical Society Conference in Indianapolis in winter 2022. He was joined by Shay Brown ’23, Crystal Mendoza ’23, Lindsey Baker ’24, Arias-Rotondo and Frazier.
“I wanted to serve as a President’s Student Ambassador so that I could share the wonders of the K College community and student body with alumni and friends of the College. As an ambassador, I find it very rewarding to be able to meet an incredibly diverse group of people and share my K story with them and hear their stories in response.”
What is your favorite part of being a President’s Student Ambassador?
“My favorite part about the President’s Student Ambassador program is the ability to work so closely with President’s Staff and interact frequently with members of the College community, such as alumni and friends of the College. Being able to speak with these individuals and share my experiences and stories has proven incredibly rewarding and is by far my favorite part of the role.”
What would you recommend for the incoming President’s Student Ambassadors in 2024–25?
“I would recommend that interested students speak with current ambassadors to hear more about what the program entails. In general, I think that any interested students should absolutely apply to become a President’s Student Ambassador because it is an incredibly rewarding role!”
The ECO Club and Art Club got together to take recycling materials and express themselves in collaborative artwork for the sake of reducing waste.
The two organizations used items such as cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, toilet paper tubes, plastic bags and egg cartons in creating art.
Sustainability is an issue that unites many student organizations at Kalamazoo College, making collaboration natural.
Two Kalamazoo College student organizations took a cooperative approach to conservation this year by testing the theory that one person’s trash can be another’s treasure.
The Environmental Conservation Organization (ECO) Club and Art Club got together to take recycling materials—such as cans, plastic bottles, cardboard, newspapers, magazines, toilet paper tubes, plastic bags, egg cartons and more—and express themselves in collaborative artwork for the sake of reducing waste.
Geneva Hannibal ’26, Claire Kischer ’26 and Gwen Crowder Smith ’26 have guided Art Club since the beginning of the calendar year with their president, Sage Lewis ’25, on study abroad.
“Art Club is special to me because as a biology major, I won’t regularly be taking art classes,” Hannibal said. “I really love art, and as a first-year student, Art Club gave me and my friends the opportunity, space, and materials to continue doing art in college. Art Club was described to me as a place for everyone to participate in the visual arts, especially for those who aren’t in art classes.”
She said Randa Alnaas ’27 of ECO Club was among the first to approach Art Club about working together. Saying yes to her was a no-brainer.
“Like most people our age, all three of us value sustainability,” Hannibal said. “I think the success of this will be that more students are interested in Art Club and ECO Club. We’d love to see more people come to us with ideas like Randa did, even if it isn’t for collaborations with other student orgs. Anything that gets students inspired to take on leadership roles or help with events is a success.”
Noah Pyle ’25, a task force leader for ECO Club, said busy schedules prevented cooperation between the groups last year, but once a get-together was on the calendar, securing materials proved to be easy.
Noah Pyle, a task force leader for ECO Club, said busy schedules prevented cooperation between the groups last year, but once a get-together was on the calendar, securing materials such as cans, plastic bottles, and cardboard proved to be easy.
Randa Alnaas of ECO Club was among the first to approach Art Club about working together. Geneva Hannibal said saying yes to her was a no-brainer.
“It’s nice being a part of ECO because sustainability is something that everyone cares about at K,” said Shahriar Akhavan Tafti (right). “The possibilities for collaboration here are almost limitless.”
Students can find more information about ECO Club at bit.ly/ECO-CLUB or on Instagram at @kzooeco. They also can check out Art Club on Instagram at @kzooartclub.
“We sent out emails to say if you have these items, and you’re willing to clean and donate them for our event, we’d be more than happy to take them off your hands,” he said. “We ended up getting a decent amount of material. Just from that request, we received enough for people to be at the event the whole time and keep busy making their projects.”
Shahriar Akhavan Tafti ’24 of ECO Club said the meetings with Art Club exemplified how K student organizations can come together in a liberal arts environment, foster a community that is environmentally conscious and artistically vibrant, and nurture a passion for the arts and sustainability.
“It’s nice being a part of ECO because sustainability is something that everyone cares about at K,” he said. “The possibilities for collaboration here are almost limitless.”
Students can find more information about ECO Club at bit.ly/ECO-CLUB or on Instagram at @kzooeco. They also can check out Art Club on Instagram at @kzooartclub.
You’ve selected a small plastic peg (pink for female, blue for male), popped it in one of the four available station wagons, and placed it on the colorful board. You’ve chosen your starting direction—college or career—and off you’ve driven, spinning the whirring, ticking wheel and faithfully following the path. Collecting paydays, halting for marriage and the requisite spousal peg, adding baby pegs to your car as landing spaces dictate. Buying houses, hoping to make a profit when you sell. Advancing on the pre-determined path toward retirement, always with an eye to amassing as much wealth as possible along the way; that, after all, is how you win at the Game of Life.
Maybe you drive that path without questioning. Or maybe you wonder, every time: Why do I have to get married? Shouldn’t there be more forks in the road? Can I invent my own career path? What if winning wasn’t tied to wealth?
Growing up, Maddie Hurley ’24 loved playing the Game of Life with her two brothers or with a babysitter. A kid with a big imagination, Hurley’s play often centered around stories—narrating Barbie’s life, developing family dramas through playing house and reading books.
“I think I liked this board game specifically because it has that imaginative aspect,” Hurley said. “I could pretend I was a person with this home, or doing this career, and play out this made-up scenario.”
For the most part, she didn’t question the game too much as a child.
“I remember there were times, though, where I was like, ‘I don’t want to get married,’” Hurley said. “Or times where I would land on a square or draw a card that would tell me I had a boy or a girl, and I would be like, ‘I don’t want any boys. I only want girls,’ or I wouldn’t want to use a pink peg. I didn’t want to be a boy, but I wanted the color blue. I also remember wanting the highest-paid career so I could buy the most stuff and retire to the nicest place at the end; I always wanted to be the lawyer.”
Hurley found herself reflecting on what lessons she might have unknowingly absorbed from the Game of Life’s proscribed path and limited options during a junior-year women, gender and sexuality (WGS) seminar, WGS 390: Feminist and Queer Inquiries, with Assistant Professor of Art History and WGS Anne Marie Butler.
One text from the class that especially resonated with Hurley, Living a Feminist Life, by Sara Ahmed, explores life paths and happiness, and how society shapes our beliefs about those concepts. An article she came across in her independent research, “That Wasn’t Very Free Thinker” by Kim Hackford-Peer, relates a story of the author attending her son’s elementary school assembly. To show how the letter Q is always paired with U, second grade students acted out marriage between the quarterbacks and the queens.
Maddie Hurley ’24 reimagined the Game of Life to be more inclusive and exploratory as part of a junior-year women, gender and sexuality (WGS) seminar, WGS 390: Feminist and Queer Inquiries.
Biochemistry major Maddie Hurley ’24 values the women, gender and sexuality (WGS) courses she has taken at K. “I took WGS 101 my sophomore year and I loved it. It had a big impact on me and changed the way I not only thought about our world and our society, but about myself. It had me questioning my own sexuality, the way I think of gender, the way I think of race. It was so applicable to everything in everyday life.” For WGS 390, Hurley used scholarly literature to deconstruct and reimagine the Game of Life and examine the concepts of heteronormativity and happiness.
“Although it’s an innocent idea and a fun way to help kids learn to spell, it’s so rooted in heteronormativity and gender fatalism,” Hurley said. “Those readings got me thinking about how these life paths have been constructed for me starting at a young age. What did I play? What movies did I watch? That led me to believe I have to get a job, be successful, get married, have kids, and buy a house, or I’m not going to be happy. How did I develop this belief? Where did it come from? Sorting through that reflection and thinking about what I did growing up, I ended up at the Game of Life.”
For her final project for the class, Hurley decided to reconstruct the Game of Life, so it no longer sent the message that there exists one, heteronormative path to happiness. Drawing on scholarly literature, she designed new elements to the game and analyzed the concepts of happiness and heteronormativity as well as the ways systems reinforce the dominant heteronormative narrative.
“Ahmed talks about the Middle English word ‘hap,’ which really means chance,” Hurley said. “You can’t complete certain steps to gain happiness. It’s something that you fall upon—something that just happens.”
So, Hurley included a square on the board that prompts players to draw from an emotion deck that may or may not provide them with a happiness card—the key to winning Hurley’s version—at random. She also introduced more options to many game elements.
“You can choose not to get married or you can choose multiple partners. You could choose to have kids or not have kids. You could get a pet. I included more jobs, like being a janitor or an artist. Instead of buying houses, you could be a traveler. You don’t even have to use a car or a person peg; there could be random player pieces you could choose. I wanted it to be very open-ended.
“I wanted no hierarchy of what is better and what is worse. You can just explore, and no matter which options you choose, you can still win, because everybody has the same opportunity to pull the happiness card.”
Another article the WGS 390 students read, “Punks, Bulldaggers and Welfare Queens: The Radical Potential of Queer Politics” by Cathy Cohen, brought home to Hurley the importance of avoiding a false dichotomy between queerness and heterosexuality. She made the game as inclusive as possible by adding to rather than replacing the traditional path of career, marriage, children, retirement.
“I wanted to make the board more extravagant,” Hurley said. “More pathways, more options. There is not one path to happiness, and we should all question things in our lives—the choices we’ve made, why we made those choices, the impact our experiences have had on our beliefs of life goals, happiness, what it means to be successful. Sara Ahmed wrote something like, ‘To live a feminist life is to question your way of life.’ I loved that, it really stuck with me, and I hope this project could make people question the games they’ve played, the shows they’ve watched, and how those things have influenced them.”
Hurley continues to question and explore her own choices and path. Even as she applied to Ph.D. programs in chemical biology and biochemistry, she asked herself if this was the future she wanted or simply the one she felt was expected.
“As of now, I am going to defer my enrollment a year to the University of Illinois, take a gap year, gain some work experience, and then circle back and see if this is something I want to do,” Hurley said. “I do like science, and I do like school. We’ll see.”
Hurley grew interested in a possible career in research while completing her Senior Integrated Project (SIP), which involved a research experience in a chemical biology lab at the University of Illinois over summer 2023. She has also participated in research at K, in Assistant Professor of Chemistry Blake Tresca’s lab. Other K experiences include studying abroad in Scotland, playing tennis and serving as president of the Food Recovery Network, as well as exploring the WGS offerings.
“Before going into this seminar, I didn’t recognize how heteronormativity is always in the background,” Hurley said. “We as a society don’t process it, because it is normalized, institutionally, through media, in board games. For anyone who deviates from that heteronormative path, there is always a fear of unhappiness, judgment, lack of success. This course and the readings helped me realize how those expectations were socially constructed. How many people have followed that path and are unhappy? It helped me reframe that perspective that heteronormativity tells us what will lead to happiness. You can’t achieve happiness, it’s just something that happens. Sometimes happiness is just there.”
Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Collective Undergraduate Research and Activism e-Conference
Five Kalamazoo College students, including Maddie Hurley ’24, presented their work during the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Collective undergraduate research and activism e-conference on March 28–29.
Anne Marie Butler, Kalamazoo College assistant professor of art history and women, gender and sexuality (WGS), is a co-convenor of the collective and a conference organizer. Held annually for four years, each conference has included K students. Participation develops professional skills, including public speaking and creating a presentation for an external audience, and offers experience that serves students well whatever their next step may be. The conference also features two professional development panels, one focused on careers and one on graduate school.
“Many students present their senior research or SIP, so it provides a practice run if they have a departmental presentation, and a chance for them to share their work with a wider audience,” Butler said. “Students who attend the conference but don’t present can see the amazing research their peers are doing and will hopefully be inspired to present in a future year. I encouraged all of my students from my spring 2023 junior seminar, as well as my SIP students and other students from my classes to apply, and I was so happy that Maddie was interested, because her project does a great job of applying some of the theory we read in class to create a fun and innovative project.”
A biochemistry major, Hurley had previously participated in a poster session at an undergraduate science research conference. In addition to a different presentation format and a virtual experience, the WGS conference offered a different atmosphere.
“It was more open and flexible, and discussion based,” Hurley said. “It was nice to have a conversation about my project with other students and learn about the research they did, to see that we were all genuinely interested and learn about somebody else’s experience.”
Butler said the conference is for students of all years and majors.
“As long as the project ties into WGS themes in some way, we welcome those presentations,” Butler said. “We love creative, activist and research projects, and we have had projects from areas as diverse as biology, visual art, psychology, music and languages. Maddie is an awesome student. She’s very thoughtful and committed to understanding and working with course materials and makes great connections and applications beyond the materials as well, as seen in her project.”
K students presented the following projects at the conference:
Ryan Drew ’24, “The Epistemology of Woman: A Poetic Conversation Deconstructing Biology and Language”
Brynna Garden ’24, “The Influence of Natural Disasters on Violence Against Women”
Maddie Hurley ’24, “Remaking the Game of Life and Reframing Happiness”
Dugan Schneider ’24, “Breaking Linguistic Norms: オネエ言葉 (Onē Kotoba) as a Vehicle for Queer Identity Expression in Contemporary Japan”
Frances Trimble ’24, “(Re)imagining Knowledge Production in Higher Education Through Feminist Pedagogy”
Environmentally focused students are leading Earth Week events at Kalamazoo College this year.
Events will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, April 19, when K student organizations, the Environmental Stewardship Center and climate-action groups from around the city will gather for a climate rally at Bronson Park. Hear from sustainability-focused speakers and network with local environmentalists. The event is organized by Western Michigan University’s Climate Change Working Group and the ARDEA Youth Climate Coalition. K students interested in attending can gather in Red Square at 3:30 p.m. to walk to Bronson Park as a group.
Also Friday, Camran Stack ’24 and the student composting crew will host the K community at The Grove, between the Living Learning Houses and the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, for some cathartic composting in Rot Your Troubles at 6 p.m. Write down your fears, troubles and pet peeves on compostable materials, and transform them into healthy and abundant soil that supports plant life.
Then, join the student Bike Co-Op for a ride along the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail beginning at 4:10 p.m. Monday, April 22. Ten bikes are available through Outdoor Programs for student use on a first-come, first-served basis. The ride will depart from the Dewaters Hall parking lot. Or, if you want to enjoy nature a bit closer to campus, join Jessalyn Vrieland ’24 and the other Hoop House Interns from 4:30–6 p.m. for some gardening with food crops. By the way, watch for more information on a Hoop House After Dusk on Friday, April 26, in collaboration with the Kalamazoo College Council of Student Representatives (KCCSR). Dress up in earth tones, enjoy some snacks and have fun with crafts.
Finally, the annual Senior Integrated Project (SIP) Symposium focused on sustainability will kick off with a keynote address at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, in Dewing Hall, Room 103. Ashley Cole-Wick of the Michigan Natural Features Inventory will discuss her work to protect species of butterflies. Students then will present their SIPs in environmental studies, critical ethnic studies, biology and more at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in the Hicks Student Center Banquet Room.
Earth Week events at Kalamazoo College are planned for Friday, April 19-Wednesday, April 24. Join Hoop House interns including Jessalyn Vrieland ’24 for an open house on Monday.
“Sustainability is about making a dedication to and caring for this Earth that has existed since before we were here,” Vrieland said. “It’s important to remember that what we do impacts the environment. It’s something that we should make space for and exist alongside rather than over.”
For more information on Earth Week and other environmental efforts at the College, visit the Sustainability at K website.
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 2024 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 Winter 2024 Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group for Winter 2024.
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Winter 2024 Dean’s List at Kalamazoo College.
Winter 2024
A
Callie Abair Shannon Abbott Cherry Acosta Fuzail Ahmed Kelley Akerley Maya Alkema Caleb Allen Randa Alnaas Mahmoud Alsafadi Fanny Alvarado Emiliano Alvarado Rescala Lana Alvey Zahra Amini Darsalam Amir Mia Andrews Eleanor Andrews Unayza Anika Michael Ankley Madison Anspach Maya Arau Kaelyn Arlington Lora Armstrong Emily Auchter Edith Aviles
B
Guenevere Baierle Annalise Bailey Lindsey Baker Baylor Baldwin Elizabeth Ballinger Zoie Banger Evan Barker Brianna Barnes Gabriella Barry Joseph Basil Hunter Bates Annalisa Bauer Nathan Bauer Emma Becker Curtis Bell Cassandra Bennett Aubrey Benson Jane Bentley Alexandrea Bernal Eleanor Bernas Jonah Beurkens Willow Bigham Thalia Bills Henry Black Douglas Blackwood Lizbeth Blas-Rangel Axel Bodeux Annaliese Bol Alexandra Bonebrake Luke Bormann Jack Boshoven Eleni Bougioukou Nathan Bouvard Holly Bowling Ella Boyea Yvette Boyse-Peacor Allison Bozyk Emily Braunohler Jay Breck Chloe Briggs Lukas Broadsword Avery Brockington Jonathan Brunette Chloe Bryant Anna Buck Anna Budnick Jaden Buist Victoria Burnham Ian Burr
C
Erendira Cabrera Amaia Cadenas Bailey Callaway Eleanor Campion Olivia Cannizzaro Arlanderia Cardenas Estelle Chloe Carlson Luis Castro-Limon Caleb Caul Emma Caulkins Isabella Caza Abigail Caza Daniel Celedon Alexandra Chafetz Iris Chalk Josetta Checkett Isabel Chiang Yongwan Cho Trustin Christopher Noah Chun Thomas Clark Maya Clarren Lilly Cleland Kai Clingenpeel Mai Elise Code Samuel Coleman Logan Coller Indigo Corvidae Courtney Cotter Cate Cotter Holden Coulter Gavin Crawley Lucy Cripe Mia Crites Gwendolyn Crowder Smith Emma Curcuru Maria Curcuru Isabel Curtis
D
Erik Danielson Jessica Dant Jasmine Davis Asha Dawson Tara Dean-Hall Lillian Deer Carson Deines Enrique Delzer Lina Denney Devi DeYoung Alexander Di Dio Liam Diaz Michaela Dillbeck Taylor Dinda-Albright Mariam Diouf Caitlin Dolan Rorie Dougherty Simon Doyle Jordan Doyle Ryan Drew Alexander Dubin Isaac Duncan Patrick Dunfee
E
Sally Eggleston Jairo Eguia Abigail Eilertson Sara Elfring Evelyn Ellerbrock Sara English Marvin Ernst Justin Essing Sam Ewald Caleb Ewald
F
Niklas Fagerman Andreas Fathalla Blake Filkins Bridget Finco Sara Finks Morgan Fischer Julia Fitzgerald Mabel Fitzpatrick Ella Flourry Robyn Foley Ross Fooy Kirsten Formell Parker Foster Andre Fouque Hillary Fox Kinga Fraczkiewicz Emma Frederiksen Landrie Fridsma
G
Tracy Galeana Lucy Gallagher Maria Garcia Brynna Garden Grey Gardner Ingrid Gardner Roberta Gatti Lyrica Gee William Geiger Grace Getachew Maira Ghaffar Griffin Gheen Logan Gillis Laura Goia Maxwell Goldner Cecilia Gray Donovan Greene Natalie Greene Kaitlyn Grice Natalie Gross Cassandra Grotelueschen Madyson Groth Oliver Gutierrez Paola Guzmán Jiménez
H
Sophia Haas Marissa Haas Aiden Habboub Sydney Hagaman Emma Hahn Emily Haigh Blu Haney Geneva Hannibal Rachel Harman Sophie Hartl Pauline Hawkes Beatrice Hawkins Jacob Hazlewood Zachary Heikka Megan Herbst Litzy Hernandez Sophia Herold Gerardo Herrera-Sanchez Maya Hester Ashlen Hill Hadley Hilner Bijou Hoehle Jacob Hoffman Garrick Hohm Annika Hokanson Ronin Honda Tyler Houle Gavin Houtkooper Sharon Huang Ethan Huebsch Samuel Hughes Lukas Hultberg Alek Hultberg Michael Hume Madelaine Hurley Megan Hybels Kennedy Hynde
I
Carson Ihrke Macy Ivins
J
Gloria Jackson Colton Jacobs Marquisha James Rex Jasper Ryleigh Jaworski Morgan Jenkins Anne Catherine Johnson Cloe Johnson Johe Newton Johnson
K
Amalia Kaerezi Jessica Kaplan Timothy Karubas Maria Kasperek Seth Keana Ella Kelly Emilia Kelly Blake Kelsey Mphumelelo Khaba Harriet Khamisi Anum Khan Mahum Khan Hibah Khan Jackson Kiino-Terburg Hyunwoo Kim Joshua Kim Dong Eun Kim Anwen King Caleb Kipnis Kendyl Kirshman Claire Kischer Alexander Kish Kathryn Klahorst Noah Kleiner Zoe Klowden Rhys Koellmann Melody Kondoff Maxine Koos Daniel Koselka Connor Kouki Emma Kovacevic Julia Kozal Christian Kraft Jason Krawczyk Jack Kreckman Nikolas Krupka Mara Krupka Annabelle Krygier Ealin Kubicki Celia Kuch Laryn Kuchta
L
Nicholas LaFramboise Rylee Lambert Olivia Laser Annmarie Lawrence Huin Lee Sydney Lenzini Nico Lipton Luis Lizardo-Rodriguez Alex Lloyd Logan Lockhart Alondra Lopez Beatriz Lopez Grace Lounds Teresa Lucas Lee Lum Jacob Lynett
M
Ellie MacE Lauren MacKersie Samantha Major Natalie Maki Andrew Mallon Lesly Mares-Castro Ana Marín Vintimilla Ariadne Markou Molly Martinez Natalie Martinez Isabelle Mason Hollis Masterson Virginia Matta Matthew Matuza Eliza Maurer Zachary Maurice Benjamin Maurice Cedric May Claire McCall Lauren McColley Liam McElroy MacKale McGuire Regan McKee Jacob McKinney Kira McManus Sophia Merchant Maximus Mercurio Rachel Meston Estelle Metz Allison Meyers Jack Miller Brittany Miller Ella Miller Jade Milton Ameera Mirza Jackson Mitchell Elana Mitchell Jacques Monchamp Mariah Moore Martin Morison Myotis Morton Maren Mosher Madeline Moss Fadi Muallem Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier Claire Mullins Andrew Munger Ella Myers
N
Nailia Narynbek Kyzy Blagoja Naskovski Ryan Neihsl Chloe Nelund Mackenzie Newhall Robert Newland Nguyen Nguyen Yen Giang Nguyen Theodore Niemann Joanna Nonato Will Norwood Haleigh Nower
O
Jeremiah Ohren-Hoeft Amara Okoro Gabriel Olivier Emma Olson Tyler Omness Kevin Oneill Eliana Orozco B Osborne Aryka Ostroski
P
Chelsea Paddock Maren Palmer Astrid Parker Eleanor Parks-Church Hannah Parsons Mia Pascuzzi Juniper Pasternak Eric Paternoster Morgan Paye Audrey Pegouske Mia Pellegrini Kaitlin Peot Alex Pepin Marcos Perez Margaret Perry Margaret Peters Paige Peterson Indigo Philippe Anna Phyo Sheyla Pichal Sydney Pickell Benjamin Pickrel Mia Pierce Isabella Pimentel Madison Pisano William Plesscher Alex Plesscher Megan Ploucha Madelyn Portenga Mauricio Posey Bea Putman
Q
Emma Quail Kelvis Quaynor Matthew Quirk
R
Elizabeth Rachiele Tieran Rafferty Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci Ana Ramirez Leah Ramirez Jessie Ramirez Lafern Ramon Liam Regan Isabel Reyes Jaycee Rider Sheldon Riley Emory Roberts Narelle Robles Jocelyn Rodriguez Schareene Romero Rivera Amelia Rooks Brigid Roth Elizabeth Rottenberk Sofia Rowland Nathaniel Rulich
S
Zenaida Sackett Sophia Sajan Abigail Samson Ryan Sanborn Leslie Santos Fiona Schaffer Leo Schinker Olivia Schleede Sophia Schlotterer Vivian Schmidt Annika Schnell Arden Schultz Ava Schwachter Amalia Scorsone Oskar Sears Jacinda Servantes Brendon Shaffer Tillie Sheldon Riley Shoemaker Cassidy Short Clara Siefke Mo Silcott Xavier Silva Julia Sitz Kiersten Sjogren Colby Skinner Maja Smith Anoushka Soares Erin Somsel Harry Spark Jonah Spates Ella Spooner Sophia Sprick Camran Stack Florian Stackow Marlee Standke Adam Stapleton David Stechow Joseph Stein Taylor Stephens Molly Stevison Emma Stickley Pavel Stojanovski Liliana Stout Zachary Strauss Donovan Streeter Kristian Strljic Abbygale Stump Maeve Sullivan Hannah Summerfield Keegan Sweeney Brandon Sysol
T
Madison Talarico Olivia Tessin Minh Thu Le Jayden Thurmond-Oliver Emily Tiihonen William Tocco Alexander Tolman Lily Toohey Simon Topf Derik Torres Jakob Torzewski Phoebe Tozer Vincent Tran Danielle Treyger Nghia Trinh
U
Hannah Ulanoski Gabrielle Unger-Branson
V
Tony Vaisanen Anthony Valade Christopher Van Alstine Lucy Vandemark Cameron VanGalder Mitchel VanGalder Cate VanSchaik Gianna Vicario Mirella Villani
W
Kaytin Waddell Joseph Wade Ava Wagle Ipsa Wagle Megan Walczak Andre Walker Madison Walther Natalie Ward Annslee Ware Ryan Warezak Riley Weber Charles Wester Grace Westerhuis Benjamin Whitsett Jay Wholihan Alicia Wilgoren Ava Williams Carson Williams Jordyn Wilson Siona Wilson Zoe Wilson Ruby Winer Hannah Witkoff Alexa Wonacott Maximilian Wright Emma Wrobleski
Y
Hailey Yoder Hillary Yousif
Z
Jacob Zeller Haochen Zhou Florian Ziolkowski Ariana Zito Rebecca Zoetewey Margaret Zorn Lee Zwart
Vivian Schmidt ’25 might one day advance the fight against neurological disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease—and her recent study abroad experience is one reason why.
Schmidt, a biology and psychology double major with a concentration in neuroscience at Kalamazoo College, worked for 10 weeks last summer in the University of Michigan’s Summer Intensive Research Experience in Neuroscience (SIREN) program, then followed that with an academically rigorous global challenge in fall at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in Budapest, Hungary.
Schmidt chose the ELTE program, called the Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science (BSCS) program at K, for its wide breadth of subjects including biology, psychology, philosophy and computer science, each of which covered topics in neuroscience through a K partner program that included faculty from Slovakia and Hungary. She now feels ready to return to Ann Arbor this summer for additional hands-on research.
“I was able to meet many researchers during my time in Hungary as they were our professors, so I got to learn a lot about the groundbreaking research happening outside of the States,” Schmidt said. “Before going abroad, my main goal was to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted to try new things, eat new foods, meet new people, experience new things, learn a new language and more. I wanted to make it the experience of a lifetime. Now that I am back in the States, I would say that I did just that.”
As a first-generation student, Schmidt said studying abroad seemed absolutely out of reach for her family. Therefore, the experience was special to her, especially with it supported by the James G. Stemler Study Abroad Scholarship through Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society that recognizes academic excellence in their first year of college. The K chapter is advised by Jessica Fowle, K’s director of grants, fellowships and research. The scholarship gives 20 students from around the country between $1,000 and $2,000 apiece every year. Recipients are ranked in the top 20% of the class at the end of their first year with a GPA of at least 3.5.
“Without this scholarship, I wouldn’t have had a chance to study abroad, I wouldn’t have gained all the incredible experiences, and I wouldn’t have met the amazing people I did,” she said. “Because of this scholarship, I was able to grow as a person, excel as a student and make connections that will last a lifetime.”
Equally beneficial was the opportunity to discover a place completely unknown to her.
“Growing up, I did not learn much about Eastern Europe,” Schmidt said. “Given the opportunity to study abroad, I wanted to learn about a culture in which I had no preconceptions or experience with. I wanted to see a whole new part of the world, one that I probably would never have seen without my study abroad experience. Those three months were the most memorable of my life thus far and they will continue to hold a special place in my heart for years to come. The relationships that I made while abroad are some of the strongest in my life.”
Vivian Schmidt ’25 (left) earned a scholarship to study abroad last fall in Budapest, Hungary.
Alpha Lambda Delta distributes $30,000 in study abroad scholarships each year to students like Schmidt who finish in the top 20% of their class at the end of their first year in college with a GPA of at least 3.5.
Only 6 years old when her family moved to Michigan in 2009, Ifeoma Uwaje ’24 retains a deep love for her home in Nigeria and remembers the pain of losing young classmates to malaria due to a lack of resources and access to healthcare. Emotional visits back home in 2017 and 2022 elicited a deep desire in Uwaje to improve circumstances for her first community.
As she anticipates graduating from Kalamazoo College this spring with a degree in biochemistry, Uwaje hopes eventually to combine her commitment to community with her love for science—and her Senior Integrated Project (SIP), currently underway, represents one possible path forward.
Starting college virtually, in the midst of a pandemic, brought home to Uwaje how essential community is for her, and how lonely she was without it. Once she got to campus, she jumped right in, becoming involved with Sukuma Dow, which supports and empowers students of color in STEM, and Kalama-Africa, which creates space to engage with African and Caribbean cultures and experiences.
“The isolation of the pandemic motivated me to find my community here on campus, which made my experiences so much better,” Uwaje said. “I’m grateful for the community I was able to find here.”
Through Kalama-Africa, Uwaje has been part of building a close-knit community and sharing culture and food from different parts of Africa and the Caribbean, both within the organization and with the larger campus community, particularly through events like Afro Fiesta Desi Sol. Both her work as a resident assistant and her involvement with Sukuma Dow have allowed her to experience receiving and offering support.
Ifeoma Uwaje ’24 poses with Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss during Dress Like Your Professor Day in summer 2022.
Uwaje drew on childhood experiences in Nigeria, where she remembers classmates dying of malaria, to inspire her Senior Integrated Project. Her SIP is an extension of a small-group project for her medicinal chemistry class involving computational research on improving a pharmaceutical drug.
Participation and leadership with the executive board of student group Kalama-Africa, pictured during Afro Fiesta Desi Sol, has offered community and fellowship at K for Uwaje, far right.
Uwaje, fourth from left, with the executive board of student group Kalama-Africa, cherishes the opportunities she has found at K to share and learn about different African and Caribbean cultures.
“I love interacting with my residents and getting to know their stories and connecting with them on a personal level,” Uwaje said. “It warms my heart when my residents come and talk to me about anything, and I’m happy that I can create a safe and welcoming atmosphere for them.
“Sukuma Dow has also been a rewarding experience because when I was a sophomore, it was nice that I had older students that I could go to for advice on how to be a better student or how to do well in a class and for a listening ear those days where things were really stressful. Now that I’m a senior, I’m happy that I can also give advice to younger students, tell them things that I did, reassure them and make them feel supported, and let them know, ‘Hey, you’re not alone. You can do this. You’ve got this. I believe in you.’”
Uwaje has also volunteered at Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes and participated in science outreach for elementary, middle and high school students in Kalamazoo.
Coming to K, Uwaje intended to major in biology. Quickly, however, classes with Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss deepened her interest in chemistry, and Uwaje settled on a new major offered from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
“Being a biochemistry major has been so rewarding,” Uwaje said. “It made everything in my science education make sense. Biology is amazing, and understanding the chemical aspect really exhilarated me because I could learn all of these different reactions that are going on in our bodies and see how they apply to and affect our daily lives.”
Throughout the summer after her sophomore year and the fall of her junior year, Uwaje conducted research in Stevens-Truss’ biochemistry lab.
“It’s a dual research project with Dr. [Dwight] Williams’ lab,” Uwaje said. “In Dr. Williams’ lab, they synthesized a series of potential antibiotic hybrid compounds, while in Dr. Truss’ lab, we tested the ability of these antibiotics to inhibit growth of different strains of bacteria.”
While she was specifically testing these antibiotic hybrid compounds on Staphylococcusaureus and E. coli, Uwaje was absorbing a larger lesson and inspiration.
“Working in Dr. Truss’ lab taught me that it’s OK to make mistakes,” she said. “I was very scared coming in because I didn’t want to mess up, but Dr. Truss created an atmosphere where it was OK to make mistakes and I was able to learn from making those mistakes. I’ve been able to take the lessons that I learned and remind myself that things happen, life happens, and the main thing is to keep going and keep learning. Dr. Truss was very calm. Anytime I would mess up something, she’d be like, ‘Oh, that was not quite what you had to do, but that’s OK. Here’s how we’re going to solve that,’ and she was very welcoming and not judgmental about it.”
Stevens-Truss suggested that Uwaje, who was interested in medicinal chemistry, could complete her SIP in tandem with her medicinal chemistry class. In the class, students learn how to run computational design and research before choosing a pharmaceutical drug to explore and attempt to improve in small groups.
Uwaje’s group is researching changes that could make anti-malarial drugs more effective and potentially longer-lasting.
“I am looking to derivatize anti-malarial compounds—basically increasing the binding affinity of these anti-malarial drugs to the specific receptor it binds to,” Uwaje said. “I’ll test three to five derivatives to see how these derivatives bind to the receptor, and potentially see if my derivative fits into the receptor well and if it binds tighter to the receptor.”
Although this is a “dry lab,” without actual synthesis and without testing these compounds on biological agents, Uwaje is excited to approach the same basic question of her previous research experience—how can we make this medicine better?—from the other end.
“When I was doing research for Dr. Truss, I was testing compounds that were already synthesized in the Williams lab. The data we produced in the Truss lab would help inform what modifications could maximize the antibiotic’s activity, potency and selectivity. For my SIP, although I’m not synthesizing compounds, I am modifying the structure of these anti-malarial drugs in hopes of increasing the drug’s affinity. In both cases, we’re putting already-known compounds together to potentially make a better drug.
“During the wet lab, we were actually testing these compounds, which is pretty cool. With the computational research, we’re using all of the tools on the computer to modify and make the compounds, thinking, ‘If I add this certain group here, how will it change my compound? Will it make it stronger? Will it make it weaker?’ The technology is cool. I like that I’ve been able to test compounds in the lab, and with my SIP, I like that I’m able to explore different ways I could strengthen and make a better compound.”
And of course, improvements to anti-malarial drugs hold personal meaning for Uwaje.
“There’s certain things that you will never forget in a lifetime,” she said. “I remember my classmates passing away from malaria, so coming into K and given the opportunity to study and design a potential improvement for any drug that I want, those memories ultimately motivated my SIP, because I’ve had many losses from malaria which could have been preventable. Seeing things like that as a young child, I remember feeling so helpless. I knew there were drugs out there that can help prevent malaria, so I decided, what if I look at these drugs, see how their mechanism of action works and see if I could increase the affinity of these drugs to potentially make them even better?”
Stronger medicine alone won’t fix the problem. Knowing that, Uwaje’s plans include a couple years off school before applying to medical school, and eventually returning to Nigeria to improve conditions in any way she can.
“Going back home, seeing the lack of adequate health care and the lack of resources that people have, motivated me from a young age to pursue medicine. My mom was one of the main doctors in my community back in Nigeria. Her contributions to the community actually inspired me to fully commit and pursue this role. I don’t know how just yet, but I know that I’ll do something to help increase access to health care for all back home, because the community needs it. Research, advocacy, medicine—if I could do all of that I would 100 percent do it.”
Story by Social Media Ambassador Blagoja Naskovski ’24
In a pivot prompted by Kalamazoo College’s flexible curriculum, Ian Burr ’24 heeded a call for “lights, camera, action” in New York while discovering a potential lifelong passion.
Burr, a business major, recently participated in the New York Arts Program, a winter-term study away opportunity, where students learn about acting, musical theatre, dance, play writing, directing, vocal music, instrumental music, improvisation and children’s theatre—or in Burr’s case—filmmaking.
His interest in photography pushed him to take Framing Differences, a sophomore seminar taught by Genevieve U. Gilmore Professor of Art Richard Koenig, which gives K students a working knowledge of the tools used in photography before leaving for study away or study abroad. Burr then bought his first camera and worked on sports videography for the women’s soccer team and recreational hockey games.
These experiences convinced Burr to add a film and media concentration to his K-Plan and seek opportunities in New York. There, he worked as a production assistant intern for an upcoming Netflix show, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, and at Green Point Pictures, an advertising company where he helped create pitches for clients. The time in New York also gave Burr an opportunity to shoot his first film.
“The New York Arts Program was an amazing opportunity for me to gain hands-on experience as someone who is interested in the film industry,” Burr said. “It is very hard to get into the industry and participating in this program while taking classes and working for two companies was a very valuable way to gain skills for something that I am very passionate about.”
Since, Burr has developed a Senior Integrated Project (SIP)—not in business, but in filmmaking—with a production titled I Love You, Bro, dedicated to his friend Jake, who died in a car accident. The short film focuses on the mental health of Rhett, who loses his best friend, Avery, in a crash.
“I wanted to show how people deal with loss,” Burr said. “Some people push their feelings off, so they don’t seem weak, but no one should be alone, and it’s totally OK to share your feelings with someone.”
Last fall, Burr had a chance to present the film—which takes place in his hometown of Franklin, Tennessee—to the K community while emphasizing the importance of mental health awareness.
“The idea to turn my movie into a SIP came while I was attending the New York Arts Program,” Burr said. “Without the opportunity that K gave me and the collaboration with Professor Koening, I wouldn’t be able to do something that means so much to me. The professors are so great and welcoming. The small size class made me establish close relationships with the professors and my classmates easily. Professors here care about your progress and your ability to use your whole potential.”
Burr also credits a close friend for his assistance with the movie.
Aidan Baas ’23, “who also participated in the New York Arts Program, was very supportive during this journey,” Burr said. “When I was with him during the study away program in New York, he helped me to come up with the idea of I Love You, Bro. Furthermore, he came from Michigan to Nashville during the summer of 2023 and helped me with shooting and editing, which made the movie to be successfully completed.”
Elsewhere at K, Burr is a punter and kicker on K’s football team, through which he’s established lifelong connections with his teammates. He also has drawn inspiration to achieve excellence in academics through faculty members such as L. Lee Stryker Associate Professor of Business Management Amy MacMillan, Visiting Professor of Business David Rhoa and Visiting Instructor in Art Daniel Kim, who have provided Burr with real-world experiences related to his coursework. And although he’s been dedicated to undertakings such as football and more, Burr strongly encourages his peers who are interested in filmmaking to find their own opportunities through faculty and coursework.
“Dive into it,” he said. “Ask professors for many opportunities to grow. Filmmaking is building portfolios. If you want to be a director, direct something. Go and create. The only way you fail is if you never try. Be dedicated. Collaborate with your friends, classmates and professors. Create the films you want to see.”
Ian Burr ’24 (left) works with actors Graeme Cadaret and Jayden Scheer while filming a scene of “I Love You, Bro.”
While participating in the New York Arts Program on study away, Burr found his passion for filmmaking while working as a production assistant intern for an upcoming Netflix show, “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders,” and at Green Point Pictures, an advertising company where he helped create pitches for clients.
Burr prepares to punt during a Kalamazoo College football game. Photo by Kimberley Moss.
Burr films Cadaret and Scheer in the making of his film, “I Love You, Bro.”
Co-editors Lana Alvey ’24 and Greta Salamun ’25 are reminding students to submit personal creative written projects and visual artwork to this year’s Cauldron, a printed publication produced by its student organization at Kalamazoo College.
College Archives show The Cauldron has been published annually, except for a hiatus during the pandemic, since 1962. As two students who are passionate about writing, Alvey—an English and psychology double major—and Salamun—an English major—are honored to play a part in the reconstruction of The Cauldron and hope that this year’s edition will reflect K’s population of talented writers and artists.
Most of the editorial staff is composed of English and art majors along with many STEM-focused students, too. They work with Alvey and Salamun to select the content from submissions and organize each edition with support, advice and design services provided through College Marketing and Communication. Categories within the publication include poetry, nonfiction, fiction and art. Professor of English Andy Mozina, the magazine’s faculty advisor, provides guidance and advice to the co-editors; his help ensures that the official unveiling of the hard copies during spring term of ninth week’s Community Reflection at Stetson Chapel runs smoothly.
“When we hold the finished product during the reflection, there will be a moment of thinking ‘we did it,’ with all the students’ hard work toward this piece of art and literature, especially when we can flip through it,” Alvey said. “It will be powerful to see it. We’re proud to be this vessel for creative writing and art.”
In a nod to its former years, the co-editors plan to release this edition as a bound book, suitable for coffee tables, bookshelves and keepsakes.
Lana Alvey ’24, an English and psychology double major, is a co-editor of the 2023-24 edition of The Cauldron.
Last year’s edition of The Cauldron was a spiral-bound book that co-editors Alvey and Salamun are upgrading to a bound book this year.
Kalamazoo native Greta Salamun ’25 said she has always wanted to attend K and major in English.
Pages from past editions of The Cauldron show work of alumni such as contemporary artist Julie Mehretu ’92 and Tony Award winner Lisa Kron ’83.
“It will be a testament to how The Cauldron has returned and evolved,” Salamun said. “We had a spiral-bound book last year, which still felt great, but we’ve wanted to get back to the old format. If that much can change in a year, imagine what else might happen in 10 years’ time. You never know.”
For students uncertain whether they want to submit their personal work, Alvey and Salamun encourage everyone to participate.
“I think we’re removing the high stakes from sharing your work, considering that no one is graded for it,” Salamun said. “If we just submit something, knowing it doesn’t have to be hard, it can be light-hearted and fun because this campus is full of great students.”
In fact, students can think of participating in The Cauldron as being part of a legacy because many accomplished alumni such as the world-famous contemporary artist, Julie Mehretu ’92, and Tony Award winner, Lisa Kron ’83, contributed to The Cauldron as K students. In addition, theStephanie Vibbert Award will honor select pieces of writing that best exemplify the intersection between creative writing and community engagement. The final award is the Divine Crow Award where recipients will be selected blindly by a member of the greater Kalamazoo community.
“I feel that seeing your name in print and in an actual bound book is a big incentive for submitting your work,” Alvey said. “We have shown that we are good writers when we were accepted into K. This is a cool way to show what you can do, especially during the Community Reflection, where some students read their work aloud and we pass it out as a physical copy.”
Students who want to see their names and work published as writers and artists should use The Cauldron’s Google Docs form to submit before 11:59 p.m. Monday, February 26. All students, regardless of their majors and minors, are encouraged to participate.
“I’m from Kalamazoo and I’ve always wanted to attend this College and major in English,” Salamun said. “What I love about The Cauldron and writing is that it gives students, like myself, a creative outlet for expression. I know we have a lot of STEM majors here, and it can be a little nerve racking for students to try taking on poetry, short stories, art, or whatever it may be. But that creative outlet is so valuable.”
“To the students who have submitted, thank you,” Alvey said. “We know submitting can seem very daunting, but we are so excited to read your work and get it out there because the student population is very talented. We hope more people will submit their work to The Cauldron, so it can return to its bound form. I think being a part of such a great historical magazine and legacy is very powerful and it’s an honor.”
Ty Horky ’24 (left) and Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci ’24 are co-presidents of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, which created Compete for a Cause to support local charities and foundations.
Kalamazoo College’s football team joined the women’s soccer team in fall by raising breast cancer awareness and supporting the West Michigan Cancer Center with pink t-shirt sales.
Kalamazoo College volleyball spectators supported women’s health and the YWCA by purchasing red t-shirts at a match last fall.
Kalamazoo College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) developed an idea last fall that is supporting local charities and foundations with the help of students, faculty, staff, parents and the community.
SAAC representatives, including co-presidents Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci ’24 and Ty Horky ’24, created Compete for a Cause, which allows K athletic teams that play in a specific season to select a beneficiary to back and a cause to amplify during a chosen Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) game on their schedule. Starting last term, student-athletes collaborated with local nonprofits, donning custom warm-up shirts on game day to raise community awareness. These custom shirts were available for sale, with all proceeds benefitting their partner organizations.
“Savera and I have been on the SAAC board since we were sophomores and we’ve moved up the committee together along the way,” Horky said. “Doing this was about how we can make something for the SAAC organization that lasts longer than us being here and how we can implement a plan to give back to the communities around us.”
SAAC’s first steps toward such efforts involved meeting with MIAA Commissioner Chris Brown and K athletics administrative representatives with the hope of getting the entire conference involved and initiate introductions with local charities. Their support proved to be inspiring.
“I think the support from administration, from the MIAA Commissioner all the way down, was nothing but positive,” Horky said. “Right off the bat, they just asked, ‘How can we help you? What can we do to get the ball rolling?’ Everybody being behind us has been a huge help.”
Then, despite weathering some in-game storms, the first season of Compete for a Cause was successful. Rajendra-Nicolucci’s women’s soccer squad, for example, chose breast cancer awareness as its cause, selected a game that coincided with a football contest, and conducted a united breast-cancer awareness day between the teams to benefit the West Michigan Cancer Center (WMCC).
Compete for a Cause Games
Kalamazoo College’s volleyball team raised women’s health awareness by supporting the YWCA of Kalamazoo with red t-shirt sales last fall.
In October, the football and women’s soccer teams raised breast cancer awareness by supporting the West Michigan Cancer Center with pink t-shirts.
The men’s soccer team raised food insecurity awareness by supporting Loaves and Fishes in Kalamazoo with orange t-shirt sales in October.
K’s men’s and women’s basketball squads are teaming up to support the houseless and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission in their games on February 3.
K’s swimming and diving teams will raise mental health awareness and support Gryphon Place during their home meets on February 3.
A special thank you to Capital National Bank, HAP, Miller Johnson Attorneys of Kalamazoo and Underground Printing of Kalamazoo for their support.
K’s fall athletics teams secured well more than $1,000 in t-shirt sales and online donations for the West Michigan Cancer Center, the YWCA of Kalamazoo and Loaves and Fishes through Compete for a Cause events.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Council met with MIAA Commissioner Chris Brown and K athletics administrative representatives to generate their support for Compete for a Cause.
K’s football and women’s soccer teams endured a rain storm during their Compete for a Cause events, but still successfully raised funds for the West Michigan Cancer Center.
WMCC Director of Development Anne Witherspoon was invited to attend, raise awareness, share information and accept donations to support their mission.
“It was wonderful to see the student-athletes support the community through this initiative,” Witherspoon said. “Beyond just being incredible students, who I enjoyed spending time with, their impressive organization and professionalism fostered a meaningful connection with the K community, letting us share the WMCC mission with parents, fans and donors.”
Athletes were gratified by the support they received and the end result.
“It was definitely more work than we thought, especially with the business aspect of things, but we’ve learned that there’s so much in the Kalamazoo community to love,” Rajendra-Nicolucci said. “It was interesting to see how much we can do just by talking to people. Anne Witherspoon, who works at the West Michigan Cancer Center, said one of her best memories of the day was sitting with Ty and getting to know him and our school. Those connections go a long way and show there’s more to playing a college sport than the gear and winning.”
Horky (second from left) and Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci (fourth from right) are co-presidents of SAAC.
In serving SAAC, Rajendra-Nicolucci and Horky have consistently organized campus events for students, including student-athletes. But the first Compete for a Cause events have been special as they’ve reached out to the at-large community. And now, it’s time for K’s winter athletics teams, including Horky’s men’s basketball team, to take the effort’s reins.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams are combining their efforts to support homelessness awareness and the Kalamazoo Gospel Mission during their home games on Saturday, February 3. The same day, the swimming and diving teams will spread mental health awareness and donate all of their proceeds to Gryphon Place.
Separately in their time at K, Rajendra-Nicolucci played women’s golf for two years and taught biology and English to children in Spain during her study abroad experience. After graduating, she hopes to develop a career in medical or pharmaceutical sales. Horky also wants to build a career in medical and pharmaceutical sales and might consider playing basketball as a graduate student to fulfill a final year of eligibility. But Compete for a Cause’s effectiveness will be what they and other SAAC participants point to as they define their legacies at K.
“Students are busy all year, whether it is with school responsibilities, work responsibilities, athletic responsibilities or extracurriculars,” Rajendra-Nicolucci said. “Something as simple as this initiative can remind us that there is always more to be done. Giving back is something you will never regret. Whether it is the connections that you make along the way or the touching moments, these feelings are just as good or even better than the feeling of winning a double overtime game. Everyone is welcome to these games, and we hope to see you and the rest of the Kalamazoo community continue to give back to something greater than just a game.”
