Kalamazoo College runs in Kirsten Browne Bradford’s blood. She knew she wanted to attend K since her sophomore year in high school, having been introduced to the College by her grandmother who attended in the 1940s. She only applied to Kalamazoo College! She was drawn to the opportunities for foreign study, continuing to run cross country, study French and play violin in the orchestra.

Kirsten majored in economics and business administration. She loved her student life at K, making some of her best friends and meeting her husband, Andy Bradford ’90. They were married in Stetson Chapel in 1994 by her great uncle (her K grandmother’s younger brother) who was a minister and also had attended Kalamazoo College.

After graduation, Kirsten was employed for 18 years at Hewitt Associates, a benefits consulting firm, working with 401(k) plans. The Bradfords lived in a Chicago suburb for 12 years and then moved back to the Detroit area to be closer to family for the the last 18 years. They have two children – a son who is a sophomore at Western Michigan University and a daughter who is a junior in high school. The family also has a five-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lucky.

Kirsten left her job in 2010 to stay home with their children. She volunteered with Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts, PTA and taught Junior Achievement sessions. Her heart for her alma mater remains strong. She served on the Alumni Association Engagement Board (AAEB) for 10 years. Kirsten has helped with the Admission Alumni Volunteer program, writing congratulatory cards to admitted students, as well as attending the local college fair representing K for a number of years. She looks forward to continuing her K volunteer work as a class agent.

David Kent ’22 is from Beverly Hills, Michigan. He graduated from Kalamazoo College with majors in business and political science and a minor in history. David participated in an internship at Shared Hope International in Washington, D.C. as a sex trafficking prevention policy and communications intern. David’s internship was featured in a K News story. David’s Senior Integrated Project (SIP) studied voter suppression and how to stop electoral campaigns for advocating for voter suppressive policies and practices.

David’s extracurricular activities included LandSea, Taiko Drumming Ensemble, Ultimate Frisbee and the Kalamazoo College Democrats. He was a member of K’s men’s cross country team through his sophomore year and has served as an overnight host for prospective students.

His favorite experience at Kalamazoo College was taking “Music and Identity,” a sophomore seminar with Educational Technology Specialist Josh Moon, PhD. David admitted to not expecting many academic gains from this seminar. He said, “To my surprise, I learned a lot about music interpretation and how different people identify with certain music and why. It was an eye-opening experience to hear other’s thoughts about something so fundamental to the human experience of music. It also shocked me how open Professor Moon was to hearing students’ ideas. During one class, he made a claim with which I disagreed. I waited until after class to discuss my disagreement with him privately. After listening to my thoughts, Professor Moon wondered why I didn’t voice my concerns during class. He wanted students to push back if they disagreed. His openness to new and different ideas was a welcome surprise and it encouraged me to come to class prepared to engage with the subject matter fully and honestly. Learning that my ideas and perspectives mattered made this an academic experience I will treasure forever.” David is attending Wayne State University Law School.

Aaron Martinez ’22 is a class agent from Lakewood, California. He majored in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. Aaron interned in the K laser laboratory with Dr. Jeffrey Bartz. His Senior Integrated Project (SIP) was a study of the photodissociation of Co(CO3)(NO).

Aaron’s extracurricular activities included LandSea, Swim for Success (an after-school tutoring and swimming lessons program offered to Kalamazoo-area elementary school children) and competing in the freestyle for the men’s swimming and diving team. Aaron also worked as a Kalamazoo College Fund phonathon student caller. He is an Eagle Scout and had fundraising experience in his community at scouting development events.

Aaron is a Posse Scholar and received the Senior Leadership Recognition Award. One of his favorite experiences at K was eating in the cafeteria with his friends and teammates, “talking about anything and everything.” He shared, “As academically rigorous as Kalamazoo College is, I could find a place to get away from it all by dining in the cafeteria with my homies. That’s where I had some of my favorite conversations, memories and growth.”

He is a graduate student and research fellow at Ohio State University, pursuing a PhD in physical chemistry. Aaron became a class agent with the goal of securing resources to benefit students, noting, “I get to make someone feel reassured their gifts are 1,000% worth it!”

Samuel “Sam” Tagget ’22 is from Frankenmuth, Michigan. Sam majored in business with a focus on sales/marketing and finance. He served as the Business Department’s student advisor. Sam studied away at The Philadelphia Center which offers programs for liberal arts students that combine multidisciplinary seminars, internship experience, city living in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and comprehensive advising. While in Philadelphia, he was an intern at Master Plan Investment Group, where he revised and expedited their retirement plan consulting processes and created customized marketing resources to promote their services to prospective and current clients in the retirement plan consulting and wealth management sector. Back in Michigan, Sam had an internship with Whirlpool Corporations’ Real Whirled Sales department.

Sam’s extracurricular and civic engagement experiences included tutoring and mentoring students at Woodward Elementary School’s after school program, competing in K’s Ultimate Frisbee team and the Kalamazoo College Republicans. One of Sam’s favorite memories was living in Hoben Hall during his first-year at K. He enjoyed student life and the ability to easily make friends and acquaintances.

Sam became a class agent due to his passion for K. He said, “I live and breathe Kalamazoo College. I believe that K has set me up for success academically by providing endless resources, and success professionally by granting me access to a large network of alumni who have had great impact on my time at K.” Serving as a Kalamazoo College class agent is a family affair: Sam’s brother is class agent Jack Tagget ’20.

Before graduation, Sam had a job offer from the Whirlpool Corporation. He is serving as their sales execution representative for the Detroit South region.