Carter Dillet portrays George Stinney Jr. in the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Daniel Sampson plays George Stinney Sr. in “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Chasiti Lashay appears in the role of Alma Stinney during the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Cody Colvin ’18 has been striking powerful chords at the intersection of opera and media production. This February, he was honored with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Best Independent Producer award, which recognizes the best public television program in the state by an independent producer. Colvin shares the honor with fellow producers Emilee Syrewicze and Phil Lane for their work on Stinney: An American Execution, a cinematic capture of Opera Grand Rapids’ groundbreaking world premiere.
Colvin served as director, producer and co-executive producer on the project, which tells the harrowing true story of George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old Black boy who, in 1944, became the youngest person ever legally executed in the U.S. after being wrongfully convicted of the murder of two white girls in South Carolina. Decades later, in 2014, a South Carolina judge vacated his conviction, citing an egregious lack of due process.
“The film hurts to watch every time,” Colvin said. “It reminds me of how important this story is and why we told it.”
The opera, composed by Frances Pollock with libretto by Tia Price, premiered in 2022. With Colvin as director, the production was transformed into a cinematic experience now streaming nationwide and broadcast across Michigan through Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliates. The film also marks a technical achievement as it’s believed to be the first full-length opera captured entirely on cinema cameras. It features cutting-edge audio with technology from DPA Microphones and Tentacle Sync, mixed in immersive Dolby Surround with nearly 40 channels of recorded sound.
Colvin began conversations about filming Stinney in 2021, when he approached Opera Grand Rapids’ then-chorusmaster about singing in the chorus. That conversation quickly evolved into a production opportunity. OGR Executive Director and Stinney Co-Executive Producer Emilee Syrewicze then brought Colvin and his company, Colvin Theatrical, on board to produce the film.
“After touring with the American Association of Community Theatre in 2021, we were looking for a project we could really sink our teeth into,” Colvin said. “This was that project, technically ambitious and thematically vital.”
Before Colvin’s involvement, Syrewicze had begun preliminary broadcast talks with WGVU, Grand Rapids’ PBS affiliate. Once Colvin joined the team, WGVU escalated the project to PBS national headquarters. Emmy-winning PBS Senior Director of Programming Doug Chang, known for Live from Lincoln Center, worked with Colvin to help refine the film for national release. It now lives on the PBS app and has aired across multiple Michigan regions.
“When we screened it for the first time, the stunned silence in the room was palpable,” Colvin said. “I was able to watch the initial broadcast with the Opera Grand Rapids donors who helped bring the project to life, and their thoughtful and emotional response to the film reaffirmed why we do this work.”
Colvin founded Colvin Theatrical in 2020 during the pandemic, helping theater companies reach audiences far beyond their venues. One early breakthrough came in 2021, when he filmed 11 of the 12 Outstanding Production nominees at the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) Festival, earning international media coverage. In 2023, he launched Colvin Media to expand into broader film, television and advertising projects. Colvin Theatrical now operates under that umbrella.
A classically trained bass-baritone, Colvin nurtured his passion for singing during his time at Kalamazoo College. He made his principal opera debut in 2024 in La Bohème with Opera Grand Rapids, and his next milestone comes this spring with a Carnegie Hall debut.
Colvin to Perform at Carnegie Hall
Cody Colvin ’18 will make his Carnegie Hall debut at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, performing a solo with the West Michigan Opera Project. The Grand Rapids-based ensemble focuses on educational outreach through concerts, workshops, and master classes. A public sendoff concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 6. RSVP for either event at the West Michigan Opera Project website.
Alyssa Toepfer portrays Jean Binnicker during the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Cody Colvin ’18, a business and theatre arts double major at K, founded Colvin Theatrical in 2020. In 2023, he launched Colvin Media to expand into broader film, television and advertising projects.
A movie with Kalamazoo College ties that seeks to change society’s views on marijuana incarceration policies is now available for pre-purchase and will be available digitally through Apple TV+ beginning Friday, April 18. Grassland stars Quincy Isaiah ’17, an actor known for his role as Magic Johnson in the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Adam Edery ’19 served the movie as a producer and Shon Powell ’18 as a consulting producer.
“Overall, we’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback on the film, not only on platforms such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, but from individuals letting us know how moved they are by it,” Edery said. “The biggest takeaway people seem to have is that they didn’t realize how many people are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses today, and seeing the direct impacts this has on families.”
Set in 2008 during the Great Recession, the movie follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her son befriends new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather. Actors Mía Maestro and Jeff Kober star alongside Isaiah, who plays Brandon, a character who feels stuck with few options for moving on thanks to a mistake he made as a child.
Grassland had a private screening with guests Edery and Isaiah at K’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership in November 2023. The film then had a world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. It since has played at the Monterrey International Film Festival, the Boise Film Festival, the Pan African Film and at events in Detroit, New York City and Los Angeles with more screenings still to come.
Executive producer Common, who is also an actor and rapper, will lead an April 25 impact event at Shinola San Francisco, which will include conversations with him, members of the film team and the Last Prisoner Project’s (LPP) director of advocacy. LPP works to free people who are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses.
“We are using our social impact campaign not only to educate people on the realities of cannabis incarceration today, but also to spur them to take action and provoke change in their communities whether it be calling their congressman to ask for clemency for a local LPP constituent, or moving from buying their cannabis from a national retailer to a local, cannabis-justice driven shop,” Edery said.
Edery added that he won’t measure the film’s long-term success by the amount of money it makes or the amount of people who purchase it, but rather the amount of change that is driven from it.
“If we can meaningfully contribute to even one person being freed from prison as a result of efforts correlated with this film, I will consider it a success,” he said. “And that starts with people watching the movie and becoming educated on the issue while also being entertained in the process.”
Quincy Isaiah ’17 stars in “Grassland,” which is now available for pre-purchase through Apple TV+. Adam Edery ’19 is a producer and Shon Powell ’18 is a consulting producer.
Actor Quincy Isaiah ’17 (left) and Producer Adam Edery ’19 returned to Kalamazoo College in November 2023 to screen their independent film titled “Grassland.”
Five Kalamazoo College faculty members have been awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor, recognizing their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. This milestone also signifies the College’s confidence in the contributions these faculty will make throughout their careers. The Board of Trustees-approved tenure recipients are:
Anne Marie Butler, Art History and Women, Gender and Sexuality
Butler specializes in contemporary Tunisian art within contexts of global contemporary art, contemporary global surrealism studies, Southwest Asia North Africa studies, gender and sexuality studies, and queer theory. At K, she teaches courses such as Art and Gender, Queer Aesthetics, Performance Art and core WGS classes. She has supervised 13 Senior Integrated Projects (SIPs).
Outside the classroom, Butler has co-edited the book Queer Contemporary Art of Southwest Asia North Africa (Intellect Press, 2024) and published four articles, as well as a book chapter. She is a recipient of an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant and of a research grant from American Institute of Maghrib Studies. She is the current Junior Faculty Fellow at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, has served on the Sherbin Fellowship Post-Baccalaureate Research Award committee, and is co-convener of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s WGS Collective. She is also a volunteer assistant K swimming and diving team coach, and volunteers at the YWCA and at Kalamazoo Animal Rescue.
Butler holds a Ph.D. in global gender and sexuality studies from the State University of New York-Buffalo, an M.A. in arts politics from New York University, and a B.A. in art history and French from Scripps College.
Anne Marie Butler
Marilyn Evans, Classics
Evans specializes in the archaeology of Roman urbanism, exploring the origins and early development of communities in central Italy. She has excavated sites across the Mediterranean, and for the past 15 years in the ancient Latin city of Gabii. At K, Evans teaches courses across the Classics curriculum, covering ancient language, literature, history and archaeology. She also has effectively integrated community engagement into her Neighborhoods in Ancient Cities course by working collaboratively with the Center for Civic Engagement and the Building Blocks community housing group.
Evans has supervised four SIP students, including two during summer research at archaeological digs in Gabii, Italy, outside of Rome. Her published work includes four peer-reviewed articles and two book chapters. She has served on K’s Educational Policies Committee, as regional vice president for the Classical Association of the Midwest and South, and on the editorial board of Rhea Classical Reviews.
Evans earned her Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of California, Berkeley, her M.A. in Classical Languages from the University of Georgia and her B.A. in Classical Studies and Anthropology, from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Marilyn Evans
Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley, English
Kingsley’s specialty is poetry and he also has published works of fiction and nonfiction. His teaching centers on the poetry sequence within the English department: Introduction to Creative Writing, Intermediate Poetry Workshop, and Advanced Poetry Workshop.
Kingsley is the author of three books which have won over a dozen national awards, including the Association for Asian American Studies Award for Outstanding Achievement, the Library of Virginia Literary Award, and the American Fiction Award. He has published poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in more than 100 journals and/or anthologies, including Poetry, Poets.org, Tin House, Boston Review, The Georgia Review, New England Review, The Southern Review and Oxford American. His collections are Dēmos: An American Multitude (Milkweed Editions, 2021), Colonize Me (Saturnalia Books, 2019) and Not Your Mama’s Melting Pot (University of Nebraska Press, 2018).
At K, Kingsley has twice been named a Most Valuable Professor, once by basketball student-athletes and once in football. He has also twice been named an Alpha Lamda Delta Inspiring Professor in back-to-back years.
Kingsley earned an M.F.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley
Rochelle Rojas, History
Rojas specializes in the early modern Western world and the transatlantic history of the early Spanish empire while focusing on the lived experiences of a wide range of people. She has supervised 11 SIPs, written two peer-reviewed articles, and authored a book, Bad Christians and Hanging Toads: Witch Crafting in Northern Spain 1525-1675, which was released this month by Cornell University Press. She has been awarded an American Association of University Women Short-Term Research Grant and an American Historical Association Albert J. Beveridge Grant.
Rojas has served as a member of K’s Academic Standards Committee and the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has been a member of search committees for the vice president of finance and administration; director of grants, fellowships and research; and faculty searches in biology and chemistry. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree along with a Ph.D. in history from Duke University.
Rochelle Rojas
Blakely Tresca, Chemistry
Tresca teaches organic chemistry at K while striving to bring research into the classroom. He has mentored more than 30 research students and supervised 14 SIPs with more than 50% of his research mentees attending graduate programs at institutions such as the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and Washington University in St. Louis.
Tresca has had five published articles and recently received a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF funds will help his students develop a lab partnership with some of their counterparts at the University of Toronto while performing research with peptoid nanomaterials.
At K, Tresca has served on the Educational Policies Committee (EPC), where he participated in revising SIP guidelines and last year’s teacher’s assistant policy. Beyond EPC, he has been an advisor to K’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) while working with the local ACS professional chapter. He’s also been the Michigan representative to the Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges Board.
Tresca holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University along with a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Oregon.
A Kalamazoo College department is expanding its offerings to help the greater community build skills that are convenient for the great outdoors.
The College’s Outdoor Programs team launched the Outdoor Leadership Training Center (OLTC) in January, providing public in-person community courses, workshops and certifications for every level of expertise in outdoor education, wilderness medicine, first aid and CPR/defibrillator (AED) training.
Opportunities are expanding this spring to include new workshops:
A backpacking series continuing in April with map and compass navigation, first aid, shelter building and trip planning, ranging from $35 to $70 per class.
A climbing series that will cover climbing anchor principles (May 16), natural anchor building (May 17) and a skills test (May 18), ranging from $35 to $150 per class. Register for all three as a package for $225, a discount of $30 over signing up separately.
A mountain biking clinic available May 25 or July 5 at Maple Hill Trail for $150. Expert trainers will lead riders of all experience levels, covering fundamental techniques such as braking, cornering and shifting, along with advanced skills such as climbing, descending and line selection. Bikes and helmets can be provided when they’re needed.
“The Outdoor Leadership Training Center is here to provide the community with a fun, safe and welcoming space to learn essential outdoor skills,” OLTC Training Coordinator Hannah Wolfe said. “As a new resource in the area, we’re filling a need for accessible, hands-on training that helps people connect with nature while staying safe. Whether you’re a beginner who wants to explore the outdoors with confidence or someone looking to refine your wilderness skills, we’ve got something for you. Our courses are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, families, educators or anyone wanting to prepare for any outdoor adventure. We love helping people of all backgrounds gain the confidence to enjoy the outdoors and discover new skills along the way.”
The Outdoor Leadership Training Center at Kalamazoo College in January provided new public in-person community courses, workshops and certifications for every level of expertise in outdoor education, wilderness medicine, first aid and CPR/defibrillator (AED) training. Additional courses for all levels of expertise will be available this spring.
Brooke Dolhay ’25 (center) was accepted into a summer program at the Institute for Marine Research (IMR), where she performed her Senior Integrated Project while scuba diving and researching corals off the small island Negros Oriental in the Philippines.
Dolhay had daily scenes like this to look forward to after taking a week to receive advanced certification in scuba diving.
Dolhay’s work is helping IMR research how it can help coral reef, which are dying as a result of warming waters caused by climate change.
Growing up in Chicago, Brooke Dolhay ’25 enjoyed reading about the world’s oceans, but her Midwest location never allowed her to take much of a deep dive into them.
That continued into college as she followed her parents, Amy ’95 and Kevin Dolhay ’94, to Kalamazoo College. From a distance perspective, the move got her only marginally closer to making waves along saltwater shores in her chosen field of biochemistry. Then a whale of an opportunity came along for her Senior Integrated Project (SIP).
Influenced by her study abroad experience in Oaxaca, Mexico, Dolhay decided to investigate programs overseas.
“I saw the SIP as an opportunity to do exactly what I wanted to do and create my own experience, so I started randomly Googling phrases like ‘diving internships,’ and I came across the Institute for Marine Research (IMR), which is in the Philippines,” Dolhay said.
She decided to apply to the institute and was accepted into IMR’s summer program, conducting research into the coral reef there and why so many of them are dying. The only issue she needed to resolve in advance was funding an experience in the Philippines, which she discussed with her SIP advisor, Regina Stevens-Truss, a professor of chemistry and department co-chair.
“She said the college actually has a lot of different ways to fund a SIP experience, so I emailed a bunch of people about it,” Dolhay said. “I talked to the Center for Career and Professional Development. They had an unpaid internship stipend, so I applied to tha.t. The Center for International Programs has a list of grants on its website for SIP-related funding, so I also applied for the Hough Grant through the Hough Foundation. That helped me, too, and the experience ended up being fully funded, which was awesome.”
Dolhay had days off from her research to visit waterfalls, hike on a mountain and explore rain forest.
Negros Oriental’s remote location, where cars are uncommon, required her and some of her fellow diving researchers to ride around on a moped with the nearest town being about 40 minutes away.
Negros Oriental is known for its natural beauty along with Apo Island Marine Sanctuary, the Manjuyod White Sandbar and Mount Talinis, a dormant volcano with old-growth forests and five lakes in the vicinity.
With financing concerns behind her, accepting the one-month opportunity was a no-brainer.
“I was excited because I also traveled to Europe with family, but I’d never been as far away from home as the Philippines,” Dolhay said. “I really loved my study abroad experience, too, so I knew I could travel alone, and I thought ‘why not?’”
IMR is located on the small island of Negros Oriental, which required her to take flights from Chicago to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to the Philippines capital of Manila, and Manila to Negros Oriental. The remote location, where cars are uncommon, forced her to ride around on a moped with the nearest town with a mall being about 40 minutes away.
Once settled, though, Dolhay found her first order of business was to prepare for her research by earning an advanced certification in scuba diving. For her first six days, she completed two dives in the morning and two in the afternoon in a physically demanding process.
Then came her research. Going in, she knew that algae and corals have a symbiotic relationship. Typically, algae provide corals with food and photosynthesis, and the corals give algae access to sunlight and a protected environment. Climate change, however, is warming ocean waters. That causes corals to bleach and then expel algae. The processes are killing off some varieties of fish and are affecting humans, too, as island communities have less fish to eat and less protection from disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis.
Armed with this knowledge, it was Dolhay’s job to operate a variety of underwater cameras while scuba diving before using software to collect data and analyze the pictures.
Most of the methodologies Dolhay and her fellow researchers used while scuba diving involved varieties of cameras including a GoPro to examine the ocean floor.
Climate change is warming ocean waters and causing corals to bleach and then expel algae. The processes are killing off some varieties of fish and affecting humans, too, as island communities have less fish to eat and less protection from disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis.
Dolhay received advanced certification in scuba diving during her time in the Philippines.
“We were looking at the corals, the fish and also the ocean floor,” Dolhay said. “Nearly all of IMR’s methodologies involved a kind of camera. For the fish, we had a long metal bar that had two cameras on either side of it. For the ocean floor, we had a GoPro we used along a transect line where we would take pictures about every meter or so. For the corals, we would swim along a transect line and look for different obstructions.”
IMR will continue the research that she helped start for a few more months yet. But within the data, a variety of scientists like Dolhay are finding reason for hope.
“There are labs at different universities that are trying to genetically modify corals so they can grow in the increasing water temperatures,” she said. “IMR also is growing baby corals under water in a coral nursery and using the larvae to try to respawn areas that haven’t been doing well. There’s a lot of cool science going on between genetic modification and artificial development with scientists dropping cages like the ones fishermen use to replant corals using zip ties. A lot of the fish are attracted to that because it works like a real reef.”
The opportunity in the Philippines, Dolhay said, clearly wouldn’t have been available to her had she decided to attend a school other than K.
“I’ve talked with friends who have gone places like the University of Tampa and the University of Illinois,” she said. “They don’t have this kind of experience at all. They might work in a lab with a professor, but I don’t hear of them speaking about outside opportunities where they can get involved and be supported by the college at the same time. I really love that I could do that.”
Coral reef are key to protecting beneficial algae and fish in the Philippines while also protecting island communities during hurricanes and tsunamis.
Dolhay expects the experience she had in the Philippines to be beneficial as she applies for master’s programs in environmental science at institutions such as DePaul University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
Dolhay said some scuba diving scientists are introducing artificial coral reefs in ocean environments by dropping cages, like the ones fishermen use, to replant corals using zip ties.
And now, she expects the experience will be beneficial as she applies for master’s programs in environmental science at institutions such as DePaul University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
“I’m really interested in decarbonization and the chemical side of being a biochemistry major because the CO2 that we emit is directly affecting the oceans and the way that the corals grow,” she said. “I’m also looking into ocean acidification and how we can try to mitigate that because it just keeps happening as a result of our carbon emissions. In the meantime, I’m trying to find ways to educate others on the importance of being aware of your carbon footprint and doing the little things throughout the day that can help the planet.”
If you’ve ever believed that you’re just not good at science, math, English or whatever your least favorite subject might be, Senchen Subba ’25 and his Senior Integrated Project (SIP) might convince you otherwise.
Subba, a business and computer science double major from Nepal, is the creator of The Senchy Review, a blog with a series of self-contained essays in global politics, psychology, technology and personal development. The essays allow him to analyze complex subjects through clear and engaging ideas, providing an approach that he says mirrors the exploratory nature of real-world learning. It also invites others to engage with his ideas.
Subba calls it a kind of Bildungsroman experience, like where a literary character comes of age through formative years or an education.
“I thought if I could combine my writing with building a website for my SIP, that would be very cool,” he said. “I feel it’s the best way for me to encapsulate my experience in college. If I took a history class, for example, it would be difficult for me to write an entire SIP on what I learned. But I could have an entire SIP on different tidbits of topics and each topic could be self-contained.”
Senchen Subba ’25, a business and computer science double major from Nepal, is the creator of The Senchy Review, a blog that allows him to write a series of self-contained essays in global politics, psychology, technology and personal development.
The variety of the essays reflect Subba’s natural inclination to write, be curious and explore. While he appreciates everything he learns in a familiar subject like computer science, even that once was an experiment with something new.
“When I came here, I wasn’t thinking about taking computer science,” Subba said. “I thought I would try one class and continue if I enjoyed it. But then I found out that computer science just makes sense. If you want to build a website, there are certain pieces of it that fit together like a recipe. I enjoy how logical it is. And if I make an app, I can publish it. If I make a website, I can share it.”
Yet if you scan his list of essays, you will find titles that share ideas regarding the pleasures of trial and error, how to make reading a habit, the complexities of addiction, the ins and outs of corporate finance, strategies for weightlifting, finding satisfaction in life, and the essence of public speaking.
“As a thinker, I’ve learned that I don’t know many of these concepts I write about as well as I thought,” Subba said. “Writing leaves no room for my confusion to hide. It has made me realize how much I appreciate clear, concise and engaging writing, and how challenging it is to accomplish. The ones that stand out to me right now are the writings regarding corporate finance and gym lifts—corporate finance because it was technical, fun and challenging to break down ideas down into fundamentals, and weightlifting because I’ve recently gotten into it more, so my writing has helped clarify my training philosophy.”
If he finds the subject interesting, he will consider writing about it regardless of what it is. Such topics make it evident just how much Subba loves to write and the freedom of the liberal arts, making K a perfect fit for him.
“If you want to be really good at just one topic, you can study just one subject,” Subba said. “But I think for myself, it’s helpful to have a wide breadth of knowledge. That doesn’t mean you can’t be really good at one thing. But I’ve noticed that the people who are really good at, let’s say, programming, they have other interests outside of that one field. I would say the liberal arts have helped me a lot. I’m sure it provides a lot of benefits to other people, too.”
He even dabbles with a podcast through the opportunities he has at K. It shares interviews with K students, faculty and staff regarding their areas of expertise. His latest interview was with Wen Chao Chen Professor of East Asian Social Studies Dennis Frost.
“I find that If I want to do something at K, the resources or the help I need to do it will come out if I just ask about it or talk to enough people,” he said.
Subba said he has been visiting Kalamazoo since he was a child because his uncle, Mahendra Lawoti, is a political science professor at Western Michigan University.
“I still remember coming here and driving around Kalamazoo with him,” Subba said. “He would point toward K’s campus and say, ‘There’s a really nice college over here, too.’ I forgot about that for three or four years until I was applying for colleges, and I got in at K.”
Since then, he has had great experiences with friends and faculty, while staff assistance has come from places as far ranging as K Dining and the Center for International Programs, which provides support and programming for international students like him. In fact, he’s grateful for every friend and family member he’s had in his life.
Come graduation in June, he hopes he can start building a career—and perhaps a business of his own—that helps people through an online platform like The Senchy Review.
“I want my career to be built on the idea that a person can enjoy what they’re doing while also enriching people’s lives,” Subba said. “I feel there are certain businesses that do well financially but aren’t the most helpful. I’d rather think that if I give people enough good value, earnings will come automatically and be more of a metric of success.”
When Margarita Costero Campos joined the Department of Romance Languages at Kalamazoo College in 1988, she was part of the Spanish program’s growth from one professor to three. Since then, Spanish has become its own department and expanded to eight combined full-time and part-time faculty members.
Recently, 28 sophomores signed up as Spanish majors at Declaration of Major Day. More than 975 Kalamazoo College students have studied in Spain, Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica since 2012.
Engagement with Spanish language and cultures is clearly strong, and a new fund in honor of Campos supports students who carry that torch forward.
Campos taught at K from 1988 to 1997 and passed away in May 2024 at 92 years old. Her family, including her widower, Dr. José Luis Campos; six children; and 13 grandchildren established the Margarita Costero Campos Student Travel Award in November 2024. The fund will assist academically dedicated students with travel to Spanish-speaking countries for purposes including research, conference presentations, internships and study abroad, with preference given to students who major or minor in Spanish.
The fund is an apt legacy for Campos. Born in Madrid, Spain, she was forced into exile—first in France, then in Mexico City—with her family when the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936. Campos excelled as a student in Mexico City, particularly in language and literature. She studied for several years at the University of Texas, with a summer stint in Oxford that remained one of her fondest memories, said her son Isaac Campos.
“She loved teaching at Kalamazoo College,” he said. “It had been her lifelong dream to be a professor at a college or university, and when she achieved her position at K, she cherished it. She also believed that study abroad was perhaps the most important experience a student could have. While she was self-effacing to a fault, we know she would be thrilled to know that, long after her death, K students would continue to learn Spanish and study abroad with her support.”
Enid Valle, a professor of Spanish at Kalamazoo College, joined the faculty at K in 1989, a year after Campos.
“Margarita was teaching all the very advanced language classes,” Valle said. “Margarita was our expert in grammar, and she was passionate about it. She was delighted always to explain things, to figure things out, and she would give you every nuance possible.”
A learned and extremely well-read person, Campos spoke French and knew Latin and classical Greek in addition to Spanish and English. She actively participated in groups and programs across campus, such as the former Center for European Studies, and was involved in the establishment of one-year teaching assistantships for international students at K. In addition to excelling at evaluating and selecting texts for courses, she built strong relationships with colleagues and students.
“She was attentive to students’ needs and had a keen eye for students’ individual skill levels,” Valle said. “She was highly regarded among the students and very much liked.”
Ivett López Malagamba, associate professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Spanish Language and Literatures, came to K in 2017, the year Spanish became its own department. Although Campos was long retired by then, she remained connected to K.
“Even though I never worked with her, I benefitted from her intellectual curiosity and lifelong learning,” López Malagamba said. The two met through a reading group with another colleague, and Campos once read and offered comments on an article that López Malagamba eventually published. Campos continued to serve as a resource for the whole department.
“Margarita and I became good friends throughout the years,” Valle said. “I kept consulting her, and so did other colleagues, after she retired. I remember one evening being stuck with some kind of grammar question, and I called her. It was that kind of a friendship, and she had that kind of expertise.”
After retirement, Campos would periodically return to speak to the Spanish 203 course whenever they would read the poem “Explico algunas cosas” by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. The poem mentions a particular house in Madrid, in which Campos lived as a child.
Donate to theMargarita Costero CamposStudent Travel Award
To honor Margarita Campos’ legacy and support K students who want to further their studies with travel to a Spanish-speaking country, please make a gift online to the Margarita Costero Campos Student Travel Award (under “I’d like to support,” select “Other” and type Campos Student Travel Award in the designation box) or contact Lindsay O’Donohue at 269.337.7299 or lindsay.odonohue@kzoo.edu.
Margarita Costero Campos taught at K from 1988 to 1997 and died in May 2024 at 92 years old. Her family, including her widower, Dr. José Luis Campos; six children; and 13 grandchildren established the Margarita Costero Campos Student Travel Award.The student travel fund in Campos’ name will assist academically dedicated students with travel to Spanish-speaking countries for purposes including research, conference presentations, internships and study abroad, with preference given to students who major or minor in Spanish.
“She was so passionate about the Spanish language, and she could explain to you absolutely anything and everything,” Valle said. “We all miss her greatly.”
“Our mother was an extraordinarily hardworking and ethical person,” Isaac Campos said. “She was also totally dedicated to teaching and her students. She was the epitome of a great educator. We knew she would want to prioritize study abroad, student need and academic excellence, and so we worked with K to structure the award that way.”
The Spanish department worked with the Campos family to ensure that structure responds to or reflects the changing complexities of travel abroad.
“How do we support, and provide access for, students to complete intellectual projects that require travel or research abroad?” López Malagamba said. “We want this fund to benefit as many students as possible.”
Students who travel to Spanish-speaking countries aren’t only learning Spanish. They are studying film, economics, health systems, indigenous communities and more. They are preparing for future careers in teaching, law, chemistry, politics and more.
“Indeed, we’re educating them on language and political, social and economic issues of the Spanish-speaking world,” López Malagamba said. “Ultimately, for us in the Spanish department, intercultural experiences play a significant role in fostering ethical considerations and assessments. Our goal is for students to ponder questions such as: How do you adapt your values to the values of other cultures? How is your experience in connection with the Spanish-speaking culture shaping your values and your objectives in your personal or professional future?”
While abroad, whether studying or doing research, some students are able to make academic, philosophical and business connections that may lead to a job or a new career path after K.
“This is only our eighth year as a department, but we have very active students when it comes to engaging with the world beyond our Kalamazoo community,” López Malagamba said. “To be able to support them with this fund is very exciting.”
The fund will start providing financial support for travel to Spanish-speaking countries next academic year.
“We’re hoping that friends, former students, colleagues and anyone who believes in the importance of language education and study abroad will contribute whatever they can to grow the award for the benefit of generations of K students,” Isaac Campos said. “Our mother would’ve been so pleased to know that a certain former student, or colleague, or friend in the community helped to make this an especially meaningful gift to deserving students far into the future.”
As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, leaders of Kalamazoo College’s Professional Women’s Club (PWC) are reflecting on a successful term of empowering female-identifying students to explore their future career goals.
Open to all majors, PWC brings together students who are seeking to succeed in a variety of professional spaces, especially those where women remain underrepresented.
“With the diversity in academics at a liberal arts school like K, you have the ability to pursue many different passions,” said PWC co-President Alexa Wonacott ’25, who double majors in business and Spanish. “I think our club is cool because you’re working with biology students, psych students and more, and we all have something in common that we want to work on within ourselves. I think it’s awesome that K offers all these different paths, yet you still find a group of people that you have something in common with.”
Recent PWC events have included LinkedIn and résumé-writing workshops. They’ve also involved conversations with Amy MacMillan, who is the L. Lee Stryker Associate Professor of Business at K, and her daughter, Lindsay, a former vice president at Goldman Sachs, and current keynote speaker, author, writing coach and creative leadership expert. Lindsay’s discussions, for example, included elements regarding how to bring creativity into the corporate world.
The Kalamazoo College Professional Women’s Club leadership board includes Alexa Wonacott ’25 (from left), Bailey Callaway ’25, Grace Westerhuis ’26 and Amelia Rooks ’26.
PWC member Grace Westerhuis ’26 and co-President Bailey Callaway ’25 noted they were especially inspired by Lindsay’s message regarding how to fail successfully, and they said their experiences in the group as a whole have been beneficial.
“I thought it was important for me to practice my professional skills and try networking,” Westerhuis said. “Then, I really enjoyed connecting with other female-identifying students, learning about their majors and working together to create this environment where we’re all supporting each other and figuring out our careers and futures.”
“As a business major, I’ve noticed that there are always just a select few female-identifying students within any of my courses because we’re choosing a predominantly male field,” Callaway said. “I felt like it was very important to foster an environment where it was accepting of the women in our school, where we could have our ideas supported and uplifted.”
All three students said PWC has helped them figure out how they plan to proceed when they jump into careers as women in life after K. Callaway, for example, wants to work in hospital or healthcare administration.
“I’ve been surrounded by healthcare my entire life, but I definitely am not the type of person to go in on the clinical side,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed pursuing business, especially at K, so I want to help people, but maybe more in the background by being an administrator.”
Westerhuis, as a junior, still has some time to figure out what she wants to do, although she has enjoyed pursuing ethics and business development.
“I’m looking into finding a consulting path I enjoy, maybe in B to B, so I would like to give advice on how to practice good business ethics because I think our world needs that right now,” she said. “I also love to travel, so anything that can get me to another country sounds great.”
Like Westerhuis, Wonacott enjoyed her study abroad experience and loves to travel.
“I’m hoping to go back abroad after graduation,” she said. “I recently applied for a program that would take me back to Spain to teach for about a year. After that, I’d love to work in international business. I’m interested in large global markets, so some kind of intersection between leadership, travel and big business would be ideal.”
International Women’s Day can trace its roots to February 28, 1909, when the now-dissolved Socialist Party of America organized the first National Woman’s Day. In 1910, a German woman named Clara Zetkin proposed the idea of a global International Women’s Day, so that people around the world could celebrate at the same time. In 1975, the United Nations—which had dubbed the year International Women’s Year—celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8 for the first time. Since then, the U.N. has encouraged more countries to embrace the holiday and its goal of celebrating “acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities,” according to the U.N.’s website.
Workplace inclusion and decision-making power remain key issues of discussion on International Women’s Day in 2025. In 2024, an S&P Global analysis of more than 1,100 companies showed that women hold about 25.1% of senior management or leadership roles. That figure is up slightly from 24% in 2022 and 23% in 2021, although representation clearly remains low, especially with women of color who hold only about 7% of all c-suite positions at major corporations. Women also hold only about 29% of all revenue-generating management roles in the U.S. and 24.9% of businesses’ board positions.
Wonacott, Westerhuis and Callaway agree that it’s important for PWC to present role models when helping other women learn how to succeed in business despite such odds. They point to alumnae such as Michelle Fanroy ’88, who occasionally visits business classes at K. She is the vice president of the Alumni Association Engagement Board, a member of the Kalamazoo College Board of Trustees, and the founder and president of Access One Consulting, which provides leadership development, mentoring program design and diversity planning and training to corporations.
Wonacott added that the group’s impact grows when students are able to engage one on one with the topics presented at each meeting.
“If somebody can come to our career workshop and leave feeling good about their résumé or their LinkedIn profile, that feels successful to me in the sense that we’re making sure everybody feels like they’ve gotten a lot out of a meeting,” she said.
Callaway emphasized that International Women’s Day is a chance for PWC to highlight and amplify important stories on campus, around the country and around the world.
“We throw around the word celebration a lot, but I feel like that is a good word to describe what the day is about,” she said. “That’s what we try to do as an organization on campus is just uplift, support and promote women.”
Four students from two academic departments have combined forces this year to measure how Kalamazoo College’s Lillian Anderson Arboretum benefits the local fight against climate change.
Lucas Priemer ’25, a biology and Spanish double major from Berkley, Michigan, is working on a Senior Integrated Project (SIP) that measures the circumference of specific trees at the arboretum to estimate how much carbon they capture and how that compares with measurements taken in previous SIPs that have been repeated about every five years.
Priemer also works at the arboretum and loves spending time there, making this project an ideal fit for him.
“The best thing about the arboretum is that it’s an escape from just being here on campus,” Priemer said. “Some people get a little cooped up, especially in the winter here, so it’s nice to get outside. I think getting outside and exploring nature is one of the best things that we can do to alleviate stress, especially in a big academic environment.”
The project he’s working on is sometimes referred to at K as “the tree-hugger SIP” because students put their arms around trees and use a tape measure at a standard height to gather their data. Using that information in a standard formula allows students like Priemer to calculate a tree’s above-ground biomass. A carbon conversion factor, based on a tree’s species and wood density, then estimates the amount of carbon it stores—or sequesters—preventing the greenhouse gas from polluting the environment.
Using a mapping app, Priemer locates the focal trees in each of the plots he’s analyzing. Within 20 meters, he measures all trees larger than 30 centimeters. Within 10 meters, he measures trees between 10 and 30 centimeters. Within 5 meters, he measures trees between 2.5 and 10 centimeters.
“We haven’t made a ton of conclusions yet because we’re still working on the statistical analysis,” Priemer said. “But we’re hoping to find an increase in the carbon sequestration over the past years’ SIPs as the trees grow. I think the state of the arboretum is pretty good, so hopefully, we’ll see some good results.”
Lucas Priemer ’25 is working on a Senior Integrated Project that uses tree measurements at the Lillian Anderson Arboretum to help determine how much carbon trees there are sequestering in the local fight against climate change.
His efforts are receiving assistance from Juniper Pasternak ’27, Judah Karesh ’25 and Teddy Jacobson ’27, who were in the fall 2024 computing for the environment and social justice course led by Sandino Vargas Perez, an associate professor of computer science. The class studies concepts and techniques from computer science to address and understand problems in environmental science. It explores topics such as how computational intelligence is applied to environmental data; current solutions to create, collect, store, process, model and distribute data and information; and the environmental impacts of computers such as electronic waste.
Together, the team of three completed their final project for the course by building a web-based app for their client, Biology Professor Binney Girdler, which helps Priemer record his data and analyze it, note tree varieties and health, and preserve the information for future biology students who repeat the SIP.
“There were other choices for final projects, but this one seemed like we would be creating something that would be consistently used, something that would have long-term benefits, and help out the biology department,” Pasternak said. “We also knew we would indirectly help fight climate change by helping ecologists and biologists track what our trees are doing and learning more about carbon sequestration.”
The project was especially challenging in the beginning, Jacobson said, considering that the team was starting from scratch.
“You just have to start from nothing and go,” Jacobson said. “It all started with us designing the database. We used a whiteboard to plan the rough ideas of what we thought we would need. Then, through our conversations with Dr. Girdler, we figured out exactly what was required. From there, we set up an agile development system and our project management. We’d then meet up weekly as a group to discuss what we’ve done, where we need to continue and try our best.”
The final product made the whole project worthwhile. Karesh felt communication was key to producing excellent work that they could confidently present to Girdler.
“The three of us had worked together before, but honestly, I think we did a better job with this one because our communication was so good,” Karesh said. “A lot of the challenge was trying to keep the scope limited. I’m happy that we worked on something that’s actually being used, and it’s going to be around for a while.”
Priemer said he’s grateful for the assistance from the computer science students and they will be thanked in his SIP, which will have strong benefits for fighting climate change on and off campus.
“I want the arboretum to be protected and safe moving forward,” Priemer said. “There are green spaces around that aren’t exactly protected, so doing research like this provides evidence for why we should keep it and other green spaces in Kalamazoo.”
Tens of thousands of Americans who care about voting rights, women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, climate action, economic reform and more flooded the streets of Washington, D.C., on January 18 for the People’s March—a time for community building and social action—including 30 students from Kalamazoo College.
Thanks to funding through the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, students such as Carter Haley ’28, Kennedy West ’27, Nick LaFramboise ’27, Ava Loncharte ’25 and Annslee Ware ’27 caravanned by bus to the nation’s capital for the weekend. The opportunity helped students develop personal ideas for how and why they should sound off in their communities and beyond about the issues important to them.
Each student echoed that the signs they saw—or even carried—represented signs of the times. That’s because many Americans find it difficult to support either end of the political spectrum as citizens are angered by and/or disappointed in both.
The students did, however, find purpose and solidarity with each other while building a desire to continue standing up for change.
Take Haley, for example.
“Ten years ago, you might’ve asked someone, ‘Are you a Democrat or Republican,’” he said. “I think we’re seeing now it’s more about the government versus the people. I feel our march was mainly the people trying to make their voices heard when the government isn’t listening.”
Haley came back to K feeling grateful, as participating in the march lit a fire under him that he didn’t expect.
“I didn’t understand the importance of it until I was there,” Haley said. “I didn’t understand the impact of 50,000, maybe 60,000 people. Seeing all those speakers and people of color was an amazing experience. It’s much different when you’re in it versus just seeing it on TV. Ever since I went on the march, I’ve been active in the Arcus Center. I’m a part of a committee made up of the people who went on the march, called Community and Resistance. We’re trying to focus on educating people about being a conscious consumer by not supporting companies who don’t support us.”
West previously found a passion for the Arcus Center’s mission and had been involved in similar, but smaller marches before. Yet the People’s March was special.
Thirty Kalamazoo College students were among the tens of thousands who gathered January 18 for the People’s March in Washington, D.C.
Students visited sites such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during their time in Washington, D.C.
Executive Director Emily Williams (left) said the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership has a mission to create social justice leaders and increase the capacity of existing leaders.
Attending the People’s March helped students develop personal ideas for how and why they should sound off in their communities and beyond about important issues.
Students said signs at the march showed just how disappointed and angry attendees are with both political parties.
Crowds gather after the People’s March outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
“A lot of conversations on the buses discussed that we were making history, or we were participating in it,” West said. “I feel like I wanted to say that, but I also wanted to speak up and stand in solidarity with others on the issues that are happening in today’s world. I’m proud that I was there to see other people who also find issues with what’s happening today.”
K’s representatives marched in a group that was focused on women’s rights, reproductive rights and rights for the queer community, which are issues that speak to West.
“A lot of times, we’re capable of talking about a bad situation,” she said. “We can say, ‘we need to change this and here’s why.’ But some won’t physically put in the work to make change. This march has motivated me even more to continue the work of promoting change, rather than just speaking about it. I had already been planning to do work outside of Arcus, but along with Arcus’ help, I’ve been more motivated. If we find an issue with campus or in the community, we can tell Arcus about it, and they will provide the resources to promote change.”
LaFramboise’s Washington, D.C., excursion was a return trip after visiting years ago as an eighth-grader. Since then, however, he has developed an interest in social justice, especially with the Black Lives Matter movement, which made the experience and the march that much more valuable.
“It’s incredible how Arcus was able to provide that opportunity for us,” he said. “I came to college for great opportunities to travel and get involved, and Arcus has been great at helping me get them. I really appreciate their allocation of resources because it didn’t cost us a dime to go. I wanted to go and voice my concerns. It was an obvious yes for me when I had the chance to go.”
While attending the March, LaFramboise heard voices and saw signs that expressed grief or dissatisfaction over social issues including trans rights, affordable housing and green-energy solutions, but his own big issue deals with the country’s political divide.
“I’m frustrated with how the American political system views its people and manipulates them to get votes because the views of the people are not necessarily reflected through the politicians that they vote for,” he said. “I’m concerned with economics and economic systems. I think it’s important to understand other social issues, too, including racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice. I went to this people’s march with the intention of exploring those issues and more. Will we be able to come back from this mass divide that has occurred over the last 20 years or so? I don’t know.”
Loncharte saw documentaries growing up about protests during the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s March in 2017 that prompted her desire to be a part of a protest herself in Washington, D.C.
“The environment, immigration justice and reproductive justice might be my top three issues,” Loncharte said. “But there are just so many things. I also want to hold the government accountable to serve the people. I feel like the government has forgotten that they’re supposed to be representing and serving us, and not the whims of billionaires. It’s sort of a newer thing that’s come to my attention, but it’s become painfully obvious in the last few weeks.”
As a senior working two jobs, Loncharte said she doesn’t have a lot of spare time to be more involved in the Arcus Center now, but she wishes she had been throughout her four years at K.
“I think so many people feel paralyzed by the scariness, the anger or the hurt of what’s happening right now and Arcus has people who know what they’re doing,” she said. “Arcus can help you get involved. I think an antidote to anxiety is action, and I think Arcus is there to help with that. I would recommend that anyone get involved.”
Ware previously attended gun violence protests in Nashville during her high school years, inspiring the sign she and Sofia Zeller ’27 created for Washington, which said, “Drag shows don’t kill, guns do.”
“I’ve always had a passion for advocating for people of color because I’m an Asian American woman myself, and I feel it’s important for me to use my voice, because I have the ability to do so,” Ware said. “I have always been involved with diversity and inclusion at my high school and some Nashville organizations. I want to feel like I’m getting things done.”
Ware said counter-protesters near the People’s March tried to discourage participation, although Arcus Center representatives prepared students well for what they would face during the event.
“The biggest piece of advice that I took away was to ignore the counter-protesters because they want to get a reaction out of you,” she said. “We didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of reacting. If you ignore them, they tend to feel awkward and flustered.”
Ware says that a fear of anything—counter-protesters, for example—shouldn’t paralyze people into feeling apathetic.
“We might feel like we can’t control anything,” she said. “But doing something positive could start with just talking to someone at the Arcus Center or volunteering there. I felt love was encompassing us on the trip because we were all fighting for each other and for ourselves.”
The People’s March, rebranded from the 2017 Women’s March to broaden its reach, brought together thousands of individuals and groups focused on bringing attention to a broad range of issues, providing an opportunity for interested K students to stand up, speak out and seek change.
“Many K students who came to Arcus were dismayed by the outcome of the elections and fearful about what would come,” Arcus Center Executive Director Emily Williams said. “The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership’s mission is to create social justice leaders and increase the capacity of existing leaders. As activists and community organizers ourselves, we know that attending a historic event such as the People’s March and connecting to the power of the people is exactly the experience that would not only catapult students into the kind of activism that is required to protect democracy and human rights over the next four years, but it’s the kind of experience they will remember for a lifetime and share with future generations.”
