Update: The in-person lecture has been canceled, but the livestream will still be available.
Scott Aalgaard, an associate professor of East Asian studies at Wesleyan University, will discuss folk and protest music through the lens of Japanese performers such as Takada Wataru and Kagawa Ryō in this year’s Kafu Lecture at Kalamazoo College.
Aalgaard will present “Folk Music Revolutionaries: Protest Music in Modern Japan” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 10, in Room 103 of Dewing Hall, 1219 Academy St. A livestream will be available.
The discussion will challenge attendees to step away from thinking about American musical storytellers in the 1960s when they think of protest music to consider what it involves elsewhere. The talk will explore how Japanese folk singers performed amid Japan’s political circumstances in the turbulent 1960s and developed musical projects that challenged limited notions of what “protest” is or can be in the first place.
Aalgaard works on cultural production in modern and contemporary Japan with particular emphases on popular music and literature. His work addresses geopolitics, political economy, regional and social histories, nationalism, fascism and disparate modes of protest and critique, among other topics. His first book, titled Homesick Blues: Politics, Protest and Musical Storytelling in Modern Japan (University of Hawai’i Press, 2023), explores the interplay between music and everyday life and how music is used by artists, fans and others to imagine and re-imagine social, political and cultural life in modern Japan. It is oriented toward understanding the ways in which artists, authors and individual social actors use music to understand the world and envision different possibilities for living in it.
The Kafu Lecture was established in 1982 by an anonymous donor in honor of Nagai Kafu, an acclaimed 20th century Japanese writer. Kafu studied at Kalamazoo College during the 1904-05 academic year. The free, public event is co-sponsored by Kalamazoo College and the departments of East Asian Studies and Music at K. For more information, contact Professor of Japanese Noriko Sugimori at sugimori@kzoo.edu.
Kafu Lecture speaker Scott Aalgaard is an associate professor of East Asian studies at Wesleyan University.
As students and faculty are returning from spring break, the Department of Art and Art History is presenting Bricks (I’d Like to Build a Shelter), an art exhibition by office coordinator Marissa Klee-Peregon.
The show will be on view in the Light Fine Arts Gallery through Friday, April 4, with gallery hours from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. There will also be an artist talk, with a reception to follow, at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 3.
In the ongoing project, Klee-Peregon sews bricks out of satin and then uses the soft bricks for interventions, installations and performances in the built environment. This project addresses moments of failure and collapse within both social and physical structures; the labor by which those structures are built, maintained and repaired; gendered labor and gender in general; and the desire to hide, safe and comfortable, among that which is beautiful and soft. The exhibition includes a selection of images, objects and videos produced as a part of the project.
“I’m less interested in communicating a specific message than I am in posing questions which I hope viewers will continue to ponder after the show,” Klee-Peregon said. “The questions I want to present are something like, ‘What are the structures of our world—both physical and social—built out of,’ ‘Who built them and how,’ and ‘Who gets to shelter inside those structures and who is left in the cold?’ I’m not trying to answer those questions with my work, but I am trying to suggest that the answers—whatever they may be—will be complicated, contextual, and likely contradictory.”
Klee-Peregon has a bachelor’s degree in art history and studio art from Wellesley College. Support for their project was provided by the Kalamazoo Artistic Directive Initiative, a program of the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.
Marissa Klee-Peregon sews bricks out of satin and then uses the soft bricks for interventions, installations and performances in the built environment.
The show “Bricks (I’d Like to Build a Shelter)” will be on view in the Light Fine Arts Gallery through Friday, April 4, with gallery hours from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Winter 2025 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term.
Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for the Winter 2025 Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts.
Kudos to the entire group for Winter 2025.
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Winter 2025 Dean’s List.
Winter 2025
A
Callie Abair Tahmina Ahadi Fuzail Ahmed Isaac Ahn Maya Alkema Zoe Allen Adnan Alousi Mahmoud Alsafadi Altanshagai Altankhuu Emiliano Alvarado Rescala Zahra Amini Paige Anderson Unayza Anika Connor Anspach Jeremy Ardshahi Louis Asmus Emily Auchter Clarke Austin James Azim
B
Gabrielle Baldori Johanna Balingit Carter Bandemer Zoie Banger Leila Bank Grace Barber Luke Barnum Lena Barrett Gabriella Barry Joseph Basil Anar Bayanmunkh Sekai Beard Ava Bechler Annabel Bee Josephine Belsky Shelby Bennett Cassandra Bennett Jane Bentley Thomas Bentley Alexandrea Bernal Eleanor Bernas Josephine Bischoff Henry Black Derek Blackwell Douglas Blackwood Cara Boissoneault Daphne Bos Jack Boshoven Sotirios Bougioukos Eleni Bougioukou Juliette Bournay Adelaide Bowen Jaylen Bowles-Swain Ella Boyea Jay Breck Teige Bredin Anakah Brice Chloe Briggs Ellie Britt Lukas Broadsword Avery Brockington Blair Brouwers Aubrey Brown Chloe Brown Ava Buccafurri Anna Buck Kali Bunce Leah Bunnell Victoria Burnham Eamonn Burns Sara Bush Ava Butera Matthew Butterly Zachary Butters
C
Amaia Cadenas Bailey Callaway Grace Cancro Raymond Cargill Samantha Carpentier Caleb Caul Abigail Caza Daniel Celedon Haziel Cerroblanco Alexandra Chafetz Bo Chambers Savannah Chapie Yongwan Cho Trustin Christopher Yaire Cisneros Tovar Nathaniel Clark Thomas Clark Alisha Clark Lourdie Clark Maya Clarren Brendan Clinard Louise Colin Sloman Logan Coller Toby Comensoli Courtney Cotter Cate Cotter Cameron Couch Derek Courtney Sebastian Courtright Hannah Crawford Connor Creech Cameron Crosby Isabella Cross Skye Crowell MacKenzie Cruz Maria Curcuru
D
Ethan Daugherty Jasmine Davis Avery Davis Griffin Davis Maya Davis Asha Dawson Zachary Dean Tara Dean-Hall Carson Deines Enrique Delzer Lora Derian Maansi Deswal Jack Dewey Caitlin Dodde Charles Doyle Jack Duggins Isaac Duncan
E
Jacob Eicholtz Abigail Eilertson Rebecca Elias Evelyn Ellerbrock Owen Ellis Adaora Emenyonu Francis Ernzen Ryan Everham Dilynn Everitt Chad Ewing Bradley Eziuka
F
Claire Farhi Madalyn Farrey Max Feliks Blake Filkins Julia Fitzgerald Jordan Flink Mathias Florian Stephen Flynn Ross Fooy David Fooy Jessica Forbis Kinga Fraczkiewicz Caroline Francis Matthew Freels Landrie Fridsma Caden Frost
G
Dillon Gacki Valeria Garcia Ingrid Gardner Isaac Garza William Geiger Mallory Gentry Arlo Getachew Maira Ghaffar Nathan Gleason Makala Goddard Laura Goia Maxwell Goldner Brizza Gonzalez Charles Gordon Charles Graves Cecilia Gray Westin Grinwis Elizabeth Grooten Cassandra Grotelueschen Madyson Groth Cole Grupenhoff Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta Fiona Guikema-Bode Oliver Gutierrez
H
Aiden Habboub Sydney Hagaman Isabelle Hahn Avery Hall Ethan Hall Austin Hamilton Blu Haney Alison Hankins Kaylee Hanson Rachel Harman Sarai Harper Bridie Hart Jack Hartung James Hauke Pauline Hawkes Beatrice Hawkins Willow Hayner Thelma Hazen Jacob Hazlewood Zachary Heikka Elizabeth Henderson Megan Herbst Jay Hernandez Tyler Herrejon Maya Hester Ashlen Hill Timothy Hollern Jaelyn Horn Gavin Houtkooper Jakob Hubert Megan Hybels Kennedy Hynde
Teddy Jacobson Nolan Jannenga Rex Jasper Ryleigh Jaworski Amelia Johnson Anne Catherine Johnson Johe Newton Johnson Caroline Johnson Luke Johnson-Sears Hayden Johnston Zane Jones Maxwell Joos Ayako Jurgle
K
Kiana Kanegawa Judah Karesh Eliza Karlin Thomas Kartes Seth Keana Jackson Keefer Lillian Kehoe Alyson Kemery Mphumelelo Khaba Hibah Khan Vivian Kim Joshua Kim Dong Eun Kim Si Yun Kimball Ava King Samuel King Caleb Kipnis Elizabetta Klein Mart Klenke Cole Koryto Katya Koublitsky Marissa Kovac Emma Kovacevic Jaden Kowalski Julia Kozal Katherine Kraemer Daryn Krause Jason Krawczyk Jack Kreckman Loden Krueger Shay Kruse Annabelle Krygier
L
Kathleen La Prad Nicholas LaFramboise Daikan Lale Rylee Lambert Jordon Larco Olivia Laser Braeden Lavis Madeleine Lawson Elijah Layne Son Le Dinh Truong Grace Leahey Jonah Lederman Huin Lee Maya Lee Seonha Lee Margaret Lekan Ellie Lepley Sage Lewis Aidan Liedeke Peja Liles Alex Lloyd Ava Loncharte Katelyn Long Alondra Lopez Maya Lopez Grace Lounds Madeline Lovins Mairead Lynch Jacob Lynett Addison Lyons Isabella Lyskawa
M
Ellie MacE Lauren MacKersie Gionna Magdaleno Kyler Maiorana Larson Makie Andrew Mallon Lesly Mares-Castro Anthony Mares-Viveros Ariadne Markou Isabel Martin Stephanie Martinez Kate Martinez Isabelle Mason Alexandria Mason Matthew Matuza Zachary Maurice Benjamin Maurice Lily May Cedric May Carter Mayne Jay McDaniel Fallon McFarland Amy McNutt Gina Mehling Sophia Merchant Jacey Merkle Meadow Meskil Rachel Meston Estelle Metz Gabriel Meyers Bernice Mike Brittany Miller Elizabeth Miller Ella Miller Jackson Mitchell Elana Mitchell Carsen Moat Aliah Mohmand Stephanie Moranko Elizabeth Morgan Meena Moritz Wyatt Mortensen Maren Mosher Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier Elizabeth Muenzenmaier Andrew Munger Ryan Muschler Ella Myers
N
Sebastian Nelson Chloe Nelund Robert Newland Yen Giang Nguyen Mia Nicoson Theodore Niemann Malin Nordmoe Allison Nutt Alex Nutt
O
Mary Oduor Akinyi Okero Sharon Olvera Tyler Omness Kevin Oneill B Osborne Aryka Ostroski
P
Chelsea Paddock Maren Palmer Eron Palmer Brennan Pannucci Rachael Pashturro Maya Pasillas Juniper Pasternak Logan Pearson Marcus Pedde Audrey Pegouske Kaden Peot Alex Pepin Sandra Perez Patrick Perez Frida Perez Flores Addison Peter Noah Peters Katarina Peters Paige Peterson Indigo Philippe Anna Phyo Timothy Pinches William Plesscher Elaine Pollard Mario Pomorski Madelyn Portenga Lucas Preston
Q
Alex Quesada Brody Quinn
R
Elizabeth Rachiele Lachlan Rae Akaash Raghunath Jennifer Rairigh Alyson Ramillano America Ramirez Cory Rapp Sadye Rasmussen Spencer Rasmussen Sara Reathaford Laura Reinaux Silva Oliveira Julia Reisor Micahaia Reynolds Claire Rhames Jaycee Rider Cody Rigley Sheldon Riley Ella Ringel Michael Robertson Jackie Rodriguez Karina Rodriguez Nevaeh Rodriguez-Vergel Madison Roland Amelia Rooks Luke Rop Charlotte Ruiter Miriam Ruiz Kahle Nathaniel Rulich Wyatt Ruppenthal McKenna Ryan-Elbert
S
Amelie Sack Abigail Samson Ryan Sanborn Leslie Santos Simon Sawyer Maxwell Saxton Cecilia Schihl Leo Schinker Olivia Schleede Annika Schnell Arden Schultz Audrey Schulz Ava Schwachter Aurora Scott Brendon Shaffer Darby Shawhan Morgan Shearer Eric Sheppard Halen Sherwood Veda Shukla Clara Siefke Mo Silcott Julia Sitz Kiersten Sjogren Colby Skinner Meganne Skoug Kendall Slamka Jamie Smith Owen Smith Jillian Smith Maja Smith Jonah Spates Florian Stackow Lauren Stallman Adam Stapleton David Stechow Katelyn Steinbrecher Jaegon Stevens Joseph Stevenson Meredith Steward Jacquelyn Stoddard Pavel Stojanovski Calvin Strader Donovan Streeter Katherine Suarez Maeve Sullivan Ryan Swarthout Grace Sweet
T
Ella Talaski Charlotte Tatara Lucien Taylor Jovanay Taylor Levi Thomas William Thomas Elizabeth Tiesworth Emily Tiihonen Phoebe Tozer Samuel Tremaglio Dean Turpin
U
Christopher Ulrich Gabrielle Unger-Branson
V
Tony Vaisanen Anthony Valade Eli Van Drie Gavin Van Kampen Samantha Vande Pol Lucy Vandemark Hannah Vander Lugt Lauren Vanderstelt Ella VarnHagen Francesca Ventura Anna Veselenak
W
Lucinda Wallis Annslee Ware Nina Warrow McKenna Wasmer Haley Watson Jadon Weber Riley Weber Charlie Weisser Jordan Wesaw Emerson Wesselhoff Kiersten West Charles Wester Grace Westerhuis Benjamin Whitsett Jay Wholihan Ava Williams Ruth Wilson Gretchen Wilson Ruby Winer Sierra Winter Alexa Wonacott Darius Wright Emma Wrobleski
When Sashae Mitchell ’13 stepped into her new role as director of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) last year, it was a meaningful return to the place where her journey in civic and global education began. She follows in the footsteps of founding director Alison Geist, who retired after years of visionary leadership.
Before coming back to K, Mitchell was making a difference in her home country of Jamaica as the founder and managing director of Mitchell’s Math Centre, offering math instruction and tutoring to students in grades four through 11. She also served as an assistant lecturer in the faculty of business at Montego Bay Community College.
Mitchell holds a master’s degree in international education and development from the University of Pennsylvania and earned her bachelor’s in mathematics right here at K. We caught up with her to learn more about what inspired her return and her vision for the Center’s future.
Question: How did you get involved in civic engagement as a profession? Tell us about your career path and why you have decided to return to K?
Answer: The CCE was my first introduction to critical community engagement, where students, faculty and community members work together to strengthen communities to promote a more just and equitable society. Through the CCE, I learned the immense value of this work, its role in fostering a sense of belonging, and its ability to help students find and sustain their community while on a college campus. The CCE also provided opportunities for students to learn from and collaborate with community members. This experience significantly shaped my career path. When I entered K, I aspired to become an actuary, but my involvement with the CCE ignited a passion for education and addressing educational inequities which shifted my focus and took me on a different journey.
As the new leader of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, Sashae Mitchell ’13 wants to expand its impact while sharing its efforts nationally and even globally.
Upon graduating from K, I interned with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, where I collaborated on reports and strategic planning sessions to advance the Learning Network of Greater Kalamazoo and conducted data analysis on the Kalamazoo Promise. This experience helped refine my focus on education and community development.
In 2014–15, I returned to K as the post-baccalaureate fellow at the CCE, which deepened my commitment to this work. One of the highlights of that year was when I co-facilitated a class with former CCE director Alison Geist and former associate director Teresa Denton, exploring critical service learning by examining contemporary social issues and their intersections. Working closely with students and facilitating their leadership development as they managed more than 15 community partnerships was incredibly rewarding. This experience also paved the way for my graduate studies in international education and development, where I further honed my skills and gained international experience through an internship with an educational think tank in South Africa. There, I applied many of the principles I learned at K, especially those focused on collaborating with the community to develop educational interventions. Throughout this process, we made sure to center the voices of those impacted by the inequities we were working to address.
Though my career path took many twists and turns, including returning to Jamaica as a lecturer teaching mathematics, the common thread throughout has always been community engagement. I worked with students who struggled with the subject, and I applied the CCE’s principles of community to help encourage collaboration and mutual support in the classroom.
Returning to K has felt like a natural, even destined, step. Although my journey took me down various paths, the central theme has always been how to work in community. Being in this role feels like kismet—serving as the director of the department that helped shape my worldview, career goals and life’s work has been deeply fulfilling. I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to the place where it all began.
Q: What made K special for you as a student and now as a civic engagement professional?
A: Kalamazoo College is truly a unique institution, and surprisingly, I only fully realized this after graduating in 2013. My life has been profoundly shaped by the various aspects of the K-Plan that I had the privilege of experiencing as a student.
My passion for civic engagement began as a first-year student when I joined two programs—Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS) and Keeping the Doors Open (KDO). CAPS captured my heart, and I remained involved in the program throughout my four years at K. Working on the city’s northside at Interfaith Homes through CAPS was the first time I truly felt a sense of belonging at K. It was clear that the CCE would become my home away from home. My involvement in civic engagement grew, and it was no surprise that I became a Civic Engagement Scholar in my sophomore and senior years, eventually returning to work at the CCE as a post-baccalaureate fellow after graduation.
K’s commitment to preparing students to become enlightened leaders through a flexible curriculum, which encourages applying learning in transformative ways, is one of the many reasons the college stands out as a gem in southwest Michigan. Experiential learning is deeply embedded in the culture at K. It has been an absolute pleasure returning to campus. K provides opportunities for students to study abroad, work with community partners and learn from professionals through a variety of internship and externship opportunities. I certainly wouldn’t have gone to China without K’s excellent study abroad program.
The CCE provides an opportunity for me to work with students, faculty and community in collaborative partnerships that employ critical civic engagement and seek to address social justice issues. We facilitate opportunities for students to work alongside community partners, enhancing educational experiences and supporting efforts to create a more just and sustainable world. What a great place to work!
Q: What are your goals, short term and long term, for the Center for Civic Engagement?
A: For more than 20 years, since its inception, the leadership of the CCE has worked to build the department and establish the prominence it now enjoys. As we enter the next chapter of the CCE, our goal is to continue building on this legacy while elevating our work both on campus and within the community. We aim to expand our impact, sharing our efforts nationally and even globally.
Our goals for this next chapter include:
Engaging new and sustaining existing community partners to support our student-led programs, community-based courses and community-building internships.
Collaborating closely with faculty to ensure our work is consistently grounded in scholarship.
Enhancing our data collection methods to more effectively share the stories of our impact.
Fostering the continued growth and development of our Civic Engagement Scholars.
Increasing student participation and engagement across our initiatives.
Through these efforts, we hope to build on the foundation laid by our predecessors and take the CCE to new heights of excellence and influence.
Q: How do you like to connect with students? What’s your approach?
A: I truly enjoy working with students and I would argue that this has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. As a Kalamazoo College alum, I take great pride in sharing my K story with students I meet, offering insights into both the successes and challenges I’ve faced and how I navigated them.
Currently, I primarily work with our Civic Engagement Scholars, along with many other students involved in our programs. They have appreciated coming to our offices, and my open-door policy has created a space where they feel comfortable to visit whether to seek advice, share experiences or simply connect.
As a woman of color in this role, I am deeply mindful of how I show up in these spaces, particularly for BIPOC students. Representation matters, and I believe it is vital to support them in meaningful ways. During my time as a K student, I was fortunate to have advocates who ensured my experience was fulfilling and impactful. It’s my mission to pay that forward and be a source of support and guidance for future K students.
Q: On a personal note, what are three things people might be surprised to learn about you?
A: I’m currently learning to swim with the Kalamazoo Master’s Swim Club and it’s been a life-changing experience!
I majored in math at K and I still have a strong passion for the subject. My degree helped me develop critical problem-solving skills that have shaped the way I approach both life and every role I’ve held in my professional career.
I grew up in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and although the Michigan winters are still an adjustment, I absolutely love the winter outfits!
Carter Dillet portrays George Stinney Jr. in the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Daniel Sampson plays George Stinney Sr. in “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Chasiti Lashay appears in the role of Alma Stinney during the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Cody Colvin ’18 has been striking powerful chords at the intersection of opera and media production. This February, he was honored with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ Best Independent Producer award, which recognizes the best public television program in the state by an independent producer. Colvin shares the honor with fellow producers Emilee Syrewicze and Phil Lane for their work on Stinney: An American Execution, a cinematic capture of Opera Grand Rapids’ groundbreaking world premiere.
Colvin served as director, producer and co-executive producer on the project, which tells the harrowing true story of George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old Black boy who, in 1944, became the youngest person ever legally executed in the U.S. after being wrongfully convicted of the murder of two white girls in South Carolina. Decades later, in 2014, a South Carolina judge vacated his conviction, citing an egregious lack of due process.
“The film hurts to watch every time,” Colvin said. “It reminds me of how important this story is and why we told it.”
The opera, composed by Frances Pollock with libretto by Tia Price, premiered in 2022. With Colvin as director, the production was transformed into a cinematic experience now streaming nationwide and broadcast across Michigan through Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) affiliates. The film also marks a technical achievement as it’s believed to be the first full-length opera captured entirely on cinema cameras. It features cutting-edge audio with technology from DPA Microphones and Tentacle Sync, mixed in immersive Dolby Surround with nearly 40 channels of recorded sound.
Colvin began conversations about filming Stinney in 2021, when he approached Opera Grand Rapids’ then-chorusmaster about singing in the chorus. That conversation quickly evolved into a production opportunity. OGR Executive Director and Stinney Co-Executive Producer Emilee Syrewicze then brought Colvin and his company, Colvin Theatrical, on board to produce the film.
“After touring with the American Association of Community Theatre in 2021, we were looking for a project we could really sink our teeth into,” Colvin said. “This was that project, technically ambitious and thematically vital.”
Before Colvin’s involvement, Syrewicze had begun preliminary broadcast talks with WGVU, Grand Rapids’ PBS affiliate. Once Colvin joined the team, WGVU escalated the project to PBS national headquarters. Emmy-winning PBS Senior Director of Programming Doug Chang, known for Live from Lincoln Center, worked with Colvin to help refine the film for national release. It now lives on the PBS app and has aired across multiple Michigan regions.
“When we screened it for the first time, the stunned silence in the room was palpable,” Colvin said. “I was able to watch the initial broadcast with the Opera Grand Rapids donors who helped bring the project to life, and their thoughtful and emotional response to the film reaffirmed why we do this work.”
Colvin founded Colvin Theatrical in 2020 during the pandemic, helping theater companies reach audiences far beyond their venues. One early breakthrough came in 2021, when he filmed 11 of the 12 Outstanding Production nominees at the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT) Festival, earning international media coverage. In 2023, he launched Colvin Media to expand into broader film, television and advertising projects. Colvin Theatrical now operates under that umbrella.
A classically trained bass-baritone, Colvin nurtured his passion for singing during his time at Kalamazoo College. He made his principal opera debut in 2024 in La Bohème with Opera Grand Rapids, and his next milestone comes this spring with a Carnegie Hall debut.
Colvin to Perform at Carnegie Hall
Cody Colvin ’18 will make his Carnegie Hall debut at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, performing a solo with the West Michigan Opera Project. The Grand Rapids-based ensemble focuses on educational outreach through concerts, workshops, and master classes. A public sendoff concert is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 6. RSVP for either event at the West Michigan Opera Project website.
Alyssa Toepfer portrays Jean Binnicker during the Opera Grand Rapids production of “Stinney: An American Execution.”
Cody Colvin ’18, a business and theatre arts double major at K, founded Colvin Theatrical in 2020. In 2023, he launched Colvin Media to expand into broader film, television and advertising projects.
A movie with Kalamazoo College ties that seeks to change society’s views on marijuana incarceration policies is now available for pre-purchase and will be available digitally through Apple TV+ beginning Friday, April 18. Grassland stars Quincy Isaiah ’17, an actor known for his role as Magic Johnson in the HBO series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Adam Edery ’19 served the movie as a producer and Shon Powell ’18 as a consulting producer.
“Overall, we’ve gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback on the film, not only on platforms such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB, but from individuals letting us know how moved they are by it,” Edery said. “The biggest takeaway people seem to have is that they didn’t realize how many people are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses today, and seeing the direct impacts this has on families.”
Set in 2008 during the Great Recession, the movie follows a single Latina mother whose illegal marijuana business is jeopardized when her son befriends new neighbors, a young white boy and his police officer grandfather. Actors Mía Maestro and Jeff Kober star alongside Isaiah, who plays Brandon, a character who feels stuck with few options for moving on thanks to a mistake he made as a child.
Grassland had a private screening with guests Edery and Isaiah at K’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership in November 2023. The film then had a world premiere at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival. It since has played at the Monterrey International Film Festival, the Boise Film Festival, the Pan African Film and at events in Detroit, New York City and Los Angeles with more screenings still to come.
Executive producer Common, who is also an actor and rapper, will lead an April 25 impact event at Shinola San Francisco, which will include conversations with him, members of the film team and the Last Prisoner Project’s (LPP) director of advocacy. LPP works to free people who are still incarcerated for cannabis offenses.
“We are using our social impact campaign not only to educate people on the realities of cannabis incarceration today, but also to spur them to take action and provoke change in their communities whether it be calling their congressman to ask for clemency for a local LPP constituent, or moving from buying their cannabis from a national retailer to a local, cannabis-justice driven shop,” Edery said.
Edery added that he won’t measure the film’s long-term success by the amount of money it makes or the amount of people who purchase it, but rather the amount of change that is driven from it.
“If we can meaningfully contribute to even one person being freed from prison as a result of efforts correlated with this film, I will consider it a success,” he said. “And that starts with people watching the movie and becoming educated on the issue while also being entertained in the process.”
Quincy Isaiah ’17 stars in “Grassland,” which is now available for pre-purchase through Apple TV+. Adam Edery ’19 is a producer and Shon Powell ’18 is a consulting producer.
Actor Quincy Isaiah ’17 (left) and Producer Adam Edery ’19 returned to Kalamazoo College in November 2023 to screen their independent film titled “Grassland.”
Five Kalamazoo College faculty members have been awarded tenure and promotion to associate professor, recognizing their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. This milestone also signifies the College’s confidence in the contributions these faculty will make throughout their careers. The Board of Trustees-approved tenure recipients are:
Anne Marie Butler, Art History and Women, Gender and Sexuality
Butler specializes in contemporary Tunisian art within contexts of global contemporary art, contemporary global surrealism studies, Southwest Asia North Africa studies, gender and sexuality studies, and queer theory. At K, she teaches courses such as Art and Gender, Queer Aesthetics, Performance Art and core WGS classes. She has supervised 13 Senior Integrated Projects (SIPs).
Outside the classroom, Butler has co-edited the book Queer Contemporary Art of Southwest Asia North Africa (Intellect Press, 2024) and published four articles, as well as a book chapter. She is a recipient of an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant and of a research grant from American Institute of Maghrib Studies. She is the current Junior Faculty Fellow at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, has served on the Sherbin Fellowship Post-Baccalaureate Research Award committee, and is co-convener of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s WGS Collective. She is also a volunteer assistant K swimming and diving team coach, and volunteers at the YWCA and at Kalamazoo Animal Rescue.
Butler holds a Ph.D. in global gender and sexuality studies from the State University of New York-Buffalo, an M.A. in arts politics from New York University, and a B.A. in art history and French from Scripps College.
Anne Marie Butler
Marilyn Evans, Classics
Evans specializes in the archaeology of Roman urbanism, exploring the origins and early development of communities in central Italy. She has excavated sites across the Mediterranean, and for the past 15 years in the ancient Latin city of Gabii. At K, Evans teaches courses across the Classics curriculum, covering ancient language, literature, history and archaeology. She also has effectively integrated community engagement into her Neighborhoods in Ancient Cities course by working collaboratively with the Center for Civic Engagement and the Building Blocks community housing group.
Evans has supervised four SIP students, including two during summer research at archaeological digs in Gabii, Italy, outside of Rome. Her published work includes four peer-reviewed articles and two book chapters. She has served on K’s Educational Policies Committee, as regional vice president for the Classical Association of the Midwest and South, and on the editorial board of Rhea Classical Reviews.
Evans earned her Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from the University of California, Berkeley, her M.A. in Classical Languages from the University of Georgia and her B.A. in Classical Studies and Anthropology, from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Marilyn Evans
Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley, English
Kingsley’s specialty is poetry and he also has published works of fiction and nonfiction. His teaching centers on the poetry sequence within the English department: Introduction to Creative Writing, Intermediate Poetry Workshop, and Advanced Poetry Workshop.
Kingsley is the author of three books which have won over a dozen national awards, including the Association for Asian American Studies Award for Outstanding Achievement, the Library of Virginia Literary Award, and the American Fiction Award. He has published poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in more than 100 journals and/or anthologies, including Poetry, Poets.org, Tin House, Boston Review, The Georgia Review, New England Review, The Southern Review and Oxford American. His collections are Dēmos: An American Multitude (Milkweed Editions, 2021), Colonize Me (Saturnalia Books, 2019) and Not Your Mama’s Melting Pot (University of Nebraska Press, 2018).
At K, Kingsley has twice been named a Most Valuable Professor, once by basketball student-athletes and once in football. He has also twice been named an Alpha Lamda Delta Inspiring Professor in back-to-back years.
Kingsley earned an M.F.A. from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley
Rochelle Rojas, History
Rojas specializes in the early modern Western world and the transatlantic history of the early Spanish empire while focusing on the lived experiences of a wide range of people. She has supervised 11 SIPs, written two peer-reviewed articles, and authored a book, Bad Christians and Hanging Toads: Witch Crafting in Northern Spain 1525-1675, which was released this month by Cornell University Press. She has been awarded an American Association of University Women Short-Term Research Grant and an American Historical Association Albert J. Beveridge Grant.
Rojas has served as a member of K’s Academic Standards Committee and the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has been a member of search committees for the vice president of finance and administration; director of grants, fellowships and research; and faculty searches in biology and chemistry. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Florida, and a master’s degree along with a Ph.D. in history from Duke University.
Rochelle Rojas
Blakely Tresca, Chemistry
Tresca teaches organic chemistry at K while striving to bring research into the classroom. He has mentored more than 30 research students and supervised 14 SIPs with more than 50% of his research mentees attending graduate programs at institutions such as the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin and Washington University in St. Louis.
Tresca has had five published articles and recently received a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF funds will help his students develop a lab partnership with some of their counterparts at the University of Toronto while performing research with peptoid nanomaterials.
At K, Tresca has served on the Educational Policies Committee (EPC), where he participated in revising SIP guidelines and last year’s teacher’s assistant policy. Beyond EPC, he has been an advisor to K’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) while working with the local ACS professional chapter. He’s also been the Michigan representative to the Midwest Association of Chemistry Teachers at Liberal Arts Colleges Board.
Tresca holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University along with a master’s degree and a doctorate from the University of Oregon.
A Kalamazoo College department is expanding its offerings to help the greater community build skills that are convenient for the great outdoors.
The College’s Outdoor Programs team launched the Outdoor Leadership Training Center (OLTC) in January, providing public in-person community courses, workshops and certifications for every level of expertise in outdoor education, wilderness medicine, first aid and CPR/defibrillator (AED) training.
Opportunities are expanding this spring to include new workshops:
A backpacking series continuing in April with map and compass navigation, first aid, shelter building and trip planning, ranging from $35 to $70 per class.
A climbing series that will cover climbing anchor principles (May 16), natural anchor building (May 17) and a skills test (May 18), ranging from $35 to $150 per class. Register for all three as a package for $225, a discount of $30 over signing up separately.
A mountain biking clinic available May 25 or July 5 at Maple Hill Trail for $150. Expert trainers will lead riders of all experience levels, covering fundamental techniques such as braking, cornering and shifting, along with advanced skills such as climbing, descending and line selection. Bikes and helmets can be provided when they’re needed.
“The Outdoor Leadership Training Center is here to provide the community with a fun, safe and welcoming space to learn essential outdoor skills,” OLTC Training Coordinator Hannah Wolfe said. “As a new resource in the area, we’re filling a need for accessible, hands-on training that helps people connect with nature while staying safe. Whether you’re a beginner who wants to explore the outdoors with confidence or someone looking to refine your wilderness skills, we’ve got something for you. Our courses are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, families, educators or anyone wanting to prepare for any outdoor adventure. We love helping people of all backgrounds gain the confidence to enjoy the outdoors and discover new skills along the way.”
The Outdoor Leadership Training Center at Kalamazoo College in January provided new public in-person community courses, workshops and certifications for every level of expertise in outdoor education, wilderness medicine, first aid and CPR/defibrillator (AED) training. Additional courses for all levels of expertise will be available this spring.
Brooke Dolhay ’25 (center) was accepted into a summer program at the Institute for Marine Research (IMR), where she performed her Senior Integrated Project while scuba diving and researching corals off the small island Negros Oriental in the Philippines.
Dolhay had daily scenes like this to look forward to after taking a week to receive advanced certification in scuba diving.
Dolhay’s work is helping IMR research how it can help coral reef, which are dying as a result of warming waters caused by climate change.
Growing up in Chicago, Brooke Dolhay ’25 enjoyed reading about the world’s oceans, but her Midwest location never allowed her to take much of a deep dive into them.
That continued into college as she followed her parents, Amy ’95 and Kevin Dolhay ’94, to Kalamazoo College. From a distance perspective, the move got her only marginally closer to making waves along saltwater shores in her chosen field of biochemistry. Then a whale of an opportunity came along for her Senior Integrated Project (SIP).
Influenced by her study abroad experience in Oaxaca, Mexico, Dolhay decided to investigate programs overseas.
“I saw the SIP as an opportunity to do exactly what I wanted to do and create my own experience, so I started randomly Googling phrases like ‘diving internships,’ and I came across the Institute for Marine Research (IMR), which is in the Philippines,” Dolhay said.
She decided to apply to the institute and was accepted into IMR’s summer program, conducting research into the coral reef there and why so many of them are dying. The only issue she needed to resolve in advance was funding an experience in the Philippines, which she discussed with her SIP advisor, Regina Stevens-Truss, a professor of chemistry and department co-chair.
“She said the college actually has a lot of different ways to fund a SIP experience, so I emailed a bunch of people about it,” Dolhay said. “I talked to the Center for Career and Professional Development. They had an unpaid internship stipend, so I applied to tha.t. The Center for International Programs has a list of grants on its website for SIP-related funding, so I also applied for the Hough Grant through the Hough Foundation. That helped me, too, and the experience ended up being fully funded, which was awesome.”
Dolhay had days off from her research to visit waterfalls, hike on a mountain and explore rain forest.
Negros Oriental’s remote location, where cars are uncommon, required her and some of her fellow diving researchers to ride around on a moped with the nearest town being about 40 minutes away.
Negros Oriental is known for its natural beauty along with Apo Island Marine Sanctuary, the Manjuyod White Sandbar and Mount Talinis, a dormant volcano with old-growth forests and five lakes in the vicinity.
With financing concerns behind her, accepting the one-month opportunity was a no-brainer.
“I was excited because I also traveled to Europe with family, but I’d never been as far away from home as the Philippines,” Dolhay said. “I really loved my study abroad experience, too, so I knew I could travel alone, and I thought ‘why not?’”
IMR is located on the small island of Negros Oriental, which required her to take flights from Chicago to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to the Philippines capital of Manila, and Manila to Negros Oriental. The remote location, where cars are uncommon, forced her to ride around on a moped with the nearest town with a mall being about 40 minutes away.
Once settled, though, Dolhay found her first order of business was to prepare for her research by earning an advanced certification in scuba diving. For her first six days, she completed two dives in the morning and two in the afternoon in a physically demanding process.
Then came her research. Going in, she knew that algae and corals have a symbiotic relationship. Typically, algae provide corals with food and photosynthesis, and the corals give algae access to sunlight and a protected environment. Climate change, however, is warming ocean waters. That causes corals to bleach and then expel algae. The processes are killing off some varieties of fish and are affecting humans, too, as island communities have less fish to eat and less protection from disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis.
Armed with this knowledge, it was Dolhay’s job to operate a variety of underwater cameras while scuba diving before using software to collect data and analyze the pictures.
Most of the methodologies Dolhay and her fellow researchers used while scuba diving involved varieties of cameras including a GoPro to examine the ocean floor.
Climate change is warming ocean waters and causing corals to bleach and then expel algae. The processes are killing off some varieties of fish and affecting humans, too, as island communities have less fish to eat and less protection from disasters such as hurricanes and tsunamis.
Dolhay received advanced certification in scuba diving during her time in the Philippines.
“We were looking at the corals, the fish and also the ocean floor,” Dolhay said. “Nearly all of IMR’s methodologies involved a kind of camera. For the fish, we had a long metal bar that had two cameras on either side of it. For the ocean floor, we had a GoPro we used along a transect line where we would take pictures about every meter or so. For the corals, we would swim along a transect line and look for different obstructions.”
IMR will continue the research that she helped start for a few more months yet. But within the data, a variety of scientists like Dolhay are finding reason for hope.
“There are labs at different universities that are trying to genetically modify corals so they can grow in the increasing water temperatures,” she said. “IMR also is growing baby corals under water in a coral nursery and using the larvae to try to respawn areas that haven’t been doing well. There’s a lot of cool science going on between genetic modification and artificial development with scientists dropping cages like the ones fishermen use to replant corals using zip ties. A lot of the fish are attracted to that because it works like a real reef.”
The opportunity in the Philippines, Dolhay said, clearly wouldn’t have been available to her had she decided to attend a school other than K.
“I’ve talked with friends who have gone places like the University of Tampa and the University of Illinois,” she said. “They don’t have this kind of experience at all. They might work in a lab with a professor, but I don’t hear of them speaking about outside opportunities where they can get involved and be supported by the college at the same time. I really love that I could do that.”
Coral reef are key to protecting beneficial algae and fish in the Philippines while also protecting island communities during hurricanes and tsunamis.
Dolhay expects the experience she had in the Philippines to be beneficial as she applies for master’s programs in environmental science at institutions such as DePaul University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
Dolhay said some scuba diving scientists are introducing artificial coral reefs in ocean environments by dropping cages, like the ones fishermen use, to replant corals using zip ties.
And now, she expects the experience will be beneficial as she applies for master’s programs in environmental science at institutions such as DePaul University, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Illinois Chicago.
“I’m really interested in decarbonization and the chemical side of being a biochemistry major because the CO2 that we emit is directly affecting the oceans and the way that the corals grow,” she said. “I’m also looking into ocean acidification and how we can try to mitigate that because it just keeps happening as a result of our carbon emissions. In the meantime, I’m trying to find ways to educate others on the importance of being aware of your carbon footprint and doing the little things throughout the day that can help the planet.”
If you’ve ever believed that you’re just not good at science, math, English or whatever your least favorite subject might be, Senchen Subba ’25 and his Senior Integrated Project (SIP) might convince you otherwise.
Subba, a business and computer science double major from Nepal, is the creator of The Senchy Review, a blog with a series of self-contained essays in global politics, psychology, technology and personal development. The essays allow him to analyze complex subjects through clear and engaging ideas, providing an approach that he says mirrors the exploratory nature of real-world learning. It also invites others to engage with his ideas.
Subba calls it a kind of Bildungsroman experience, like where a literary character comes of age through formative years or an education.
“I thought if I could combine my writing with building a website for my SIP, that would be very cool,” he said. “I feel it’s the best way for me to encapsulate my experience in college. If I took a history class, for example, it would be difficult for me to write an entire SIP on what I learned. But I could have an entire SIP on different tidbits of topics and each topic could be self-contained.”
Senchen Subba ’25, a business and computer science double major from Nepal, is the creator of The Senchy Review, a blog that allows him to write a series of self-contained essays in global politics, psychology, technology and personal development.
The variety of the essays reflect Subba’s natural inclination to write, be curious and explore. While he appreciates everything he learns in a familiar subject like computer science, even that once was an experiment with something new.
“When I came here, I wasn’t thinking about taking computer science,” Subba said. “I thought I would try one class and continue if I enjoyed it. But then I found out that computer science just makes sense. If you want to build a website, there are certain pieces of it that fit together like a recipe. I enjoy how logical it is. And if I make an app, I can publish it. If I make a website, I can share it.”
Yet if you scan his list of essays, you will find titles that share ideas regarding the pleasures of trial and error, how to make reading a habit, the complexities of addiction, the ins and outs of corporate finance, strategies for weightlifting, finding satisfaction in life, and the essence of public speaking.
“As a thinker, I’ve learned that I don’t know many of these concepts I write about as well as I thought,” Subba said. “Writing leaves no room for my confusion to hide. It has made me realize how much I appreciate clear, concise and engaging writing, and how challenging it is to accomplish. The ones that stand out to me right now are the writings regarding corporate finance and gym lifts—corporate finance because it was technical, fun and challenging to break down ideas down into fundamentals, and weightlifting because I’ve recently gotten into it more, so my writing has helped clarify my training philosophy.”
If he finds the subject interesting, he will consider writing about it regardless of what it is. Such topics make it evident just how much Subba loves to write and the freedom of the liberal arts, making K a perfect fit for him.
“If you want to be really good at just one topic, you can study just one subject,” Subba said. “But I think for myself, it’s helpful to have a wide breadth of knowledge. That doesn’t mean you can’t be really good at one thing. But I’ve noticed that the people who are really good at, let’s say, programming, they have other interests outside of that one field. I would say the liberal arts have helped me a lot. I’m sure it provides a lot of benefits to other people, too.”
He even dabbles with a podcast through the opportunities he has at K. It shares interviews with K students, faculty and staff regarding their areas of expertise. His latest interview was with Wen Chao Chen Professor of East Asian Social Studies Dennis Frost.
“I find that If I want to do something at K, the resources or the help I need to do it will come out if I just ask about it or talk to enough people,” he said.
Subba said he has been visiting Kalamazoo since he was a child because his uncle, Mahendra Lawoti, is a political science professor at Western Michigan University.
“I still remember coming here and driving around Kalamazoo with him,” Subba said. “He would point toward K’s campus and say, ‘There’s a really nice college over here, too.’ I forgot about that for three or four years until I was applying for colleges, and I got in at K.”
Since then, he has had great experiences with friends and faculty, while staff assistance has come from places as far ranging as K Dining and the Center for International Programs, which provides support and programming for international students like him. In fact, he’s grateful for every friend and family member he’s had in his life.
Come graduation in June, he hopes he can start building a career—and perhaps a business of his own—that helps people through an online platform like The Senchy Review.
“I want my career to be built on the idea that a person can enjoy what they’re doing while also enriching people’s lives,” Subba said. “I feel there are certain businesses that do well financially but aren’t the most helpful. I’d rather think that if I give people enough good value, earnings will come automatically and be more of a metric of success.”
