Kalamazoo College’s Equestrian Team consists of (from left) Libby McFarlen ’26, Sydney Myszenski ’25, Ella Varnhagen ’25, Shannon Dopp ’28 and Emily Spelson ’28. They are co-hosting a two-day equestrian meet starting Saturday, October 19, with Grand Valley State University at Cedar Lodge Stables near Lawrence, Michigan.
You might be chomping at the bit to attend a football or soccer game during Homecoming weekend, but hold your horses. Find out first about some student-athletes in another sport, who are just as proud as their peers to be representing Kalamazoo College.
K’s Equestrian Team is co-hosting a two-day meet beginning this Saturday, October 19, alongside Grand Valley State University at their home barn, Cedar Lodge Stables. The facility is near Lawrence, Michigan, about a half-hour drive west of Kalamazoo. Although sometimes dark horses when facing riders from bigger schools, the College’s representatives participate in meets through the Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA), a nonprofit organization supporting individuals and teams at a variety of equine sports experience levels.
Libby McFarlen ’26—a Kalamazoo native and Loy Norrix High School graduate—is one of K’s equestrian competitors. She got the bug to start horseback riding when she was 8 years old. Although her grandma wanted to buy her a pony for her birthday, grandma chose instead to provide her granddaughter with riding lessons after comparing the costs between the two options.
Find K’s Equestrian Team on Social Media
Kalamazoo College has several student organizations that focus on athletic endeavors including Equestrian Team. Find more on the Equestrian Team on these social media platforms:
McFarlen has been riding horses since she was about 8 years old when her grandma purchased riding lessons for her.
Spelson holds a Kalamazoo College flag in front of a horse named Elliot at Cedar Lodge Stables.
Dopp, pictured with a horse named Dozer, is among five students who will compete in equestrian events this weekend.
“I was only supposed to ride for a couple of lessons, but I absolutely fell in love with it,” McFarlen said. “I’ve been involved in riding hunter-jumper, so I joined the team at K because I wanted to continue to ride in college. I wanted to put all the effort I could into this sport because I’ve been in love with it for about 10 years now.”
McFarlen and her teammates—including Sydney Myszenski ’25, Shannon Dopp ’28, Emily Spelson ’28, and Ella Varnhagen ’25—participate in either showjumping—an event that includes the horses leaping over obstacles and fences—or flat riding, which includes walking and cantering. Divisions are split based on each rider’s experience level, usually with five or six students from around Michigan in each. The host barn provides horses, and riders are randomly paired with them through a method such as drawing numbered popsicle sticks, which can be an intimidating experience.
“If you’re not at your home barn, chances are you’ve never ridden the horse you get paired with,” McFarlen said. “The captain has a brochure with a list of the horses, their name, breed and height. Some of them will have distinctive characteristics, too. Some horses will need a riding crop and some don’t. Others might not like handsy riders who pull. The horses have as much personality as people do.”
Myszenski ’25 stands with a Kalamazoo College flag next to a horse named Dozer.
Ella Varnhagen ’25, pictured with a horse named Percy, will represent K with her equestrian teammates in a meet this weekend at Cedar Lodge Stables.
For such reasons, McFarlen recommends students have a little background in horseback riding before joining the Equestrian Team. K offers an equestrian physical education class for beginning riders, although a cost is involved. McFarlen recognizes that costs also can be an obstacle for students wanting to participate with the Equestrian Team, with a $45 IHSA registration required yearly and competitions away from Kalamazoo typically involving the cost of an overnight stay.
However, K’s instructors will often lend team members the clothes they need to participate in shows—including boots, helmets, breeches, gloves and a navy blue or black jacket—and the team hopes they will have some fundraising efforts in the near future that will help more students join.
“We’ve started going out on Saturday morning trail rides, so it’s nice to have a chill time, too, without worry for whether your leg is positioned right or your hands are perfect like you would while competing,” McFarlen said. “It allows us to go around and talk together as a team. The solid group we have is what makes the club special to me and we would love to grow. Even though there are more standard sports, I think we’re just as cool because we’re unique. We’re valid student-athletes, too, and we do this because we love our sport.”
Dopp and Spelson enjoy time together at Cedar Lodge Stables.
Myszenski and Vernhagen are the two seniors on K’s Equestrian Team.
Irene Miller talked to students, faculty and staff about her memoir, “Into No Man’s Land,” and her life experiences with the Holocaust at Kalamazoo College thanks in part to the Jewish studies program and the student group Hillel.
Miller was interviewed and recorded for Steven Spielberg’s Visual History Foundation and participated in “Shoah Ambassadors,” a 2021 PBS movie. The December 2016 PBS documentary “Irene: Child of the Holocaust” discussed her experiences with near-starvation in Siberia.
Miller took the time to stay after her presentation and meet with all of the attendees who wanted to talk with her.
Holocaust survivor Irene Miller visited Kalamazoo College students, faculty and staff Thursday at the Hicks Student Center to talk about some of the grim details behind one of the darkest periods of history.
“I am one of the 10% of Jewish children who survived the Holocaust,” she said. “Most of the survivors are gone now. Among the six million Jews who were killed were a million and a half children. Though I can tell you only about my survival journey, those of us fortunate enough to be left alive became the voices of those who didn’t live to tell their story.”
Miller discussed her memoir, Into No Man’s Land, which was published in 2010 after she came to grips with a need to tell her family’s story. Born in Warsaw, Miller—with her sister and parents—attempted to escape to the Soviet Union after the German invasion of Poland in World War II.
Miller remembers her family’s apartment building being repeatedly hit with bombs night after night as the Nazis entered her city.
Miller provided students with a discount on signed copies of her memoir, “Into No Man’s Land,” during her visit at K.
Born in Warsaw, Miller’s sister and parents attempted to escape to the Soviet Union after the German invasion of Poland in World War II.
Miller’s family was deported to a Siberian labor camp during World War II, suffering severe hunger and hardships on a daily basis.
“I was too high up to see the faces of the Nazi soldiers,” she said. “They were filling the width of the street, but strangely, I could see the reflection of shiny boots pounding the pavement. You know how long ago that happened, and to you young people, that happened before your parents were born and probably before most of your grandparents were born. Yet there are still some sounds, smells and aromas to which I have emotions. One is the sound of low-flying planes. Another is a rhythmic pounding on a hard surface. I hear it and I tighten up.”
Miller’s father crossed the border from Poland into Russia while securing their legal entry through an immigrant camp near Bialystok. Her mother was captured by Germans but managed to escape and then reunite with her family. The family later was deported to a Siberian labor camp, suffering severe hunger and hardships every day.
“In Siberia, in wintertime, there are only about three hours of daylight,” she said. “Temperatures would drop to 50 below and lower. If a bird for some reason couldn’t fly away on time, it would freeze to a tree like a lump of ice. We didn’t have clothing for that kind of climate. If you were outside with any part of your skin exposed, it didn’t take more than a minute or two to get frost bite.”
In 1942, after the Soviet Union’s recognition of the Polish government in exile, the Millers were released and sent to Uzbekistan, only to find no work and no food. Miller’s parents put her and her sister in an orphanage for Jewish children for a better chance of their survival. After the war, Miller returned to Poland and stayed in a Krakow orphanage until age 17, eventually immigrating to Israel and then the United States.
Miller’s parents put her and her sister in an orphanage for Jewish children for a better chance of their survival. After the war, Miller returned to Poland and stayed in a Krakow orphanage until age 17, eventually immigrating to Israel and then the United States.
Miller has been a speaker at large events across the U.S. and Canada with appearances before professional conferences, military groups, NASA Space Center, labor unions, churches, schools and more.
Miller was interviewed and recorded for Steven Spielberg’s Visual History Foundation and participated in “Shoah Ambassadors”, a November 2021 PBS movie. The PBS documentary “Irene: Child of the Holocaust” premiered in December 2016 discussed her experiences with near-starvation in Siberia.
Miller now is a retired health care executive who has worked as a hospital administrator, planner and developer at Group Health Plan of Southeastern Michigan. She also was the director of mental health for Livingston County, Michigan, the director of the psychiatric division at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital, and the director of treatment centers for drug-addicted and dual-diagnosed women and their children at the Detroit Medical Center. Separately, she served in Washington, D.C., on an advisory committee for issues related to drug addiction in women and children and was a teacher in Israel.
Currently, Miller is a docent and speaker for the Detroit Institute of Arts, a courts mediator, and she serves on the Board of Directors of the American Jewish Committee. She has been a speaker at large events across the U.S. and Canada with appearances before professional conferences, military groups, NASA Space Center, labor unions, churches, schools and more.
Miller was interviewed and recorded for Steven Spielberg’s Visual History Foundation and participated in Shoah Ambassadors, a November 2021 PBS movie. The December 2016 PBS documentary Irene: Child of the Holocaust discussed her experiences with near-starvation in Siberia. Yet despite her experiences and reflections, Miller’s biggest cautionary message for students about the Holocaust isn’t necessarily the importance of remembering it. Instead, she implores her audiences to watch for signs that something as devastating to humanity could happen again.
“My most important mission in life is to show what hate and prejudice did and what hate and prejudice can do again with a democracy falling from within unless we learn from it,” she said.
Miller served in Washington, D.C., on an advisory committee for issues related to drug addiction in women and children and was a teacher in Israel.
“My most important mission in life is to show what hate and prejudice did and what hate and prejudice can do again with a democracy falling from within unless we learn from it,” Miller told her audience at K.
Miller now is a retired health care executive who has worked as a hospital administrator, planner, developer and administrator at Group Health Plan of Southeastern Michigan. She also was the director of mental health for Livingston County, Michigan, the director of the psychiatric division at Detroit Osteopathic Hospital, and the director of treatment centers for drug-addicted and dual-diagnosed women and their children at the Detroit Medical Center.
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.
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.”
As an aficionado of science, biochemistry major Jordyn Wilson ’24 is drawn to Kalamazoo College and its student research.
“I’ve always been a ‘Why is this? Why is that?’ kind of person,” she said. “My mom has said that about me, too. I just want to know more about how things work. Science gives me an avenue to do that.”
That means the Parchment (Michigan) High School graduate was thrilled three years ago when she received word that she had earned a Heyl scholarship to attend K.
“It was right before COVID happened,” Wilson said. “I remember we all had our interviews and I was waiting and hoping. Then one day I was walking downstairs to my room when I got a call from an unknown number. I wasn’t sure I should answer it, but I did. They said, ‘Congrats! You’ve received the Heyl scholarship.’ I was very excited, feeling very grateful and very blessed.”
The scholarship’s 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. Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County, including Wilson, 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.
If there was a downside to her honor, it was the timing. She started college during the pandemic and most of her classes were virtual at the time. One exception, though, was her spring Chemistry 120 lab led by Laboratory Instructor Yit-Yian Lua.
“I remember talking to Dr. Y-Y about how much I missed research,” Wilson said. “I missed being in the lab, which was always a lot of fun for me.”
Jordyn Wilson ’24 was thrilled three years ago when she received word that she had earned a Heyl scholarship to attend Kalamazoo College.
The very next day, Wilson received an email from Dorothy Heyl Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Regina Stevens-Truss, asking Wilson if she wanted join her lab’s research. Three years later, Wilson and Stevens-Truss are still working together, examining antibiotics.
“She’s very supportive of me and the ideas I have,” Wilson said of Stevens-Truss. “If there’s something I want to learn or something I think we can do, she says ‘Yes, we totally could do that.’ She’s letting me explore which is one thing I love about her.”
Today, Wilson is studying molecular hybrids, which are made by hybridizing two different molecules with some antimicrobial activity to create a molecule with elevated activity. She also studies antimicrobial peptides, which are short chains of amino acids found in the immune systems of many living organisms.
Her student activities draw her to intramural volleyball; a TA position in organic chemistry; a leadership role in Sukuma, which provides a fellowship for students of color; and membership in Kalama-Africa, a community to celebrate and engage with African cultures and experiences on campus. She’s also a member of the Kalamazoo College Dance Team and pursues art and the game of billiards in her free time. She has even created a student organization called Art and Soul, which centers on using art to promote self-care and self-expression. The club explores a new art form each week, allowing members to discover art they enjoy while building community.
“I’ve always leaned on art as a way to destress and just express myself as an act of self-care,” Wilson said. “It’s never just one thing that I’m doing. I’m always doing multiple projects. I’ve grown up with art and it’s a big thing for me and my family. I definitely think it balances the science part of me if I need to back off from STEM or I need a break from school.”
One day, she hopes to attend grad school and seek a Ph.D. in biochemistry as research is so much a part of her life. In the meantime, she’ll just celebrate her life at K.
“One of the main reasons I picked K is its size,” she said. “I liked how small it was and that it could help me connect with my professors and other students. I think I get more opportunities here than I would at a big school. It feels like we’re a close-knit community.”
With hearts full of service, a student organization is pumping exceptional success into the blood drives at Kalamazoo College.
The Red Cross Club, led by Abby Barnum ’23, has earned a Premier Blood Partners Program award from the American Red Cross, designed to recognize community efforts in benefiting the local blood supply. The award honors the Red Cross’ highest contributing sponsors, starting at 50 donations collected per year, with a minimum blood-drive size of 30 units.
As many as 50 students, faculty, staff and community members have signed up for each of the blood drives at K, which are conducted once per term, amounting to three times a year. After a few cancellations and donation deferrals for low blood-iron levels, about 35 to 40 typically will donate.
“It’s a really big honor,” said Barnum, a biochemistry major and aspiring physician assistant. “The Red Cross person who arranges the blood drives told me, ‘you guys are doing so well, we’re going to give you this special recognition because you just keep knocking it out of the park.’ It was nice to hear that we’re making a difference even though we’re a smaller school.”
The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Barnum and Red Cross Club members from conducting blood drives at K until last spring. But now, a local Red Cross representative will collaborate with Health Care Center Coordinator Jennifer Combes to schedule each drive. That empowers about 10 active Red Cross Club members to volunteer both before and after the drives.
“The week before a drive we’ll have at least two people at tables at Hicks Student Center, and we encourage everybody as much as we can to donate,” Barnum said. “We let them know that donating saves up to three lives and we’ll give them free snacks afterward. On the day of, we have hour-long shifts. I usually take the day off from classes because it’s easier if at least one person is always there. One person does registration. Another works in the canteen, where we make sure everyone who donates gets a snack and is feeling OK afterward.”
Abby Barnum ’23 (left) joined Caelan Frazier ’24, Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Blake Tresca at Declaration of Major Day in February. Barnum is a member of the Kalamazoo College Red Cross Club, a student organization being recognized by the American Red Cross for the success of its blood drives.
How to help the Red Cross Club
Kalamazoo College will host its next Red Cross blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday, March 30, in the Hicks Banquet Room.
For an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter sponsor code kzoocollege or call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Donors of all blood types are needed and blood can only come from volunteer blood donors.
Barnum has seen the importance of blood donations from a young age on through family members. Her grandfather has hemochromatosis, a condition in which one’s body accumulates too much iron, which forces him to donate blood regularly whenever he’s eligible. Her mom also began donating blood years ago, setting an example for Barnum.
As a result, Barnum became a blood drive officer at her high school and began donating herself. Later, her dad benefitted from blood donations when he suffered from two non-malignant brain tumors. And since, she has worked in Bronson-affiliated emergency rooms as a medical scribe in downtown Kalamazoo, Paw Paw and Battle Creek through Helix Scribe Solutions, which provides services to physician groups, healthcare systems and hospitals.
“I’ve seen the amount of help that just one blood donation can provide,” Barnum said. “Donating takes such a small portion of your day and you can really change someone’s life with it.”
If the thought of needles prevents you from donating, but you still want to help, remember that students can always join the Red Cross Club.
“We’re always looking for new people and the time commitment is once a term for maybe four hours,” Barnum said. “It’s an easy way to feel good about yourself and boost your resume with volunteer work. It’s also a good way to contribute to society and have a positive impact on the world around you.”
Emily Worline ’19 founded Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo in 2017 at Kalamazoo College. The organization has spread to other college campuses and expanded into a nonprofit organization called Refugee Outreach Collective. It’s an organization that embodies the spirit of Human Rights Day every day of the year.
The United Nations can count on a Kalamazoo College student group along with its networks and outgrowing nonprofit organization to embody the spirit of Human Rights Day—which is every December 10—on any day of the year.
The U.N. observes the day to mark the anniversary of the General Assembly adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. The declaration proclaims a series of inalienable rights to which everyone is entitled regardless of one’s race, color, religion, sex, language, opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. According to the U.N., it’s the most-translated document in the world given that it’s available in more than 500 languages.
This year’s theme for Human Rights Day is “Equality: Reducing Inequalities, Advancing Human Rights.” Equality includes addressing and finding solutions for deep-rooted forms of discrimination that have affected the most vulnerable people in societies including women and girls, indigenous peoples, people of African descent, the LGBTQ community, migrants and displaced people, and people with disabilities, among others.
Within those groups of vulnerable people, those who face displacement have advocates in the Refugee Outreach Collective (ROC). The group, first organized as Refugee Outreach Kalamazoo at K in 2017, has since grown to seven campuses in Michigan—including Western Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and Michigan State University—and has even become a full-fledged nonprofit organization with national and international reach.
Emily Worline ’19, who is now in law school at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, was the founder of ROC at K and still carries out official duties as the full organization’s chairperson. She’s been inspired to extend her work with ROC as a result of witnessing first hand the conditions at refugee camps around the world.
People experiencing displacement in Malawi, Africa, attend the Global Classroom program offered by Refugee Outreach Collective.
“The unifying factor at all of these camps is that no one wants to be there,” Worline said. “ROC works to shake the narrative that encampments are normal places to house people by organizing advocacy efforts and leveraging networks to alleviate the injustices people face while living there.”
In staying involved, Worline oversees ROC’s Global Classroom, a program that helps displaced individuals from the Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, Africa, get access to university-level educational opportunities through digital courses at Michigan campuses, such as Northern and Central Michigan universities, while offering one-on-one tutoring assistance. The courses combine theory and practice to create space for students to challenge themselves intellectually and learn skills. The first cohort of students is working to receive their associate’s degrees.
“One hope is it will bolster their asylum claim and provide a better chance to resettle somewhere,” Worline said. “Oftentimes, when people are able to prove they have network connections, that can also help the process of resettlement. The other hope is that they can get a job in Malawi with a recognized, accredited associate’s degree.”
Currently at K, ROC amplifies narratives involving migrant and displaced communities through alliance and relationship building. In other words, it collaborates with local organizations in its efforts to make the Kalamazoo community a more welcoming and inclusive place for students and families of diverse backgrounds. Maddy Harding ’22 serves as the organization’s president.
Maddy Harding ’22 is the president of Kalamazoo College’s chapter of the Refugee Outreach Collective, which is an organization that embodies the spirit of Human Rights Day.
“We have the chance to work directly with people at refugee camps overseas, but additionally, we’re able to have volunteer programs that help recently resettled refugees in the Kalamazoo area,” she said. “I think that’s pretty unique. When I first started with ROC, we had a family partnership program in which I would go into recently resettled refugees’ homes and help out the family in any way I could. I’ve learned how to interact with people who have cultural differences from me and I love that.”
One of these programs is the Homework Champions Tutoring program, which was developed in partnership with K’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and the local ROC. The tutoring benefits displaced students in Kalamazoo Public Schools. Katia Duoibes ’23, a civic engagement scholar, helped the program start virtually during the pandemic.
“There previously was an afterschool program that I joined at Maple Street Middle School with Emily Worline,” Duoibes said. “When the pandemic hit, I was close with all of those students. I was contacting them and we were still working together virtually because all of their support systems and the support they received completely stopped. That spring, it was me and some other tutors who were doing that program just informally, helping them virtually with their homework.”
That effort continued through fall 2020 as she and Worline reached out to Samaritas, a Michigan social services nonprofit, which helped ROC connect with more resettling refugees. Afterward, about 20 tutors were paired with students who needed help through winter.
Civic Engagement Scholar Katia Duoibes ’23
The program kept growing when Duoibes and Worline later connected the local ROC and Western Michigan University Professor of Educational Foundations Dini Metro-Roland to make the tutoring a service-learning component for the professor’s introductory education course, allowing 50 WMU students to join their efforts.
“Emily and I quickly realized that we needed a lot more administrative instructional support to keep the program growing and improving, so I was connected with the CCE,” Duoibes said.
CCE representatives including Associate Director Teresa Denton were ecstatic to add this program to the its previous initiatives working with the English as Second Language programs at Kalamazoo Public Schools. Now, Duoibes and Sydney Lenzini ’24, another civic engagement scholar, are working to restart the tutoring program’s in-person components.
“I’m inspired by educational equity, especially in public education,” Lenzini said. “Growing up in Chicago, I saw very unequal opportunities in the public-school system. Some kids got a lot of resources and others didn’t. I feel that can be internalized, and then create a lot of problems down the road. In the realm of public education equity, I feel like all students can succeed. Some students just need different support systems, and public-school systems often can’t or don’t want to provide those supports. I feel education is powerful. I think addressing educational inequities is a big step because education and access to it is like freedom.”
Civic Engagement Scholar Sydney Lenzini ’24
The CCE will couple its efforts with the Homework Champions Tutoring program with a service-learning course at K next term that will help more KPS students whose families are new to Kalamazoo. Plus, the ROC nonprofit will continue its international outreach with open-to-the-public events and fundraising for the sake of advocacy, outreach to people subjected to poverty and socio-political constraints such as refugee camps, and connecting individuals to job opportunities, internet access, healing circles and more through its existing networks of people and organizations.
“ROC’s biggest focus right now is on education,” Worline said. “We’re opening doors to making educational spaces more accessible. With every camp I visit, whether that be at the U.S.-Mexico border, in Greece and Serbia, or in Malawi, it’s very obvious that displaced people are being pushed to the very margins of society. They’re excluded from participating in various political processes. They’re excluded from attending college. Their movement is restricted. And to me, the idea of just excluding an entire 84 million people from the rest of society is a huge violation of human rights. I think ROC efforts are placed in reversing that and trying to make it so people aren’t so excluded.”
An image from the Refugee Outreach Collective shows tents in the refugee camp at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Sister Circle founder Udochi Okorie and others in her organization reached out to local schools this spring to propose programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their natural hair.
A Kalamazoo College student organization is showing local girls that they don’t have to assimilate to anyone’s standards to see themselves as beautiful.
Sister Circle, a supportive group dedicated to young Black women, reached out to local schools this spring to propose natural-hair programs and workshops that encouraged children to embrace their diversity and celebrate each other’s distinctive appearance.
“I wanted to address some issues that we faced when we were children that weren’t really addressed by our parents or our education system,” said Udochi Okorie ’22, who founded Sister Circle in her sophomore year. One of these issues is the pressure to conform to societal norms or standards that don’t include or specifically ban natural styles.
“We felt natural hair wasn’t socially acceptable and that can cause trauma for African American women,” she said. “We wanted to get into the community and do an event for elementary, middle and high school students that centered around loving their natural hair. That was a dream of mine and we were able to do it this spring. We got such a great response from the community.”
On campus, Okorie and other members of Sister Circle seek support from fellow women of color in a safe, affirmational place.
“We recognize there aren’t a lot of spaces on campus where we’re able to express ourselves, and not just because we’re at a predominantly white college,” Okorie said. “There have been higher-education spaces where we felt like we were ignored, undervalued or spoken over when we spoke up.”
In coming together as Sister Circle and as a Black community, they have found affirmation that helps them navigate these challenging higher-education spaces. And now, they’re taking that off campus to support the next generation through the Love Your Natural Hair Program.
Sister Circle members including Okorie contacted the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, who introduced Sister Circle to local elementary schools El Sol and Woodward. When Sister Circle described their goals for a natural-hair program, school administrators jumped at the offer.
“Luckily, we had people who also experienced issues with beauty standards, whether they were people of color or just administrators who recognize the differences between their students,” Okorie said. “A lot of people were really welcoming and said, ‘Yes, I recognize that this is something we need at my school.’”
The issue of learning to appreciate natural hair has always been close to her heart and sharing that issue with Kalamazoo children has been rewarding.
“In the last workshop, we did some affirmations,” Okorie said. “We talked about different types of hair and what products to use, which can be really hard when a lot of the products are not meant for your hair type. We talked about how to manage your hair and we drew pictures and asked the kids what they like about their hair. The students really enjoyed it and said it was effective, and we got a really big response from parents. During the event, I almost cried because of how the girls were responding and how their perception of their natural hair is changing.”
Further, Okorie hopes that outreach will continue long after she graduates so more girls will know the appreciation for natural hair that she has and the self-confidence it’s brought her.
“I hope Sister Circle and the Love Your Natural Hair Program are my legacy at K,” Okorie said. “I want natural-hair appreciation to be something that’s shared, especially in kindergarten through 12th grade, so every student can recognize the beauty of it.”
Vicenza Military Community participates in International Denim Day by US Army Africa is licensed with CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.
The Kalamazoo College community is invited to participate—in person, virtually and through social media—in a variety of events for National Denim Day on Wednesday, April 28, a day that supports survivors of sexual assault and sexual violence.
Patricia Giggins, a Los Angeles-based activist and executive director of Peace Over Violence, launched Denim Day in 1999 in response to an Italian Supreme Court decision that overturned a rape conviction. The court ruled that an 18-year-old woman who brought rape charges against a 45-year-old driving instructor must have consented to the assault because her jeans were tight. In other words, it was assumed that the assailant could not have removed her jeans without her help.
The absurdity of the decision prompted women in the Italian Parliament to wear jeans the next day to stand in solidarity with the survivor. Although the ruling was ultimately overturned, the annual Denim Day campaign has continued to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence.
K students, faculty and staff can participate through social media by wearing denim and sharing their pictures through Instagram using #DenimDayatK and following @kc_s.p.e.a.k, the Sexual Peer Educator Alliance at Kalamazoo College (SPEAK).
In other offerings for the day, the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy will provide information from the Kalamazoo YWCA, the College’s Counseling Center, Planned Parenthood and SPEAK, in addition to resources on victim services and Title IX, from 4 to 6 p.m. at tables outside Hicks Student Center.
Also, join survivors and allies from 7 to 9 p.m. to show support and listen to stories of survivorship from gender-based violence in a Take Back the Night Speakout. Anyone interested can join the rally at the Quad or participate virtually. Participants may also submit anonymous survivor stories. YWCA counselors will be available for Telehealth sessions.
The events are sponsored by several offices at K including its Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy. Learn more about its efforts during April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, at sexualsafety.kzoo.edu.
Through Sisters in Science, Kalamazoo College students use hands-on lessons, experiments and field trips, such as this field trip to the Lillian Anderson Arboretum, to encourage Northglade Montessori fourth- and fifth-graders to learn about science.
When the world celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11, a Kalamazoo College student organization will be doing what it can to inspire local fourth- and fifth-graders.
Each Tuesday and Thursday, K’s Sisters in Science (SIS) visits Northglade Montessori Magnet School to encourage girls to seek an education and career in the sciences. The visits, coordinated through Kalamazoo Communities in Schools, involve hands-on lessons, experiments and field trips that nurture interest in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and math). This allows SIS members to serve as role models, and local youths to grow their dreams of future achievements.
“We want to provide these girls with an influential woman in their lives,” said Marjorie Wolfe ’20, a SIS member and chemistry major from Kalamazoo. “A lot of them don’t come from backgrounds where a career in science seems accessible. We’re showing these girls they can go to college, do research and become doctors, engineers and more. We serve as sisters, mentors and examples of what they can become.”
According to the United Nations, less than 30 percent of scientific researchers in the world are women and only about 30 percent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Female representation is especially low professionally in information and communication technology at 3 percent; natural science, mathematics and statistics at 5 percent; and engineering at 8 percent.
To reverse these trends, the U.N. General Assembly established the International Day of Women and Girls in Science to celebrate women scientists and build equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. About 40 SIS members, including Karina Aguilar ’22, a biology and Spanish double major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, are doing their part to bolster that effort.
“Last year, in between two labs, I would go to Sisters in Science and do a nice, fun thing before I had to do something serious for four hours,” Aguilar said. “When you’re a student, it’s easy to be wrapped up in what’s happening on campus — we call it the K bubble. This helps us break that bubble, serve the community and be a mentor. It gives us a portal to the community.”
Aguilar hopes SIS experiments this year will include a lesson in making ice cream, although her favorite experiment to date involved a bridge-building contest that her little sister won. Such experiments, Wolfe said, help the fourth- and fifth-graders understand the scientific process and get them excited to be in school. Aguilar and Wolfe agreed the age group is critical in recruiting girls in science because they’re starting to learn what interests them most in school and they have yet to decide what classes to pursue for themselves.
“Initially, the first few times we’re at the school, we’re just trying to show we’re friendly and gain their respect,” Wolfe said. “That can go a long way for these girls. Eventually, we help them fill out worksheets that teach them what a hypothesis is. Before you know it, we’re working on an experiment and they say, ‘Oh! I know what the hypothesis will be!’”
When asked what she would do if she one day saw that one of her little sisters achieved a scientific breakthrough, Wolfe said, “The cool part would be knowing they stuck with science and believed in themselves; that they didn’t listen to someone who told them they couldn’t do it.”
Aguilar said, “I’d probably cry. Maybe it wasn’t from me specifically, but I’d love knowing that they developed that drive to be scientists. It would be amazing to see these girls who aren’t necessarily pushed to go to college make a career for themselves in science.”
“SIS was created for exactly what Aguilar and Wolfe have stated – to give young girls the knowledge that they can do science” stated Stevens-Truss, who envisioned the group in 2001.
