Category: Students

This Student Looked to the Past to Help Protect the Great Lakes Today

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Student in a hat and jacket holding a fish he caught
Luke Werner ’26 holds a pike.

On summer mornings along the shores of the Great Lakes, Kalamazoo College student Luke Werner ’26 recognizes the rhythm of the water as something almost instinctive, shaped by years of fishing trips, charter boats and stories of salmon runs. And what began as a personal connection to Michigan’s waters became something far more ambitious: a deep historical investigation into how those waters were nearly lost and what their past can teach us about protecting them today. 

Werner spent the past year immersed in archives, government reports and decades-old ecological data to complete his Senior Integrated Project (SIP). Unlike many sustainability-focused projects rooted in biology or environmental science, Werner’s work emerged from the history department—an intentional choice that underscores a central argument of his research: understanding environmental crises requires an understanding of the past. 

His project traces the rise, collapse and partial recovery of fish populations in the Great Lakes, revealing how human decisions over centuries, rather than a single ecological disruption, set the stage for disaster. 

“I wanted to go back and really look at the history of the region,” Werner said. “We tend to latch onto big moments, including the invasions and the tipping points. But the more I learned, the more I realized those were just the final dominoes.” 

A Crisis Centuries in the Making 

Long before invasive species such as sea lampreys and alewives devastated the lakes in the mid-20th century, the ecosystem had already been strained by human impact. Werner points to a gradual shift away from the reciprocal relationship Indigenous communities such as the Anishinaabe had with the land. 

“The crisis wasn’t just caused by these fish showing up,” he said. “It was enabled by hundreds of years of decisions, including overfishing, damming rivers and pollution. We refused to cooperate with the lakes.” 

By the time invasive species entered through shipping routes and canals, native fish populations were already vulnerable. The result was catastrophic as sea lampreys decimated large fish, while alewife numbers escalated. 

“It genuinely became an international crisis,” Werner said. “You had industries collapsing, thousands of jobs lost, and entire ecosystems out of balance.” 

The Man Behind the Salmon 

In the 1950s, Howard Tanner, a fisheries biologist, was at the center of the most pivotal response to that crisis, as his bold proposal helped reshape the Great Lakes. 

Student holding up a fish he caught near the Great Lakes
Werner holds a large mouth bass.

Sustainability SIP Symposium Scheduled 

Kalamazoo College will celebrate Environmental Education Week April 20-24. Events will include the annual Sustainability SIP Symposium on April 22, which is Earth Day, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The event will honor more than a dozen students from a variety of majors who pursued themes of climate change, the environment, and sustainability in their research and projects. For more information, watch envirostewardship.kzoo.edu.  

Tanner, who had experience studying salmon in the Western United States, proposed introducing Pacific salmon, specifically coho and Chinook, into the Great Lakes as a biological control for alewives. 

“He knew salmon were strong, cold-water fish that could survive in the lakes,” Werner said. “And more importantly, they prey on alewives.” 

At the time, the idea was far from an assured solution. Introducing another non-native species carried risks, especially in an already unstable ecosystem. But Tanner framed it as a calculated, science-driven intervention. 

“It was a gamble, but it was an intentional one,” Werner said. “That’s the difference. These fish were chosen.” 

Within a year of Tanner’s proposal, hundreds of thousands of salmon were released into the lakes. The alewife populations plummeted, and a new recreational fishing economy took shape. 

“Tanner’s work didn’t just help stabilize the ecosystem,” Werner said. “It created this entire multi-billion-dollar recreational industry that still exists today.” 

A Solution That Requires Constant Attention 

Werner is careful not to describe the salmon introduction as a clean victory. 

“It’s more like it was managed into something sustainable and only with constant effort,” he said. 

Today, fish populations in the Great Lakes are still carefully balanced through a combination of stocking decisions, invasive species control and strict regulations. Too many salmon can deplete alewife populations, which in turn harms the salmon themselves. Too few salmon allow alewives to rebound. 

“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” Werner said. “They actually have to adjust how many salmon they introduce each year to keep everything in balance.” 

That balancing act extends beyond species management. Werner points to modern environmental protections such as limits on commercial fishing, pollution controls and habitat preservation as direct responses to past failures. 

At one point, Michigan alone had more than 10,000 commercial fishing licenses. Today, that number has dropped to just a few dozen. 

“That’s one of the biggest changes,” he said. “We’ve shifted from this mindset of extraction to something much more intentional.” 

Why History Matters 

For Werner, the most important takeaway from his project isn’t just what happened, but how we understand it. 

“It’s really critical to analyze and reflect on our past,” he said. “We repeat the same mistakes all the time if we don’t.” 

By placing environmental issues in a historical context, his work reveals the complexity behind them, showing that crises are rarely sudden and solutions are rarely simple. 

“Being a history major, it’s impossible for me to take things at face value,” Werner said. “There are always layers—economic, social, political—that shape what happens.” 

That perspective, he argues, is essential for anyone working in sustainability. 

“I wanted to move beyond the big headlines, the big titles, and the simple understanding of history and look at the myriad causes of these issues from the late 1600s through the 1950s,” he said. “Realistically, there were hundreds of different factors that led to this crisis.” 

Looking Ahead 

As Werner considers a future in environmental work—whether with state agencies, conservation groups or fisheries management—his SIP serves as a capstone and a starting point. What began as a personal connection to the Great Lakes has evolved into a deeper understanding of how fragile yet resilient those systems can be. 

“It’s changed how I see the lakes,” he said. “It’s not just about what’s in them, it’s about our relationship with them.” 

As his research clarifies, that relationship—shaped over centuries—will determine how the Great Lakes are sustained for generations to come. 

“If we could get some agreements between governments—even if it’s just state and provincial governments—I think that would be a big boon for the environmental and economic success of the region,” he said. 

Kindness Empowers Education: Pass it on

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Two women in front of a sign that says Othakarhaka Foundation, Passing on the Kindness
Meghan London ’26 stands with Ida Puliwa Mwango, the founder of the Othakarhaka Foundation, outside the organization’s headquarters in Malawi. 

The first time Meghan London ’26 set foot in Malawi, Africa, she didn’t yet know she would one day build her Senior Integrated Project (SIP) around a nonprofit organization there. But standing in the heat with her family in 2023, watching women pause their work in the fields to greet visitors they were just meeting, she began to understand something she would carry back with her to Kalamazoo College: generosity can thrive even where resources don’t. 

That realization now sits at the heart of London’s work. A double major in anthropology and political science, she has spent the past year documenting the efforts of the Othakarhaka Foundation, a group that helps girls overcome barriers to education. Her project, housed in critical ethnic studies, draws on interviews, field research, and personal experience to tell the stories of young women whose lives have been reshaped by their access to education. 

Secondary school requires fees in Malawi, and in many families, boys are prioritized when resources are limited. Additionally, London quickly learned that the barriers facing girls extend beyond tuition costs. 

“Girls may be expected to take care of relatives or spend hours helping their families by collecting firewood,” London said. “Othakarhaka looks at all of those factors.” 

That holistic approach became a central theme of her research. The organization, for example, plants trees closer to villages so that girls don’t have to travel long distances for firewood. It operates a health clinic, so illness doesn’t derail education. It provides meals, bicycles, and even a library, implementing small interventions that collectively enhance attendance. 

In July 2025, with support from the Center for International Programs, London returned to Malawi for two weeks to conduct her fieldwork. She interviewed about a dozen young women, most between the ages of 18 and 25, all of whom had been connected to Othakarhaka. Their stories, she said, were varied but shared common threads. 

“Some were still in school, some were teen mothers, and many had faced financial barriers,” London said. “But all of them talked about how much the organization helped them continue their education and improve their lives.” 

In Malawi, pregnancy often ends a girl’s formal education. Schools don’t allow pregnant students to attend, and returning after childbirth is rare. Othakarhaka works to change that, advocating for young mothers and helping them reenter school when possible. For London, those interviews were among the most meaningful parts of her project. 

“They were so determined,” she said. “Some wanted to start businesses, some wanted to go into trades like welding, and one wanted to go to law school. Many of them said they wanted to give back by passing on the kindness once they were able to.” 

That phrase “passing on the kindness” is a model for how the Othakarhaka Foundation operates, and it’s embedded into what they aim to do. Program volunteers are encouraged to support others when they can. That creates a cycle of community investment that London found both practical and inspiring. 

“It’s not just about receiving help,” she said. “It’s about becoming someone who can help others.” 

Woman standing next to a table filled with supplies
London inside the Othakarhaka Foundation headquarters while she was in Malawi for her SIP. 
Two women planting a tree
London plants a tree at the headquarters with the help of volunteers. The trees create environmental sustainability and represent the volunteers’ kindness.

About the Othakarhaka Foundation 

The Othakarhaka Foundation is a nonprofit organization based in Mulanje, Malawi, dedicated to increasing educational access for girls through a holistic approach that addresses financial, social and logistical barriers. Programs include school-fee sponsorship, a health clinic, a library, a sewing school, tree-planting initiatives, and girls’ empowerment camps. The organization is supported by thousands of volunteers and donors worldwide. Learn more at the Othakarhaka Foundation website or donate to the organization online. 

While in Malawi, London also observed a girls’ empowerment camp hosted by the organization. Dozens of participants gathered to learn arts, music and dance, culminating in a community performance. 

“The goal is for girls to feel like they can accomplish things, that their education matters, and that people care about them,” London said.  

Her work has been guided by Associate Professor of English Shanna Salinas. But London is also quick to credit those on the ground in Malawi, particularly the organization’s founders—Ida Puliwa Mwango and Ted Mt Mwango—for making the experience possible. 

“They were incredibly generous with their time and support,” she said. “They invited me to stay at their house for a week, and they drove me to and from the organization. My project wouldn’t exist without them. They’re inspiring people, especially Ida. She is determined to change the world. I hope I can be a lot like her because she’s doing something meaningful.” 

That perspective is already shaping London’s future. After graduation, she hopes to work in sustainable development, ideally with organizations that take the kind of long-term, community-centered approach she observed in Malawi. 

“I want to create positive change,” she said. “And I think this kind of work, building systems that actually last, is important.” 

For now, her project stands as an academic achievement and a personal turning point with a story of connection that began with a family trip and grew into a deeper commitment to global equity. At its core is a simple idea, carried across continents and communities alike: that kindness, when passed on, can multiply. 

“This shows how valuable education is and how it can really change someone’s life,” London said. “A quality that I really took away from the organization and the work it does is that it encourages those it helps to ‘pass on the kindness’ once they are able to, helping others the way they were helped through volunteering, donations, and other forms of support. My SIP shows that the work Othakarhaka does has been incredibly meaningful for many different individuals.” 

Generations Unite to Reimagine Senior Living

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Students meet with Heritage residents in a Principles of Marketing class

When Amy MacMillan, the L. Lee Stryker Professor of Business at Kalamazoo College, sat down with Matt Shankle to talk through a vision for her Principles of Marketing course, neither could have predicted exactly where it would lead. But their partnership resulted in one of the most hands-on learning experiences her course has ever offered: students were tasked with devising a plan to help Heritage Community—a senior living facility in the Portage area—evolve to meet the future needs, wants and desires of prospective Baby Boomer clients. 

“Once we just got started and let things evolve from there, I think it energized both of us and some additional faculty at K,” said Shankle, the vice president of marketing and business development at Heritage Community of Kalamazoo.  

Along the way, students met regularly with Shankle and Heritage residents who visited campus. Their work extended beyond the textbook, as they built out detailed proposals through a series of weekly milestones and ultimately traveled to Heritage to present their finished plans in person. 

Meet the Market Where It Lives 

Organized into groups of four or five, the students began their work with research. They fanned out to interview members of the Baby Boomer generation—including grandparents, friends’ parents and neighbors—seeking to learn what mattered most to them as they approached or entered retirement. Groups channeled those insights into their projects.  

A group that included Agustin Creamer ’28, for example, called its concept Heritage Hub: a membership-based lifestyle hub open to residents and nonresidents of Heritage, offering pickleball, yoga, fitness classes, a pool, dining services, a coffee shop and private event space. The idea was to let people experience the Heritage community and build connections there without requiring the full commitment of moving in. 

“We combined two of the main things that we thought Baby Boomers would want: an active lifestyle and socializing,” he said. 

Jack Hartung ’27, a junior from Ann Arbor majoring in political science and business, described how his group’s research revealed the importance of intergenerational connections and maintaining independence. Their proposal had two parts: a subscription service for Heritage residents to access outings—such as plays, sporting events and restaurants downtown—and an idea for Heritage to acquire houses in a central location for a more independent, upscale alternative to traditional assisted living. 

“Matt and the Heritage residents who came to class seemed receptive to those ideas, but Matt also talked with us about the importance of density and the feasibility of buying a neighborhood of houses,” Hartung said. “Different residents would have different mobility levels, too, so having a whole house might not be best for them. We transitioned that into having one floor of an apartment building that didn’t feel like assisted living.” 

Basi Okromchedlishvili ’28 described her group’s concept as “bringing Florida to Michigan” with a resort-style addition to Heritage complete with a pool, sauna, spa and themed events, designed to evoke the warm-weather retreats that Baby Boomers are known to seek in retirement. 

Students meet with Heritage residents in a Principles of Marketing class to talk about senior living
Students and Baby Boomers worked together to imagine the future of senior living.
Students meet with Heritage residents in a Principles of Marketing class
Basi Okromchedlishvili ’28 met with her group and a Heritage resident to talk about the future of senior living.

“Most of the residents were excited about it,” she said. “They were the ones who recommended theme nights. Matt gave us some recommendations about what we could include, like the sauna, and he also mentioned it being open to the public to generate more revenue so the residents wouldn’t have to worry about costs so much. Even with that idea, we had to make sure that it was mostly focused on Heritage and their residents.” 

Elisabeth Wilks ’28, a Kalamazoo native majoring in quantitative economics, said her group zeroed in on a project targeting purpose and service. The idea tapped into the intergenerational connection that students experienced in class by having Baby Boomers serve as mentors.

“The shift to retirement can be difficult,” she said. “Our interviews revealed how much it matters to retirees that they make meaningful contributions after spending decades in the working world, so we call our program Bridging Futures. It gives Baby Boomers that sense of purpose through volunteering as they go into retirement.”   

Spencer Rasmussen ’26 came in thinking his group might pitch a virtual golf simulator. He said the conversations with Heritage residents quickly changed his team’s direction. 

“We found that the people we talked to really just wanted opportunities to be heard because they all had stories to share,” Rasmussen said.  

That realization led his group toward a student fellowship model, where K students would spend time at Heritage, benefiting residents through connection and activity, while helping students gain hands-on experience in fields such as nursing, psychology and fitness. 

The Real World Walks into Class 

One of the course’s most distinctive features was the regular presence of Heritage residents in the classroom itself. Several times throughout the term, residents made the trip to campus to hear the students’ ideas and offer feedback. 

“One who sticks out in my mind is Bill,” Hartung said. “He’s 97, and it was amazing because it made me appreciate that people at these ages aren’t just sitting in a chair—they come out and do things. They can be sharp-minded and healthy, even at 97.” 

For Wilks, one resident in particular left a lasting impression. 

“Every time Mary comes to our table, she says, ‘This is my favorite idea. I love it.’ She worked for an airline as a flight attendant, and she loves talking about her career with us. There are so many different aspects of being a flight attendant that I never would have known about. She’s always so happy and bubbly.”

Rasmussen remembered a light moment between his group and a regular visitor when they taught her about technology, especially the flashlight on her iPhone. The levity pointed to something deeper. 

“I didn’t realize before I was in this class how lively a retirement home can be and how much activity actually goes on,” Rasmussen said. “It’s been an absolute joy working with them.” 

Shankle, who has witnessed many intergenerational programs in his career, said the classroom visits were exactly what he had anticipated. 

“The mutual interest in seeing the students produce something meaningful meant both residents and students bought-in almost immediately,” he said. 

He also was impressed by the students themselves. 

“As a graduate of a liberal arts college myself, I can see that K students are a high-caliber group,” he said. “They’re well-rounded. They’re not just studying business, but also religion, ethics and psychology, for example. I think K students are well-prepared for the modern-day workforce that’s ultimately going to need someone with a diversity of thought who can make an impact in society.” 

The term culminated with the student groups traveling to Heritage to present their proposals in person, for five minutes each plus questions and answers, in the room where their ideas, if adopted, might one day come to life. The groups took the occasion seriously.  

“A couple of groups even had matching shirts that they had made, or they dressed up in the theme of their projects,” Shankle said. “They really had a lot of fun with it, and I was impressed, first and foremost, with the students and their presentation skills. They had never been to Heritage before, and they came prepared.” 

But the conversation didn’t end at the presentations. Shankle said two of the student projects are now under active consideration for development. 

“I think there are some ideas that I’d like to create a task force for, with a combination of our staff, a few of our residents, and some of the students,” he said.  

Shankle envisions a program that would match Heritage residents with K students in their fields—pairing a future health care worker with a retired health care worker, a pre-law student with a former attorney—to create genuine mentorship alongside real-world practicum experience. 

“With two of the group projects being very similar, we can get the synergy of both groups thinking as one,” he added. 

Where Marketing Comes to Life 

If the students and Shankle are enthusiastic about the partnership, they are equally vocal about the professor, MacMillan, who made it happen. 

“She has a lot of knowledge in her area, which is marketing, but she’s also good at teaching that knowledge,” Creamer said. “This class is unique because it’s more about how we can apply these concepts in real life rather than just studying them without knowing how to apply them.” 

Okromchedlishvili said MacMillan’s class has her thinking about future opportunities in marketing, possibly starting with an internship this summer. 

Wilks described MacMillan as engaging on a personal level, quick with constructive feedback, and consistently enthusiastic in a way that makes an early class feel like somewhere worth being. 

For Hartung, the class’s value extends beyond marketing. He is considering law school—either for business law or a career in political campaigns—and sees the lessons learned as applicable to either path. 

“If I go into politics, that’s all marketing,” he said. “Marketing yourself, marketing a candidate—the same baseline concept applies.” 

Rasmussen, who will graduate in June with his sights set on medical device sales, said, “I haven’t missed a class yet. It’s one of those classes where it doesn’t feel like I’m working and I enjoy what I’m doing.”  

Shankle said MacMillan’s approach has a rare quality: the ability to ground marketing theory in practice without losing its theoretical foundation. 

“She teaches from a book, but she really encourages students to use their own experiences to relate to the teachings,” he said. “Every class I attended, students were presenting on the marketing process through their own lived experiences, and they articulated what they learned.” 

It’s a blueprint Shankle and MacMillan hope to build on. Whether the task force produces a mentorship program, a fellowship or something yet to be imagined, the students who spent eight weeks thinking carefully about Heritage Community have left a mark on Heritage residents, each other and future versions of the Principles of Marketing course. 

“Amy and I are already talking about next steps and what this could look like in the future,” Shankle said. “I could see a lot more doors opening for these types of engagements where students and older adults are working together.” 

Kalamazoo College Reveals Winter 2026 Dean’s List

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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 2026 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 2026.

Winter 2026 Dean's List
Congratulations to the students who reached the Winter 2026 Dean’s List.

Winter 2026

A

Callie Abair
Drew Abbott
Yaz Abu-Zaid
McKenna Acevedo
Jade Acosta
Amirat Adebiyi
Emerson Agnello
Tahmina Ahadi
Umair Ahmed
Isaac Ahn
Zoe Allen
Makayla Allen
Riley Allen
Randa Alnaas
Altanshagai Altankhuu
Methmi Amaratunga
Haresh Anand
Eleanor Andrews
Jayanthi Anila
Eva Applebaum
Camden Arndt
Louis Asmus
Emily Auchter

B

Bryce Balabuch
Gabrielle Baldori
Johanna Balingit
Carter Bandemer
Zoie Banger
Leila Bank
Grace Barber
Brianna Barnes
Luke Barnum
Joseph Basil
Summer Beavers
Conner Bell
Marley Bell
Annice Bellows
Alexandrea Bernal
Eleanor Bernas
Eleanor Bernas

Maximus Betten
Gurnav Jeet Singh Bhatia
Derek Blackwell
Douglas Blackwood
Tate Bless
Trey Bolling
Brian Bolvari
Sotirios Bougioukos
Eleni Bougioukou
Juliette Bournay
Jaylen Bowles-Swain
Ella Boyea
Yvette Boyse-Peacor
Allison Bozyk
Indigo Braun
Teige Bredin
Chloe Briggs
Ella Marie Briggs
Ellie Britt
Cole Bronoel-Cuthrell
Chloe Brown
Connor Brown
Audrey Bruner
Raven Bryans
Ava Buccafurri
Christopher Bullard
Leah Bunnell
Maxwell Burg
Mag Burkander
Sara Bush
Ava Butera

C

Amaia Cadenas
Evelyn Calderon
Eleanor Campion
Olivia Cannizzaro
Arlanderia Cardenas Estelle
Raymond Cargill
Emmett Carlson
Liam Casey-McFall
Tatum Casper
Stephanie Castillo
Luis Castro-Limon
Joe Caton
Caleb Caul
Emma Caulkins
Haziel Cerroblanco
Savannah Chapie
Derrick Chen
Trustin Christpher
Noah Chun
Parker Ciurla
Eva Clancy
Jack Clancy
Thomas Clark
Lourdie Clark
Kory Clark
Keegan Clarke
Brendan Clinard
Caleb Coates
Mai Elise Code
Toby Comensoli
Colby Connor
Zeina Coreas
Elliot Corpuz
Jayden Costa
Cameron Couch
Holden Coulter
Sebastian Courtright
Henry Cox
Gavin Crawley
Agustin Creamer
Connor Creech
Cameron Crosby
Kieran Crossley
Gwendolyn Crowder Smith
Claire Curry
Courtney Cutler

D

James Dailey
Ryan Dant
Ethan Daugherty
Jasmine Davis
Avery Davis
Griffin Davis
Maya Davis
Ian Davis
Asha Dawson
Lillian Deer
Noel DeFeyter
Sophia Deguzman
Maya Delaney
Enrique Delzer
Lora Derian
Abram Derksen
Arjun Desch
Noah Devries
Jack Dewey
Christopher Dewitt
Desmond Distel
Reed Dixon
Shane Dong
Alyssa Dorner
Jordan Doyle
Charles Doyle
Jack Duggins
Gwyneth Dunaway
Aidan Durst

E

Benjamin Ebner
Elise Elliot
Kai Ellison-Batt
Zachary Emmer
Bradley Eziuka

F

Niklas Fagerman
Fletcher Fahling
James Faletti
Max Feliks
Alexander Fenkell
Peggy Ferris
Alex Fleming
Mathias Florian
Jessica Forbis
Kinga Fraczkiewicz
Caden Frost

G

Dillon Gacki
Yamilet Garcia
Grey Gardner
Barrett Garrard
Corey Garrison
Roberta Gatti
Abigail Gilmore
Vrinda Girdhar
Samuel Gladhill
Makala Goddard
Laura Goia
Brizza Gonzalez
Charles Gordon
Harper Gorman
Lukas Graff
Charles Graves
Adam Green
Alexis Gross
Sofia Gross
Madyson Groth
Cole Grupenhoff
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta
Fiona Guikema-Bode
Kendra Guitar
Oliver Gutierrez

H

Marissa Haas
Isabelle Hahn
Ethan Hall
Lucas Hanifan
Ella Hanley
Geneva Hannibal
McKinley Hanninen
Kaylee Hanson
Rachel Harman
Sophie Hartl
Cameron Hathaway
Abram Haynes
Jacob Hazlewood
Grace Helmboldt
Regan Helmick
Alexis Henney
Layla Hickman
Ashlen Hill
Alyssa Hinkley
Raychel Hodges
Ruby Hogan
Maren Holcomb
Lauren Holcomb
Timothy Hollern
Ronin Honda
Audrey Horton
Scarlett Hosner
Nadene Hubbard
Ethan Huebsch
Alek Hultberg
Rachel Hursey
Abigail Hutchison

I

Nora Iapichino
Carson Ihrke
Weslee Innes
Rispher Irungu
Jasmine Ivy

J

Gloria Jackson
Sarah Jaimes Santos
Jackson Janderwski
Nolan Jannenga
Anne Catherine Johnson
Jaden Johnson
Caroline Johnson
Isabella Johnson
Eiden Jonaitis
Elizabeth Jones
Gary Jones
Ayako Jurgle

K

Jessica Kaplan
Violet Kaplan-Neumann
Eliza Karlin
John Kaul
Seth Keana
Jackson Keefer
Parker Keim
Davis Kelly
Hibah Khan
Soussana Kimbouris
Anwen King
Ava King
Samuel King
Caleb Kipnis
Kendyl Kirshman
Claire Kischer
Elizabetta Klein
Noah Kleiner
Kassandra Koehler
Gretje Kooistra-Collar
Halle Korendyke
Connor Kouki
Emma Kovacevic
Daryn Krause
Molly Kreibich
Aravind Krishnan
Mara Krupka
Shay Kruse
Rohan Kumar

L

Andrew La Penna
Aubrey Laffoon
Rylee Lambert
Olivia Laser
Minh Thu Le
Keilana Le
Son Le Dinh Truong
Brayden Ledin
Maya Lee
Duncan Lees
Alexander Ligman
Peja Liles
Maxwell Lloyd
Logan Lockhart
Dasia Lopez
Jacob Lovy
Dewen Luo-Li
Mairead Lynch
Addison Lyons

M

Gwendolyn MacEwen
Lauren MacKersie
Madison Magda
Simran Magnan
Kyler Maiorana
Vex Maldonado
Anthony Mares-Viveros
Eliza Maurer
Elizabeth Maurer
Zachary Maurice
Benjamin Maurice
Lily May
Allison Mayer
Jay McDaniel
Mollie McDonald
MacKale McGuire
Kira McManus
Ryenn McRell
Gina Mehling
Isaac Melton
Jacey Merkle
Rachel Meston
Bernice Mike
Isaac Miles
Elizabeth Miller
Ella Miller
Madelyn Miller
Marin Miroslavich
Elana Mitchell
Zelda Molitor
Aliah Mohmand
Phillip Monschau-Johnson
Caleb Moore
Kyle Moore
Stephanie Moranko
Eliana Moreno
Madeline Moss
Karis Mulcahy
Karis Mulcahy
Grace Murphy

N

Genevieve Nagel
Nailia Narynbek Kyzy
Zander Nash
Alessi Neder
Sebastian Nelson
Lily Nestich
Robert Newland
Yen Giang Nguyen
Will Norwood
Alex Nutt
Calvin Nyeholt

O

Jair Obando
Martin Odhiambo
Anastasia Okromchedlishvili
Gabriel Olivier
Sasha Olsen
Carson Orvis
B Osborne

P

Chelsea Paddock
Maren Palmer
Renzo Palomino Caceres
Gyuri Park
Hannah Parsons
Eric Paternoster
Sam Pattison
Logan Pearson
Marcus Pedde
Gavin Pejakovich
Mia Pellegrini
Alex Pepin
Marcos Perez
Patrick Perez
Maya Peters
Tobias Peters
Tess Peters
Anna Phyo
Timothy Pinches
Mario Pomorski
Bailey Poort
Madison Potts
Quinten Powers
Juliana Pullen

Q

Brody Quinn
Matthew Quirk

R

Addison Raffenaud
Akaash Raghunath
Jennifer Rairigh
Alyson Ramillano
Jackson Rancilio-Swords
Cory Rapp
Spencer Rasmussen
Liam Regan
Julia Reisor
Isabel Reyes
Micahaia Reynolds
Rachel Ribaudo
Jaycee Rider
Donovan Rinehart
Ella Ringel
Samuel Rivas
Narelle Robles
Dillon Rodriguez
Amelia Rooks
Brigid Roth
Alexander Russell
Eleanor Ryan
McKenna Ryan-Elbert
Olive Ryder

S

Zenaida Sackett
Oliver Sajan
Jeremy Salomon
Isabella Santos-Pye
Xavier Sarnaik
Taiki Sawamata
Simon Sawyer
Fiona Schaffer
Cecilia Schihl
Olivia Schleede
Sophia Schlotterer
Annika Schnell
Harper Schrader
Kearsten Schultz
Sophia Schwartz
Oskar Sears
Neve Sena
Geo Servin
William Seymour
Katherene Shank
DJ Sheibar
Veda Shukla
Riley Shults
Saba Sikharulidze
Alexandros Simecek
Morgan Smith
Jillian Smith
Anoushka Soares
Miyani Sonera
Ella Spooner
Lauren Stallman
Katelyn Steinbrecher
Taylor Stephens
Gavin Stewart
Laurel Stowers
Helen Stoy
Calvin Strader
Chloe Stuckey
Abbygale Stump
Katherine Suarez
Nolan Surach
Luella Swanson
Grace Sweet
Zachary Sykes

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Ella Talaski
Charlotte Tatara
Arielle Tenner
Kaljona Thaumanavar
Melina Thelen
William Thomas
Lauren Thompson
Christopher Thunder
Elizabeth Tiesworth
Alexander Tolman
Lily Toohey
Jey Trebley

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Gavin Van Kampen
Lauren Vanderstelt
Tyler Vanderzanden
Benjamin Van Nes
Benjamin Vansumeren
Elijah Vue

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Connor Walters
Natalie Ward
Annslee Ware
Nina Warrow
Luke Werner
Jordan Wesaw
Astrid Westbury
Grace Westerhuis
Maggie Westra
Jillian Whitton
Elisabeth Wilks
Jaden Williams
Siona Wilson
Zoe Wilson
Livia Wilson
Ryan Witt
Andrew Wolford
Reagan Woods
Zaryn Woods
Darius Wright
Sophia Wrzesinski

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Keyla Zamarripa
Nora Zemlick
Kenzi Zimmerman-Frost
Ashley Zollman

What’s for Lunch? 25 Years of Inspired Science in Schools

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Sisters in Science experiment
Pauline Hawkes ’26 leads Luella Tresca, Lu Moon and Adwin Williams in a science experiment.
Sisters in Science experiment

One recent afternoon at Northglade Montessori Magnet School in Kalamazoo, fourth and fifth graders gathered around a table for a simple science experiment involving water, soap and glitter. 

“Think about what happens when germs spread,” a college student presenting the experiment told them. 

Moments later, a finger dipped into the mixture, and the glitter scattered across the surface of the water. The room filled with laughter, surprise and a few delighted yells of “Whoa!” 

For the kids, it looked like magic. For the mentors leading the activity, it was something more powerful. It was a chance to spark curiosity about science through a lesson that showed just how quickly illnesses can jump from one person to another. 

The demonstration was one small moment in a program that has quietly shaped young learners in Kalamazoo for a quarter century. Sisters in Science—a student organization at Kalamazoo College—is celebrating its 25th anniversary of presenting hands-on STEM experiences to local kids. The group partners with Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo to visit youths at Northglade and Woodward Elementary, where K students run experiments and serve as mentors for children discovering science in new ways. 

A Founding Conversation 

Sisters in Science owes its existence to a chance conversation on a school sidewalk. Regina Stevens-Truss, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry at K and the program’s faculty advisor since its founding, arrived at Northglade in 2001 to pick up her children. A sixth-grade teacher pulled her aside with a question that would stay with her. 

The teacher had noticed that her female sixth-grade students consistently outperformed the boys in math and science. But when she saw those same students again in ninth grade, something had changed. The girls who once loved science no longer seemed interested. She wanted to know why. 

Stevens-Truss couldn’t stop thinking about that conversation. Research backed what the teacher had observed: girls often lose interest in science and math during the transition from elementary school to junior high, as social pressures begin to reframe those subjects as less compatible with femininity. She brought the idea of a mentorship program to the chemistry department’s office coordinator, who suggested the name Sisters in Science, and then to Leslie Tung, who was serving as interim provost at the time. Tung pointed out that every department in the science division had at least one female faculty member, and he encouraged Stevens-Truss to build a program in which K students would mentor girls at Northglade. 

Sisters in Science launched as a one-on-one mentoring program, pairing individual K students with sixth-grade girls at the school in a big sister, little sister model. The pairs would meet weekly to talk about science, math and what it meant to be a young woman with those interests. As demand grew and the sixth grade was moved to the middle school, the model shifted from individual pairings to group sessions at Northglade, and now also at Woodward Elementary School. While the program originally focused on encouraging girls to pursue science, feedback from students led Northglade organizers to expand participation so boys could join as well. The college mentors remain the “sisters” leading the activities, but the sessions now welcome all students. The change reflects the program’s broader mission, which is to make science accessible to everyone. 

From Lunch Tables to Laboratories 

The program is simple but effective. Students bring their lunches into a classroom, where the college volunteers introduce a short experiment. Before long, the room becomes a laboratory filled with egg drops, slime, miniature rockets and glitter experiments. 

“They eat their lunch, and then they pretty much jump right into it,” said Emma Braford, a site coordinator at Northglade for Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo. “They’re always very hands-on. It’s all very fun and interactive things that get the kids really engaged with science and loving science in a way that’s not just textbooks.” 

The program typically serves about 30 elementary students across the partner schools, with three to five K students guiding activities each visit. Over the course of the school year, the mentors work with the same groups of children, building relationships along the way. That mentorship, Braford said, can be just as important as the science lessons themselves. 

“I think it’s cool for them to have that older peer mentor relationship,” she said. “The college students intentionally get to know four or five of the students really well over that time.” 

Opening Doors to Science 

Sisters in Science is led this year by Pauline Hawkes ’26 and Madison Vrba ’26. 

For Vrba, a biochemistry major, the organization represents a natural blend of two passions, science and mentorship. Before joining Sisters in Science, she worked as a pitching instructor for young softball players and discovered how empowering it could be for young girls to realize what they could do. 

“When girls feel confident exploring science and asking questions, it not only benefits them individually but also strengthens the entire scientific community,” Vrba said. 

Historically, STEM fields have been male dominated, she noted, which can make it harder for girls to picture themselves in those careers. Programs like Sisters in Science help change that narrative by introducing science early and making it approachable. 

Success, Vrba said, often comes in small moments. 

“If even one student walks away feeling more confident about science or more interested in learning how things work, I consider that a success,” she said. 

Inspired to Give Back 

For Hawkes, a biology major who hopes to pursue a career in physical therapy, the motivation to mentor younger students is personal. 

Growing up, she watched her mother navigate a series of back injuries and surgeries, which sparked her interest in the human body and how it works. She also had an influential role model close to home in her older sister, Isabelle Hawkes ’24, who was also involved in Sisters in Science. 

“I’ve always looked up to her,” Hawkes said. “She was able to answer questions and help me understand things when I was struggling. I want to be that resource for other people and open doors they might not know existed.” 

Each week during the academic term, Hawkes and other leaders visit partner schools for two days between classes. The goal isn’t simply to perform experiments, she said. “We’re just learning together,” Hawkes said. “It’s a safe, comfortable space where they’re not afraid to ask questions or try different things.” 

Learning Science Through Discovery 

But the lessons go beyond the experiments. Sometimes, students are surprised simply to learn that the College mentors are studying science themselves. 

“I’ve heard some of them say things like, ‘We didn’t know you could study this in college,’” Braford said. “It gives them a broader perspective of different career options that exist.” 

“It’s important for everyone to see what’s possible,” Hawkes said. “This is where you’re developing your interests.” 

That openness, along with the enthusiasm of both the college mentors and elementary students, helps explain the program’s longevity. 

One alumna whose connection to Sisters in Science continues to resonate is Caitlyn VanGelderen ’12. She was deeply devoted to the program during her time at K. Caitlyn loved combining her passion for chemistry with her commitment to mentoring younger students, and she found joy in helping elementary girls discover their own interest in science. Since her passing in 2020, her parents have honored that passion by making annual donations to support Sisters in Science in her memory, ensuring the work that meant so much to her continues to inspire new young scientists. 

“I think people want to be part of it,” Hawkes said. “There’s always going to be interest in teaching kids about science and letting them do experiments they might not otherwise have the opportunity to try.” 

A Spark for the Future 

As Sisters in Science marks its 25th anniversary, the leaders hope to celebrate the milestone with commemorative T-shirts for participants and increased visibility for the program. But the true impact is less tangible. It’s the moment when a student’s eyes widen during an experiment, the moment when a child asks a question no one expected, or the moment when a young student realizes science might be something they love. 

“Science can sometimes feel intimidating,” Vrba said. “But programs like this show students that it can also be creative, fun and something they’re a part of.” 

Stevens-Truss sees the secret to its longevity in the relationships it builds across multiple constituencies at once: the K students who join as first-year students and grow into leaders, the elementary students who see themselves reflected in the mentors above them, and the community partners who have been with the program since the beginning. 

Stevens-Truss said she does little to keep the program running year to year. Each spring, the current leaders identify their successors. Each fall, she reaches out to those students, and they take it from there. The group maintains its own website and keeps its supplies—reagents and materials for experiments—in a cabinet in the science building. 

“There’s never been a year since we started Sisters in Science that the program has not run,” she said. “I don’t hound them; they come to me.” 

And if the excitement in those classrooms is any indication, the next 25 years of Sisters in Science might inspire just as many future scientists as the first. 

Sisters in Science experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
College student and child performing experiment
College student and child performing experiment
Sisters in Science experiment
Kids performing experiments

Student Chronicles Dad’s Bosnian War Survival

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Emma Kovacevic ’26 finds that not many of her Kalamazoo College peers are familiar with the story of the Bosnian War, although she knows it well. The conflict, prompted by the fracturing of the former Yugoslavia, lasted from 1992–95. About 100,000 people were killed, and more than 2 million people were displaced in the fighting. It was the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. And Emma’s Bosnian father, Ruzmir Kovacevic—the subject of her Senior Integrated Project (SIP)—suffered as a prisoner of the Serbians during the hostilities. 

“I would describe my dad as my hero,” Emma said. “He has gone through so many things in his life. I don’t know of anyone that’s gone through so much, and he’s still cracking jokes about random things all the time. I haven’t seen that kind of resilience in anyone else, so it’s inspiring and I’m grateful to have him in my life. He’s the bravest person I know and my biggest role model.” 

Ruzmir grew up in the small town of Doboj in Bosnia. His mother was an elementary school teacher, and his father worked as a salesperson at a local store. His childhood was centered on family, school and a tight-knit community where everyone knew each other. He was an outgoing and natural leader, his daughter said, the kind of person who was always surrounded by family and friends. 

Bosnian War survivor with family
Emma Kovacevic ’26 (second from right) with her family, including her dad, Ruzmir.

Neighbor vs. Neighbor 

After high school, Ruzmir attended the University of Sarajevo, where he studied sports medicine. Like many young men in the former Yugoslavia, he also completed mandatory service in the Yugoslav army. His leadership ability stood out so much that military leaders asked him to stay beyond his required service as he ascended to the rank of first lieutenant.

A few years later, the country began splitting apart. When fighting broke out, Bosnia descended into violence and ethnic conflict. In towns like Doboj, neighbors suddenly found themselves on opposite sides of a brutal war. 

“It was really interesting to hear about it because during the war, he was fighting against these people who taught him how to fight, how to clean his rifles and how to figure out the best ways to go about a war,” Emma said. “From what he told me, he had a lot of trouble going through that. He was fighting against some people that he knew in his hometown because it was all Yugoslavia.” 

There was no official Bosnian army, so Ruzmir and the men of his community formed what they called the Patriotic League. They counted their rifles, took inventory of their weapons, made a plan and held their line as long as they could. 

University of Sarajevo student ID belonging to Bosnian War survivor
Ruzmir’s student ID from the University of Sarajevo shortly before the Bosnian War.

Brutality from Former Friends 

Ruzmir was captured by Serbians after being wounded by a grenade that badly damaged his right leg. The Serbians wrapped the wound in a cast and refused to let surgeons remove the shrapnel. He was taken to a concentration camp where Bosnian prisoners were subjected to brutal treatment. Emma said he played sports growing up with some of the Serbians, who ended up beating him and denying him food for long periods of time. 

At one point, a twist of fate briefly freed Ruzmir. A relative of his girlfriend, who held a high-ranking position in the Serbian military, arrived at the camp and escorted him out under the pretense of questioning. For a few days, Ruzmir stayed with family members who were packed into a tiny studio apartment. Fifteen people shared the cramped space, but he described it as heavenly, Emma said. 

The freedom didn’t last. Serbian officers soon discovered he was missing and recaptured him, sending him back to the camp for an additional two and a half months. In all, Ruzmir spent about nine months in captivity. By then, many prisoners had died or disappeared. When Ruzmir first arrived, more than 50 men were held in the camp. By the end of his imprisonment, only about a dozen remained. 

The prisoners were rescued almost by accident. After hearing reports that Bosnians were being held in the old prison facility, the German Red Cross scheduled an inspection. To hide the evidence, guards forced the remaining prisoners into a conference room and cleaned the cells. The prisoners heard the inspection happening and began screaming for help. 

After recording their names, the Red Cross inspectors warned Serbian authorities they would return in two weeks. If conditions had not improved, the prisoners would be taken out of the country as refugees. Two weeks later, the Red Cross inspectors kept their promise. 

Bosnian War memorial images
This gallery is a permanent memorial dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide that occurred on July 11, 1995, during the Bosnian War. Gallery 11/07/95 aims to educate visitors and preserve the memory of the genocide through photography and personal artifacts.

Free at Last 

Ruzmir boarded a bus to Germany and spent a few years there with his younger brother and father. He later arrived alone in Grand Rapids, where a significant Bosnian refugee community had already taken root. Ruzmir had been a year and a half away from finishing his sports medicine degree at the University of Sarajevo when the war interrupted his education. The credits didn’t transfer to the U.S., but he became a massage therapist. Emma said he loves his career and wouldn’t trade it for anything, though. He also helps resettle other refugees arriving in Michigan from all over the world. 

Ruzmir’s father survived the war but died in 2001 when he had a heart attack and stroke simultaneously caused by PTSD. However, he met a Bosnian woman, Amra, who had also fled. They had two daughters, including Emma. He built a life with his family. 

“I’ve had a really supportive family, and as my parents are two immigrants, they have always wanted the best for my sister and me,” Emma said. “They’ve always wanted for us to have the education that they didn’t really have access to. They made a lot of sacrifices to support my sister and I in growing up to have access to the things that were taken away from them. I chose K because I just love it. I love what it stands for, the liberal arts education and the relationships I can have with my professors.” 

Ruzmir and Emma with family in Bosnia
Ruzmir and Emma with family in Bosnia.

55 Minutes 

Emma and her father had talked for years about writing a book together. It was a “someday project”—something to tackle after a master’s degree or maybe a Ph.D. There was time. 

But in 2023, Ruzmir went into cardiac arrest. He was technically dead for 55 minutes. 

“I saw the strongest person I know die for that long,” Emma said.  

He recovered. The nurses called him their Christmas miracle despite 13 broken ribs from the CPR, so Emma started thinking about the book differently, and yet was still hesitant. It was big material. Heavy material.  

Then, three days before the spring term of her junior year, her father went into cardiac arrest again. She realized she needed to make her dad the subject of her SIP. 

“I thought, ‘OK. It’s time. I can’t wait any longer,’” Emma said. 

He has since turned 56 and the SIP is finished. 

“He has a pacemaker and defibrillator,” Emma said. “They’ve saved him twice now, so I’m just grateful that I’ve been able to do this with him and talk to him about it, even though I could see how hard it was for him. He continuously says that he is so grateful for this opportunity. I hoped that I’d be able to do it later in my life, post-K, but with the inclusion of the SIP in the K-Plan, I’m just grateful that it gave me that push to start sooner.” 

Her advisor, Professor of English Marin Heinritz ’99, has guided her through the entire process. Emma first took Introduction to Journalism with Heinritz in her sophomore year, and the two have been close since. 

“I know that’s not true at other universities,” Emma said. “My sister goes to Michigan State, and her professors just don’t connect with her as an individual.” 

The view of Sarajevo looking down from Trebević Mountain
The view of Sarajevo looking down from Trebević Mountain.

A Light at the End of the Tunnel 

Emma said Ruzmir wanted the story to be told because the Bosnian War is not something that gets taught much in the U.S., because it happened recently enough that people are still grappling with it, and because it happened distantly enough that many Americans don’t know it happened at all. 

She knows he’s proud of her. He has been sending the PDF of her SIP to his friends and massage therapy clients. One of them printed it out and put it in a folder to share with others. 

Emma has been accepted to a master’s program in teaching at the University of Michigan. She wants to be a high school English teacher. She also wants to keep writing, and eventually, when her father is ready, to turn the SIP into the book they always planned. 

“He just needs a little break first,” she said. “I would hope that it will help people understand that even if they think their life is over with any horrible thing that happens, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.” 

Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sarajevo
A pedestrian area in front of the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Sarajevo, near the Gallery 11/07/95 memorial site.
Ruzmir and Emma Kovacevic
Ruzmir and Emma Kovacevic
Baščaršija bazaar and Sebilj fountain in Sarajevo.
A view of homes in Bosnia
A view of homes in Bosnia.

Student’s Book Reviews Show Human Costs of Court Rulings

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While some pre-law students focus on statutes and precedents, Ella Miller ’26 has spent her senior year exploring the emotional truths and human lives that exist in the gaps between court rulings.

As an English major at Kalamazoo College, Miller’s Senior Integrated Project (SIP) began as an ambitious challenge to bridge the plain reasoning of the U.S. Supreme Court with the realities of immigrant experiences. Her Race, Law and Politics class, along with her Advanced Nonfiction course, inspired her to pair four major Supreme Court cases on immigration with four books written by authors deeply connected to the decisions’ impacts. Through the combination of case briefs and literary analysis, Miller examined how legal reasoning resonates beyond the courtroom.

“It was stylistically interesting to insert a Supreme Court opinion while also providing facts, and the organization intrigued me,” she said. “I thought it would be interesting to write reviews about books that were influenced by these major Supreme Court decisions, some of which I was learning about in class.”

Connecting Law and Literature

Miller organized her SIP around four immigration-related groups and eras: Chinese immigrants during the Chinese Exclusion Era, Japanese Americans during World War II, Latin American immigrants affected by contemporary policies, and refugees impacted by the 2018 Trump v. Hawaii ruling.

She selected landmark cases associated with each topic, then sought books across genres that offered lived perspectives on the decisions’ consequences. Her final author list included:

  • John Okada, No-No Boy, paired with Korematsu v. United States.
  • Erika Lee and Judy Yung, Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America, tied to the era of Chinese exclusion.
  • Sandra Uwiringiyimana and Abigail Pesta, How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child, connected to modern refugee issues.
  • Areli Morales, Areli Is a Dreamer, linked to DHS v. Regents of the University of California, related to the recent Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) case.

By examining fiction, nonfiction, a memoir, and even a children’s book, Miller highlighted the diverse ways personal stories illuminate historical and legal realities.

“What makes them all special is the different ways a story can be told,” she said. “A historical nonfiction book offers documented evidence, while a novel can convey emotional truths through fictional characters. And the children’s book, which was my favorite, brings hope and understanding.”

Bringing Clarity to Complex Cases

Drawing on skills from her constitutional law coursework, Miller began each book review with a one-page case brief, which is a concise summary designed to make a legal case accessible to any reader.

“Case briefs can be eight pages long, so I wanted to take the most prominent parts and briefly summarize them with background, the main issue, and the court’s ultimate decision,” she said. “I talk about the author, how we can see some of the big issues in society reflected in how the decision was reached, and how that decision was then felt by the people impacted by the decision.”

Ella MIller in Salamanca, Spain, before studying court rulings
Ella MIller ’26 stands in the historic inner courtyard of the Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca in Salamanca, Spain, during her study abroad experience.
Miller with a group in León, Spain, before studying court rulings
Miller with a group at the joined cathedrals of Salamanca in Castile and León, Spain.

With that foundation in place, she used each book to explore how the court’s rulings were experienced by real people. For Miller, the contrasts revealed what legal texts alone seldom show.

“I think each of these books is valuable, and you can take away a lot on your own,” she said. “But having a real understanding of how the court was reasoning through these decisions adds another layer to how people are affected. In Korematsu v. the United States, for example, the decision allowed for Japanese internment to be held constitutional for domestic safety. But when you read No-No Boy, you can see that Japanese Americans on the West Coast were not a threat in any way.”

Ichiro, the protagonist of No-No Boy, returns home from years in an internment camp and has to come to terms with his dual heritage and how to build a future in the country that imprisoned him.

A Project That Shaped a Future Career

Although the SIP more than satisfied academic requirements, it also reshaped Miller’s confidence and confirmed her path toward law school.

“K is great with giving you lots of creative control in your work, and I’ve never felt stifled,” she said. “But to be given a blank slate where I could choose the topic and my sources while exploring what’s interesting to me gave me a lot of confidence as a writer. It made me feel more prepared for the next steps in my life because I plan to go to law school, and writing is super important. I need to think argumentatively and critically, so I feel my SIP was valuable in giving me the confidence to know that I can produce something like this.”

Faculty mentors played a key role. Miller credits Associate Professor of English Shanna Salinas for ongoing guidance, Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry for deepening her interest in law, and Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92, her advisor, for helping her explore connections between law and literature.

Outside the classroom, Miller holds leadership roles in K’s student organizations related to law. She’s the president of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity chapter and the secretary for the Aspiring Law Students Organization. She said the experiences strengthened her sense of purpose.

Next Steps: Spain, Service and Law School

After graduating this spring, Miller hopes to spend a year teaching English in Spain through a Fulbright grant. If she’s not selected, she will teach through the North American Language and Culture Assistants Program (NALCAP), which is also based in Spain. She studied abroad in Madrid and hopes to return to deepen her language skills and global perspective.

“International relationships are really relevant to law,” she said. “The experience would help shape the kind of legal career I want.”

Law school applications will follow next year. But if there’s one lesson Miller hopes readers take from her SIP, it’s that Supreme Court decisions are not abstract.

“The law impacts people in enormous ways,” she said. “If you’re not directly affected, it can be hard to understand that. Literature gives us a way to see what those impacts look like in real life.”

36 Jars, 45 Poems and 4,800 Miles for Mom

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Monica Berlin holds baby Eliza Karlin - 45 poems
Eliza Karlin ’26 and her mother, the poet Monica Berlin. Berlin was the Richard P. and Sophia D. Henke Distinguished Professor of English at Knox College. Her poems and essays were published in several journals over the years including Bennington Review, The Cincinnati Review, Colorado Review and Midwestern Gothic.
Monica Berlin and Eliza Karlin - 45 poems
Berlin authored two chapbooks—“Your Small Towns of Adult Sorrow and Melancholy” and “Maybe to Region”—along with two volumes of poetry in addition to “No Shape Bends the River So Long”: “Elsewhere, That Small” (2020) and “Nostalgia for a World Where We Can Live” (2018), which won the Crab Orchard Open Poetry Prize. 

On an August morning last year, Kalamazoo College student Eliza Karlin ’26 pulled onto the highway outside Galesburg, Illinois, driving a silver Mini Cooper—just like the one her mom once had—and began a 4,800-mile journey along the Mississippi River. 

For her mom, poet Monica Berlin, the same trip over a decade earlier—routed spontaneously with paper maps—provided inspiration and collaboration with her longtime colleague Beth Marzoni. Together, they coauthored Berlin’s first book, a volume of poetry titled No Shape Bends the River So Long, which won the 2013 New Measure Poetry Prize. 

No Shape followed Berlin’s 2013 journey in a collaborative “we,” a voice that felt expansive and fluid, Karlin said. She would travel the same route carrying something heavier: Berlin died unexpectedly in November 2022, during Karlin’s first term at K—making hers a journey of grief, memory, self-discovery and enduring connection. 

“I obviously didn’t know what to do when she died,” she said. “I took a leave of absence shortly thereafter. I remember thinking, ‘How would I ever be able to manage my grief?’ I thought that following in her footsteps would be one of the best ways to do that.” 

Karlin’s trip became the foundation of her Senior Integrated Project (SIP), a poetry collection titled Bend the River Out of Shape No More, molded by travel, memory and a search for healing. 

Mapping What Came Next 

Karlin began planning the trip as a junior. Logistics required careful mapping, estimating mileage and costs, choosing stops and deciding whether to travel alone. Ultimately, she realized solitude mattered. 

“While it may have been safer to do it with someone else, it was more impactful to do it by myself,” she said. 

She woke up early, sought out unfamiliar food, and wandered through large cities such as Memphis, St. Louis, New Orleans and Minneapolis, and smaller towns including Cairo, Illinois; Natchez, Mississippi; and La Crosse, Wisconsin. The rhythm became steady: drive, listen, observe, write. She also created a soundtrack of albums she had never heard before. 

“Memphis was Daft Punk,” she said. “The bottom of the river was Cat Stevens. The headwaters were Big Thief.” 

Those sounds fused with place. Now, she said, the emotional contours of each region are linked to distinct sonic landscapes in her mom’s memory. 

Her Mom as a Passenger 

In a way, Karlin’s mom was by her side the whole time. The Mini Cooper’s passenger seat held 36 small jars, each containing some of Berlin’s ashes. During the 25-day trip, Karlin scattered them at different points along the river and wrote a poem after each stop. 

“It wasn’t perfect, but it was really something to follow in her footsteps—to travel that distance by myself with her in my passenger seat, with her ashes,” Karlin said. “The whole experience helped so much. I feel like a completely different person after the trip. I feel stronger, braver, more … cool.” 

Berlin had drafted much of No Shape while riding in a passenger seat. Karlin cherished the parallel. 

“It was a two-person adventure for them,” she said. “The dominant pronoun became ‘we’ or ‘us’ during their trip. Mine was just ‘me’ or ‘I,’ but I was writing all the poems on the road. It felt like I was writing with her.” 

Karlin wrote 42 of the 45 poems included in her SIP during the trip itself, often pulling over to walk, reflect and write. Her SIP opens with three deeply personal poems she wrote beforehand. These earlier poems, she said, served as grounding context for the ones that followed. 

The rest unfolds as reflections on space, meditations on grief, portraits, odes and moments of clarity. Half share the title Ashen—a sequence of sonnets written after each ash-scattering ritual and modeled after Berlin’s final book, also a sonnet collection. 

Across states and landscapes, Karlin found her internal landscape shifting, too. Some days she wrote five poems; other days, she wrote none. At one point early on, she noticed her tone becoming cynical. 

“I realized I didn’t want to be cynical on this trip,” she said. “This was a beautiful opportunity to grieve my mother, find joy in the world, and move on.” 

‘There Was So Much Love’ 

The trip held joy, sadness, anger, confusion and love. But as the miles passed, something in her softened. There were practical challenges as well. As a trans woman driving alone through parts of the American South, she expected to feel afraid. Instead, she found compassion. 

“Even strangers had so much care,” she said. “There was so much love in the people I interacted with day to day. I thought that was beautiful.” 

Together, the poems trace a young writer’s emotional landscape as she moves toward acceptance—not by leaving grief behind but by carrying it differently. 

For Karlin, the project’s success is measured in feelings first: relief, transformation and gratitude. She also points to the stories she carries now and the ones she is still learning to tell. 

“Storytelling is huge for me,” she said. “It can be anything. It can be poetry, improv theatre, even Dungeons and Dragons. And this trip helped further my storytelling ability.” 

The ambitious trek was supported by a Hearst Foundation Undergraduate Research Fellowship, a grant administered through the Provost’s Office. Over the past three years, these fellowships have provided a total of $125,000 to assist 10 students annually in support of their research. 

“I would like to say I’m grateful to all the people who supported me as a student, at K and elsewhere,” Karlin said. “It would have been impossible without them.” 

Her SIP, she said, was fun, but also sacred, transformative, life-altering, irreplaceable and unattainable through anything but her educational journey at K. 

“I have a more profound outlook on life because of it,” she said. “Going forward, I think it will guide me emotionally and personally. I grew up around a lot of poets, but I’ve liked interacting with the poets here even better. I saw a lot of pretentiousness when I was younger. Here, the experience has only felt real. I think that authenticity is a lot more about what poetry means and I love that.” 

Lake Itasca, Minnesota, features the headwaters of the Mississippi River
Lake Itasca, Minnesota, features the headwaters of the Mississippi River.
Chickasaw Heritage Park in Memphis, Tennessee. - 45 poems
Chickasaw Heritage Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
Abraham's Oak at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.
Abraham’s Oak is a concrete sculpture at Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee.
45 poems
A sunset in Natchez, Mississippi.
Scenic overlook of the Mississippi River valley - 45 poems
An overlook of the Mississippi River valley in Iowa.

An Excerpt From Eliza’s SIP: Ashen (Final)

Friends of yours tell me stories of how you came to
the Headwaters of the Old Man. You drove, solo, like me,
through the night only to see the state government shut
down & with it, the state park. Barricades couldn’t stop you. Your small self
pushed them away, & drove through to the welcome center. A year later, you would go
again with a friend & ask her, “Why are there so many people here?”
I follow you, as I always will, & walk the same
path & I have the same thought &, in addition “Why are there so many
naked babies?” A man asks me to take his picture & I watch the others,
working up courage to drop you off. & I realize, this place, this River
is not my own. It belongs to the millions who have followed it,
up & down, up & down, up & down. I release
you one last time & I think “she’s gone” but know
you never are.

Class: Is Civil Discourse Still Possible in Politics?

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Americans are struggling to talk across political divides, but a classroom at Kalamazoo College recently became a laboratory for civil discourse. Political Science Associate Professor Justin Berry led what he describes as the best class he’s had the privilege of teaching: a senior seminar on political polarization that challenged students not just to study the problem but to actively engage with it.

“I teach a lot of the bigger kinds of classes—intro classes—on Congress and the presidency,” Berry said. “This was my first opportunity to teach a seminar-oriented class, and I was excited about the chance to design something new. I picked a topic that I thought was pertinent to what they’ve learned over their time in political science. It’s a topic that’s particularly relevant to the democracy they’re participating in today.”

Berry designed the course to give students the tools and experiences they need to model what he calls civil disagreement. Over the term, students examined the forces driving political polarization in the United States, from widening divides among elected officials and the public to the ways media and social media reinforce differences. They analyzed the most recent election cycle using various sources, and through dialogue and interviews, they practiced ways to communicate across these differences.

“I wanted to give them the space and the tools to engage in difficult conversations,” he said. “I wanted them to fundamentally disagree on ideas, concepts and values, and yet do so in a constructive, civil way, which I think is absent from our politics today.”

Berry also noted the delicate balance between creating a sense of safety while fostering genuine disagreement in a course of this nature.

“I want to engender an environment that’s intellectually, politically and socially safe, but at the same time, I don’t want it to be so safe that people aren’t actually sharing their true beliefs,” he said. “If everybody’s feeling happy and comfortable, we’re probably not engaging in a real political discussion because politics is conflictual.”

The class was able to achieve that balance, Berry said.

“There was enough overlap, commonality and trust in one another for us to engage in a meaningful conversation on a weekly basis,” Berry said. “Yet there was also enough disagreement to lead to a meaningful exchange. A student would have a strong opinion, attitude or concept, and people would push back and give different perspectives. I heard students say time and again that in their discussions, they changed an attitude or an opinion toward something and I thought that was great. That’s real conversation.”

Student observing a cell phone
Justin Berry teaches his polarization and civil discourse students
Political Science Associate Professor Justin Berry teaches his polarization and civil discourse students.

The Assignment That Changed Perspectives

The centerpiece of the course was an intentional challenge: students had to interview someone with drastically different political views and write about their conversation. For many students, this meant stepping far outside their comfort zones. What they discovered often surprised them.

Lyrica Gee ’26 spoke with her uncle in Florida, whose politics differed sharply from her father’s despite their similar upbringings.

“I had gone home with some of the questions that we’ve been asking in class,” she said. “I talked to my dad about it and heard some of his answers about the way he was raised by his parents and their ideological lenses. Then, going into that interview with his brother, who ended up with a totally different political perspective, it was interesting to see how such a similar background landed them in these different situations.”

Libby McFarlen ’26 emphasized the humanizing effect of the face-to-face conversation she had.

“It’s so much easier to see what people think and dismiss it when it’s online,” she said. “But when you’re actually speaking to someone face-to-face, it personalizes those opinions. You realize that your opinions about people who disagree with you are attached to a real person, not to a statistic or someone on the other side of a phone screen.”

Berry mentioned two outcomes from the project that were especially noteworthy to him.

“I had one student who interviewed her dad, and she valued the experience so much that she wants to do it with all of her family members and record the conversations to trace her family’s political story,” he said. “I also had some students who assumed those they interviewed had very different beliefs, only to find false polarization once they had the conversation. Sometimes our assumptions are just false, and these things that we think divide us are our own misperceptions.”

Two students talking in a polarization and civil discourse class
Reagan Woods ’26 (left) talks with Lyrica Gee ’26.
Student leads the class on polarization and civil discourse from a blackboard
Libby McFarlen ’26 leads a discussion.

Student-Led Learning Creates Community

For Reagan Woods ’26, the seminar did more than explore polarization; it gave students practical ways to understand and challenge it.

“Polarization in past political science courses has been an undergirding theme that doesn’t get talked about,” she said. “It’s almost like the boogeyman—this unnamed force that drives our political differences and our current political economy. I like that we have a course where we can address it head-on and say, ‘This is what this is. Let’s name it. Let’s talk about it. Let’s dissect it.’”

The seminar’s structure was deliberately collaborative. Rather than traditional lectures, students led discussions, preparing activities and questions to engage their peers with weekly readings on topics such as media, geographic, and identity-based polarization. Woods described these readings as tools that could be kept in a tool belt, ready to use for class discussions, as well as outside the classroom.

“We have this tool belt full of theories, so what do we do with it now,” she asked. “Do we tackle polarization? Is this a problem we can fix? And while there is no one answer to that, I think it still got the gears turning. We can ask, ‘Is polarization an inevitable problem?’ Dr. Berry also mentioned that we’ve been more polarized before when we fought the Civil War and during the revolution, but we survived as a nation. This is not a hopeless cause, which I think was a hopeful message.”

Hollis Masterson ’26, who is pursuing majors in political science and history, appreciated how the seminar synthesized his undergraduate work.

“The interview assignment and leading class discussions were probably the most important to the classroom experience,” he said. “They offered a great sense of community and understanding among us about where our politics lie, our backgrounds, and that variability of where we all come from.”

Berry said the students embraced the student-led process.

“One thing I found really special about the class was how kind and gracious they were with one another,” he said. “In today’s world of social media and our phones, more often I’ll walk into a classroom, and students won’t be engaging with each other. But because they were developing the lesson plan, I would walk into class, and no one was on their phones—they’d be chatting about the reading they’d done. They posted questions on social media to poll other K students about their attitudes toward topics like political violence, and then they brought up the results in class. We would talk about the different responses in the community, so the conversations didn’t just end in the class; they kept flowing. That, for me, is a rare occurrence.”

The student-led approach created unexpected benefits. Masterson noted that the class brought together political science majors who had rarely shared a classroom before their senior year.

“It became this slow development of a community,” he said. “I wish we could have started this cohort sooner, but having the opportunity to tie everything together as a group made this one of the most valuable experiences of my education.”

Two students talk about their civil discourse and polarization class
Hollis Masterson ’26 (left) talks with Dymytri Hayda ’26.
Reagan Woods talks with Libby McFarlen.

From Skeptic to Scholar

Maddie Hanulcik ’26 had an experience with the course that reflects the transformative power it had.

“I was excited to take the senior seminar with my cohort, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t excited about the topic,” she said. “We know that polarization exists, so I wondered whether we needed to make a whole class about it.”

Hanulcik’s perspective shifted drastically as the course progressed. What she initially dismissed as obvious became fascinating as she discovered the depth and breadth of polarization’s impact. The transformation was so complete that Hanulcik chose polarization as the focus of her Senior Integrated Project (SIP). Her project examines why Generation Z has significantly lower faith in democracy than Generation X and how the media influences this decline.

“If people don’t believe in democracy, that’s really scary,” Hanulcik said. “Even if a democracy is not functioning the way you want it to, it’s important to change it for the better instead of just abandoning it. We need to have things like civil discourse and a civil society to keep democracy alive.”

Two students listen in civil discourse and polarization course
Lilly Cleland ’26 (left) and Maddie Hanulcik ’26
Students in a classroom sit in a semicircle around their professor
Senior Libby McFarlen (from left), Estrella Arana, Lilly Cleland, Maddie Hanulcik, Reagan Woods and Lyrica Gee talk with Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry.

Challenging Assumptions

Perhaps the course’s most powerful lesson was how small the actual policy differences could be between opposing sides.

“Despite the fact that ideologically and verbally we have all of these differences, when it comes down to policy, the difference between a moderate Republican and a moderate Democrat is maybe an inch wide,” Gee said. “The difference between voting for one person and voting for the other is sometimes just about how much you dislike the other team.”

Hanulcik, a self-described libertarian, was one of only two non-left-leaning individuals in a class of 20. Initially, that made her feel uneasy, but as class conversations progressed, she found common ground she hadn’t expected.

“People started asking me why I felt the way I did, and after explaining, they said, ‘Oh, I share almost every belief that you have. I just came to it in a different way in my head.’”

The experience helped Hanulcik recognize her own polarization.

“At the beginning of the class, I was polarized against people who were polarized,” she said. “But then I realized I have to have conversations and help them understand the dangers of polarization and what it can lead to.”

She came to see polarization not as a simple left-right divide but as a problem created by extremes on both sides.

“Most individuals here in the U.S. have a similar concept of good or bad,” she said. “Discourse is driven by the extreme ends of both parties, and folks are slowly pulled from the middle. At what point do we lose that extreme dialogue and start communicating with folks in the middle?”

McFarlen captured a common takeaway from the course: people on both sides of the aisle really aren’t as different as they think; they are just shaped by different environments and experiences.

“It doesn’t mean they are your enemies,” she said. “It just means that they think differently, and it’s important to try to understand why people think the way they do.”

Gee reflected on how social media algorithms and sensational journalism exacerbate division for entertainment and profit.

“We’re stoking this fire between the two sides to make it more entertaining,” Gee said. “The entertainment aspect is making us grow further apart because we are sitting in our anger rather than in any critical thinking.”

Associate Professor Justin Berry
Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry
Civil Discourse and Polarization Class
Seniors Maddie Hanulcik, Reagan Woods, Lyrica Gee, Lilly Cleland, Estrella Arana and Libby McFarlen listen to Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry.

Beyond the Classroom

The lessons students learned have already begun influencing how they engage with politics beyond the classroom. McFarlen said the course changed how she views political campaigns, making her more attentive to how candidates target different audiences and frame their messages.

For Masterson, the course sparked greater interest in state and local politics, where he said bipartisanship still occasionally exists. He’s applying to master’s programs at Tufts University, George Washington University, and three Australian universities, having fallen in love with Australian politics during study abroad.

Gee, who plans to pursue political journalism in Washington, D.C., sees the course as foundational to her future work.

“I always want to look toward educating others and helping them get through really complex bureaucratic systems,” she said. “Having some of these ideas in my head is going to be very helpful in understanding the complexities within people.”

Hanulcik plans to join the Peace Corps after graduation.

“I love being abroad,” she said. “I like moving all the time, and I like helping people in some way, shape or form. I want to live my life as a life of service.”

Libby McFarlen listens in the civil discourse an polarization class
Libby McFarlen ’26

A Model for Democratic Citizenship

For Professor Berry, the course represents more than an academic exercise. It’s about preparing students for democratic citizenship in a fractured era.

“We have reached the point where we can no longer discuss politics with those with whom we disagree,” he said. “I wanted to provide students with a venue to grapple with difficult political questions and model how to engage in civil disagreement. It is a vital component of democratic citizenship, and it is not a skill we have effectively modeled for them.”

The results speak for themselves. What began as a required senior seminar became what multiple students described as their favorite class at K. In a moment defined by division, the course offered a glimmer of hope, proof that with curiosity, respect, and honesty, real conversation is not only possible; it’s transformative.

Estrella Arana ’26