From groundbreaking research to ambitious sustainability initiatives, Kalamazoo College students made their mark in 2025. Whether earning prestigious fellowships and scholarships or using their talents to address pressing social challenges, K students demonstrated the power of experiential learning and civic engagement. As the year draws to a close, we look back at the moments when students stepped into the spotlight—not just as learners, but as leaders, researchers, artists and changemakers whose work resonated far beyond campus. Watch for our top news stories of faculty and staff, alumni and the College itself coming soon.
10. Senior’s Film Speaks Volumes for Potawatomi Language Revival
Protecting his heritage means so much to Davis Henderson ’25 that he dedicated his Senior Integrated Project (SIP), a documentary, to it. The film, titled BODEWADMI NDAW or I AM POTAWATOMI, expresses how few of his fellow Potawatomi in southwest Michigan’s Gun Lake region can speak their native language, Bodwéwadmimwen. In fact, it’s possible some of it already has been lost to history.
9. Hive Five! K Student Wins Bee Hotel Contest in Spain
What began as a year on study abroad at the Universidad de Extremadura in Cáceres, Spain, ended in an international triumph for Annaliese Bol ’26. Bol blueprinted a bee hotel—a structure designed to provide nesting, shelter and a safe space to lay eggs for solitary pollinators—and won a related contest at the Insectopia Festival held in Jarandilla de la Vera, Spain.
8. Teamwork Measures the Benefit of a Forest Through the Trees
Four students from biology and computer science combined forces this year to measure and track carbon sequestration in trees at Kalamazoo College’s Lillian Anderson Arboretum. The work supports a Senior Integrated Project undertaken by Lucas Priemer ’25 and includes developing a web app to record tree data, supporting current and future climate research.
7. Eurydice Puts Modern Spin on Greek Mythology
In February, international student Bernice Mike ’26 and the Festival Playhouse of Kalamazoo College produced Eurydice, a modern retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice Greek mythology story, that put the heroine’s point of view in the spotlight.
6. Prospective Attorney Examines AI, the Letter of the Law
Through her SIP, Ariadne Markou ’25 examined the social and cultural value of creative expression while drawing upon legal theories and copyright law to suggest potential improvements in American legislation to better protect creators. Throughout the process, Markou learned and struggled, found surprises and challenges, and leaned on input and support from family, friends and faculty.
5. Six New Heyl Scholars Attending K
Six Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields started attending Kalamazoo College in fall 2025 as Heyl scholars. The Heyl Scholarship 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. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance for up to four years.
4. Shell Yes! Student’s Technology Helps Nature Center Track Turtles
Transfer student Joe Caton ’26 turned his lifelong interest in radio technology into an innovative conservation project at Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor, Michigan. For his SIP, Caton built a low-cost telecommunications system to help the center monitor its population of Eastern box turtles.
3. Student Praises Host Family, France as the Crème de la Crème
Shruti Debburman ’26 had been in Clermont-Ferrand on study abroad from K for only two weeks when she realized that the six-month study abroad program—which had felt overwhelming in advance—would not be long enough. With the support of program administrators, her parents and her host family, Debburman extended her stay from a February end date into mid-May, deepening her immersion in French language, academics and music.
2. SIP Search Spurs Scuba Skills, Sea Life Science
Supported by SIP-related funding, Brooke Dolhay ’25 visited the Institute for Marine Research in the Philippines to conduct research into coral reef health and learn why so many of them are dying. After earning advanced certification in scuba diving, Dolhay operated a variety of underwater cameras and used software to collect data and analyze the pictures. Within the data she helped collect, Dolhay and other scientists are finding reasons for hope.
1. Alumni Host Students for Job Shadows, Networking in New York
Over spring break, 10 first-generation students traded the familiar routines of campus life for the fast-paced energy of New York City, where they spent five days job-shadowing with alumni across a range of industries. Together, they got a firsthand look at how a liberal arts degree can lead to diverse career paths.
