Wait a minute! Is that a meaningful outcome of higher education? Absolutely. The lean diet (coupled with a sparsely-furnished Chicago apartment shared with a fellow Kalamazoo College graduate) signified the hard work (and opportunity) to enter the world Jordan had discovered he loved—acting, sketch comedy, and improvisational theatre—at the Second City Comedy Theatre. That discovery was definitely a Kalamazoo College liberal arts journey. According to Jordan, no other option would have worked as well. And today he tours worldwide with Second City, but that's after a lot of Ramen ...

... and the “unique” (Jordan's word) four-year value of Kalamazoo College, a place, he adds, where “you learn how to live with yourself and with other people.” Jordan came to Kalamazoo with a mathematics scholarship but unsure of what he wanted to do after graduation. No problem. Kalamazoo College, he says, is a “community and environment that encourages you to try anything.”

Like acting. “I didn't have much experience, but I knew I wanted to try it,” says Jordan. “Within weeks I was onstage.” Certainly not great at first, but “Kalamazoo College allows you to try and fail and try again, perfect preparation for entry into Second City.” Jordan graduated from Kalamazoo College with TWO degrees—one in math, a second in theatre arts. But those are not the two Kalamazoo College outcomes he treasures. Instead, it's these: thirst and attitude.

“Because I wasn't sure about what I wanted to do, I needed to be exposed to a wide variety of subjects,” he explains. “And I continue to love learning at least a little about a lot. I'd choose the liberal arts again in a minute.”

And attitude? Says Jordan, “It's not a diploma that gets you a job, it's an attitude. Because of ‘K' I knew if I would work at something, I would get it.” Kalamazoo College develops an aptitude (equal parts work ethic and fun) to grow through struggle.

“‘K' is tough,” smiles Jordan. “But I had a great time here. There are plenty of opportunities to balance work and play, and if none of those suit, you're encouraged to invent your own. For me, Monkapult, the College's improv troupe, was both great fun and a path to self discovery.” Discovery depends on exposure to the new. Jordan's exposure was worldwide. He studied for six months at Goldsmith College, University of London, where he immersed himself in British humor. He recalls one class in particular and its weekly exposure to something new in the London theatre scene. A valuable experience, without doubt, but Jordan considers his Senior Individualized Project the climax of his undergraduate education.

“I wrote, directed, and performed a sketch comedy show called ‘Free Pudding,' and I knew that's the work I wanted after college.” Jordan suspects (maybe even hopes) that life will be a series of new starts. “What I learned and gained to manage that—even celebrate it—is self knowledge.” The liberal arts, he quips, means unemployment after college. Say what? Remember, he's a comedian. But the seriousness of the point this fully employed actor, sketch writer, and improv artist seeks to make is a matter of freedom (the liber root of liberal arts). Life is and will be more than just the jobs we happen to hold. The liberal arts, and Kalamazoo College, prepare us to live (and love) that truth joyfully.