Kalamazoo College will sound as vibrant as it feels this month, with two campus music ensembles inviting audiences to shake off the winter chill through music inspired by movement, mood and color.
Academy Street Winds
The Academy Street Winds will present a dance-themed concert featuring waltzes, a tango, a malambo, and more at 4 p.m. on Sunday, February 15, at Dalton Theatre. Winter Dances will feature a title piece by Brian Balmages, the celebrated work Satiric Dances by Norman Dello Joio, and other selections that capture the emotions and motions of movement. Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
The ensemble is a beloved creative outlet for woodwind, brass and percussion musicians, bringing together both students and community members to expand the group’s sound and capabilities.Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Greg Bassett serves as the group’s director.
Kalamazoo College Jazz Band
The Kalamazoo College Jazz Band, directed by Visiting Instructor of Music Sandra Shaw, will present Colour My World at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 20, at Dalton Theatre. Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
The concert will begin with Chicago’s Colour My World. It will continue with tunes that describe different colors to add visual stimulation and evoke specific emotions and feelings while reflecting shared experiences. Listeners are encouraged to dance if the music inspires them during the show.
For more information about both performances, contact the Department of Music at 269.337.7070 or Susan.Lawrence@kzoo.edu.
The Kalamazoo College Jazz Band will be one of the ensembles performing this month.
Zara Strauss ’29 became the first Hornet to be named MIAA Field Athlete of the Week since Kalamazoo College relaunched track and field. All photos by Kimberly Moss.
Strauss competes in shot put and weight throw and plans to expand into additional outdoor events this spring.
Strauss’ first collegiate track meet was January 17 at Trine University’s Sean Brady Invitational, where she beat her personal record in the shot put with a throw of 9.84 meters.
When Zara Strauss ’29 stepped into the throwing circle for her first collegiate track meet at Trine University’s Sean Brady Invitational on January 17, she was focused on one thing: beating her own mark. A personal record in the shot put—9.84 meters, nearly a third of a meter beyond her high school best—felt like a solid start, especially with a sixth-place finish in the competition.
What she didn’t expect was the flood of Instagram tags that followed on January 20, alerting her that she had just made Kalamazoo College history. Strauss became the first Hornet to be named Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Field Athlete of the Week since K relaunched the sport, marking an early milestone in the program’s new era. The conference honor is given to a female student-athlete who demonstrates a standout individual performance in competition. Recipients are selected from nominations submitted by head coaches at each MIAA member school.
For the first-year international student from Tokyo, Japan, the honor was both surprising and affirming.
“I was really shocked,” she said. “I didn’t even know the award was a possibility, to be honest. People started tagging me on Instagram when it was announced, and I wondered what was going on. I wasn’t disappointed in my performance that day, even though I wanted to do better. Getting the award boosted my confidence. I felt a lot better about how I had done.”
When Strauss first pursued track and field as a sophomore in high school, she discovered her strength in throwing events after a coach nudged her away from sprinting. Since then, she has embraced the technical challenges of shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw, constantly refining her form and experimenting with new techniques such as rotational throwing.
At K, Strauss competes in shot put and weight throw during the indoor season and looks forward to expanding into additional events outdoors. She trains closely with head coach Kyle Morrison and throws coach Luke Decker, both of whom she credits with helping her see measurable improvements in technique and distance.
But choosing K was about more than athletics. Strauss has deep family ties to the College as her grandparents, Professor Emeritus of History David Strauss and retired instructor Dhera Strauss, both taught at K.
Her family’s connection to Japan traces back to her grandfather taking students there years ago. Her father, Benjamin Strauss, then studied abroad in Japan during college, where he later moved with her mother, Monique. An unexpected job transfer for her dad turned what was supposed to be a couple of years into 19 years in Tokyo, where Strauss was born and raised.
With her brother and cousin also enrolled—and her cousin living immediately across the hall at Hoben Hall—campus quickly felt like home, even as she navigated life far from Japan. She visits her grandparents weekly, a routine that helped ease the homesickness she felt early on.
That sense of connection extends to her teammates. As one of six throwers and the only woman in the group, Strauss describes the squad as tight-knit and supportive. Teammates offer feedback on technique, share late-night meals after practice and travel together to meets. A friendship formed during LandSea with sprinter Gwyneth Dunaway ’29 has also carried onto the track, reinforcing the community she hoped to find at a small college.
Strauss admits that earning conference recognition so early in the program’s return brings a mix of pride and perspective. She feels some responsibility to continue that excellence as one of the first standouts of the relaunch, but she’s determined to keep the experience grounded in enjoyment and growth.
Her achievement also arrives at a meaningful moment on the calendar. February 4 marks the National Day of Women and Girls in Sports, a global celebration of participation, visibility and equity. Strauss, who attended an all-girls school and helped pioneer a new wrestling team for girls in her high school league, sees the day as a reminder of why representation matters.
“I think it’s important to create that space for women to be able to have their own league and to see themselves in their sports,” she said. “I feel like I’ve always grown up around women in sports, and it’s important to give women the attention they deserve.”
Choosing K was about more than athletics for Strauss, who has deep family ties to the College.
Strauss formed a friendship with sprinter Gwyneth Dunaway ’29 while the two participated in LandSea orientation. Their friendship has carried over onto the track.
Make Your Mark with the Hornets
You can support Kalamazoo College student-athletes like Zara Strauss ’29 by participating in Hornet Athletics Giving Day on February 18. Visit our website to make a mark with a gift that will help fund the highest priorities of our teams and provide resources such as equipment, travel and coaching excellence.
As K’s track and field program builds momentum in its return season, Strauss hopes to keep building, too, while refining her form, chasing new personal records and contributing to a team goal of making an immediate mark on the MIAA standings. If her debut is any indication, both she and the Hornets are off to a record-setting start.
“I’ve made some good friends, and K is a fun place to be,” Strauss said. “I’m really enjoying my first couple of months here, and I can’t wait for the next four years.”
The Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference is returning to Kalamazoo College February 6–8, offering a weekend of student-led workshops, networking and hands-on learning focused on outdoor leadership and sustainability education.
The annual event will connect more than 50 students from small, medium and large institutions across the region. K students will be able to participate at no cost and without the need to travel.
“It really doesn’t matter what students’ majors are. It’s just all about outdoor leadership and sustainability education,” said Josie Belsky ’28, one of the five conference organizers including Madeline Moss ‘26, Zoe Allen ’28, Chloe Brown ’28 and Ava King ’28.
Belsky’s journey to organizing the conference began when she attended last year’s event at Earlham College. Moss had heard about the conference through her first-year seminar, Wheels of Change. After missing last year’s conference while studying abroad, Moss jumped at the opportunity to help organize when Sofia Fleming ’25, a previous conference attendee, reached out.
For Moss, an English major, the conference represents an opportunity to bridge academic interests with outdoor pursuits—a combination not always obvious to those outside the field.
Kalamazoo College last hosted the Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference in 2020 with gatherings like this one at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership. The conference is returning to K Feb. 6–8.
“At K, we don’t have a lot of leadership-specific courses or an outdoor education major, so this is an opportunity for us to be able to touch base with students from other schools who might be interested in that and who have a lot of background in it, while also learning from them,” Moss said. “Being able to intersect my interest of the outdoors and sustainability with English is a nice thing about the conference.”
This interdisciplinary approach defines the conference’s appeal. Workshops range from technical skills such as scuba diving and rock climbing to more philosophical discussions about what wilderness means and how to decolonize one’s understanding of the outdoors.
Planning the conference has been a crash course in event management for the organizing students, who have met weekly since the start of the academic year with support from Outdoor Programs staff. The planners have coordinated with campus organizations like the Office of Student Activities. They’ve also reached out to local organizations such as the Kalamazoo Nature Center and engaged with students about their Senior Integrated Projects (SIPs) and other campus initiatives.
The organizers emphasize that the conference welcomes everyone, regardless of outdoor experience.
“One of the bigger barriers is that it can be a little intimidating to go to a conference—you feel like you have to come in with something, but in reality, it’s for everyone,” Belsky said. “There’s no experience necessary. You don’t even have to be an outdoorsy person. It’s just meant to be fun.”
Hosting the conference offers an opportunity to showcase how K’s sustainability infrastructure has evolved, particularly through the Environmental Stewardship Center.
“K has gone through a lot of changes, and I think this feels somewhat grounding back to our history of sustainability in leadership and student-led learning,” Moss said. “The fact that we hosted this conference back in 2020, before the pandemic, and a lot of things have shifted since then, and the fact we’re adapting it to the way that the school is now, says a lot about our dedication to creating a space of outdoor stewardship.”
Attending this conference at other schools has been eye-opening for K students. Last year at Earlham, for example, Belsky and others learned about Earlham’s Quaker heritage and toured facilities including horse stables, composting operations and a community building where people sell handmade art and pottery.
But beyond workshops and campus tours, the conference creates lasting connections.
“I’m still in contact with the people I met at last year’s conference,” Belsky said. “One of them came to visit me and my roommate last year, too, which was fun.”
She also emphasizes the conference’s professional value.
“It’s a good way to network with people and make connections that will help you so much in your future career,” Belsky said.
The organizers express deep appreciation for Outdoor Programs Director Jory Horner, Outdoor and Environmental Coordinator Greta Farley ’22 and Outdoor Leadership Training Center Coordinator Hannah Wolfe ’21, who provided crucial guidance. Farley’s perspective as a former student organizer has been particularly valuable.
“Sometimes we get fogged up with the student mindset and think we’re so busy that we couldn’t possibly do this,” Moss said. “But it felt grounding to have them tell us that we’re capable of it, and we could do so much more than we expected.”
With the conference happening on campus, the organizers have a simple message for the K community: Join us.
“The fact that it’s here is huge for us because we know, especially for student-athletes and people involved in student organizations, it’s hard to get away on the weekends,” Belsky said. “Your lives get busy, especially at K, because we’re always so involved. But it’s here. It’s so close, so come join us.”
For some Kalamazoo College students, study abroad can feel out of reach—too long, too expensive or too intimidating to fit into already full academic and personal schedules. But for 23 students who spent 10 days in the Dominican Republic during winter break, a short-term, faculty-led program offered something transformative: a first step into global learning that reshaped how they see the world and themselves.
Led by Associate Professor of Spanish Ivett López Malagamba, the immersive experience brought students to Santiago de los Caballeros, a mid-sized city in the Dominican Republic, where they lived with host families, conducted daily academic work and navigated life almost entirely in Spanish.
Kalamazoo College students who participated in short-term study abroad over winter break were welcomed to the Dominican Republic with a special dinner.
Students participated in an orientation when they arrived in the Dominican Republic.
An Accessible Path to Global Learning
The short-term program targets students who may face barriers to longer study abroad opportunities, including first-generation college students, students of color, student-athletes and those balancing multiple commitments on campus. It was first launched as a pilot program in 2019, funded through a grant from the Mellon Foundation, which supported faculty planning, along with Center for International Programs funds. Additionally this year, the Ambassador Martha L. Campbell and Consul General Arnold H. Campbell Foreign Study Endowment and the Robert J. Kopecky ’72 Endowed Study Abroad Fund helped high-need students afford the experience. The Campbell Endowment was established in 2009 to support and enhance the foreign study experience for K students. The Kopecky fund was established in 2022 to help maximize the number of students who participate in study abroad while encouraging students to explore the culture around them during their international experience.
For some participants, the Dominican Republic trip marked their first time traveling internationally or even boarding an airplane.
“For them, this was not just an academic experience; it was a personal milestone,” López Malagamba said.
Academically, the program is tied to the Spanish curriculum. Students must have completed Spanish 201, the final course in K’s language requirement sequence for Spanish. In the fall, participants enroll in a preparatory course and attend predeparture sessions focused on Dominican history, race relations, politics and the country’s deep connections to the United States and the Caribbean. And once they are in the Dominican Republic, the learning is nonstop.
“Every day is academic,” López Malagamba said. “Even when students are on a beach or in a community celebration, they are learning—about economics, migration, tourism, race, history and the environment.”
In the coastal region of Samaná, students encountered a lesser-known chapter of shared history: communities founded by formerly enslaved people from the U.S. who settled there in the 19th century.
Students had a chance to make chocolate while learning about the country’s export economy through cocoa farming, studying the role of tourism in shaping cities, and examining the deep ties between the Dominican Republic and the United States.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Students explored the Dominican Republic through lectures, guided visits and hands-on experiences that reinforced themes from their language coursework, including urban life, nature, the arts and professions. They learned about the country’s export economy through cocoa farming, studied the role of tourism in shaping cities, and examined the deep ties between the Dominican Republic and the United States.
In the coastal region of Samaná, students encountered a lesser-known chapter of shared history: communities founded by formerly enslaved people from the U.S. who settled there in the 19th century. A guide, himself a descendant of those settlers, shared how English once flourished in the region before being suppressed and how that legacy still shapes Dominican identity.
“These are moments where students realize that U.S. history doesn’t stop at our borders,” López Malagamba said. “It lives in other places, in other people’s stories.”
Environmental justice was another key focus. Students learned how coastal communities balance the economic need for tourism with the protection of ecosystems, national parks and marine environments that sustain local livelihoods.
Living with host families added another layer of immersion and challenge. Students had to adapt to new routines, unfamiliar foods and different cultural expectations, all while communicating in a second language.
“There’s always a moment where students feel overwhelmed,” López Malagamba said. “They miss their familiarity. They realize how hard it is to express themselves fully. But then something shifts.”
That shift often comes in small victories: asking for directions, explaining a preference at the dinner table or successfully navigating a conversation they once would have avoided.
“By the end, students realize, ‘I can do this,’” she said. “That confidence is powerful.”
K students participated in a Spanish class while visiting the Dominican Republic.
Students visited the Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración, which was built for the 100th anniversary of the Dominican War of Independence, which was fought in 1844 to gain sovereignty from Haiti.
‘I’m Hooked’
For Tom Clark ’27, the Dominican Republic trip became a lifeline to study abroad after he had to cancel plans for a longer program in Greece. The business major, who is dual-enrolling at Western Michigan University to pursue exercise science, realized too late that he couldn’t balance a two-term study abroad with his academic timeline.
“I went through all the predeparture stuff, was all ready to go, and then I realized I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Clark said. “But right as I dropped it, I got an email about this trip to the Dominican Republic. I saw it was over winter break, so it wouldn’t take away from credits that I would need. It was perfect.”
The trip marked Clark’s first time leaving the country, and the experience immediately challenged his assumptions about privilege and perspective.
“I thought I was familiar with other cultures,” he said. “I thought of myself as an empathetic person who could put himself in the shoes of others. And then I actually took the trip, and my understanding was much different.”
Simple differences struck him immediately. Getting off the airplane, he looked for a water fountain to fill his bottle only to realize public drinking fountains don’t exist in places without widespread access to clean water. The language immersion then proved to be both challenging and rewarding. Clark hadn’t taken a Spanish class in nearly a year, and the first few days were rough. But surrounded by Spanish speakers constantly—including his host parents, who spoke no English—he found his skills returning and improving rapidly. Those challenges, in fact, became opportunities for connection.
Among Clark’s favorite moments was a joint class session with Dominican students learning English as a second language, meeting people his age from vastly different backgrounds, yet fundamentally similar. He made a friend named Casey who runs a fashion brand with 60,000 Instagram followers and is working toward getting a green card.
The experience reframed how Clark thinks about language learning. In a classroom, he explained, students have varying levels of investment. On the trip, everyone was committed, making the learning more dynamic and applicable.
“We were talking about how another language is like learning a superpower,” he said. “I learned I could travel to many countries and be perfectly fine. I could meet people and connect better. The Dominican is a tiny island, so I’m hooked on imagining what the rest of the world is like.”
Tres Ojos, or Three Eyes National Park, is a 50-yard, open-air limestone cave.
Students walk through Tres Ojos National Park.
Discovering New Perspectives
For Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta ’28, a first-generation college student, the Dominican Republic trip offered something unexpected: a chance to see her own culture through new eyes while discovering how much she still had to learn.
“I have never learned so much in such a short amount of time about myself, my peers and an entirely new country,” Guerrero said. “With my Mexican heritage, I assumed because I’m Hispanic and because they’re Hispanic, there would be some similarities between us. There definitely were, but there was also so much nuance.”
Although Mexico and the Dominican Republic were both colonized by Spain, Guerrero learned how French and African influences shaped Dominican culture differently. More importantly, she heard those histories directly from Dominicans themselves.
Guerrero’s experience was framed with many memorable moments. She recalls feeling grateful for trying plantains for the first time, exploring caves and seeing the ocean.
“I’d never felt so many emotions packed into one trip,” she said. “And I’m really excited to carry all of those lessons into study abroad.”
Guerrero is next hoping to study at Belfast University in Northern Ireland, where she wants to explore political tensions and the media’s role in conflict—themes she first encountered in the Dominican Republic through a guest lecture on how the media weaponizes political relationships during elections.
Students stopped at St. James the Apostle Cathedral during a tour of Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.
Associate Professor of Spanish Ivett López Malagamba (right) led the short-term study abroad experience through places such as downtown Santiago de los Caballeros.
Opening Doors for Student-Athletes
For Riley Shults ’28, a runner on K’s cross-country team, the 10-day format meant he didn’t have to choose between his sport and international experience.
The short-term trip to the Dominican Republic didn’t change Shults’ academic trajectory, he said, but it reinforced the direction he wanted to pursue. He is declaring an anthropology-sociology major in February and is now planning to study in Oaxaca, Mexico, during the winter of his junior year through a program focused on community engagement and Indigenous cultures.
“I knew that I wanted to care about people, and I knew that I wanted to travel the world,” he said. “This program was the first real experience that I got to have of that.”
One question lingered throughout the trip: Can such a short program truly transform students in the way longer study abroad experiences do? And for Shults, the answer is unequivocal.
“One hundred percent,” he said. “I barely talked to anyone on that trip before it, and now I see them every day. Every little aspect fundamentally changed who we are because we were forced to think about someone other than ourselves. It’s not just about me anymore. It’s about the whole world.”
The change came through small moments that accumulated into profound shifts. Shults discovered he loves beans and rice. He overcame his lack of confidence in his language skills and found himself thinking in Spanish. He engaged with complex political histories he’d only read about in textbooks as his host mother shared stories each morning about the country’s history under dictator Rafael Trujillo.
“I used to think one way, and now I think this other way,” he said. “Study abroad pulls people out of their comfort zones. Once you push past that boundary your learning is only limited to what you allow yourself to find.”
One particularly memorable moment came during a Sunday block party in a working-class neighborhood of Santiago. Community organizers welcomed the K group with music, announcements and open celebrations.
Students danced alongside children, parents and grandparents in the streets. Shults found himself at the center of that celebration, dancing with elderly women who grabbed his red hair for good luck. He moved freely without self-consciousness in a way he’d never experienced at home.
“Every single person is not caring about what other people say, they’re just moving,” he said. “It’s such a different culture than ours. Here, people don’t just dance. We’re always thinking about what other people are doing. But that’s not what they think. They’re just going to have fun.”
His experience now surfaces in unexpected moments back on campus. In a class about water systems, Shults reflected on the reality that Dominican tap water isn’t safe to drink.
“I’m sitting in class thinking, ‘I lived this,’” he said. “I lived this example where you don’t have water right on the tap.”
A resident of the Los Pepines neighborhood dances with Riley Shults ’28.
The Monumento a los Héroes de la Restauración is the tallest building in Santiago de los Caballeros in the Dominican Republic.
Distinct Opportunities Bring Transformations
Although the program lasts just 10 days, its impact extends far beyond winter break. López Malagamba noted that many students return with renewed interest in longer study abroad opportunities and greater confidence in navigating unfamiliar environments. For her, watching students undergo their transformations in just 10 days remains the most rewarding part of leading the program.
“These students come back with a different understanding of what it means to be a global citizen,” she said. “They’ve lived with families who welcomed them. They’ve navigated challenges in a second language. They’ve sat with discomfort and come out stronger.
“These programs remind students that the world is bigger than the U.S. and their immediate communities,” she said. “They learn that their actions matter, that their country has an impact elsewhere, and that shared humanity exists across borders. That’s the kind of learning that stays with you long after the trip ends.”
Hailey Yoder ’26 (right) teamed up with Cheryl Logan, a professor at Cal State Monterey Bay, on labeling tubes for data collection in the field.
Yoder’s favorite hike in the Galapagos Islands took her to a tide-pooling area where she saw starfish, small fish, crabs and small octopi.
When Hailey Yoder ’26 tells people she researches coral reefs, their response is often the same: “You live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. How do you do that?”
For Yoder, a Kalamazoo College double major in biology and Spanish, the answer is both simple and extraordinary: It started with sending an email.
That email, sent during her study abroad program in Ecuador, connected her with Margarita Brandt, a biology professor at the Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, who works with Galápagos Reef Revival. What began as a conversation about potential research ideas soon evolved into an opportunity to study coral reef restoration in the Galápagos Islands.
“We just clicked and worked really well together,” Yoder said. “She invited me onto a project, and I really was just hoping that it would work out.”
Bringing Coral Reefs Back to Life
Yoder’s research starts with how climate change and ocean acidification have affected coral reefs in the Galápagos. The islands once boasted several coral reefs, but many have been wiped out by bleaching, leaving remaining structures vulnerable to complete destruction.
The restoration process involves collecting coral fragments from around the islands and growing them in underwater gardens, where they’re suspended from ropes and nourished by ocean currents. Once mature, researchers implant them into the seafloor in organized patterns. To assess the impact, Yoder used GoPro cameras mounted in waterproof cases and weighted with zip ties—nothing fancy, she noted—placing them at consistent locations near restored coral sites. Through snorkeling expeditions, she positioned the cameras to capture the ecosystem unfolding around eight or nine individual corals. All the research was done under permits from Galápagos National Park and CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The results have been striking. At the first site Yoder analyzed, two new fish species appeared after restoration. Afterward, four or five additional species flourished.
Community at the Center
What distinguishes this research is its deep connection to local communities. The project employs Galápagos residents, including one community member who maintains and monitors the corals year-round. Researchers also lead programs bringing women and children—particularly those without previous opportunities to explore their island’s underwater world—on snorkeling expeditions to witness the restoration firsthand.
“There are intricacies to coming into someone else’s home to perform research,” Yoder said. “I tried to focus on community and the local knowledge that people have.”
This community-centered approach culminated in a symposium in the Galápagos, where Yoder presented her research entirely in Spanish. She created a Spanish-language research poster and discussed her findings with community members invested in their island’s ecological future.
“They were all super excited about it and thought it was really cool,” she said. “It was pretty fun to be able to have that connection, too.”
Taking Marine Research to the National Stage
Yoder’s work has gained recognition beyond the islands. This January, she traveled to Portland, Oregon, to present a poster at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) conference, arriving just before K’s winter term began and returning during the first week of classes.
The conference provided invaluable networking opportunities. A postdoctoral student from Boston’s National Institute of Health, who had previously worked with the same corals and researchers, offered career guidance and suggestions for future research directions. Yoder connected also with fellow undergraduates navigating similar paths.
“With these conversations, I recognized that there’s not necessarily a right or wrong path to going into some sort of research like this,” Yoder said. “That was reassuring.”
K’s Role in Marine Success
Yoder credits K’s biology and Spanish departments along with the Center for International Programs with making her research possible. In all, they provided funds through:
The Betty R. Gómez Lance Award in Latin American Studies, which was established by Lance after her retirement from K. It has been awarded posthumously until her passing in 2016;
Jim and Deanna Tiefenthal Endowed Foreign Study Fund: established by Jim and Deanna (members of the class of 1966) in 2016 to support student international learning opportunities through K’s study abroad program; and
Seminary Hill Sustainability Internship: established by Doug Doetsch ’79 and his wife, Susan Manning, to fund internships focused on sustainable agriculture or architecture.
Emma Saso (back row, from left), Daniel Velasco, José Barrios and Ava Besecker with Logan (front from left), Yoder and Catalina Ulloa after a full day of collecting data for marine projects.
Yoder waited on the rocks right off of the bay where the coral sites are located, just after placing video cameras. “We waited here for 15 minutes as to not disturb the fish community and be out of the way before recollecting the cameras,” she said.
Yoder prepares to place cameras before snorkeling around to get a feel for the location and different plots and determine the most efficient way to take quality videos.
Yoder had GoPro cameras mounted in waterproof cases and weighted with zip ties so they could be placed at consistent locations near restored coral sites.
Associate Professor of Biology Santiago Salinas has been particularly supportive, helping Yoder refine her research question while providing guidance as she writes her SIP. Professor of Biology Binney Girdler has assisted with data visualization and helped Yoder narrow her focus. The department also helped fund her Portland conference trip.
“They were supportive and beyond excited for me,” Yoder said. “To have a professor you look up to say that you’re doing something they’re proud of is so cool.”
An Unexpected Love for Corals
Yoder admits she initially gravitated toward sharks within the field of general biology, not coral reef or fish. However, the research transformed her perspective.
“I gained this strong love for corals, because the way they work is so interesting, and they provide so many amazing services for the land and fish that they’re near,” she said.
Her biology major, enhanced by marine research experience, positions her well for graduate school. She has applied to a master’s program to work with a different researcher studying the same coral reefs, with hopes of returning to the Galápagos over the next year to collect data from different reefs and expand her video collection. Her ultimate goal is to publish her research.
“My knowledge is so much stronger because of the undergrad opportunity,” Yoder said. “But this master’s program will be a huge thing as well, because it will allow me to dive into the specifics and work more closely with coral scientists.”
Advice for Future Hornets
For prospective biology students, Yoder emphasized the opportunities available to those willing to pursue them. But opportunity requires initiative.
“Sending the first email was just the first step of all of the things I’ve had a chance to do, because K gives you so many opportunities,” Yoder said. “You just need to be able to take advantage of them. Those resources will be there, but you have to reach out and ask for them. The answer is going to be ‘yes,’ if they can make it work.”
Her message is clear: “Send the email and do the thing you want to do. Advocate for yourself.”
For Yoder, that single email led to underwater gardens in the Galápagos Islands, international research presentations, professional connections across the marine biology field, and a future dedicated to understanding and protecting coral reef ecosystems—all from Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Senior business majors at Kalamazoo College are stepping into a hands-on consulting experience this winter, partnering with a local coalition to explore one of Kalamazoo’s most compelling questions: How can our city foster a stronger sense of belonging and create the kind of social, cultural, and recreational experiences that encourage recent graduates to stay? With nearly 25,000 undergraduate students across the area’s colleges and universities, it’s a question with real potential to shape Kalamazoo’s future.
A 2024 report from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research found that nationally, only 47% of public university graduates and 43% of private college graduates stay in the same metro area as their alma mater. While job opportunities often drive alumni migration, the Kalamazoo region offers notable employment options: according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, 20 Fortune 1000 companies have headquarters here, and the greater metro area is home to numerous smaller businesses and nonprofits, offering diverse career pathways for new grads. This project, therefore, focuses on another part of the equation: “value of place”— the cultural vibrancy, amenities and social connections that shape daily life and make a location truly stick.
To examine that element, K’s business capstone class is working with Sarah Olszowy, chief experience officer at Greenleaf Hospitality Group, and other members of the Kalamazoo Marketing Coalition, a cross-sector group representing business, regional development, city government and destination marketing. Their coalition aims to improve collaboration and synergy among marketing teams promoting the region. Additional members include Kimberly Viers, marketing and communications manager at Southwest Michigan First; K alumna Dana Wagner ’10, director of marketing and communications at Discover Kalamazoo; Meghan Behymer, downtown coordinator for the City of Kalamazoo; and Allie Lochart, senior marketing manager at Greenleaf Hospitality Group.
Amy MacMillan, L. Lee Stryker Professor of Business at K, is co-teaching the capstone with Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Matthew Schultz. Mirroring the structure of a professional consulting firm, student teams composed of team leads and associates will research the issue and develop data-driven proposals. Each recommendation will need to show meaningful potential for positive return on investment within three years.
The business capstone combines two senior-level courses, one in marketing and one in finance, into a program named The InKubator for Experiential Innovation, a teaching approach that immerses students in real-world problem solving while strengthening their analytical and design-thinking skills. As an InKubator course, students will engage with guest mentors and presenters from various disciplines, drawing on humanities perspectives to expand their creative thinking and problem-solving approaches.
“We invite artists, authors, entrepreneurs, community leaders, and other innovators to our program to help unleash our creative potential,” said MacMillan. “Our business students take courses across the liberal arts—in creative writing, psychology, languages, sociology, music, and more. Most students studied abroad. They’re often amazed to find how relevant these courses and experiences are in business problem-solving. At a time when it’s tempting to outsource brainwork to AI, we nurture human creativity to the fullest—and, yes, we’ll harness the power of AI, too.”
Expanding learning beyond the classroom, the course will meet periodically at the downtown Radisson in meeting space provided by Greenleaf Hospitality Group. Throughout the term, Olszowy will review student progress and offer guidance as teams refine their ideas.
The course will conclude with a final presentation in which students will share their proposals directly with Olszowy and other coalition representatives, offering K students an opportunity to contribute to an important conversation already underway regarding talent retention and community development in the region.
“This partnership with Kalamazoo College brings fresh perspective and real momentum to one of our community’s most important questions,” said Olszowy. “Engaging K students in this work gives us an invaluable window into what the next generation is seeking in a community. Their ideas and lived experiences support Greenleaf Hospitality Group’s role as the host of Kalamazoo and help shape a more vibrant, welcoming city that inspires recent graduates to build their future here.”
Kalamazoo College’s business capstone class is working with Sarah Olszowy, chief experience officer at Greenleaf Hospitality Group, and other members of the Kalamazoo Marketing Coalition, a cross-sector group representing business, regional development, city government and destination marketing. Their coalition aims to improve collaboration and synergy among marketing teams promoting the region.
Amy MacMillan, L. Lee Stryker Professor of Business at K, is co-teaching the capstone with Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Matthew Schultz.
Business majors at K are partnering with a local coalition to explore one of Kalamazoo’s most compelling questions: How can our city foster a stronger sense of belonging and create the kind of social, cultural, and recreational experiences that encourage recent graduates to stay?
The course will meet periodically at the downtown Radisson in meeting space provided by Greenleaf Hospitality Group.
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 Fall 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 Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades.
Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group for Fall 2025.
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Fall 2025 Dean’s List at Kalamazoo College.
Fall 2025
A
Callie Abair Drew Abbott Tessa Abrutyn McKenna Acevedo Emerson Agnello Tahmina Ahadi Umair Ahmed Isaac Ahn Isabella Alimenti Maya Alkema Zoe Allen Riley Allen Randa Alnaas Mahmoud Alsafadi Altanshagai Altankhuu Methmi Amaratunga Zahra Amini Haresh Anand Jayanthi Anila Eva Applebaum Nadine Arabi Camden Arndt Louis Asmus Emily Auchter Ala Awad
B
Olivia Bagwell Shiqi Bai Gabrielle Baldori Johanna Balingit Carter Bandemer Zoie Banger Grace Barber Luke Barnum Joseph Basil Alyse Baughman Carson Beattie Summer Beavers Annice Bellows Alexandrea Bernal Braiden Berro Maximus Betten Gurnav Jeet Singh Bhatia Julian Bilbao Derek Blackwell Annaliese Bol Sotirios Bougioukos Juliette Bournay Yvette Boyse-Peacor Allison Bozyk Indigo Braun Teige Bredin Georgia Brennaman Chloe Briggs Chloe Brown Audrey Bruner Chloe Bryant Ava Buccafurri Christopher Bullard Kali Bunce Leah Bunnell Tab Burcroff Maxwell Burg Mag Burkander Victoria Burnham Luke Burzynski Sara Bush Ava Butera
C
Amaia Cadenas Arlanderia Cardenas Estelle Raymond Cargill Emmett Carlson Liam Casey-McFall Tatum Casper Stephanie Castillo Joe Caton Abigail Caza Haziel Cerroblanco Bo Chambers Savannah Chapie Lucas Charboneau Derrick Chen Parker Ciurla Eva Clancy Thomas Clark Kory Clark Keegan Clarke Lilly Cleland Brendan Clinard Caleb Coates Logan Coller Colby Connor Isabela Cordeiro Zeina Coreas Jayden Costa Cameron Couch Holden Coulter Sebastian Courtright Henry Cox Agustin Creamer Connor Creech Mia Crites Cameron Crosby Kieran Crossley August Crothers Gwendolyn Crowder Smith Skye Crowell Courtney Cutler
D
Ava Dalton Ryan Dant Ethan Daugherty Hillary Davis Griffin Davis Maya Davis Ian Davis Lillian Deer Noel DeFeyter Sophia Deguzman Maya Delaney Jair Delgado Michael Deluca Enrique Delzer Abram Derksen Luke Desjardins Maansi Deswal Noah Devries Christopher Dewitt Michaela Dillbeck Reed Dixon Ava Domzalski Shane Dong Jordan Doyle Jack Duggins Gwyneth Dunaway
E
Benjamin Ebner Sally Eggleston Elise Elliot Owen Ellis Kai Ellison-Batt Zachary Emmer Francis Ernzen Bradley Eziuka
F
Niklas Fagerman Fletcher Fahling James Faletti Blake Filkins Mathias Florian David Fooy Jessica Forbis Drew Fortino Landrie Fridsma Luke Fried Sophia Fuller
G
Yamilet Garcia Angel Garcia Isaac Garza Lyrica Gee William Geiger Jenna Ghazal Abigail Gilmore Vrinda Girdhar Nathan Gleason Levi Godin Laura Goia Brizza Gonzalez Charles Gordon Harper Gorman Charles Graves Natalie Greene Wyatt Greis Alexis Gross Sofia Gross Cole Grupenhoff Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta Fiona Guikema-Bode Kendra Guitar Oliver Gutierrez
H
Jack Hackwell Isabelle Hahn Avery Hall Ethan Hall Ella Hanley Colten Hansen Kaylee Hanson Madeline Hanulcik Bridie Hart Cameron Hathaway Dymytri Hayda Abram Haynes Jacob Hazlewood Grace Helmboldt Regan Helmick Gerardo Herrera-Sanchez Layla Hickman Ashlen Hill JT Hill Alyssa Hinkley June Hobson Raychel Hodges Ruby Hogan Maren Holcomb Lauren Holcomb Ronin Honda Evanne Horrigan Audrey Horton Emma Hosier Scarlett Hosner Ethan Huebsch Alek Hultberg Ethan Hurford Rachel Hursey Abigail Hutchison
Gloria Jackson Rayne Jacobs Jackson Janderwski Nolan Jannenga Rachel Jensen Jaden Johnson Caroline Johnson Isabella Johnson Hayden Johnston Eiden Jonaitis Jaheim Jones Elizabeth Jones Gary Jones Ayako Jurgle
K
Violet Kaplan-Neumann Isabelle Kastel Zarey Katherine John Kaul Jackson Keefer Parker Keim Davis Kelly Dong Eun Kim Anwen King Samuel King Kendyl Kirshman Kathryn Klahorst Elizabetta Klein Gretje Kooistra-Collar Halle Korendyke Carrie Kozlowski Daryn Krause Jack Kreckman Mara Krupka Shay Kruse Rohan Kumar
L
Aubrey Laffoon Annabelle Largent Olivia Laser Minh Thu Le Son Le Dinh Truong Brayden Ledin Delaney Lee Maya Lee Alexander Ligman Samuel Linan Maxwell Lloyd Marcus Lloyd Logan Lockhart Noah Loizos John Lonsway Jacob Lovy Dewen Luo-Li Mairead Lynch Addison Lyons Isabella Lyskawa
M
Madison Magda Simran Magnan Kyler Maiorana Vex Maldonado Ariadne Markou Alexandria Mason Virginia Matta Matthew Matuza Benjamin Maurice Allison Mayer Vincent McCollum Jay McDaniel Fallon McFarland Kira McManus Alyssa McNally Ryenn McRell Raven Medina Maximus Mercurio Jacey Merkle Carson Merritt Kieran Metzler Gavin Meyers Bernice Mike Isaac Miles Madelyn Miller Marin Miroslavich Zelda Molitor Alondra Danahe Montoya Martinez Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier Claire Mullins Allison Murdoch Jack Murphy Grace Murphy
N
Genevieve Nagel Zander Nash Sebastian Nelson Lily Nestich Issac Nget Yen Giang Nguyen Theodore Niemann Will Norwood Alex Nutt Calvin Nyeholt
O
Jair Obando Reece Omodio B Osborne
P
Chelsea Paddock Eron Palmer Renzo Palomino Caceres Aidan Paquin Gyuri Park Sam Pattison Logan Pearson Gavin Pejakovich Alex Pepin Benjamin Perry Maya Peters Katarina Peters Tess Peters Anna Phyo Timothy Pinches Broderick Plumstead Mario Pomorski Bailey Poort Tadeusz Potocki Quinten Powers
Q
Brody Quinn
R
London Rabb Lachlan Rae Addison Raffenaud Akaash Raghunath Jackson Rancilio-Swords Cory Rapp Spencer Rasmussen Eibhlin Reed Julia Reisor Sam Reynolds Lissette Reynoso Claire Rhames Rachel Ribaudo Emmanuel Richardson Jaycee Rider Donovan Rinehart Ella Ringel Connor Ritchie Ethan Romey Amelia Rooks Brigid Roth Lucas Ruiz Eleanor Ryan Olive Ryder
S
Amelie Sack Jeremy Salomon Xavier Sarnaik Maxwell Saxton Amelia Saxton Cecilia Schihl Tobin Schiller Molly Schneidewind Kearsten Schultz Ava Schwachter Sophia Schwartz Aurora Scott Neve Sena Geo Servin William Seymour Julienne Shaina Katherene Shank DJ Sheibar Eric Sheppard Halen Sherwood Saba Sikharulidze Dawson Skupin Ana Slouber Morgan Smith Jillian Smith Nelsonkondani Sompa Haleigh Souder Sophia Sprick Katelyn Steinbrecher Jaegon Stevens Molly Stevison Gavin Stewart Jacquelyn Stoddard Liliana Stout Laurel Stowers Calvin Strader Zara Strauss Nolan Surach Jocelyn Suranyi Luella Swanson Zachary Sykes
T
Aiden Taormina Charlotte Tatara Arielle Tenner Kaljona Thaumanavar William Thomas Lucia Thomas-Colwell Lauren Thompson Christopher Thunder Lily Toohey Jey Trebley Joseph Treder
V
Alexander Valliere Gavin Van Kampen Lauren Vanderstelt Tyler Vanderzanden Benjamin Vansumeren Hayley Vanwagoner Francesca Ventura Savannah Vincent Romina Viramontes-Vargas Lauren Vos Madison Vrba Elijah Vue
W
Connor Walters Seth Wanner Natalie Ward Macy Ward Ryan Warezak Owen Warren Nina Warrow Astrid Westbury August Westphal Jillian Whitton Elisabeth Wilks Jaden Williams Ruth Wilson Siona Wilson Zoe Wilson Gretchen Wilson Sierra Winter Zaryn Woods Darius Wright Michael Wright Sophia Wrzesinski
When Harper Schrader ’26 arrived last year in Jordan for her study abroad experience, she had never spoken a word of Arabic. Three months later, she returned to Kalamazoo College not only fluent enough to navigate daily life in the Middle Eastern nation, but also with ideas for a career path that would take her back across the globe.
Today, she interns remotely for the Jordanian embassy in Washington, D.C., combining her passions for journalism and international relations.
“I definitely couldn’t have imagined this experience had I not attended K,” Schrader said. “Being able to study abroad and graduate on time—while also getting to do my (Senior Integrated Project) abroad and the internship—is cool.”
Schrader, a Kalamazoo native who came to the College through the Kalamazoo Promise, was drawn to K specifically because of its study abroad opportunities. Unlike some institutions where studying overseas can delay graduation or limit academic options, K’s flexible curriculum allowed her to pursue international experiences without sacrificing other opportunities.
Choosing the Road Less Traveled
When it came time to select a study abroad destination, Schrader deliberately avoided the well-trodden paths to Europe that many students take. She considered Senegal and Korea before narrowing her focus to the Middle East, ultimately choosing Jordan, which is also known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
“I wanted to go somewhere that a lot of people weren’t going,” she said. “I was more interested in the Middle East, so that’s how I narrowed it down.”
A conversation with a Jordanian international student during her sophomore year helped seal the decision. That student provided invaluable insights into the program and what daily life in Jordan would be like, easing Schrader’s concerns about diving into an entirely new culture and language.
The program, run through CET Academic Programs—one of K’s partner organizations with centers in China, Brazil and Jordan—required students to take a language pledge upon arrival, committing to speak only Arabic. For Schrader, who had no prior experience with the language, this was daunting.
“I was a little nervous, but it actually helped having the language pledge, because I was in an environment where that was all I was hearing,” she said. “I started picking up words without realizing it.”
The program began with two intensive weeks of Arabic instruction before students launched into elective courses. Schrader and her cohort attended classes at a center within walking distance of their apartments, where they were paired with “jirans”—an Arabic term that loosely translates to “neighbors”—who were Jordanian university students that helped with assignments and led cultural excursions around the city.
Adjusting to a New Reality
Jordan is home to numerous ancient attractions including two of Schrader’s favorites: Petra, which is an ancient city famous for its rock-cut architecture and water engineering near the modern town of Wadi Musa; and the Citadel, an archaeological site and historic landmark on the highest hill in downtown Amman, offering panoramic city views while showcasing layers of history from the Bronze Age through the Roman, Byzantine and Umayyad period.
For Schrader, exploring these historical treasures became a highlight of her stay, although the experience still had its adjustments and challenges. She began wearing a hijab the day she arrived in Jordan, a personal decision that felt natural in her new environment.
An unexpected challenge emerged as she navigated the range of perspectives represented among the American students in the program. Many were preparing for government service careers and approached learning Arabic purely in terms of future policy or security work. This experience deepened her commitment to approaching international relations and journalism with cultural sensitivity and respect, values that would shape her academic and professional pursuits.
Pursuing Journalism in Amman
Schrader hadn’t thought seriously about journalism until she took an introductory course with Professor of English Marin Heinritz ’99 during her first spring semester. Yet watching journalists like Clarissa Ward and Anthony Bourdain on CNN had already planted seeds of interest, and the class caused those seeds to grow.
In Jordan, she enrolled in a media course focused on the Middle East, where discussions covered cultural considerations in reporting and the role of social media during the Arab Spring. The class visited the Jordan Times newspaper, where students met with the editor-in-chief to discuss reporting in the region.
“There are a lot of differences between the U.S. and Jordan when it comes to the customs of interacting with people,” Schrader said. “For example, it wouldn’t be common to have a male person interviewing a woman there, or a woman interviewing a male.”
She also noted that topics such as royal families and religion are often approached more cautiously if at all out of respect for cultural sensitivities.
“Someone wouldn’t write something negative about the small Christian population, for example, because it would be seen as disrespectful,” she said.
Schrader had initially planned to intern with the Jordan Times during her study abroad semester, but scheduling conflicts prevented it. Undeterred, she returned to Jordan this past summer and spent three months working with the English-language newspaper, focusing primarily on digital content and video editing.
Harper Schrader ’26 visited several historical sites in Jordan including Petra, which is an ancient city famous for its rock-cut architecture and water engineering.
Schrader obtained an internship with the Jordanian embassy in Washington, D.C., shortly after returning from study abroad.
Wadi Rum, meaning Valley of the Moon or Valley of High Places, is Jordan’s famous desert valley known for red sands, rock formations and ancient inscriptions.
From Study Abroad Student to Intern
When Schrader returned from Jordan in September, she brought with her not just memories and language skills but a professional opportunity that perfectly merged her interests. A roommate from her study abroad program had worked for the Jordanian embassy, and when Schrader reached out about internship possibilities, the timing proved fortuitous.
“I applied, not really thinking I would get it just because I don’t have any experience in international relations, but I did get it,” she said.
Now, working remotely with the embassy’s Information Bureau in Washington, D.C., Schrader monitors press releases, think tank events and social media posts by politicians, compiling them into reports while helping to draft media statements.
“It’s really fun for me to combine an international relations interest with journalism,” she said. “It’s like the perfect intersection.”
The position, which she plans to continue until around June, has its limits as only Jordanian citizens can be hired for full-time positions. Yet it has already opened doors and created valuable connections. She has worked with officials close to the ambassador and met other students passionate about Jordan and the Middle East.
Confronting Media Narratives
Through her work monitoring international media coverage, Schrader has developed strong opinions about how the Middle East is represented in Western journalism. Although she believes Jordan itself is portrayed fairly, she’s critical of the coverage of other countries in the region.
“I think especially places like Iraq or Palestine are dehumanized,” she said. In fact, she’s found herself relying less on mainstream outlets such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, instead turning to social media to follow journalists on the ground, particularly in Gaza.
Jordan hosts refugees from Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Yemen, bringing international recognition. The country maintains a delicate balance—about 60% of Jordan’s population is estimated to be of Palestinian origin, which can create tension when the king maintains relationships with the United States and other Western powers.
“In Jordan, of course, it can feel frustrating for people if seeing the king, for example, be friends with the United States when a majority of the population there is Palestinian,” Schrader said. “But when you put it into the perspective of Jordan having little natural resources, their biggest strength is that they’re a peaceful country.”
This understanding of geopolitical complexities is precisely what Schrader hopes to bring to her future career. She’s currently applying to master’s programs to pursue a thesis examining how different regions and wars are represented in media, with a particular focus on how media can manufacture consent for conflicts and military actions.
Looking Forward
Schrader’s journey from Kalamazoo to Jordan and back again has been shaped by supportive mentors, including Professor of English Babli Sinha, who serves as her SIP advisor despite Schrader never having taken her classes.
“She’s inspired me the most,” Schrader said. “She doesn’t make me limit myself when it comes to journalism. She encouraged me with journalism and to follow what I’m passionate about.”
For her SIP, Schrader wrote a narrative journalism piece about her two visits to the West Bank and Jerusalem during her time in Jordan, including a stay with a family in Bethlehem. “It’s been rewarding to write what I’m passionate about,” she said.
On campus, she helps run both the student newspaper, The Index, and the literary magazine, The Cauldron. She’s also been involved with Students for Justice in Palestine since her first year and helped revive the Muslim Student Association after returning from study abroad.
When asked what she’d want Americans to know about Jordan, Schrader’s answer cuts to the heart of why cross-cultural exchange matters.
“I think that it can be easy to let what we’ve been told about the Middle East come to mind when we’re first thinking about these countries, but it’s really important to go there and to talk to the people,” she said. “You’ll realize that the people your age—and people in general —are more like us than we think. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
For Schrader, study abroad wasn’t just an academic experience or a chance to see the world. It was a transformative experience that helped her discover her calling. From struggling through her first Arabic conversations to working for a foreign embassy, she’s living proof that stepping outside one’s comfort zone can lead to extraordinary opportunities.
“It helped me meet other people interested in the same things I’m interested in and opened my eyes up to what I can do outside of what I’m studying at K, which is cool,” she said.
Editors Note: Carson Williams ’25, a former Kalamazoo Promise scholar, wrote this story for College Marketing and Communication.
On November 10, 2005, then-Superintendent Janice Brown stood in front of a school board meeting and made an announcement that would change the lives of students in Kalamazoo, Michigan: The Kalamazoo Promise. The initiative promised that Kalamazoo Public Schools students who attended KPS for at least grades 9–12 would receive a graduated scholarship covering up to 100% of tuition and mandatory fees at 43 eligible Michigan community colleges and universities, funded by a group of anonymous donors. These donors had gathered previously and recognized “the hurdle that college tuition poses in determining the futures of young people.” They then posed the question: what could students accomplish without worrying about the potential financial burden that often comes when seeking higher education? The Kalamazoo Promise Foundation was their answer. Kalamazoo became the first city in the United States to offer full scholarships.
As monumental as this announcement was, one of the gaps was that the Kalamazoo Promise could not be used at the private liberal arts institution in the city it was born in: Kalamazoo College. But 10 years after the initial unveiling of the Promise, K and other private schools that were part of the Michigan Colleges Alliance (MCA) declared that they would be joining with the Kalamazoo Promise Foundation, with eligibility beginning in fall of 2015. The Promise would cover funds equal to the average tuition and fees of the undergraduate programs at the University of Michigan, and the MCA institution would cover the rest. Since 2015, 230 Promise scholars have enrolled at Kalamazoo College, 40 of whom were first-generation college students. Currently, there are 85 Promise scholars at K.
Since partnering with the Kalamazoo Promise, K has worked extensively to ensure that Promise scholars feel welcome on campus and have access to all resources possible. Wraegan Williams is the Promise liaison at K who fulfills this role. “I work closely with colleagues across campus and at the Promise office to proactively address student needs and connect them with academic and wraparound supports to help them thrive both during their time on campus and in their professional pathways as graduates,” Williams said.
“We are working hard to move from partnership to true collaboration with KPS and the Kalamazoo Promise Foundation,” said Shannon Milan, K’s director of Admission. “That means creating intentional opportunities for connection, access, and belonging. Our goal has been simple but powerful: to help KPS students see themselves at Kalamazoo College. A place that believes in them, values them, and is ready to walk alongside them as they take their next steps.”
K has focused on more intentional forms of outreach, including their new annual “Why We Promise” visit day, which salutes the high potential of KPS students and helps them envision their future through K. This day, as well as K’s other forms of outreach to KPS students, have concentrated on a few key messages: possibilities in a place that believes and values students; inspiring students toward curiosity, courage, and community; displaying gratitude to KPS scholars, families, educators, and the Promise team for all of their work to create better opportunities; and highlighting that K is the right choice for students who want to ask big questions and make a difference, because K will challenge, support and celebrate them through each step.
K promotes the mantra that KPS students who are unsure about leaving their hometown for college “can go far by staying here.”
“We want KPS students to understand that staying in Kalamazoo doesn’t mean limiting their horizons,” Milan said. “It means launching from a strong foundation. At Kalamazoo College, they can take full advantage of the Promise while still accessing the kind of global, transformative experiences that define a world-class education.”
Building on that message, K emphasizes what it means by “going far.” One of these ways is through K’s study abroad program, which is also covered by the Promise. Fifty-five percent of K’s Promise scholars have participated in study abroad or study away. Students can also join K’s alumni network that reaches beyond Kalamazoo.
“Being part of this network means students can remain deeply rooted in Kalamazoo while gaining lifelong global connections.” Milan said.
Finally, K provides students with opportunities for internships, research and experiential learning that will help them grow outside of K.
When asked about success stories of the Promise at K, Williams said that all of the successes she has witnessed began with the same belief: “Without the Promise, K wouldn’t have been a possibility.” Through the scholarship, Promise scholars can fully engage in the K-Plan—which unites academics, study abroad programs, independent study, career development, and civic engagement within a flexible and exciting curriculum.
“The impact is clear: 81% of Promise scholars at K have completed a bachelor’s degree, with many continuing on to graduate school, professional programs, competitive internships, and strong employment outcomes, some right here in Kalamazoo, contributing to the same community that invested in their success,” Williams said.
“At the heart of the Kalamazoo Promise is hope, and we see that hope come to life every day at K,” Milan said. “The Promise isn’t just about access to college. It’s about believing in the potential of every student in our community. We’re honored to be part of that story!”
Living the Kalamazoo Promise at K
As a former Promise scholar and K alumna, I am beyond grateful for having the opportunity to learn at an institution like K free of financial burden. I talked to other K students, both alumni and current, who have utilized the Promise scholarship.
Adam Dorstewitz-Verne ’22
Adam earned his degree in computer science and economics, with a minor in mathematics. He currently works for baseball tech company Sydex Sports, which supports MLB, MiLB and NCAA baseball and softball teams that use their software for video coaching.
What does the Promise mean to you personally? The Promise is what gave me the ability to choose the school I wanted to go to without fear of debt. I had the freedom to apply to Michigan-based schools only on how I felt about their program/what they had to offer me, instead of what the financial aid package might look like. The Promise meant college never felt financially unattainable.
How has the Promise helped you pursue your dreams or goals at K? The Promise helped me get to K, and then after that, the knowledge that I was covered while at K meant finances weren’t in the back of my head as I was studying or pushing for a grade for fear of losing a scholarship. It freed me to just be a student, which is tenuous enough without fearing a grade-based financial aid package. The Promise gave me the flexibility to apply for the scholarship that gave me my first job after college, because I knew that I had the ultimate backup in the Promise and that I could reach for the stars and if I fell, I’d still be covered.
Ella Boyea ’26
Boyea is a senior at Kalamazoo College with a major in business and a minor in anthropology and sociology. She recently completed her Senior Integrated Project, which included an internship with a bank in Lansing, Michigan, which she obtained through a K alum. At this internship, she helped with financials, marketing and the process of achieving and setting future goals. Boyea plans on heading into marketing after graduation.
What does the Promise mean to you personally? To me, the Kalamazoo Promise represents an opportunity that shaped the direction of my future. It symbolizes the power of living in a community that cares, and it opened doors I may not have been able to walk through if I didn’t receive this financial stability. Growing up knowing that my education mattered to the people around me created a sense of belonging and motivation. It eased the financial burden of college, allowing me to focus on my academic interests and envision possibilities for myself that I could have only dreamed of before. The Kalamazoo Promise means freedom for people to be able to push themselves to shape who they will one day become.
Since 2015, 230 Promise scholars have enrolled at Kalamazoo College, 40 of whom were first-generation college students. Currently, there are 85 Promise scholars at K.
Adam Dorstewitz ’22: “I had the freedom to apply to Michigan-based schools only on how I felt about their program/what they had to offer me, instead of what the financial aid package might look like.”
Ella Boyea ’26: “To me, the Kalamazoo Promise represents an opportunity that shaped the direction of my future.”
Ala Awad ’26: “The Promise has allowed me to fully commit to my classes and explore career paths connected to business and healthcare without worrying about tuition.”
Tom Clark ’27: “Individuals who have been impacted by the Promise belong to a sense of community. There is a shared gratitude for the opportunity that has been given.”
Megan Hybels ’26: “Since I had the Promise, I felt better about choosing a major/program [that] I was passionate about, even if it’s less lucrative than other fields.”
How has the Promise helped you pursue your dreams or goals at K? The Kalamazoo Promise has given me the opportunity to attend an amazing school that works to build community, connections, and character. I have learned so much from the wide variety of classes I have taken here, [as] well as from my study abroad program to Madrid, Spain, my junior year which expanded my personality and social life tremendously. I am also appreciative of the clubs I am a part of and the Women’s Basketball team I am on here at K, which I would not have been able to do without the Promise giving me the chance to attend this school in the first place.
Ala Awad ’26
Awad is a senior at K completing a business major. He is currently working at his family’s restaurant, Nidal’s Shawarma King, and his future goal after graduation is to head into medical sales. Awad enjoys building relationships and helping people and feels that medical sales is the perfect place for him to grow professionally while staying connected to healthcare.
What does the Promise mean to you personally? The Promise means support. It took a huge financial weight off my shoulders and gave me the chance to focus on my education and my future. It’s made college feel so possible and has motivated me to work even harder.
How has the Promise helped you pursue your dreams or goals at K? The Promise has allowed me to fully commit to my classes and explore career paths connected to business and healthcare without worrying about tuition. It’s given me the freedom to build on my skills, take on leadership roles and stay on track toward my goal of going into medical sales after graduation.
Megan Hybels ’25
Megan earned her degree in religion with a history minor. She is currently enrolled in a Master of Arts program at Western Michigan University in their comparative religious studies department and is working as a grad assistant for WMU. She plans on working for an interfaith nonprofit in the future.
What does the Promise mean to you personally? I think a lot of people choose to not go into the humanities because they are afraid they won’t get a job that pays well enough to pay off student loans. Since I had the Promise, I felt better about choosing a major/program [that] I was passionate about, even if it’s less lucrative than other fields.
How has the Promise helped you pursue your dreams or goals at K? If I hadn’t had the Promise and felt more free to take a wide variety of different classes, I never would have taken a religious studies class and found out that it’s something I’m interested in.
Tom Clark ’27
Tom is a junior at K working on a business major with a psychology minor. He plans on pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science. Along with his studies, Tom is on the men’s tennis team.
What does the Promise mean to you personally? For me personally, the Promise means a lot of different things. Not only does it mean an opportunity to further my education, but it also means family. I was privileged to intern at [The Kalamazoo Promise] and get an inside look at all of the people behind the scenes who are changing countless lives. I already was very appreciative of the gift of the Promise but am even more grateful having seen how much work is actually being done in order to make such a scholarship work.
I also view the Promise as a sense of community. Whether it be in college, in a professional setting, individuals who have been impacted by the Promise belong to a sense of community. There is a shared gratitude for the opportunity that has been given. It is an easy point of connection to make with someone regardless of age, school, or occupation. Among most people that I have talked to, there is also a sense of willingness to give back. The Promise doesn’t take monetary donations, but giving time and volunteering is a way that people can repay the Promise for what it has done. I have already helped out at a couple of different events where I try to show the younger generation that there is an amazing opportunity for them that can be used in a variety of ways, whether that be a four-year degree, associate’s degree, or a trade school certification. The opportunities that the Promise provides are not given to everyone, so it is your responsibility to make the most of it.
How has the Promise helped you pursue your dreams or goals at K? It has allowed me to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a college athlete. Without the Promise, I wouldn’t have been able to play a sport in college because of the cost of schooling, particularly at K. The Promise has allowed me to further my academic and athletic career, while forming countless relationships with people who I wouldn’t have otherwise met, and changed the trajectory of my life.
For Gloria Jackson ’26, the lessons she’s learned in Kalamazoo neighborhoods have strengthened the ones she’s encountered in the classroom and vice versa. With two Community Building Internships (CBIs) through the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), Jackson has deepened her understanding of what it means to be part of a community while discovering new sides of the city she might not otherwise have seen.
“I think CBIs are an accessible and meaningful way to get connected with the greater Kalamazoo community,” Jackson said. “As a student, it’s easy to think we need to be on campus, but through CBIs, there are endless opportunities to engage with community members, learn about what’s important to them and understand the issues that affect our shared community.”
Jackson’s first CBI, in summer 2024, was with the Eastside Arts and Science Experiential Learning program, also known as EASEL, which focuses on science, technology, engineering, art and math—also known as STEAM—for children with hands-on projects and field trips. EASEL is an initiative of Eastside Youth Strong, a nonprofit organization in Kalamazoo that provides programs and support for youth in the Eastside neighborhood. The organization aims to help children succeed academically and socially by offering after-school and summer programs focused on building relationships, leadership and life skills.
“It’s a really beautiful program,” Jackson said. “It’s grassroots—neighbors helping neighbors, who see inequalities within their own community and using their own resources to fill those gaps. I thought that was such a beautiful sentiment and I wanted to see how I could put my hope somewhere beyond myself.”
Gloria Jackson ’26 has found a home with Kalamazoo College’s Center for Civic Engagement as a volunteer, Community Building Internship recipient and Civic Engagement Scholar.
At EASEL, Jackson worked primarily with kindergartners through eighth-grade students, leading science and math-based experiments and joining them on educational field trips.
“We did so many cool hands-on activities,” she said. “We learned about ecosystems and the water cycle, and one of the teachers who loved birding took us to a nature preserve to identify birds. It was so rewarding to see how curious the kids were and how much they already knew about their own neighborhood environment.”
The experience provided a window into inequities in Kalamazoo outside of the Northside neighborhood, where Jackson previously volunteered with the CCE’s Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS) program. This grassroots community organization provides quality academic support to Kalamazoo Public Schools students who live at Interfaith Homes. She is also currently one of two CAPS Civic Engagement Scholar.
“The Eastside community is similar in many ways to Northside, but also very different in terms of access to resources,” she said. “I wanted to understand those differences firsthand. Public funding sometimes fails to adequately support certain communities, and it’s important to recognize this while working with local organizations. These orgs exist to provide essential resources that might otherwise be unavailable to the community due to lack of funding.”
Last summer, Jackson returned for a second CBI, this time with Kalamazoo Parks and Recreation. The role brought new challenges while broadening her view of the community even further.
“My position was unique because I rotated between all six day camps across the city,” she said. “I filled in wherever support staff were needed—sometimes for field trips, sometimes when another staff member was out. Every day looked different.”
That unpredictability pushed Jackson out of her comfort zone, an experience she needed to have to grow as a young adult.
“I’ve realized I sometimes struggle when things don’t go as planned,” Jackson said. “But this internship taught me how to adapt. I never knew what site I’d be at or what kids I’d be working with, so I learned how to adjust my approach depending on the group. What worked at one site might not work at another. I learned to be flexible, patient and creative.”
Jackson said she especially enjoyed discovering what made each camp different.
“Kalamazoo Parks has programs at places like LaCrone Park on the Northside and Rockwell Park on the Eastside,” she said. “I was amazed by how diverse each site was and how the leadership reflected the youth they served.”
Seeing that representation, Jackson said, left a lasting impression.
“It was so powerful to see kids look up to people who looked like them,” she said. “You could see respect and pride. It made me realize how important representation is in community work.”
Working with children also helped Jackson discover a leadership style she hadn’t recognized in herself before.
“I wouldn’t have called myself a leader before this,” she said. “But when kids come to you for help or when they disagree, you have to respond thoughtfully. I learned to listen to both sides and help them find compromises. A good leader doesn’t silence others. They make space for everyone’s voice.”
Her favorite moment of the summer came during a camp talent show.
“It was such a fun time,” she said. “Some of the quieter students completely came out of their shells. They danced, acted and showed their art. It was beautiful to see them be themselves and shine in front of their peers.”
The experience also taught her the value of consistency.
“I found that being the adult who listens to and supports them makes a difference,” she said. “I wanted the kids to know they could always come to me and be taken seriously.”
Beyond youth work, Jackson’s internships helped her grow personally and professionally.
“The program ran from 9 to 5, but because I relied on public transportation, my days were much longer,” she said. “Sometimes I had to wake up earlier than I was used to and get home later than expected. It taught me discipline, punctuality and how to be prepared every morning.”
That daily experience, she added, also gave her perspective on community systems.
“I have so much more respect for people who rely on public transportation every day,” Jackson said. “Sometimes the buses were late or routes changed. It takes effort and resilience to navigate that. It really made me think about how infrastructure impacts people’s lives.”
Jackson, a psychology major, said her internships have directly shaped how she thinks about human development and behavior.
“They’ve absolutely helped me in the classroom,” she said. “I was able to draw from what I learned in psychology, especially social and developmental psychology. For example, I could see theories about how kids’ different environments—their microsystems—interact. One child might be scared to swim, while another can’t wait to jump in the pool. I learned to support both in ways that met them where they were.”
Jackson said her internships wouldn’t have been available to her had it not been for the CCE team, including Operations Manager Felicia Ford, Program Associate Oakley Gabriel, Director Sashae Mitchell and Associate Director Marquise Griffin.
“They’ve helped me reflect on my own positionality including who I am, why I’m entering these communities, and how to engage responsibly,” she said. “They’ve helped me understand civic engagement as an ongoing process.”
And now, as she looks ahead to life after K, Jackson says she isn’t sure exactly what her career will look like, but she knows where her heart is.
“My heart belongs to the community,” she added. “Wherever I end up, it’ll be something community-based or grassroots, where I can use what I’ve learned to help someone else. Learning through civic engagement is ongoing and I’m excited to keep growing.”
