Awards and Nominations

The Alumni Association Awards and Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony occurs on the Friday during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend in October. During the ceremony, K alumni and friends of the College gather to recognize those who have brought honor and distinction to Kalamazoo College through their accomplishments, service, and achievements. The award recipients represent, through their personal and professional accomplishments, the lasting value of Kalamazoo College – More in Four. More in a Lifetime.®  Nominate a K classmate, friend of the College, or current or retired employee for an award.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Through the Kalamazoo College Alumni Association’s inclusive communications and opportunities for engagement, we strive to have a group where every alum feels that the alumni association is a “home” intended for them — a place to belong. Commitment to anti-racism and respect for the diversity of experience and breath of thought among our 20,000+ alums are key parts of this effort. Continued learning about diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice serve to drive our evolution into a more just community. The membership of the Alumni Association Engagement Board (AAEB) and the AAEB alumni awardees demonstrate our resolve to so evolve.

Alumni Association Awards Ceremony

Join us to honor the award recipients for 2023!

Friday, October 6, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.
Location: Dalton Theatre, Light Fine Arts Building

2023 Award Recipients

Alumni Association Awards

2023 Alumni Association Award Winners

Darrin Camilleri ’14, Freedom Williams (on behalf of his great-great grandfather, Rufus Perry),
Melanie Williams and Don Schneider ’63
Photo taken on October 6, 2023

Read about Kelsey Hassevoort

The University of Aberdeen (Scotland) has one turf tennis court. During her study abroad there Kelsey Hassevoort and (then-boyfriend, now-husband) Alex Dombos ’12 found it and practiced as often as they could until the days grew so short the sun had set by the time classes dismissed.

“We both wanted to stay in shape for our upcoming tennis seasons,” Kelsey says. Darkness didn’t defeat her dedication. Practice moved to the local tennis center even though getting there required a 45-minute commute by foot and multiple buses. That determination explains, in part, Kelsey’s hall-of-fame tennis career.

She was twice named to the All-MIAA first team, and three times recognized as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete. She played number one singles her junior and senior seasons as well as number one doubles her senior season. She earned the MIAA Most Valuable Player award her final season, the same year she won the MIAA Karen Caine Scholar-Athlete Award and was named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 6 At-Large Team and the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American At-Large First Team.

Note the frequency of “academic” and “scholar” in the titles of all those athletic honors. Let’s talk about that. Kelsey made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all four years. She majored in biology and took a full slate of pre-med courses at K. For her Senior Individualized Project she studied the functional connectivity of the human cerebellum, working in the Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory at the University of Michigan. She earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), focusing her research on the relationships between physical activity, nutrition, and memory performance in children.

So, one might think that tennis and academics were the sole driving factors behind her decision to come to K. In fact, though, the most influential factor may have been the College’s commitment to the liberal arts and the accompanying opportunities for students to explore their interests in a variety of disciplines. One example that stands out to Kelsey: “I loved the ecology courses I took with Professor Binney Girdler, and while I didn’t end up pursuing ecology research as a career, the summer I spent doing field research with her and a team of fellow K students on Beaver Island was a formative experience that set the stage for my future research pursuits.”

“The liberal arts tradition,” she adds, “continues to inform my mindset and approach to my personal and professional endeavors. K taught me to be curious and flexible in applying my talents, and my experience as a student-athlete taught me the importance of balance and making time for physical activity. Connecting with others around fitness has become a real passion of mine.”

After four years working at the University of Illinois’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, Kelsey now serves as a managing director at the Washington, D.C.-based federal grants and government relations consulting firm, McAllister & Quinn. She provides capacity-building, strategic guidance, and grant consulting support services to research universities and other higher education institutions.

L to R: Darrin Camilleri ’14, Freedom Williams (on behalf of his great-great grandfather, Rufus Perry), 
Melanie Williams and Don Schneider ’

Don Schneider ’63

Distinguished Service Award

Melanie Williams

Weimer K. Hicks Award

Darrin Camilleri ’14

Young Alumni Award

Darrin Camilleri ’14

Young Alumni Award

Melanie Williams

Weimer K. Hicks Award

Don Schneider ’63

Distinguished Service Award

Athletic Hall of Fame Awards

Marigene Arnold

Hornet Super Fan

Kelsey Hassevoort ’12

Women’s Tennis

Branden Metzler ’17

Men’s Tennis

Ryan Orr ’18

Baseball

Colleen Orwin ’17

Women’s Swimming and Diving

1921-22

Men’s Basketball Team

1994

Men’s Tennis Team

1985

Men’s Soccer Team

Athletic Hall of Fame Awards

2023 Individual Hall of Fame Inductees


Brandon Metzler ’17, Ryan Orr ’18,
Kelsey Hassevoort ’12 and Colleen Orwin ’17
Photo taken on October 6, 2023

Read about Kelsey Hassevoort

The University of Aberdeen (Scotland) has one turf tennis court. During her study abroad there Kelsey Hassevoort and (then-boyfriend, now-husband) Alex Dombos ’12 found it and practiced as often as they could until the days grew so short the sun had set by the time classes dismissed.

“We both wanted to stay in shape for our upcoming tennis seasons,” Kelsey says. Darkness didn’t defeat her dedication. Practice moved to the local tennis center even though getting there required a 45-minute commute by foot and multiple buses. That determination explains, in part, Kelsey’s hall-of-fame tennis career.

She was twice named to the All-MIAA first team, and three times recognized as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete. She played number one singles her junior and senior seasons as well as number one doubles her senior season. She earned the MIAA Most Valuable Player award her final season, the same year she won the MIAA Karen Caine Scholar-Athlete Award and was named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 6 At-Large Team and the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American At-Large First Team.

Note the frequency of “academic” and “scholar” in the titles of all those athletic honors. Let’s talk about that. Kelsey made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all four years. She majored in biology and took a full slate of pre-med courses at K. For her Senior Individualized Project she studied the functional connectivity of the human cerebellum, working in the Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory at the University of Michigan. She earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), focusing her research on the relationships between physical activity, nutrition, and memory performance in children.

So, one might think that tennis and academics were the sole driving factors behind her decision to come to K. In fact, though, the most influential factor may have been the College’s commitment to the liberal arts and the accompanying opportunities for students to explore their interests in a variety of disciplines. One example that stands out to Kelsey: “I loved the ecology courses I took with Professor Binney Girdler, and while I didn’t end up pursuing ecology research as a career, the summer I spent doing field research with her and a team of fellow K students on Beaver Island was a formative experience that set the stage for my future research pursuits.”

“The liberal arts tradition,” she adds, “continues to inform my mindset and approach to my personal and professional endeavors. K taught me to be curious and flexible in applying my talents, and my experience as a student-athlete taught me the importance of balance and making time for physical activity. Connecting with others around fitness has become a real passion of mine.”

After four years working at the University of Illinois’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, Kelsey now serves as a managing director at the Washington, D.C.-based federal grants and government relations consulting firm, McAllister & Quinn. She provides capacity-building, strategic guidance, and grant consulting support services to research universities and other higher education institutions.

L to R: Brandon Metzler '17, Ryan Orr '18, Kelsey Hassevoort '12 and Colleen Orwin '17

Marigene Arnold

Hornet Super Fan

Branden Metzler ’17

Men’s Tennis

Ryan Orr ’18

Baseball

Kelsey Hassevoort ’12

Women’s Tennis

Colleen Orwin ’17

Women’s Swimming and Diving

2023 Team Hall of Fame Inductees

1994 Men’s Tennis Team
Photo taken on October 6, 2023

Read about Kelsey Hassevoort

The University of Aberdeen (Scotland) has one turf tennis court. During her study abroad there Kelsey Hassevoort and (then-boyfriend, now-husband) Alex Dombos ’12 found it and practiced as often as they could until the days grew so short the sun had set by the time classes dismissed.

“We both wanted to stay in shape for our upcoming tennis seasons,” Kelsey says. Darkness didn’t defeat her dedication. Practice moved to the local tennis center even though getting there required a 45-minute commute by foot and multiple buses. That determination explains, in part, Kelsey’s hall-of-fame tennis career.

She was twice named to the All-MIAA first team, and three times recognized as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete. She played number one singles her junior and senior seasons as well as number one doubles her senior season. She earned the MIAA Most Valuable Player award her final season, the same year she won the MIAA Karen Caine Scholar-Athlete Award and was named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District 6 At-Large Team and the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American At-Large First Team.

Note the frequency of “academic” and “scholar” in the titles of all those athletic honors. Let’s talk about that. Kelsey made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll all four years. She majored in biology and took a full slate of pre-med courses at K. For her Senior Individualized Project she studied the functional connectivity of the human cerebellum, working in the Neuromotor Behavior Laboratory at the University of Michigan. She earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), focusing her research on the relationships between physical activity, nutrition, and memory performance in children.

So, one might think that tennis and academics were the sole driving factors behind her decision to come to K. In fact, though, the most influential factor may have been the College’s commitment to the liberal arts and the accompanying opportunities for students to explore their interests in a variety of disciplines. One example that stands out to Kelsey: “I loved the ecology courses I took with Professor Binney Girdler, and while I didn’t end up pursuing ecology research as a career, the summer I spent doing field research with her and a team of fellow K students on Beaver Island was a formative experience that set the stage for my future research pursuits.”

“The liberal arts tradition,” she adds, “continues to inform my mindset and approach to my personal and professional endeavors. K taught me to be curious and flexible in applying my talents, and my experience as a student-athlete taught me the importance of balance and making time for physical activity. Connecting with others around fitness has become a real passion of mine.”

After four years working at the University of Illinois’s Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute, Kelsey now serves as a managing director at the Washington, D.C.-based federal grants and government relations consulting firm, McAllister & Quinn. She provides capacity-building, strategic guidance, and grant consulting support services to research universities and other higher education institutions.

1994 Men's Tennis Team

See all of our 2022 Award Recipients & Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees