Margaret M. Miles, a University of California, Irvine professor emerita of art history and classics, will offer a lecture titled Trojans and Greeks in Western Sicily on Tuesday, February 10, at 4:15 p.m. in the Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall. The event will also be livestreamed.
Miles, the Edward A. Dickson Emerita Professor of Art History and Classics, researches Greek and Roman art, architecture and archaeology. She will talk about the refugees from Troy who founded the cities of Segesta and Eryx in Western Sicily. They later were joined by some storm-driven Greek Phokians, a group that called themselves Elymians but insisted on their ancestry as Trojans well into the Roman period.
Sorting out Elymian, Greek and Phoenician influence on the city of Segesta is a challenge, Miles says. An early 5th-century BCE sanctuary and its handsome large temple—newly reconstructed on paper thanks to recent fieldwork—provide further insight and illustrate the religious history, variegated ethnic identities and engineering capabilities of 5th-century BCE Segesta.
Miles served a six-year term as the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Classical Studies at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. Her publications include A Reconstruction of the Temple of Nemesis at Rhamnous, Agora Excavations XXXI: The City Eleusinion, and Art as Plunder: The Ancient Origins of Debate about Cultural Property. She also has three edited volumes including Cleopatra: A Sphinx Revisited, Autopsy in Athens: Recent Archaeological Research in Athens and Attica, and Blackwell’s Companion to Greek Architecture. She is working on a book about 5th-century BCE Greek temples and religion.
The Doric Temple of Segesta, an ancient archaeological site on Mount Barbaro in northwestern Sicily, Italy, was built around 420–430 BC by the Elymians, one of the three indigenous peoples of Sicily.
Hosted by the Department of Classics, this public event is free, and a reception will follow. For more information, email Academics Office Coordinator Sarah Bryans at Sarah.Bryans@kzoo.edu.
Jazz musician, band leader and composer Wynton Marsalis will join the Rev. Millard Southern III on the campus of Kalamazoo College for a conversation about Marsalis’ life in music, the history of jazz in the evolution of American culture, and the role arts education plays in a democratic society.
Part of the American Studies Speaker Series, the conversation will be hosted by Charlene Boyer Lewis, the Larry J. Bell ’80 Distinguished Chair in American History. It will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, February 2, in K’s Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. The event is free and open to the public with advance registration required.
Marsalis is the managing and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the director of jazz studies at The Juilliard School and president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. A world-renowned trumpeter, he is the winner of nine Grammy Awards, and he is the only musician to win a Grammy in two categories—jazz and classical—in the same year. In 1997, he became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his oratorio Blood on the Fields. His other honors include the National Medal of Arts in 2005, the National Humanities Medal in 2015 and the U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2001, in addition to honorary doctorates from universities such as Harvard, Yale and Princeton.
A native of New Orleans, Marsalis has produced more than 100 albums and performed in more than 66 countries while advocating for jazz as a living art form and exploring its connections to democracy, social justice and American identity.
Southern, a Chicago native, is an AME-ordained minister, jazz musician, writer, social activist and Western Michigan University doctoral candidate. His dissertation explores the intersection of race, religion, cultural democracy and the music of Wynton Marsalis. Since 2021, he has served as pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church in Kalamazoo, leading efforts to revitalize the city’s Northside neighborhood. He is also a Shared Passages instructor at K, where he has offered courses such as Let Freedom Swing and Paris Noir. The latter was inspired by a 2023 research grant to study Black art, jazz and culture in Paris. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Drake University and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in New York.
The conversation is supported by the Kalamazoo College American Studies Department with special funding from the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership and additional support from the Department of Music and College Advancement.
“Wynton Marsalis regards jazz and its improvisational qualities as fundamentally American—and, in form and content, as contributing to current social justice efforts,” Boyer Lewis said. “His visit to our campus is part of a wonderful continuum in an important strand of K’s history that began with abolitionist founders James and Lucinda Hillsdale Stone, including connections to Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglass, and runs to and through figures such as James Baldwin, Angela Davis and Francis Fox Piven. We are lucky to have him as our 2026 American Studies Speaker.”
Wynton Marsalis will speak Monday, February 2, at Kalamazoo College as a part of the American Studies Speaker Series.
The Rev. Millard Southern III will join Marsalis for a conversation about the jazz great’s life in music, the history of jazz in the evolution of American culture, and the role arts education plays in a democratic society.
Hundreds of Kalamazoo College students were recognized Friday, November 7, during the annual Honors Day Convocation for excellence in academics and leadership. Students were recognized in six divisions: Fine Arts; Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures; Humanities; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences; and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. Many of the awards presented are based on outstanding performance during the previous academic year. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
Brian Gougeon ’81 Prize in Art
John Brewer
Sara Bush
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Maya Davis
Charles Cooper Award in Fine Arts
Lena Barret
James Hauke
Fan E. Sherwood Memorial Prize
Bernice Mike
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Maya Davis
Sebastian Nelson
DIVISION OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Jessica Forbis
Hardy Fuchs Award
Sara Bush
Maren Palmer
Margo Light Award
Johe Newton Johnson
Department of Spanish Language and Literatures Prize
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta
Jay Hernandez
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Eleanor Campion
Sally Eggleston
Classics Department Prize in Greek
Aubrey Benson
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Sally Eggleston
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. Allen Prize in English
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
Brit Inman
Aliah Mohmand
Department of Philosophy Prize
Jessica Forbis
Cecilia Gray
Arden Schultz
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Tavi Butki
Jessica Forbis
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology
Josephine Belsky
Chloe Brown
Avery Davis
Department of Chemistry Prize
Linda Chukwu
Carter Haley
May Pasillas
First-Year Chemistry Award
Teige Bredin
Caroline Johnson
Katherine Saurez
Lemuel F. Smith Award
William Tocco
Computer Science Prize
Lena Barrett
Alexander Russell
First-Year Mathematics Award
Ayako Jurgle
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Ingrid Gardner
Lauren MacKersie
Juniper Pasternak
Benjamin Whitsett
Cooper Prize in Physics
Nathan Gleason
Charles Gordon
Caroline Johnson
Katelyn Steinbrecher
Katherine Suarez
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Leila Bank
Veda Shukla
William G. Howard Prize in Political Science
Bo Chambers
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Economics and Business
Jordan Doyle
C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Jack Duggins
Matthew Matuza
C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Renzo Palomino Caceres
Maya Clarren
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Callie Abair
Jackson Keefer
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Kay Hanson
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Cameron Crosby
Addison Lyons
Lauren Rosenthal ’13 Memorial Prize
Eleanor Bernas
Maggie Wardle ’02 Prize
Maggie Westra
COLLEGE AWARDS
Henry ’36 and Inez Brown Prize
Jaylen Bowles-Swain
John Bungart
Abbie Caza
Ella Spooner
Davis United World College Scholar
Soyeon Jin
HEYL SCHOLARS: Class of 2029
Methmi Amaratunga
Stephanie Castillo
Eiden Jonaitis
Dewen Luo-Li
Gwendolyn MacEwen
Kaljona Thaumanavar
POSSE SCHOLARS: Class of 2029
Elyzet Alfaro
Sarah Baker
Marley Bell
Zeina Coreas
Lavar Ganther
Marcus Lloyd
Vex Maldonado
Sophia Mes
Zaira Ramirez
Coltrane Randolph
Jordan Rivas
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS: Class of 2029
Drew Abbott
SLAVA-CICA AND SPASA VOYNOVICH SCHOLARS
Olivia Schleede
ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA: Class of 2029
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must rank in the top 20% of their class and earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 during the first year. The students below are members of the Class of 2029 who have met or exceeded those benchmarks and have been invited to join the Kalamazoo College Chapter of Alpha Lambda Delta.
Leila Bank
Grace Barber
Josephine Belsky
Derek Blackwell
Teige Bredin
John Brewer
Ellie Britt
Chloe Brown
Ava Buccafurri
Sara Bush
Haziel Cerroblanco
Bo Chambers
Brendan Clinard
Toby Comensoli
Cameron Crosby
Avery Davis
Maya Davis
Francis Ernzen
Max Feliks
Mathias Florian
Jessica Forbis
Nathan Gleason
Brizza Gonzalez
Cole Grupenhoff
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta
Carter Haley
Britt Inman
Weslee Innes
Caroline Johnson
Ayako Jurgle
Jackson Keefer
Ava King
Shay Kruse
Katelyn Long
Mairead Lynch
Jay McDaniel
Jacey Merkle
Aliah Mohmand
Meena Moritz
Sebastian Nelson
Renzo Palomino Caceres
Mario Pomorski
Brody Quinn
Cory Rapp
Julia Reisor
Wyatt Ruppenthal
McKenna Ryan-Elbert
Simon Sawyer
Halen Sherwood
Veda Shukla
Katelyn Steinbrecher
Calvin Strader
Katherine Suarez
Nora Zemlick
FINE ARTS SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Annice Bellows
Mag Burkander
Emmett Carlson
Elliot Corpuz
Sophia Deguzman
Ale Demea
Desmond Distel
Molly Duffy
Kellen Fisher
Ana Lucia Galarreta
Ryan Goodrich
Lana Gouin-Hart
Sofia Gross
Sarah Hagan
Abram Haynes
Scarlett Hosner
Aelitta Kazarov
Genevieve Nagel
Alessi Neder
Sam Pattison
Benjamin Perry
Ellison Redwine
Alice Seigner
Saba Sikharulidze
Ana Slouber
Laurel Stowers
Zara Strauss
Chloe Stuckey
Nolan Surach
Mathias Takacs
Arielle Tenner
Lauren Thompson
Jey Trebley
MIAA AWARDS
These teams earned the 2024–25 MIAA Team GPA Award for achieving a 3.300 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
Baseball
Men’s Basketball
Men’s Golf
Men’s Lacrosse
Men’s Soccer
Men’s Swimming & Diving
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Cross Country
Women’s Golf
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Softball
Women’s Swimming & Diving
Women’s Tennis
Volleyball
Teige Bredin ’28 performs Intermezzo in “A Major, Opus 118, No. 2” by Johannes Brahms at Honors Day Convocation.
Students participate in Honors Day Convocation at Stetson Chapel on Friday, November 7.
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta ’28 accepts the Department of Spanish Language and Literatures Prize from Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92 at Honors Day Convocation.
Parents, families, faculty, staff and students gather for Honors Day Convocation at Stetson Chapel.
Students were recognized in six divisions at Honors Day Convocation: Fine Arts; Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures; Humanities; Natural Sciences and Mathematics; Social Sciences; and Physical Education.
Students participate in Honors Day Convocation at Stetson Chapel.
Parents, families, faculty, staff and students gather for Honors Day Convocation at Stetson Chapel.
Hundreds of Kalamazoo College students were recognized Friday, November 7, during the annual Honors Day Convocation for excellence in academics and leadership.
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association each year honors students at MIAA-member colleges who achieve in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letterwinner in a varsity sport and maintain at least a 3.5 grade-point average for the year.
A Grammy-award winning musician and storyteller will team up with a Grammy-award winning string quartet for a concert coming soon to Kalamazoo College with support from the Department of Music.
Robert Mirabal—an elder of the native American Taos Pueblo community—and ETHEL will share a united performance at 7 p.m. Thursday, November 13, at Stetson Chapel. The collaborators, through years of friendship, have developed a blend of joy, compassion and virtuosity in their previous programs including Music of the Sun, The River and Song for Taos.
Together, they offer a ceremony of original music, movement and wisdom through a new program titled The Red Willow, commissioned by the Taos Chamber Music Society. The pinnacle of the program is the central work, The Red Willow Suite.
ETHEL and Mirabal have performed across the United States, Europe, Africa and Asia together, and are sure to be appreciated by local audiences. Advance tickets are available online through the Connecting Chords Festival website. General admission is $22; seniors, veterans and active military are $18; ages 25 and under are $5; and a family of two adults and children are $40. Tickets also will be available at the door for $25, $20, $5 and $40 for these same groups.
Jack Dewey ’27 will have a handful of flamboyant costumes to wear, including a bright blue velvet suit, when he plays a not-so-typical King Ferdinand of Navarre in the Shakespearean Love’s Labour’s Lost, coming to the Festival Playhouse.
Running November 6–November 9, the show takes the Bard’s witty comedy about love and vows and spins it into a vibrant 1970s spectacle filled with music, dancing and retro flair.
“We’ve got flashing lights, dance numbers, sequined costumes—everything is colorful, loud and alive,” Dewey said. “It’s less like seeing Shakespeare and more like watching Mamma Mia.”
Originally written in the 1590s, Love’s Labour’s Lost follows four noblemen who swear off women and worldly pleasures to focus on their academic studies—until a visiting princess and her ladies arrive, undoing their oaths. In this production, Dewey and his fellow lords are reimagined as having the swagger and energy of college fraternity brothers, complete with banter, bravado and bad decisions.
“I’ve never played someone who’s just an absolute jerk before,” Dewey laughed. “In most of my roles, I’ve been the hopeless romantic or the sad guy. This time I get to be a switchblade-comb-wielding, smooth-talking, terrible flirt, and it’s so refreshing.”
The cast of the Shakespearean comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost” includes Hannah Ulanoski ’26 as Marcade (from left), Jack Dewey ’26 as King Ferdinand of Navarre, Morgan Smith ’29 as the Princess of France and Max Wright ’26 as Boyet.
The decision to set the play in the 1970s, Dewey said, came from the creative team’s desire to capture an era defined by liberation and self-expression.
“All of our costumes are incredibly sequined and shiny,” he said. “The ’70s were about freedom and individuality, and that fits perfectly with the play’s humor and feminist themes.”
A native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Dewey said he hadn’t heard of Kalamazoo College until he began receiving recruitment emails. One campus visit changed his future, helped in part by having family living in southwest Michigan.
“I stepped foot on campus and thought, ‘This is what I want my college experience to look like,’” he said.
Since becoming a student at K, Dewey has performed in Eurydice and Little Shop of Horrors. Even with that experience, Love’s Labour’s Lost is his most physically demanding role.
“We’re running, sliding and lunging, all while speaking in Shakespearean English,” he said. “It’s wild, but this cast makes it so much fun.”
That cast includes several first-year students, including Morgan Smith as the princess of France; Jey Trebley as Berowne; Sam Pattison as Dumaine; Dewen Luo-Li as Rosaline; Laurel Stowers as Maria; and Abram Haynes as Longaville. Dewey said their energy has transformed rehearsals into what he calls the best kind of organized chaos.
“Half the cast are first-years, and they’re so loud, outgoing and funny,” he said. “It’s incredible to see the youngest people leading the charge.”
He also credits acting leaders such as Bernice Mike ’26 as Katherine, Owen Ellis ’27 as Costard and Max Wright ’26 as Boyet for the experience they bring to the cast. Despite the challenges of Shakespeare’s language, Dewey said the company’s modern take makes the story accessible and hilarious.
“I don’t always know what every word means, but I know what my character is trying to say,” he said. “That’s what makes it fun, translating Shakespeare’s intentions into something audiences can feel.”
For anyone hesitant about seeing Shakespeare, Dewey insists this production will change their mind.
“If anyone wants to dip their toes into Shakespeare, this is the play to see,” he said. “It’s an hour of chaos, comedy and color.”
Love’s Labour’s Lost will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, November 6–Saturday, November 8, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 9. Tickets are available through the Festival Playhouse box office website and by phone at 269.337.7333. For more information on the production, contact Theatre Company Manager Kirsten Sluyter at Kirsten.Sluyter@kzoo.edu.
Henry Ford built cars, but author and scholar Kati Curts will highlight in an upcoming Kalamazoo College event how religion often drove him.
Curts, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of the South, will deliver the 2025 Armstrong Lecture, titled How Ford Transformed Religion in America, at 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, November 4, in the Olmsted Room in Mandelle Hall. This event, presented by the Department of Religion, is free and open to the public.
In her book Assembling Religion: The Ford Motor Company and the Transformation of Religion in America, Curts explores Ford’s life as a devout Episcopalian, reader of New Thought philosophies, and fervent believer in efficiency as a moral duty with his business functioning as a kind of ministry. Her public talk will provide a religious history of Ford and the Ford Motor Company, repositioning them within critical studies of religion and examining how Ford helped transform American religious life in the 20th century.
The Armstrong Lecture series at K is made possible by the Homer J. Armstrong Endowment in Religion, established in 1969 through generous donations honoring Armstrong, an eminent pastor and longtime trustee of the College.
For more information, contact Academic Office Coordinator Sarah Bryans in the Department of Religion at Sarah.Bryans@kzoo.edu.
Kati Curts, an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of the South, will deliver the 2025 Armstrong Lecture at Kalamazoo College.
A variety of musicians and ensembles will welcome audiences to several Kalamazoo College Department of Music fall concerts in November.
Academy Street Winds, The Roaring 20s
The Academy Street Winds will perform music from the Jazz Age at 4 p.m. Sunday, November 9, in Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts.
The concert will be headlined by Kurt Weill’s Suite from Three-Penny Opera, which reflects new musical trends that followed World War I.
The ensemble functions as a beloved creative outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion students. Community musicians joined the ensemble in winter 2016 to expand the group’s sound and capabilities. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Greg Bassett serves as the group’s director. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.
College Singers, Harvesting Joy
The College Singers, directed by Associate Professor of Music Chris Ludwa, invite audiences feeling anxious over current events to participate in a brief respite with a concert that promises melodies, harmony and poetry from humanity’s great traditions of wisdom.
Join this ensemble composed of mixed soprano, alto, tenor and bass voices representing music majors and non-music majors alike at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 12, at Stetson Chapel. Adult tickets at the door are $15. K students are admitted for free.
The Kalamazoo College Singers will perform one of several music department fall concerts in November. Its performance is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. November 12 at Stetson Chapel.
Jazz Band, One Big Beautiful Biosphere
The Kalamazoo College Jazz Band, directed by Visiting Instructor of Music Sandra Shaw, will celebrate the intricacies of amazing cultures through music from the regions of North America, West Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The program includes pieces by popular artists such as Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Chick Corea.
Listeners are encouraged to dance if the music inspires them during the show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, November 14, in the Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated.
Kalamazoo Philharmonia, Honor Your Elders
The Kalamazoo Philharmonia will feature composers who learned from the greats before them in its fall concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, November 16, in the Dalton Theatre at Light Fine Arts. Composers and pieces will include:
Maurice Duruflé: Trois Dances
Paul Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Andy Akiho: “in that space, at that time” from Sculptures
William Grant Still: Symphony No. 1, Afro-American
Founded in 1990 as the Kalamazoo College and Community Orchestra, the Philharmonia—directed by Professor of Music Andrew Koehler—brings together students, faculty, amateur and professional musicians of all ages to perform great music. Tickets at the door are $7 for general admission and $3 for students. Students with a valid Kalamazoo College ID will be admitted for free.
The Department of Art and Art History at Kalamazoo College is inviting the public to celebrate the 24th International Animation Day on Tuesday, October 28.
Join students, faculty and staff from 7–9 p.m. in the Light Fine Arts Recital Hall for a free screening of more than 15 animated short films from around the world, all of which have been created independently in the past year. Titles will include Horse Portrait by Witold Giersz, What the Frog? by Yi Han Tseng, Mushroom Potato Fish by Yusi Tao and Postcard Potholder by Chris Sagovac.
This event will be held in partnership with the Central U.S. chapter of the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (ASIFA), which scheduled the first International Animation Day in 2002. The day honors the first public performance of projected moving images, which was Émile Reynaud’s Théâtre Optique in Paris on October 28, 1892. Events for the day recognize the artistry, innovation and impact of animation across all media, from hand-drawn to computer-generated imagery (CGI).
For more information on the event, contact Fine Arts Office Coordinator Marissa Klee-Peregon at 269.337.7050 or Marissa.Klee-Peregon@kzoo.edu.
The public is invited for a screening of animated films from around the world from 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, October 28, in the Recital Hall at Light Fine Arts. October 28 is International Animation Day.
The Aspiring Law Student Organization (ALSO) at Kalamazoo College is seeking alumni to return to campus to talk with students about their journeys in the legal profession. Group leaders say those conversations are among the most valuable ways to show students what’s possible with a law degree.
“Hearing from someone who sat in the same classrooms and then went on to pass the bar is incredibly valuable,” said Libby McFarlen ’26, ALSO’s president. “Alums can talk about how K prepared them in a way that other schools can’t.”
McFarlen is leading the effort to reinvigorate ALSO after the group had been relatively quiet in recent years. She stepped into the presidency at the encouragement of last year’s leader, who believed her passion for the field and professional connections could help strengthen the organization. She now works alongside Vice President Laura Goia ’27, an exchange student from Romania; Secretary Ella Miller ’26; and Treasurer Isabelle Mason ’27 to establish ALSO as a go-to resource for students considering careers in law.
A major focus this year is to help students see law as a less-intimidating, more accessible field. McFarlen wants ALSO to balance serious programming—such as alumni panels and attorney visits—with lighter events designed to spark interest. For example, students can enjoy an upcoming movie night featuring the comedy film Legally Blonde, and also attend one of the standout events of this fall: an October 22 campus visit from the assistant director of admissions at Harvard Law School.
Through these events, McFarlen hopes to showcase the variety of paths available in law. “A lot of people think being a lawyer is only about arguing in a courtroom, but there are so many areas—sports law, election law, patent law,” she said. “Students deserve to see that breadth.”
McFarlen’s own experiences highlight the importance of real-world connections. Over the summer, she completed a legal internship with the City of Grand Rapids, working alongside prosecuting and litigation attorneys. As the only undergraduate among law school interns, she conducted legal research, prepared cases, and assisted attorneys in court. The experience confirmed her interest in criminal prosecution and underscored how rare it can be for undergraduates to access hands-on legal opportunities.
“I was the youngest in the office, but it didn’t matter,” she said. “I learned so much, and I want other students to have those opportunities, too.”
Looking ahead, ALSO is considering initiatives such as a mock trial team, law-themed trivia nights and panel discussions with government attorneys. McFarlen emphasized that inclusivity will remain central to the group’s mission along with it providing a support system and a launching pad for students whether they’re preparing for law school or simply curious about the profession.
“Law can seem like a predominantly white, elite field,” she said. “We want students of color and students from all identities to see attorneys who look like them and know this path is open to them. Anyone is welcome to join whether they’re studying for the LSAT or just wondering what lawyers actually do.”
Aspiring Law Student Organization President Libby McFarlen ’26 wants Kalamazoo College students to see a breadth of opportunities available to them when they pursue the legal field.
Calling K Alumni in Law
The Aspiring Law Student Organization (ALSO) wants to hear from you. If you’re a Kalamazoo College graduate working in the legal field, students would love to learn from your journey.
Ways to get involved:
Speak on a career panel or Q-and-A session.
Host a small-group discussion with students.
Offer virtual mentoring or job-shadowing opportunities.
A popular YouTube personality, biblical scholar, best-selling author and podcast co-host will visit Kalamazoo College for a special event hosted by the Department of Religion on Wednesday, October 8.
Dan McClellan will explore how appeals to scripture are often used to authorize beliefs that might stem more from human assumptions than divine text in a lecture at 4:15 p.m. in the Olmsted Room at Mandelle Hall. The event, titled Bible Says So? How We Leverage the Bible to Authorize Our Own Dogmas, is free and open to the public. He will discuss insights from cognitive linguistics, the cognitive science of religion, and critical biblical studies to show that “the Bible says so” often really means “I say so, but I need the Bible’s authority.” A meet-and-greet will follow his presentation.
McClellan is an honorary fellow at the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion and the author of the April 2025 book The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. In his research and public scholarship, he examines the ways people invoke biblical authority to defend cultural norms, political positions and personal convictions.
In 2023, McClellan received the Society of Biblical Literature’s Richards Award for Public Scholarship. He has more than 180,000 followers on his YouTube channel and is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He also co-hosts the “Data Over Dogma” podcast with atheist Daniel Beecher.
For more information on the lecture, contact Academic Office Coordinator Sarah Bryans in the Department of Religion at Sarah.Bryans@kzoo.edu.
Biblical scholar and YouTube personality Dan McClellan will visit Kalamazoo College for a special lecture hosted by the Department of Religion on Wednesday, October 8.
