students

Report Shows K Among National Leaders in Study Abroad

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An annual report released last month from the Institute of International Education (IIE) shows that Kalamazoo College remains among the top higher-education institutions in the country for study abroad opportunities thanks to student participation.

The Open Doors Report surveys more than 2,000 institutions including doctoral universities, master’s colleges and universities, baccalaureate colleges, associate’s colleges and special-focus institutions, and ranks K 18th among baccalaureate colleges for having 233 students abroad in 2021-22. The College is also ninth among baccalaureate institutions across the country for the percent of undergraduates who went to international sites in the same year.

K students choose from 58 study abroad programs of varying lengths and emphases in 29 countries on six continents over three, six or nine months. The ventures allow students to challenge their assumptions about themselves and other cultures in a rigorous experiential education environment.

“It’s thrilling to see the College’s strong study abroad placement in the Open Doors Report as it reflects the strengths of our global programs, our commitment to international immersion, and our dedication to worldwide partnerships,” Center for International Programs Executive Director Margaret Wiedenhoeft said. “This is a solid showing, especially considering that programs in the period analyzed were still affected by COVID-19 travel restrictions. We’re proud that our faculty and staff remain resolute in continuing our long-valued tradition of ensuring overseas experiences for our students.”

Kalamazoo College study abroad students outside a school in Spain
Kalamazoo College students on study abroad pose outside the main building at the Universidad de Extremadura in Caceras, Spain. Photo by Resident Director Victoria Pineda.

IIE shares the Open Doors Report yearly through the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The organization, founded in 1919, is a private, not-for-profit leader in the global exchange of people and ideas as it creates programs of study and training for students, educators and professionals from all sectors in collaboration with governments, foundations and other sponsors. Those programs include the Fulbright Program and Gilman Scholarships administered for the Department of State.

For more information on this report, visit the study abroad section of the Open Doors website.

K Honors First-Generation Students, Graduates

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National First-Generation Day celebrates students, faculty and staff around the country who are the first in their family to pursue a four-year undergraduate degree. November 8 was identified as the date because it honors the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which expanded college opportunities for low-income and first-generation populations. 

Championed by the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Center for First-Generation Student Success, the day brings awareness to the strengths of first-generation students. At Kalamazoo College, we seek to affirm those strengths and the assets they bring to us by supporting, elevating and increasing their visibility on campus. 

Here are a few stories of our students and staff. We asked them about their involvement and activities, why they chose K and their advice for other first-generation students.

Lizbeth Blas-Rangel ’24

Involvement and activities: During my time at Kalamazoo College, I have actively engaged and volunteered in several initiatives on campus and within the local community. I am currently a part of GEMS (Girls Empowered and Motivated to Succeed), an impactful mentorship program that mentors newcomers and refugees. I’ve volunteered in ESL classes at Milwood School and volunteered at Read and Write Kalamazoo (RAWK). I’ve also dedicated my time to the County ID program, providing essential identification services to residents of Kalamazoo.

Why I chose K: I chose to attend Kalamazoo College because of its open curriculum and small environment. The open curriculum has allowed me to explore a variety of classes and truly find what I am passionate about. Also, having small classes has allowed me to directly engage and connect with my professors and classmates, which has fostered a deeper understanding.

My advice to other first-generation students: Embrace your uniqueness; your background is a strength! Never be afraid to ask questions and seek help. Remember, you belong here!

First-generation student Lizbeth Blas-Rangel
Lizbeth Blas-Rangel ’24

Finn Brent ’24

Involvement and activities: During my time at K, I have been involved in Ultimate Frisbee, the soccer team and the Aspiring Law Student Organization at different points throughout. I have done two community building internships that were offered through the Center for Civic Engagement.

Why I chose K: I chose to attend K because I liked the idea of attending a smaller school that prioritized academic success, and to make use of the Kalamazoo Promise, which I am a beneficiary of after attending Kalamazoo Public Schools.

My advice to other first-generation students: My advice would be to seek resources to be prepared to become accustomed to the differences between high school and college because it can be a big change with limited prior knowledge and there are plenty of resources available.

Portrait of first-generation student Finn Brent
Finn Brent ’24

Yaire Cisneros Tovar ’26

Involvement and activities: I’m involved with the Latinx Student Organization, Sukuma Dow, and I occasionally volunteer at El Sol Elementary.

Why I chose K: I chose to attend Kalamazoo College because of the school’s flexible curriculum which allows me to explore different interests in majors and minors. 

My advice to other first-generation students: My advice to first-generation students is not to be afraid to ask for help. Finding resources in college can seem overwhelming but they are there for a reason and can help open doors to opportunities. 

First-generation student Yaire Cisneros Tovar
Yaire Cisneros Tovar ’26

Samantha Cuevas-Ramos ’26

Involvement and activities: Some student organizations that I’m involved in are WOCA ((Womxn of Color Alliance), QTPOCC (Queer and Trans People of Color Collective) and LSO (Latinx Student Organization). Currently, I’m an FYE (First-Year Experience) mentor and it has been amazing, I really got to connect with a lot of first-years who are also first-generation. I think it’s important for them to have someone who they can relate to and go to when they need help or just to talk. In my first year, I volunteered at EL Concilio as a tutor for elementary school students, and because of this, it drove me to become a CAPS tutor for the CCE. I hope for the winter term of my sophomore year I can go back to volunteering at EL Concilio.

Why I chose K: When doing my college search during my senior year of high school, I was nominated for the POSSE scholarship. Although I didn’t get chosen, I fell in love with Kalamazoo College, and when I got in, I was so happy, so I decided to accept my offer. But I do have to say it was also because of the financial aid offer they had given me. To this day, I don’t regret coming to K.

My advice to other first-generation students: Put yourself out there. I’m typically a shy timid person but after taking a few steps out of my comfort zone I was really able to achieve a lot of things. A few things that I learned were to ask for help, I realized that if I didn’t reach out for help, I wasn’t going to be able to succeed in my classes. K has a lot of resources, like the writing center it’s an amazing place to go if you’re struggling in writing your paper for a class, the learning support center will help you get organized they also provide amazing studying tips, and your professors I mean they are here to help you to succeed in their class.

Portrait of first-generation student Samantha Cuevas-Ramos
Samantha Cuevas-Ramos ’26

Abigail Gutierrez ’25

Involvement and activities: I’m a director in an acapella group on campus called ACAPOC (A Cappella People of Color). I have participated in the group since my first year on campus! I also am involved in The Cavern on campus where I am a student intern who works to create events on campus to bring the community together and I facilitate the Wednesday therapy dog visits in the cavern. I also am a mentor to first year students and I work to make their orientation and adjustment to campus as smooth as possible and make sure they know they are welcomed and cared for.

Why I chose K: Due to the incredible amount of financial aid the college was able to offer me, I knew that I would be able to come to college here. I also did lots of research on what the campus community was like and read that lots of professors knew their students by name. I knew that I would love to join a campus that was student run in many aspects as well.

My advice to other first-generation students: My advice is that no matter how much you miss home, it pays to stick it out and do something like attending college that has a chance of giving you better opportunities for your future. Also, when you get here, you will find that there are many people all around to support you, so reach out and know that you can always find someone who is on your team and wants you to succeed!

Abigail Gutierrez
Abigail Gutierrez ’25

Maxine Horton ’17

Involvements and activities: I was involved with the Classics Club, volunteered at the Kalamazoo Institute of Art and I attended many of the events that were hosted on campus with my older sister, Hunter Brown ’16. However, I was busy working part-time for the Athletics Department and Facilities Management. Additionally, I was inducted into Alpha Lambda Delta; attended a Fulbright Commission, Durham University Summer Institute 2014; and went on study abroad to Rome in the American University of Rome program fall-winter 2015.

Why I chose K: I chose to attend K because of the opportunities to study abroad and the flexibility of the K-Plan, which allowed me to be hyper-focused on my studies in art history, history and classical studies. K provided me with the experiences and opportunities to uncover knowledge, get to know my professors on a one-to-one basis, and grow into a confident young adult.

My advice to other first-generation students: Kalamazoo College has the resources and the capability to take you wherever you want to go if you only ask. Although this experience was new to me, it was also new to my family, and while there were many learning curves along the way, the folks here at K were willing to help navigate me through it all.

Maxine Horton in front of mountains
Maxine Horton ’17

Grace Leahey ’25

Involvement and activities: On campus, I am involved with student development as a First-Year Experience mentor, Hillel at K and the Biochemistry Club as the vice chair. 

Why I chose K: I chose Kalamazoo College because I really wanted the opportunity to foster connections with my professors and peers in a way I knew wouldn’t be available at a larger university. I also enjoyed the smaller campus size and the ability to start working on my degree without having to take general classes first.

My advice to other first-generation students: I would advise any first-gen students to always ask questions. There are so many resources just waiting to be tapped into and all it takes to gain access is to ask. Sometimes it’s hard to ask for help, but K has taught me that there will always be someone to help. The faculty and staff here really do want everyone to succeed. 

Grace Leahey
Grace Leahey ’25

Elizabeth Rottenberk ’24

Involvements and activities: On campus, I am on the softball team as one of the team captains, I am a math consultant at the Math and Physics Center, I am a First-Year Experience mentor, president and co-founder of Hacky Sack Club, and I am one of the chair members of the Monte Carlo planning committee.

Why I chose K: I was eager to go to Kalamazoo College because it is academically competitive and I was offered to play for their softball team. What really got me to choose K is the small class sizes and the opportunity to explore different classes which led me to my math–English double major.

My advice to other first-generation students: As someone who has proven themselves amazingly by getting into a great college, do not feel like you need to keep proving yourself and go through your classes alone. Go seek help from others by collaborating with those in your class, going to office hours, going to helpful centers like the Math and Physics Center, Collaboration Center and more.

Lizzy Rottenberk Abroad
Elizabeth Rottenberk ’24

Sydney Salgado ’24

Involvements and activities: I am the upperclassmen co-president of our Latinx Student Organization. I am also a campus ambassador for my high school’s Schuler Scholar Program and the Departmental Student Advisor for the Spanish department. Additionally, I am very active in other student organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine, the Arab Student Union and Que Chevre. I have been blessed to be a part of all these organizations and opportunities and I am grateful for the students on campus who attend and organize collaborative and meaningful events. 

Why I chose K: I decided to attend Kalamazoo College because K awarded me the most financial aid out of all the liberal art schools I applied to. I come from two hard-working immigrant parents, who have supported me in everything I do, so it was my goal to choose a college where they would not have to constantly worry about finding the means to help pay for my tuition. 

My advice to other first-generation students: Take up your space! Share your thoughts in classrooms, with professors and with other students/friends/acquaintances. Your voice and your words matter, and they make a difference. Branch out! Go to club meetings or events your college hosts, even if you go by yourself. I promise you will meet some really cool people by doing this! 

Sydney Salgado '24
Sydney Salgado ’24

Honors Day Celebrates Student Achievements

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More than 300 students were recognized Friday during the annual Honors Day Convocation for excellence in academics and leadership. Students were recognized in six divisions: Fine Arts, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.

Fine Arts Division

Brian Gougeon Prize in Art

Kennedy Campbell
James Hauke
Ix-Chel James
Morgan Jenkins
Eliana Moreno
Sophia Sprick

The Margaret Upton Prize in Music

Tyrus Parnell

Cooper Award
Max Joos

Sherwood Prize
Addison Peter

Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award

Isaiah Calderon
Helen Stoy
Max Wright

Division of Modern and Classical Languages

LeGrand Copley Prize in French

Eleanor Bernas
Shruti Debburman

Hardy Fuchs Award

Henry Black
Elizabeth Muenzenmaier
Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier

Margo Light Award

Noah Chun

Department of Spanish Language and Literatures Prize

Claire Kischer
Gabriel Olivier

Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin

Nick Wilson

Provost’s Prize in Classics

Rebecca Elias

Classics Department Prize in Greek

Nick Wilson

Humanities Division

O.M. Allen Prize in English

Madeline Moss

John B. Wickstrom Prize in History

Laryn Kuchta
Hollis Masterson

Department of Philosophy Prize

Anna Budnick
Nik Krupka
Madeline Lawson
Lina Moghrabi

L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy

Noah Chun
Adam Cornier-Bridgeforth

Natural Sciences and Mathematics Division

Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology

Michaela Dillbeck

Department of Chemistry Prize

Trustin Christopher
Kendra Guitar
Emma Newlove

First-Year Chemistry Award

CJ Aldred
Devi DeYoung
William Tocco

Lemuel F. Smith Award

Roman Ramos

Computer Science Prize

Zahra Amini
Zoie Banger
Narelle Robles
Minh Thu Le

First-Year Mathematics Award

Eva Clancy

Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics

Joseph Horsfield
Tristan Uphoff

Cooper Prize in Physics

Eva Clancy
William Tocco

Social Sciences Division

Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology

Jaylen Bowles-Swain
Isaiah Calderon
Dillon Gacki
Vrinda Girdhar
Gloria Jackson

William G. Howard Memorial Prize

Andreas Fathalla
Lukas Hultberg
Blagoja Naskovski
Sydney Pickell

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business

Gavin Houtkooper
Jonah Spates

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics

Ethan DeNeen
Cole Koryto
Meganne Skoug

Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize

Maya Alkema
Lucas Hanifan
Alek Hultberg
Vinh Nguyen
Sasha Olsen

Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize

Brigid Roth

Physical Education Division

Division of Physical Education Prize

Ryar Rinehart
Ella Spooner

Lauren Rosenthal ’13 Memorial Prize

Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci

Maggie Wardle Prize

Jordan Doyle

College Awards

Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award

Anum Khan
Rojina Timsina
Jordyn Wilson

Henry and Inez Brown Prize

Madison Barch
Brynna Garden
Rylie Kipfmueller
Brett Manski

Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award

Ana Ramirez

Davis United World College Scholar

Randa Alnaas
Asha Dawson
Millie Williams

Heyl Scholars

Class of 2027

Abigail Eilertson
Ava Schwachter
Pauline Hawkes
Anthony Valade
Jason Krawczyk
Benjamin Whitsett

Posse Scholars

Class of 2027

Estrella Barcenas
Marcos Perez
Lena Barrett
Ashley Rodriguez
Mary-Ava Gonzalez
Mo Silcott
Tyler Herrejon
Kennedy West
Gerardo Herrera-Sanchez
Alicia Wilgoren

National Merit Scholars

Class of 2027

Annalisa Bauer
Benjamin Whitsett

Voynovich Scholars

Beren Akpinar
Nico Lipton

Alpha Lambda Delta

Class of 2026

Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year. The Kalamazoo College chapter was installed on March 5, 1942.

Maya Alkema
Baylor Baldwin
Evan Barker
Yvette Boyse-Peacor
Avery Brockington
Eleanor Campion
Trustin Christopher
Noah Chun
Kai Clingenpeel
Shruti Debburman
Devi DeYoung
Michaela Dillbeck
Jordan Doyle
Sally Eggleston
Elise Elliot
Caleb Ewald
Vrinda Girdhar
Kendra Guitar
Sophie Hartl
James Hauke
Annika Hokanson
Alek Hultberg
Cloe Johnson
Jessica Kaplan
Emilia Kelly
Laryn Kuchta
William Martel
Hollis Masterson
Virginia Matta
Kira McManus
Brittany Miller
Lorelei Moxon
Elizabeth Muenzenmaier
Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier
Robert Newland
Emma Newlove
Theodore Niemann
Gabriel Olivier
Chelsea Paddock
Mia Pellegrini
Mia Pierce
William Plesscher
Bea Putman
Alyson Ramillano
Anoushka Soares
Ella Spooner
Molly Stevison
Abbygale Stump
Minh Thu
Le William Tocco
Hannah Ulanoski
Zoe Wilson
Reagan Woods
Maximilian Wright
Kathryn Zabaldo

Enlightened Leadership Awards

Performing Arts: Music

Emily Auchter
Josephine Bischoff
Axel Bodeux
Hillary Davis
Maansi Deswal
Isaac Duncan
Evelyn Ellerbrock
Owen Ellis
Maira Ghaffar
Rex Jasper
Ryleigh Jaworski
Dong Eun Kim
Annabelle Krygier
Nicholas Laframboise
Rylee Lambert
Elijah Layne
Alex Lloyd
Isabelle Mason
Cedric May
Raven Medina
Estelle Metz
Ella Myers
Amelie Sack
Tobin Schiller
Max Shawhan
Phoebe Tozer
Sebastian Vargas-Beltran

MIAA Awards

These teams earned the 2022-2023 MIAA Team GPA Award for achieving a 3.300 or better grade point average for the entire academic year:

Baseball
Men’s Cross Country
Men’s Golf
Men’s Lacrosse
Men’s Swimming and Diving
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Softball
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women’s Tennis
Women’s Volleyball

MIAA Academic Honor Roll

The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association each year honors students at MIAA member colleges who achieve in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average for the entire school year.

Fuzail Ahmed
Maya Alkema
Adnan Alousi
Paige Anderson
Eleanor Andrews
Samuel Ankley
Alexandra Armin
Aidan Baas
Madison Barch
Travis Barclay
Eleanor Bernas
Luke Bormann
Mairin Boshoven
Jaylen Bowles-Swain
Holly Bowling
Ella Boyea
Lukas Broadsword
Anna Buck
John Bungart
Ian Burr
Abigail Caza
Isabella Caza
Trustin Christopher
Madeleine Coffman
Zachary Connor
Mia Crites
Chase Cummins
Emma Curcuru
Erik Danielson
Jessica Dant
Claire Davis
Kyla Davis
Carson Deines
Ethan DeNeen
Sarah Densham
Olivia Depauli
Rorie Dougherty
Jordan Doyle
Ryan Drew
Alexander Dubin
Hannah Durant
Rebecca Elias
Elise Elliot
Sara English
Caleb Ewald
Peter Fitzgerald
Payton Fleming
Parker Foster
Andre Fouque
Emma Frederiksen
Aliza Garcia
Brynna Garden
Farah Ghazal
Lillian Grelak
Natalie Gross
Kendra Guitar
Sydney Hagaman
Ryan Hanifan
Alison Hankins
Madeline Hanulcik
Lucy Hart
Sophie Hartl
Zachary Heimbuch
Maya Hester
Jacob Hoffman
Garrick Hohm
Ronin Honda
Jaelyn Horn
Joseph Horsfield
Molly Horton
Tyler Houle
Gavin Houtkooper
Samuel Hughes
Alek Hultberg
Lukas Hultberg
Michael Hume
Madelaine Hurley
Carson Ihrke
Tristan James
Jonathan Jiang
Timothy Karubas
Blake Kelsey
Hunter Kiesling
Meghan Killmaster
Soussana Kimbouris
Kendyl Kirshman
Alexander Kish
Lena Klemm
Daniel Koselka
Toni Koshmider
Marissa Kovac
Aidan Lancaster
Louis Landreau
Annmarie Lawrence
Ilem Leisher
Jacob Lynett
Natalie Maki
Benjamin Maurice
Regan McKee
Amy McNutt
Rachel Meston
Gabriel Meyers
Luke Middlebrook
Brittany Miller
Cooper Mills
Camille Misra
Elana Mitchell
Jana Molby
Mackenzie Moore
Samantha Moss
Elizabeth Muenzenmaier
Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier
Anna Murphy
Lindsey Nedd
Justin Negrete
Alexis Nesbitt
Robert Newland
Emma Newlove
Dustin Noble
Jeremiah Ohren-Hoeft
Gabriel Olivier
Brenden Oprinski
Eric Paternoster
Alexis Petty
Sydney Pickell
Benjamin Pickrel
William Plesscher
Harrison Poeszat
Evan Pollens-Voigt
Grayson Pratt
Andrew Puckett
Elizabeth Rachiele
Savera Rajendra-Nicolucci
Julia Rambo
Sara Reathaford
Liam Regan
Keegan Reynolds
Mya Richter
Sheldon Riley
Jacob Robertson
Katherine Rock
Luke Rop
Alec Rosenbaum
Eli Routt
Charlotte Ruiter
Maxwell Saxton
Leo Schinker
Vivian Schmidt
Annika Schnell
Amalia Scorsone
Steven Shelton
Cassidy Short
Elizabeth Silber
Colby Skinner
Erin Somsel
Jonah Spates
Ella Spooner
David Stechow
Molly Stevison
Emma Stickley
Thomas Sylvester
Ella Szczublewski
Levi Thomas
William Thomas
Sophia Timm-Blow
Renee Torres
Jakob Torzewski
Frances Trimble
Oliver Tye
Alexis Valdes
Samantha Vande Pol
Hannah Vander Lugt
Cameron VanGalder
Mitchel VanGalder
Anna Varitek
Gabriel Vidinas
Joseph Wade
Ivy Walker
Riley Weber
Margaret Wedge
Dylan Wickey
Andrew Widger
Ava Williams
Tony Yazbeck
Hailey Yoder
Jacob Zeller
Sophie Zhuang
Margaret Zorn

A students shakes hands with faculty while receiving an award on Honors Day 2023
A student receives an award while shaking hands with a faculty member on Honors Day 2023
A student receives an award while shaking hands with a faculty member on Honors Day 2023
Honors Day 2023 attendees applaud a student recognized as a Posse Scholar
A student walks down an aisle at Stetson Chapel to receive her award on Honors Day 2023
A student receives applause while being recognized as a Heyl Scholar during Honors Day 2023

Student’s Seminar Used Fashion to Spotlight Northern Michigan History

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The "A Century of Fashion" at the Little Traverse Historical Society
Claire Mullins ’26 will offered a Zoom about her exhibit, “A Century of Fashion.”
Historical dress on display in fashion exhibit at Little Traverse Historical Society

Online Presentation

Claire Mullins ’26 worked as an intern with the Little Traverse Historical Museum this summer, researching and installing the display “A Century of Fashion.” Claire’s online presentation on October 26 discussed her work via Zoom.

Kalamazoo College student Claire Mullins ’26 told a Zoom audience about her summer internship while sharing her research on the history of northern Michigan fashion on Thursday, October 26.

During the online event, sponsored by North Central Michigan College, Mullins detailed an exhibit of her creation titled A Century of Fashion, which is now on display at the Little Traverse Historical Society in Petoskey. The exhibit includes about 10 dresses that were donated to the society’s museum over the years along with educational storyboards she drafted while working with a clothing and costume historian. Her presentation went over each time period the dresses are from, what they’re made of, and why they would be worn.

“I want to work for a big museum or on archeological digs one day, so I’m hoping a presentation like this can show I have museum experience and that I already know how to use some museum software while putting on a display like this,” Mullins said. “I also hope the presentation will not only lead to awareness of the Little Traverse Historical Society, but maybe lead to some visits and draw some donations.”

Mullins, a classics major, said she developed a passion for fashion when she visited the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., and saw the dresses that First Ladies have worn over the years. However, she wasn’t necessarily thinking about fashion when she sought an internship through Handshake, the College’s platform for jobs and internships. She was more concerned about finding an opportunity close to her Lewiston, Michigan, home, leading her to the Little Traverse Historical Society. There, Mullins interviewed with Executive Director Jane Garver, whose daughter, Grace, graduated from K this year.

Black Harvey Berin dress reflects women's fashion from 1953
Mullins found this 1953 Harvey Berin dress valued at more than $4,000 in a storage area at the Little Traverse Historical Society.
Claire Mullins dressed in personal protective equipment
Mullins dressed in personal protective equipment to explore an old storage area and found one of the key additions to her exhibit, “A Century of Fashion.”
Olive green dress reflects women's fashion from the 1880s
An olive green dress that dates to the 1880s is among several historical dresses on dislay at the Little Traverse Historical Society in Petosky.
Harvey Berin tag from dress in fashion exhibit
Mullins uncovered a Harvey Berin dress valued at more than $4,000 during her internship.

“Our K connection helped in the interview, but I told her I was interested in history and that I wanted to specifically work at a museum,” Mullins said. “It went really well, we talked about K a lot, and when she called me back, she told me I got the job.”

Mullins started the internship by archiving some of the historical society’s collections in an online database until Garver mentioned that most of her interns undertake a project of their own choosing. About that time, Mullins visited her employer’s storage unit, where she found racks upon racks of clothing, dresses in particular.

With changing membership and management, along with a flooded old house that formerly served as a storage area, most of the items were undocumented, so Mullins took it upon herself to catalog as much as possible while arranging an on-display exhibit.

To secure her full exhibit, Mullins even went as far as donning personal protective equipment (PPE) to sift through a crawlspace once used for storage that contractors had haphazardly filled with spray insulation. That search—despite a frightening experience involving a mannequin arm suddenly appearing from under the insulation—proved to be fruitful: She found a 1953 Harvey Berin couture dress, custom made by hand in New York City and valued at more than $4,000.

“It wasn’t in our online database, which was the only way we could figure out where a lot of this stuff came from,” Mullins said. “Much of it was donated in the 90s and it wasn’t put in the computer system correctly. A lot of times, the person whose name was on it wasn’t even the person who donated it, so I’m also hoping that the presentation might lead someone to say, ‘My gosh, I remember my grandma wearing that dress,’ or ‘I think my mother wore that one time,”’so we can include that.”

Student Openly Shares Her Research to Tackle Chagas Disease

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When scientists perform research, what they discover is often proprietary and kept in close confidence until results are published or patented. Erin Somsel ’24, however, would rather share her research with the world.

Somsel, a biochemistry major at Kalamazoo College, is working on her Senior Integrated Project with Associate Professor of Chemistry Dwight Williams and the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, which engages top students from about 25 global institutions in research through the Open Synthesis Network. Their combined efforts provide shared, open-source information, allowing entire teams to look into the molecules and compounds that present the most promise for developing medicines that fight neglected tropical diseases (NTDs).

NTDs are a diverse group of 20 conditions that disproportionately infect women and children in impoverished communities with devastating health, social and economic consequences. Many are vector-borne with animal reservoirs and complex life cycles that complicate their public-health control. Plus, drug companies often don’t see the benefits of helping impoverished communities that are less profitable.

The open-source initiative, though, is more interested in cooperative work and says its participating researchers have developed 12 treatments for six deadly diseases, potentially saving millions of lives.

“That’s appealing to me because there are scientists from everywhere that work on this project,” Somsel said. “I think that’s a cool way of getting everyone involved in the scientific community to come up with a solution to a big problem.”

Somsel hopes her work will contribute to a treatment for a seventh affliction, Chagas disease. The inflammatory condition is most common in South America, Central America and Mexico with rare cases in the southern United States. It spreads through the feces of a parasite often called the kissing bug, as it damages the heart and other vital organs when the bug bites humans.

“A lot of the work on the drugs for Chagas disease was done in the 1960s, so there’s an urgent need for new ones,” Somsel said. “Chagas has two phases, acute and chronic. The acute phase has common symptoms such as fever, headache and fatigue, but if it turns chronic, it can cause cardiomyopathy and serious gastrointestinal problems. The drugs only work in the acute phase, so if it’s not caught, it’s life-threatening. There’s also no vaccine against Chagas disease.”

In the lab, IC50 values represent the concentrations at which substances inhibit parasites through biological and biochemical processes. The hope is to find IC50 values through molecules and compounds that warrant further research.

“I’ve been working on optimizing our processes and I got the procedure down so that we could start generating some of the compounds that we wanted to,” Somsel said. “The next step is to continue building the library of the chemicals we want to make and send them into the Open Synthesis Network, where it will test them for the activity against the parasites.”

Erin Somsel researching Chagas disease in the lab
Erin Somsel ’24 hopes her research will contribute to a treatment for Chagas disease, an inflammatory condition most common in South America, Central America and Mexico with rare cases in the southern United States.
Erin Somsel researching Chagas disease
Somsel first was introduced to NTD research when she was on study abroad in Costa Rica. While there she studied Latin American health care systems in an environment that challenged her to grow.

Somsel first was introduced to NTD research when she was on study abroad in Costa Rica. While there she studied Latin American health care systems, including Costa Rica’s, in an environment that challenged her to grow.

“I think K has a unique culture of pushing students beyond their comfort zone,” she said. “I don’t think that I would have had that experience at any other place.”

Now, with that experience—plus a K-Plan that involves student organizations such as the Health Professions Society and the Sisters in Science, athletics through the women’s soccer team, and academics as a teaching assistant for introductory chemistry—Somsel feels like she’s prepared to one day succeed in medical school, where she will continue pursuing lab research. Hopefully, that will involve further research involving NTDs.

“Success for me used to be going to class, getting A’s and stuff like that,” Somsel said. “Then, I started working in the lab. I found that there are many little things that build up to success. When I had a reaction that wasn’t successful, it was easy for me to say, ‘I was unsuccessful today.’ But Dr. Williams helped me put it in a different perspective. He could say, ‘No, you were unsuccessful in generating this compound, but you were successful in realizing this solvent didn’t work, so we can try something else and move forward.’ I think that has really shaped me as a student. It helped me understand that if at first something doesn’t work for me, I’m going to keep trying and persisting to find something that does.”

Heyl Scholarship, K Empower Student’s Mix of Science, Art

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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.”

Portrait of Heyl Scholarship Recipient Jordyn Wilson
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.”

New Star Wars Religion Class Fills with Hyperspace-Like Speed

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Sohini Pillai standing in her office with some Star Wars merchandise
Kalamazoo College Assistant Professor of Religion Sohini Pillai displays some of the personal Star Wars merchandise she has in her office including a painting of Grogu gifted to her by a student.
Star Wars-related pictures in Sohini Pillai's office
Pillai’s office leaves no doubt of her status as a Star Wars fan. The picture at left shows her likeness as a Jedi with her dog, Leia, dressed as Chewbacca. The picture at right is the dog’s face imposed on an image of Princess Leia’s clothing in the franchise’s first movie, “A New Hope.”
Student wearing Jedi robes and carries a lightsaber
The Force is strong with the Star Wars community at K. Paige Anderson ’25, for example, wore Jedi robes and wielded a lightsaber for an Epic Epics presentation on the Star Wars film “Revenge of the Sith.”

Some Kalamazoo College students will learn the ways of the Force this fall in a new Star Wars-themed class that examines religion’s role in the franchise.

Students in Jedi, Sith, and Mandalorians: Religion and Star Wars, taught by Assistant Professor of Religion Sohini Pillai, will watch seven of the films along with The Mandalorian Disney+ series, and read from books such as The Tao of Yoda, The Gospel According to Star Wars: Faith, Hope and the Force, and The Myth Awakens before writing a research paper in which they analyze a Star Wars film or show not discussed in class.

Their goals are to gain a better understanding of religious, cultural and historical contexts related to Star Wars while investigating key concepts in the study of religion such as canonization, myth, invented vs. traditional religions, cultural appropriation, colonization, indigenous cultures, orientalism and racism.

“There are so many themes in the Star Wars universe that are applicable to the study of religion,” Pillai said. “Just in the first week, for example, we’re going to be talking about orientalism and the exoticization of the Eastern world. The world of Tatooine was filmed in Tunisia and the whole planet is essentially based on the Middle East, the Ewoks speak in highspeed Tibetan, and many of the characters have names based on Sanskrit words. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The idea for the course developed not so long ago, in a classroom not so far away, when—in 2021—Pillai began teaching a First-Year Seminar, Epic Epics. The class used The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem, along with nine other narratives about a variety of heroic warriors and colossal battles, to examine how such stories have changed over time and influenced cultures.

Revenge of the Sith, a Star Wars prequel released in 2005, took center stage in final presentations that term with two students reflecting on the film through themes found in the epics. One of the students, Paige Anderson ’25, even offered her presentation while wearing Jedi robes and wielding a lightsaber. The conversations from those presentations and throughout the term pleased Pillai, who also is K’s director of film and media studies.

“Those students are hardcore Star Wars fans,” she said. “I was especially surprised by how much they loved the prequel trilogy. The story, if you haven’t seen the original Star Wars movies, is compelling and exciting. It’s a story about Anakin Skywalker turning to the Dark Side to become Darth Vader. But my students would have been in high school and middle school when the sequel trilogy came out. I thought they would’ve liked those more.”

Regardless of their favorite movies in the franchise, it was evident that student interest, not to mention her own fandom, could help Pillai develop Jedi, Sith, and Mandalorians: Religion and Star Wars. Pillai said she remembers first being interested in the Star Wars universe when she was in kindergarten and her parents introduced her to the first three films after she heard about the films from a classmate. When she was 9, The Phantom Menace, the original prequel, was the first Star Wars movie she saw in theaters. Today, her fandom continues with a variety of merchandise in her office, the Disney+ streaming shows, and an Instagram-famous Yorkshire terrier, Leia, named after the princess who is Pillai’s favorite character in the franchise.

“I distinctly remember growing up and seeing movies like The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty where these princesses are basically sitting there and doing nothing,” she said. “And then in kindergarten, seeing Princess Leia with a blaster and defending herself while also being a diplomat and speaking so eloquently, I was impressed by her. I think she’s one of the most incredible female characters in cinema. I liked the idea of Padmé being a queen at the age of 14, and I enjoyed Rey’s character in the new trilogy as well. And speaking of the new Ahsoka show, I love that three women including two women of color are leading it.”

If you were concerned that some in and around K would question the value of a Star Wars class in the curriculum, Darth Vader—and Pillai, for that matter—might say, “I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

“I remember in the faculty meeting when we were voting on new classes that about 10 people all at once seconded the motion to adopt the course,” Pillai said. “I’ve had a lot of people—like Director of Athletics Becky Hall—say, ‘Send me the syllabus! I want to sit in on the class.’ I think there’s a lot of excitement for this. K has a solid Star Wars community.”

Pillai dresses her dog, Leia, as a Jedi while she dresses as R2-D2.
Sohini Pillai wears a sweatshirt that says Yoda Akbar
Pillai wears one of her favorite sweatshirts, which combines Star Wars with the film “Jodhaa Akbar,” which she covers in her Religion, Bollywood, and Beyond class.

The broader K community, from staff to alumni and beyond, has been equally supportive. One recent Twitter/X post said, “As a @kcollege alum, I am stone cold jealous of the students taking this class.” Another said, “The fact that I graduated from @kcollege 30 years too late to take this class is a big disappointment to me as a #StarWars fanatic!”

Then there are the junior and senior K students who didn’t exactly have to be scruffy-looking nerf-herders to realize that the course would be fun, entertaining, and educational as they filled the last seats in it during the second day of fall registration.

Pillai can’t be certain that Jedi, Sith, and Mandalorians: Religion and Star Wars will be offered again. As Yoda would state, it’s “difficult to say; always in motion is the future.” She hopes, however, that first-year students, sophomores, and students on study abroad this term will have opportunities to register for it, too.

“I’ll probably want to teach it again because I imagine it’s going to be super fun for me,” Pillai said. “In the future, I think I’m going to have to reserve spots for underclassmen because I feel bad that they weren’t able to take it this time around. But it’s great we have so much interest in it. I think that Star Wars can be used as an important teaching tool, especially in the world that we live in.”

‘Best 389 Colleges’ Book Endorses K

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The Princeton Review is placing Kalamazoo College among the top 15 percent of U.S. higher-education institutions for degree-seeking undergraduates by featuring K in the 2024 version of its annual guide, The Best 389 Colleges. 

In the book, the education services company recommends colleges from the nation’s 2,600 four-year institutions based on data it collects from administrators about their academic offerings, and surveys of students who rate and report on their experiences.  

Students lauded K through surveys as a place where they develop personal relationships with their peers and faculty at a campus run by and for the students. In addition, students can quickly find their niche upon arriving thanks to a small-school environment where “everyone is always engaged in some kind of work they truly care about,” the book says. 

The Best 389 Colleges doesn’t provide individual rankings for the schools featured. However, K earned an additional mention in the guide as the No. 16 school on a list of the Top 20 Private Colleges for Making an Impact. This means K students said that their student-government opportunities, the College’s sustainability efforts and K’s on-campus engagement are providing them with opportunities to make a difference in their community. 

“We salute Kalamazoo College for its outstanding academics and its many other impressive offerings,” said Rob Franek, the Princeton Review’s editor-in-chief and lead author of The Best 389 Colleges. “We’re delighted to recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.” 

The printed publication is now available through the Penguin Random House website. K’s profile is available for free online along with the list of the 389 top schools. 

An art professor guides a student by pointing at her project best 389 colleges
According to the 2024 edition of “The Best 389 Colleges” from the Princeton Review, students gave Kalamazoo College high marks for its open curriculum. The open curriculum means “students have more time to explore exactly what they want to learn, rather than being required to take classes in which they have no interest,” the book says.

Student-Athlete Takes Flag Football to Kenya

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With another year of Kalamazoo College football camp beginning, student-athlete Adam Stapleton ’25 is proudly reflecting on a summer that included some international volunteerism through his sport.

Stapleton, a business major in his academic life and a linebacker for the Hornets in athletics, introduced children in Kenya to flag football by visiting a rural, ministry-based school in the town of Nyahururu through the Pan African Christian Exchange (PACE).

The idea was to help the children experience some diversity in their physical education classes in coordination with a two-week service trip he shared with his family, including his dad—who works as a pastor—his mom and his brother.

“Usually, the students would only be playing soccer, and the school wanted them to have a more enriching experience in general,” Stapleton said. “I feel like football as a game teaches a lot of life skills outside of just athleticism. There’s teamwork because you have to be on the same page, and there’s strategy, which helped them learn to think while contributing to their growing experiences in school as a whole.”

The children, he said, were somewhat familiar with rugby, which provided some parallels along with some challenges because of slightly different rules. They had to learn, for example, that football has four downs and varied guidance as to how teams can sub players in and out of a game.

Regardless, the classes embraced the experience, making Stapleton’s job feel less like a Hail Mary and more like an inevitable run to pay dirt.

“I could just see their joy, especially when I told them we would leave all the materials there so they could play on their own,” Stapleton said. “They don’t have a lot of what we do, but they were so much happier than we usually are. The whole experience helped me see that attitude is what makes you happy.”

Stapleton added that he and his brother also taught chess to the students. In fact, some of the children picked it up so quickly that they nearly beat the duo by the time they left. The whole experience leaves Stapleton with no doubt that he would like to return to Kenya one day, in addition to studying abroad in Madrid or Costa Rica before he leaves K.

“This wasn’t so much about my K-Plan, but it definitely fit with the K experience,” Stapleton said. “It was about putting myself out there to try new things. It also fit for me as a business major. I sat in on one of their business classes and tried to contribute some things about my classes. I want to go back again, and in my professional life, I think this experience will help me interact more with diverse people and reach others different from me. I’m glad I went because I didn’t expect it to be anything like it was. Going there and seeing the joy on the kids’ faces while teaching them something new and experiencing a new place was an awesome opportunity.”

Adam Stapleton Teaching Flag Football in Kenya
Student-athlete Adam Stapleton introduced children in Kenya to flag football this summer, diversifying their physical education classes.

Student’s Neuroscience Research Fights ALS

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When progress is made in the fight against neurological afflictions such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, students such as Vivian Schmidt ’25 often are on the frontlines of research.

Schmidt, a biology and psychology double major with a concentration in neuroscience at Kalamazoo College, is having a cutting-edge experience this summer at the University of Michigan. She is working for 10 weeks in the institution’s Summer Intensive Research Experience in Neuroscience (SIREN) program, a highly desirable opportunity that accepts only about 20 applicants each year out of hundreds. As a bonus, she’s directly working with Michigan faculty such as K alumna Elizabeth Tank ’03, an assistant research scientist in neurology.

The initiative is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, which also provides Schmidt with a stipend and on-campus housing.

“It’s surreal to think that everything I did in high school and my first two years at K led to this opportunity,” Schmidt said. “I’ve met a lot of incredibly witty, smart and established professionals in their field, who have done phenomenal things. It definitely has solidified my desire to come here for graduate school, as well. It’s been amazing to get to know the faculty members and the culture of the program here.”

SIREN research this summer involves a range of topics within neuroscience. Schmidt’s specific project is investigating what goes wrong with a protein that has ties to ALS and dementia to understand the underlying causes of the conditions. The hope is that the science will one day reveal therapeutic options that assist treatment.

“Even the failures are exciting now because I’ve realized they tell me this one thing didn’t work,” Schmidt said. “I ask, ‘Why didn’t this work?’ as opposed to getting down on myself. The daily successes have involved my mental attitude and keeping up my enthusiasm, especially in such a long program, and ultimately, the overall goal is presenting my research.”

In a way, such an opportunity for Schmidt could have been predicted. She’s been interested in studying how people think since high school, and her biology and chemistry classes helped her develop a passion for biological-based research rather than clinical approaches to psychology.

“I wanted to be the one getting my hands dirty in the lab,” she said. “I wanted to be the one who tries to figure out why something failed and then try it again. I’ve known since my first year in high school that I wanted a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and it’s something I’ve been gunning for since.”

Schmidt has received a lot of encouragement from K faculty and staff such as Professor of Biology Blaine Moore, Director of Biology Labs Anne Engh and Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo. Moore, however, was the one Schmidt conversed with even before she arrived at K. He, Arias-Rotondo, and Engh have written countless letters of recommendation on her behalf.

Vivian Schmidt presenting her neuroscience research poster to five people at the University of Michigan
Vivian Schmidt ’25, a biology and psychology double major with a concentration in neuroscience, presents her summer research at the University of Michigan.
Vivian Schmidt 2_showcase

“I did my apprenticeship with Dr. Moore in the spring after he was phenomenally supportive throughout my first year, so I made him my official academic advisor,” she said. “He’s been great at guiding me with which classes to take and pushing me to do what he knows I’m capable of. I might not 100% believe in myself all the time, but I know he believes in me. Kalamazoo College is better for him being there.”

Study abroad opportunities and a wide range of subjects within her reach were big reasons why she chose K.

“The fact that I could do a double major and still have room to take classes that had absolutely nothing to do with neuroscience was a huge draw,” she said. “My first year I took jazz explorations and Hindu traditions and they were some of my favorites. I don’t think I would have been able to do that at another school.”

Thanks to a well-rounded K-Plan, Schmidt also plays on the women’s lacrosse team, participates in an astrophotography- and astronomy-focused student organization she co-founded called Konstellation, and plans programming for first-generation students like herself through the Intercultural Center. But research will always be her focus at K, throughout graduate school, and hopefully, in her professional life.

“I’ve been tossing around a few ideas, because with a Ph.D., I could go an industrial route or go into teaching, or I could work somewhere like the Van Andel Institute, where I could just be a research scientist,” she said. “I’ve always had a bit of an interest in teaching, mentorship and explaining things to people, too. At this moment, I’m thinking I would love to be a professor at an institution where I can teach and do research. That would be ideal, but no matter what, as long as research is involved, I’m going to be happy.”