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Kalamazoo College Announces Spring 2023 Dean’s List

Posted on June 26, 2023July 20, 2023

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 Spring 2023 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 Spring 2023.

Spring 2023

A

Abbott, Shannon
Acord, Morgan
Adeniji, Christopher
Ahmed, Fuzail
Ajjarapu, Harsha
Akhavan Tafti, Shahriar
Akhtar, Hashim
Alkema, Maya
Alousi, Adnan
Amaya, Osman
Amini, Zahra
Amir, Darsalam
Andrews, Mia
Ankley, Michael
Anspach, Madison
Apolo, Ava
Armin, Alexandra
Armstrong, Lora
Austin, Clarke

B

Baas, Aidan
Bagchi, Tolkien
Bahena, Litzy
Baker, Lindsey
Baldwin, Baylor
Ballinger, Elizabeth
Barker, Evan
Barnes, Brianna
Bee, Annabel
Bell, Curtis
Bennett, Cassandra
Berg, Mitchell
Berg, Mitchell
Bernas, Eleanor
Beurkens, Jonah
Bigham, Willow
Black, Henry
Black, Katherine
Blackwood, Douglas
Boissoneault, Cara
Bollas, Hugo
Bolling, Trey
Boritzki, Sam
Bos, Daphne
Bougioukou, Eleni
Bowdle, Mabel
Bowen, Adelaide
Bowles-Swain, Jaylen
Boyse-Peacor, Yvette
Braunohler, Aerin
Bretzius, Lauren
Broadsword, Lukas
Brockington, Avery
Bronson, Eamon
Bryant, Chloe
Buck, Anna
Buist, Jaden
Bunnell, Leah
Burleigh, Donovan
Burr, Ian
Butters, Zachary

C

Cadenas, Amaia
Call, Natalie
Campbell, Kennedy
Campion, Eleanor
Cancro, Grace
Cannizzaro, Olivia
Carlson, Chloe
Carlson, John
Caulkins, Emma
Cayton, Christopher
Caza, Isabella
Chafetz, Alexandra
Chalk, Iris
Checkett, Josetta
Cheng, Emily
Cho, Yongwan
Christopher, Trustin
Chun, Noah
Clancy, Eva
Cleland, Lilly
Clingenpeel, Kai
Coleman, Sedona
Collins, Quinn
Cook, Rowan
Cooper, Kyle
Crampton, Violet
Crawley, Gavin
Cripe, Lucy
Crites, Mia
Cross, Isabella
Crossman, Lauren
Crowder Smith, Lilian
Cummins, Chase
Curcuru, Emma

D

Dailey, James
Dalecki, Emily
Damashek, Beatrix
Dang, Minh
Danielson, Erik
Dant, Jessica
Dave, Talia
Davis, Claire
Davis-Rodak, Emma
Deaner, Tali
Debburman, Shruti
Deer, Lillian
Deines, Carson
Dekker, Lille
DeNeen, Ethan
Depauli, Olivia
DeVilbiss, Laura
DeYoung, Devi
Diaz, Liam
Dillbeck, Michaela
Dimagno, Charles
Dodde, Caitlin
Dolorfino, Mallory
Dougherty, Rorie
Douma, Samuel
Dowell, Alexia
Doyle, Jordan
Drew, Ryan
Dubin, Alexander
Dudd, Emily
Duoibes, Katia
Durant, Hannah

E

Eggleston, Sally
Eisenbach, Carter
Ekwegh, Jayla
Elfring, Sara
Elias, Rebecca
Elliot, Elise
Emenyonu, Adaora
Ersher, Dean
Espinoza, Melanie
Essing, Justin
Evans, Gabrielle
Ewald, Caleb
Ewald, Sam

F

Fairbank, Olivia
Fannings, Jazmyne
Farhi, Claire
Faris, Ella
Farr, Brady
Farrey, Madalyn
Fathalla, Andreas
Filkins, Blake
Fischer, Ava
Fitzgerald, Julia
Fitzpatrick, Mabel
Fleming, Payton
Fleming, Sofia
Flink, Jordan
Formell, Kirsten
Foster, Parker
Fouque, Andre
Fraczkiewicz, Kinga
Francis, Caroline
Franco, Janna
Frazier, Grace
Frederiksen, Emma
Frisch, Hana
Fulton, William

G

Gacki, Dillon
Galler, Ethan
Garcia, Aliza
Garcia, Katie
Garcia, Valeria
Garden, Brynna
Gardner, Grey
Gatti, Roberta
Gee, Lyrica
Ghazal, Farah
Ghazal, Johanna
Girdhar, Vrinda
Gladhill, Samuel
Graff, Lukas
Greene, Donovan
Grelak, Lillian
Grinwis, Westin
Gross, Natalie
Groth, Madyson
Guasgua, Cristian
Guitar, Kendra

H

Haas, Marissa
Haas, Sophia
Haga, Yoichi
Hagaman, Sydney
Hahn, Emma
Haigh, Emily
Hang, Vien
Hanifan, Lucas
Hanifan, Ryan
Hankins, Alison
Hannibal, Geneva
Hanson, Garrett
Hanson, Luke
Hanulcik, Madeline
Harman, Rachel
Harris, Eleanor
Hartl, Sophie
Hauke, James
Hawkes, Isabelle
Hawkins, Beatrice
Hayashi, Jiniku
Haywood, Katherine
Heimbuch, Zachary
Hepler, McKenna
Herbst, Megan
Herold, Sophia
Hester, Maya
Heystek, Ella
Hieshetter, Sierra
Hoehle, Bijou
Hoffman, Jacob
Hokanson, Annika
Hole, Thomas
Hollander, Madeline
Holt, Julia
Honda, Ronin
Horman, Cole
Horsfield, Joseph
Horton, Molly
Horvath, Charles
Houle, Tyler
Houtkooper, Gavin
Hubert, Jakob
Hughes, Samuel
Hultberg, Alek
Hume, Michael
Hunt, Devin
Hurley, Ian
Hurley, Madelaine
Hybels, Megan

I

Ibarra, Emiliano
Iereneo, Jalen
Isacksen, Daniel

J

Jackson, Gloria
Jacobo, Angela
James, Tristan
Jennings, Mya
Jesko, John
Jha, Deepa
Jiang, Hao
Jiang, Jonathan
Johnson, Amelia
Johnson, Anne Catherine
Johnson, Cloe
Johnson, Ryan
Joos, Maxwell
Jurkovic, Nicklaus

K

Kanegawa, Kiana
Kaplan, Jessica
Karesh, Judah
Karubas, Timothy
Kehoe, Lillian
Keith, Ben
Keller, Will
Kelly, Emilia
Kelly, Meaghan
Khaba, Mphumelelo
Khan, Mahum
Kiesling, Hunter
Killmaster, Meghan
Kim, Brandon
Kim, Hyunwoo
Kim, Joshua
Kim, Vivian
Kimball, Si Yun
Kimbouris, Soussana
Kindle, Lily
King, Anwen
Kipfmueller, Rylie
Kirchgessner, Isabella
Kischer, Claire
Kish, Alexander
Kleiner, Noah
Klemm, Lena
Klenke, Mart
Kloosterman, Steven
Klos, Claudia
Koellmann, Rhys
Kohl, Molly
Kondoff, Melody
Koos, Maxine
Koryto, Cole
Koshmider, Toni
Kovac, Marissa
Kovacevic, Emma
Kowalski, Jaden
Kraemer, Katherine
Kraft, Christian
Kramer, Rachel
Kravitz, Jordyn
Kreibich, Molly
Krupka, Nikolas
Kuch, Celia
Kuchta, Laryn
Kuras, Elisabeth

L

LaFramboise, Margaret
Lajiness, Sophia
Lancaster, Onora
Laser, Olivia
Lawrence, Annmarie
Lawson, Madeleine
Le, Lam Phuong
Leahey, Grace
Leblanc, Xander
Ledesma, Angel
Leisher, Ilem
Lekan, Margaret
Lemus, Alejandra
Lenzini, Sydney
Lester, Ginamarie
Lichtenberg, Thomas
Lignell, Celine
Linnertz, Cassandra
Lis, Sydney
Lizardo-Rodriguez, Luis
Logsdon, Kelsey
Loncharte, Ava
London, Meghan
Lovins, Madeline
Lucas, Teresa
Lucking, Nicholas
Lynett, Jacob

M

Major, Samantha
Maki, Natalie
Mallon, Andrew
Mares-Castro, Lesly
Marshall, Lauren
Martel, William
Martin, Isabel
Martinez, Allan
Martinez, Denise
Martinez, Michelle
Martinez, Molly
Martini-Zeller, Gracen
Masterson, Hollis
Matsuzaki, Kanase
Matta, Virginia
Matuszak, Nicholas
Maurer, Eliza
Maurice, Benjamin
Maylath-Bryant, Trevor
McCall, Claire
McGarry, Megan
McGrath, Molly
McGreevy, Leo
McKee, Regan
McLean, Joseph
McManus, Kira
McNutt, Amy
Merchant, Sophia
Mercurio, Maximus
Meston, Rachel
Metro-Roland, Eva
Meyers, Allison
Meyers, Gabriel
Miller, Brittany
Miller, Ella
Mirza, Ameera
Moat, Brenden
Moghrabi, Lina
Molchagin, Aleksandr
Molho, Rachel
Moore, Brooklyn
Moore, Mackenzie
Morison, Martin
Mortensen, Wyatt
Moss, Madeline
Moss, Samantha
Motan, Arein
Moxon, Lorelei
Moyo, Phumuzile
Mueller, Matthew
Muenzenmaier, Elizabeth
Muenzenmaier, Mary Ellen
Mulder, Ezekiel
Mullins, Claire
Munger, Andrew
Myoung, Chaeyoun

N

Nagel-Bennett, Elias
Nam, Alex
Naskovski, Blagoja
Nathwani, Maya
Navarro, Karla
Nedd, Lindsey
Negrete, Justin
Neihsl, Ryan
Nelson, Abigail
Nelson, Matthew
Nesbitt, Alexis
Nestle, Elizabeth
Newland, Robert
Newlove, Emma
Nguyen, Nguyen
Nguyen, Vinh
Niemann, Theodore
Nordmoe, Malin
Novotny, Maeve
Nuechterlein, Terry

O

O’Donnell, Richard
Oeschger, Ileana
Ohren-Hoeft, Jeremiah
Olivier, Gabriel
Olsen, Alexander
Olson, Emma
Orosan-Weine, Gabe
Orozco, Eliana
Ortega, Fatima

P

Paddock, Chelsea
Parks-Church, Eleanor
Paternoster, Eric
Payment, Zachary
Pellegrini, Mia
Pellegrom, Isabella
Peot, Kaitlin
Perry, Margaret
Peter, Addison
Petty, Alexis
Phillips, Mary
Pichal, Shelya
Pickell, Sydney
Pickrel, Benjamin
Pierce, Mia
Pimentel, Isabella
Plesscher, William
Pollard, Elaine
Pollens-Voigt, Evan
Prentice, Noah
Pulliam, Elena
Putman, Bea
Pyle, Noah

Q

Quail, Emma
Quesada, Alex
Quirk, Matthew

R

Rachiele, Elizabeth
Ragan, Elle
Rajendra-Nicolucci, Savera
Rambo, Julia
Ramillano, Alyson
Randel, Ali
Rasmussen, Sadye
Rasmussen, Spencer
Rawlings, Abby
Ray, Clarice
Rayens, Hunter
Reathaford, Sara
Reinaux Silva Oliveira, Laura
Reyes, Isabel
Reyes, Zoe
Reynolds, Keegan
Reynoso, Lissette
Rhames, Maxwell
Richter, Mya
Robelo, Milagros
Robertson, Jacob
Robertson, Xochitl
Rock, Katherine
Rogers, Skyler
Roncone, Olivia
Rop, Luke
Rosas, Yaneth
Rosema, Clay
Rosenbaum, Alec
Roth, Brigid
Routt, Eli
Rowland, Sofia
Rowland, Tabitha
Rucker, Marcus
Ruiter, Charlotte
Rulich, Nathaniel
Russell, Elliot

S

Saalberg, Benjamin
Sajan, Sophia
Salamun, Greta
Salgado, Sydney
Sanchez-Alvarado, Hannia
Santos, Leslie
Saxton, Maxwell
Schaffer, Fiona
Schinker, Leo
Schlotterer, Sophia
Schmidt, Allison
Schmidt, Vivian
Schrader, Harper
Schroeder, Madeline
Schulz, Audrey
Schurman, Hannah
Scott, Mae
Seid, Thea
Shaffer, Brendon
Shapiro, Isabella
Shaw, William
Shearer, Morgan
Shelton, Steven
Shiel, Elijah
Short, Cassidy
Shumunov, Joseph
Sidor, Emma
Sikora, Lucas
Silber, Elizabeth
Simmons, Zachary
Sjogren, Kiersten
Skinner, Colby
Skoug, Meganne
Smith, Ping
Snyder, Grace
Soares, Anoushka
Sokacz, Allison
Sokol, Gabriel
Somsel, Erin
Spates, Jonah
Spitler, Maxwell
Spooner, Ella
Stack, Camran
Stevenson, Eleanor
Stevison, Molly
Stickley, Emma
Stickley, Lily
Stolberg, Alex
Stoy, Helen
Streeter, Donovan
Stump, Abbygale
Subba, Senchen
Summerfield, Hannah
Sweeney, Keegan
Sysol, Brandon

T

Ta, Chau
Talarico, Madison
Tallio, Claire
Taylor, Claire
Tessin, Olivia
Thakali, Suja
Thomas, Levi
Thomas, William
Thu Le, Minh
Thurmond-Oliver, Jayden
Tocco, William
Tolman, Alexander
Topf, Simon
Torres, Luke
Torzewski, Jakob
Treyger, Danielle
Tuchenhagen, Hanna
Tun, May
Turnage, Francesca
Turner, Aija

U

Ulanoski, Hannah
Unger-Branson, Gabrielle
Uphoff, Tristan

V

Valdes, Alexis
Vande Pol, Samantha
Vander Lugt, Hannah
VanGalder, Cameron
VanGalder, Mitchel
Varitek, Anna
VarnHagen, Ella
Velasco Navarro, Lorena
Vidinas, Gabriel
Vincent, Laila
Vrieland, Jessalyn

W

Wade, Joseph
Wagle, Ava
Wagner, Gabin
Walczak, Megan
Waldron, Elle
Walker, Andre
Walters, Rosesandy
Walther, Madison
Wasmer, McKenna
Weber, Jadon
Weber, Riley
Wedge, Margaret
Wendel, Emmeline
Wennen, Elias
Wesselhoff, Emerson
Westra, Tate
Wickey, Dylan
Williams, Ava
Williams, Carson
Williams, Tariq
Willits, Jackson
Wilson, Joshua
Wilson, Siona
Wilson, Zoe
Winer, Ruby
Wolfe, Laurel
Wonacott, Alexa
Woods, Reagan
Wright, Maximilian

X

Xiang, Lingrui

Y

Yazbeck, Tony
Yost, Elyse
Youngman, Mikayla
Yousif, Hillary

Z

Zabaldo, Kathryn
Zang, Maddie
Zeller, Jacob
Zhuang, Sophie
Zito, Ariana
Zona, Nathaniel
Zorn, Margaret

Senior Awards Ceremony Honors Students’ Achievements

Posted on June 21, 2023June 21, 2023

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students who received awards during the 2023 Senior Awards Ceremony on Saturday, June 10, at Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships and special non-departmental awards.

George Acker Award

Ryan Hanifan

The American Chemical Society
Certified Degree in Chemistry

Marissa Dolorfino
Carter Eisenbach
Caelan Frazier
Lena Thompson Klemm
Dillon Lee
Chloe Lucci
Crystal Danielle Mendoza
Ezekiel Mulder
Gunzaya Gunzi Otgonjargal
Abby Lyn Rawlings
Suja Thakali
MiaFlora Tucci

Hornet Athletic Association Award

Harrison Poeszat

Austria U.S. Teaching Assistantship

Vincent DeSanto
Benjamin Flotemersch
Sean Gates

James Bird Balch Prize in American History

Meaghan K. Kelly

Lillian Pringle Baldauf Prize in Music

Koshiro Kuroda

H. Lewis Batts Prize

Rose Hannan
Onora Divine Lancaster
Olivia Louise Smith
Alex Stolberg

E. Bruce Baxter Memorial Award

Thomas Lichtenberg

Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award

Litzy Bahena
Katia Duoibes

Beeler Senior Projects Abroad Fellows

Maeve Francesca Crothers
Brianna DuBose
Garrett Hanson
Yamilee Hernandez
Daniel Eric Jordan
Bella Kirchgessner
Rachel Christine Kramer
Koshiro Kuroda
Fiona Raycraft O’Rielly
Egan Vieira

Larry Bell Scholar

Eleanor S. Carr
Bella Kirchgessner

The Biology in Liberal Arts Prize

Zoe Elizabeth Reyes

Marshall Hallock Brenner Prize

Emma Sidor

Henry and Inez Brown Award

Violet Crampton

Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin

Garrett Hanson
Katelyn Williams

Mary Long Burch Award

Lucy Hart

Robert Bzdyl Prize in Marine Biology

Alex Stolberg

Annual Undergraduate Award
in Analytical Chemistry

Caelan Frazier

Annual Undergraduate Award
in Inorganic Chemistry

Shay Brown

Annual Undergraduate Award
in Organic Chemistry

Lucy Hart
Crystal Danielle Mendoza

Annual Undergraduate Award
in Physical Chemistry

Oliver Tye

Outstanding Chemistry Student
from Kalamazoo College

Carter Eisenbach
MiaFlora Tucci

Lilia Chen Award in Art

Hao Jiang

Ruth Scott Chenery Award

Sedona Coleman

Chinese Outstanding Achievement Award

Violet Crampton
Zoe Claire Chunqi Gurney
Clarice Ray
Claire Tallio

Provost’s Prize in Classics

Isabelle Ragan
Isabel Quinn Schantz

Collins Fellow

Rachel Christine Kramer

Provost’s Prize in Computer Science

Aleksandr Molchagin

H. P. and Genevieve Connable Scholarship

Hanis Sommerville

Cooper Award in Fine Arts

Milan Levy

C.W. “Opie” Davis Award

Samuel Ankley

Diebold Scholar Award

Natalie Call
Rose Hannan
Joergen Klakulak
Alex Stolberg
Nathaniel E. Zona

Marion H. Dunsmore Memorial Prize
in Religion

Isabelle Ragan

George Eaton Errington Prize

Lingrui Xiang

Provost’s Prize in Economics

Zoe Claire Chunqi Gurney
Sam Moss

Alliance Francaise Prize in French

Shanon Brown
Kanase Matsuzaki

French Government Teaching Assistantships

Annika Canavero
Olivia Grace Fairbank

Joe Fugate Senior German Award

Vincent DeSanto

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship

Samuel Kendrick, Uzbekistan
Kanase Matsuzaki, Jordan

Fulbright Study Research Award

Natalie Call, Denmark

Departmental Prize in Greek

Garrett Hanson

Xarifa Greenquist Memorial
Psychology Department Award

Sedona Coleman

Fred and Sarah Greer Endowed Scholarship/
Lorinda Kay Sanford Memorial

Brianna DuBose
Mya Jennings
Ashani Jewell
Jamir McKeller
DaShawn Meeks
Aija Turner

Griffin Prize

Mikayla Dominique Youngman

Guyor Kindness and Compassion Award

Denise Martinez
Kaleb Sydloski

Charles C. Hall Scholarship

Shay Brown

Ham Scholars

Thomas Lichtenberg
Milagros Robelo

F. W. and Elsie L. Heyl Scholars

Samuel Ankley
Carter Eisenbach
Rachel Christine Kramer
Alexis Nesbitt
Suja Thakali
Elizabeth Grace Wang

The Raymond L. Hightower Award

Khalil Shakur Adams
Mya Jennings
Maya Kanta Bimal Nathwani

Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award

Ryley White

History Department Award

Samuel Kendrick

Hodge Prize in Philosophy

Vincent DeSanto

John Wesley Hornbeck Prize

Eli Edlefson
Claire Kvande
Elias Wennen

William G. Howard Memorial Prize

Claire Tallio

William G. Howard Memorial Prize
in Political Science

Riley Thomas Wilson

Japanese National Honor Society, College Chapter

Emily Robin Kaneko Dudd
Madeline Schroeder
William Shaw

Grant W. and Eleanor L. Johnston
History Research Award

Sarma Ejups
Benjamin Homminga
Stefan Nielsen

Kurt Kaufman Fellow

Abigail Barnum
Caelan Frazier
Dillon Lee
MiaFlora Tucci
Oliver Tye
Elizabeth Grace Wang

Richard D. Klein Senior Award
in Psychology

Marilu Bueno

Richard D. Klein Senior Impact Award
in Psychology

Alexia McColl
Ryley White

Knoechel Family Award

Samuel Ankley
Camille Misra

Irmgard Kowatzki Theatre Award

Marilu Bueno
Milan Levy

LaPlante Civic Engagement Scholars

Lauren Bretzius
Shanon Brown
Katia Duoibes
Ryley White

Tish Loveless Award

Renée Torres

Music Department Certificate
of Distinction

Abigail Barnum
Donovan Burleigh
Violet Crampton
Sarma Ejups
Garrett Hanson
Matthew Mueller
Erin Murphy
Claire Tallio
Mikki Wong

National Merit Scholars

Claire Kvande
Noah Prentice

National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship

Mallory Dolorfino
Claire Kvande

William E. Praeger Prize in Biology

Eleanor S. Carr
Hana Samantha Frisch
Ian Becks Hurley
Ryan Johnson

Robert and Karen Rhoa Prize
in Business

Payton Fleming
Tristan Fuller
Jenna Clare Paterob

Robert and Karen Rhoa Prize for Outstanding SIP

Minh D. Dang

Elwood H. and Elizabeth H. Schneider Prize
in English

Lauren Sommer Crossman

Senior Leadership Recognition Award

Litzy Bahena
Violet Crampton
Kylah Alexandria Davis
Katia Duoibes
Jazmyne Fannings
Peter Fitzgerald
Yoichi Haga
Katherine Haywood
Bella Kirchgessner
Claire Kvande
Milan Levy
DaShawn Meeks
Crystal Danielle Mendoza
Aleksandr Molchagin
Maheen Naz Mulligan
Justin Negrete
Stefan Nielsen
Gunzaya Gunzi Otgonjargal
Alexis Petty
Noah Prentice
Andrew Puckett
Milagros Robelo
Alex Stolberg
Suja Thakali
Chilotam Urama
Elizabeth Grace Wang
Ryley White
Christian Zeitvogel
Nathaniel E. Zona

Fan E. Sherwood Memorial Prize

Charles DiMagno

Sherwood Prize in Fine Arts

Marilu Bueno

Catherine A. Smith Prize in Human Rights

Emma Davis-Rodak
Skai Williams

Catherine A. Smith Prize
in Women’s Athletics

Alexis Petty

Lemuel F. Smith Award

Marissa Dolorfino

Cassandra Solis Prize
in Critical Ethnic Studies

Angela Ledesma

The Senior Spanish Award

Gustavo Eric Gonzalez-Martinez
Fiona Raycraft O’Rielly
Alexis Damian Valdes

Spanish Government Teaching Assistantship

Fiona Raycraft O’Rielly
Renée Torres

Eugene P. Stermer Award
in Public Administration

John Carlson

Mary Clifford Stetson Prize

Angel Ledesma

Dwight and Leola Stocker Prize

Violet Crampton
Sarah Densham
Hannah Durant

Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Prize
in Women’s Studies

Elle Waldron

Stowe Scholarship

Caelan Frazier

David Strauss Prize in American Studies

Stefan Nielsen

Babette Trader Campus Citizenship
and Leadership Award

Litzy Bahena
Hana Samantha Frisch
Gustavo Eric Gonzalez-Martinez
Maheen Naz Mulligan
Claire Tallio

Charles Tully Design Award

Elena Truman

Donald W. VanLiere Prize Psychology
in Coursework

Jenna Clare Paterob
Emma Sidor

Donald W. VanLiere Prize Psychology
in Research

Samantha Boritzki
Cassandra Linnertz

Voynovich Competitive Scholarship

Elisabeth Kuras
Jack Soderberg

Michael Waskowsky Prize

Elyse Yost

Charles Lewis Williams Jr. Award

Hannah Durant

Clarke Benedict Williams Prize

Tolkien Bagchi
Mallory Dolorfino
Marissa Dolorfino

Maynard Owen Williams Memorial Award

Zoe Claire Chunqi Gurney
Isabel Minerva Morillo
Hanis Sommerville
Rosesandy Walters

Two students take a selfie at the Senior Awards Program

Student shakes hands with faculty and staff at Senior Awards ceremony

Senior Awards recipient walks toward front of Stetson Chapel

Seven students gather during Senior Awards ceremony

Students among those attending Senior Awards ceremony

Four students applaud fellow senior award recipients

Several students posing with senior awards

Shumunov is First K Student to Receive Beren Fellowship

Posted on June 13, 2023June 14, 2023

Joseph Shumunov ’25 is the first Kalamazoo College student to be honored with a Beren Fellowship from the Tikvah Fund.

The Beren Fellowship, which seeks to encourage and support young scholars in leading lives of Jewish purpose and leadership, includes eight summer weeks in New York City. The cohort of current college students and recent graduates will spend three weeks in seminars led by leading scholars and thinkers, learning and debating Jewish history, texts and politics. Then, each fellow embarks on a research project or internship focusing on an area of Jewish public policy or Jewish life that intrigues them. In the final week of the fellowship, the fellows hold a conference to present their work to each other as well as to other students, writers and professionals in the Tikvah network.

A double major in political science and international and area studies, Shumunov proposed in his fellowship application a project analyzing the relations between Israel and Azerbaijan and how their relationship might benefit the U.S. geopolitically. His mentor in the research, who also offered Shumunov an internship, will be Michael Doran, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. Doran specializes in Middle East security issues.

Shumunov’s interest in the project springs from his role as a virtual social media intern for the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan, assisting their public affairs department, creating Instagram posts, reviewing public briefings and writing cables for the ambassador.

In his first two years at K, Shumunov has also participated in Model UN (and will serve as a co-president), Refugee Outreach Collective (including Homework Champions Tutoring), and Hillel (where he has been vice president).

Beren Fellowship recipient Joseph Shumunov — Joseph Shumunov ’25 will spend eight weeks in New York City this summer as a result of earning a Beren Fellowship.

In addition, Shumunov values the experiences he has had with Afro Fiesta Desi Sol, as an important space on campus to celebrate cultural differences, and in talks between Hillel and College administration regarding antisemitism on campus, which helped him see how each person can drive change.

Amy Elman, the William Weber Chair of Social Science and a professor of political science, suggested to Shumunov that he consider applying for the Beren Fellowship.

“I’ve had Joseph in three classes now, and he distinguishes himself by having the ability to synthesize difficult materials,” Elman said. “Joseph is that rare student who is interested in being challenged. He’s serious about political thought, and he’s genuinely interested in helping the American Jewish community thrive, which is no easy task given the surge in antisemitism worldwide.”

When he read about the fellowship, Shumunov thought it would be a good opportunity for networking, possible publication of his research, learning and connecting.

“I lived in a very Jewish community in Detroit, and a lot of my time has been devoted to Judaism and my religion, especially because I went to a Jewish school for most of my life,” Shumunov said. “Coming to K has been a transition for me because now my only access to the Jewish community is maybe a small Jewish Studies program and Hillel, and that’s made me crave it more.”

The Beren Fellowship has existed in a variety of forms since 2009, and this is the first year a Kalamazoo College student will join the cohort.

“The Beren Summer Fellowship is thrilled to welcome Joseph as a fellow this year,” said Alan Rubenstein, senior director of Tikvah’s University and Young Professional Programs. “We are excited to see how he will bring his learning about the modern Jewish condition and his deep study of American foreign policy in the Middle East back to the Kalamazoo community.”

Shumunov hopes to bring what he learns and experiences back to campus, particularly to classes with Elman and as part of ongoing efforts to combat antisemitism on campus.

“One thing I’m looking forward to is that these students are part of my age group and a lot of them are coming from campuses that also face rising antisemitism,” Shumunov said. “I think a common denominator within our group will be that we know what’s happening, and we want to fix it; we want to apply what we learn to our campuses when we come back. I think we’ll be sharing about our experiences and discussing why antisemitism is rising on campuses, why it’s becoming normalized, ways to combat it, to change it and to prevent it from happening.”

After completing the Beren Fellowship, Shumunov plans to study abroad in Jordan from August to December and intends to complete a humanitarian internship during this time there. He hopes to work with refugees and migrants in Jordan and to complete a Senior Integrated Project examining the lives of refugees and migrants or diasporas in the world.

The Tikvah Fund is a private philanthropic foundation based in New York with the mission of promoting serious Jewish thought about the enduring questions of human life and the pressing challenges that confront the Jewish people.

Phi Beta Kappa Welcomes New K Inductees

Posted on June 9, 2023June 9, 2023

Kalamazoo College’s Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa welcomed 42 outstanding seniors into its cohort on June 7, 2023, recognizing their exceptional scholastic achievements across disciplines. With a strong commitment to fostering a love for learning, Phi Beta Kappa honors these new members for their academic ability and intellectual curiosity.

Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, boasting 17 U.S. Presidents, 42 U.S. Supreme Court Justices, and more than 150 Nobel Laureates among their ranks. The society’s mission is “to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, to recognize academic excellence, and to foster freedom of thought and expression.”

Acceptance into Phi Beta Kappa is considered one of the highest academic honors a student can receive as the society is known for its rigorous selection process that evaluates students’ achievements across the arts, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences.

As these talented individuals embark on the next chapter of their educational and professional journeys, their Phi Beta Kappa membership will serve as a symbol of their exceptional accomplishments and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. The Kalamazoo College community looks forward to witnessing their future contributions and the positive impact they will make in their chosen fields.

Join us in congratulating the following students,

Hashim Akhtar of Saginaw, Michigan; biology major, psychology minor, biochemistry and molecular biology and biological physics concentrations
Abigail Barnum of Byron Center, Michigan; biochemistry and German majors
Eleana Basso of Evanston, Illinois; psychology and studio art majors, art history minor
Natalie Call of Cody, Wyoming; biology major, psychology minor
Eleanor Carr of East Lansing, Michigan; biology and computer science majors
Hannah Durant of Grand Blanc, Michigan; English and mathematics majors
Payton Fleming of Olivet, Michigan; business major, computer science minor
Hana Frisch of Morton Grove, Illinois; biology major, anthropology and sociology minor, community and global health concentration
Tristan Fuller of Whitmore Lake, Michigan; business and English majors
William Fulton of Kalamazoo, Michigan; biology major, psychology minor
Zoe Gurney of Ann Arbor, Michigan; economics major, Chinese and mathematics minors, community and global health concentration
Lucy Hart of Evanston, Illinois; biochemistry major, psychology minor
Katherine Haywood of Hastings, Michigan; biology and computer science majors
Ian Hurley of Plymouth, Michigan; biology and Spanish majors
Ryan Johnson of Kalamazoo, Michigan; biology major
Koshiro Kuroda of Kawasaki, Japan; anthropology and sociology and music majors
Claire Kvande of Memphis, Tennessee; chemistry and physics majors, French and mathematics minors
Dillon Lee of Ada, Michigan; biochemistry major
Thomas Lichtenberg of Farmington, Michigan; philosophy and political science majors, mathematics minor
Alvaro Lopez Gutierrez of Lima, Peru; German and psychology majors
Nicholas Lucking of Dexter, Michigan; psychology major, English minor
Aleksandr Molchagin of Borisoglebsk, Russia; business and computer science majors
Matthew Mueller of Charleston, Illinois; psychology major
Erin Grace Murphy of Grosse Ile, Michigan; computer science major, music minor
Alexis Nesbitt of Parchment, Michigan; biology major, psychology minor, neuroscience concentration
Jenna Paterob of Melrose Park, Illinois; business and psychology majors, studio art minor
Harrison Poeszat of Commerce Township, Michigan; chemistry major
Ashley Rill of Rochester Hills, Michigan; biochemistry major, psychology and Spanish minors
Madeline Gehl Shroeder of East Grand Rapids, Michigan; computer science and East Asian studies majors
William Shaw of Kalamazoo, Michigan; computer science major, Japanese and mathematics minors
Emma Sidor of St. Charles, Illinois; psychology and Spanish majors
Sophia Sjogren of Chelsea, Michigan; computer science major
Alex Stolberg of Charlotte, Michigan; biology major, environmental studies concentration
Katelynn Stover of Troy, Michigan; psychology major
Suja Thakali of Kalamazoo, Michigan; chemistry major
Abhi Thaku of West Bloomfield, Michigan; chemistry major, mathematics minor
Mia Flora Tucci of Richland, Michigan; chemistry and Spanish majors, psychology minor
Oliver Tye of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania; chemistry and mathematics majors
Elizabeth Wang of Portage, Michigan; biochemistry major, German minor
Katelyn Williams of Ada, Michigan; classical civilizations and psychology majors
Tony Yazbeck of West Bloomfield, Michigan; biochemistry major, anthropology and sociology minor
Nathaniel Zona of Albion, Michigan; biology major, community and global health concentration

Six 2023-24 Heyl Scholars to Attend K This Fall

Posted on June 8, 2023June 8, 2023

Six Kalamazoo County high school students seeking to major in STEM-related fields have earned Heyl Scholarships to attend Kalamazoo College in the 2023-24 academic year.

The Heyl Scholarship Fund was established in 1971 through the will of Dr. Frederick Heyl and Mrs. Elsie Heyl. Frederick Heyl was the first chemist at The Upjohn Company, later becoming a vice president and the company’s first director of research. He also contributed to about 80 research papers and patents while teaching chemistry at K. He maintained a lifelong passion for science and education and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from K in 1937.  

Since then, Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance. 

This year’s K recipients of the scholarships and their high schools are: 

Abigail Eilertson, Gull Lake and the Kalamazoo Area Mathematics and Science Center (KAMSC)
Pauline Hawkes, Kalamazoo Central
Jason Krawczyk, Portage Central and KAMSC
Ava Schwachter, Kalamazoo Central and KAMSC
Anthony Valade, Portage Northern and KAMSC
Benjamin Whitsett, Loy Norrix and KAMSC

Two other scholars, Kelcey Briggs and Riley Sackett, have graduated from Loy Norrix High School and will attend the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing.

2023-24 Heyl Scholars in a group photo — Riley Sackett (from left), Kelcey Briggs, Ava Schwachter, Jason Krawczyk, Pauline Hawkes, Abigail Eilertson, Benjamin Whitsett and Anthony Valade are this year’s Heyl Scholars. Schwachter, Krawczyk, Hawkes, Eilertson, Whitsett and Valade will attend Kalamazoo College. Sackett and Briggs will attend Western Michigan University’s Bronson School of Nursing.

Family Science Night Fun Brings Community to K

Posted on June 5, 2023December 14, 2023

Students participate in Family Science Night — Kalamazoo College students demonstrate how oranges can be used to pop balloons during Family Science Night.

Family Science Night 14 (2) — K students helped K-12 students explore density by using oil, water and Alka-Seltzer to make lava lamps.

About 160 community members, consisting of kindergartners through 12^th graders and their families, came to campus to engage with fun, hands-on experiments at Family Science Night on May 18, hosted by students from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Biology at Kalamazoo College.

The Family Science Night “Science Surrounds Us,” conducted at Dow Science Center and supported by funding from the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement, featured 15 interactive science booths with 39 undergraduate student volunteers and a four-student planning committee, consisting of Crystal Mendoza ’23, Elizabeth Wang ’23, Maxwell Rhames ’25 and Onora Lancaster ’23. The event gave K students the opportunity to practice their science communication skills while nurturing children’s interest in the sciences.

K students showed Family Science Night attendees how to make DNA bracelets using the DNA sequences from various animals.

K students showed taught community members about the life cycle of plants by planting herb seeds for kids to take home.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Josie Mitchell joined the faculty at K last fall and had been thinking since about ways she could connect her students with the community. Science outreach events with K-12 students had been the way she loved doing similar community engagement as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“One of the skills I hope my students develop is to be able to communicate the scientific concepts they learn about in class in an exciting and accessible way to the public,” Mitchell said. “As students planned their science booths, we talked about the scientific topic each group hoped to convey and then designed hands-on experiments that K-12 students would do. Ultimately, we all learn better and have more fun when we’re actually doing something versus being told about it.”

Stickers helped K-12 students keep track of which experiments they saw — Kids used stickers in a Family Science Night passport to keep track of which experiment stations they visited.

K students assist community members — · K students showed Family Science Night attendees how to extract the iron content from cereal using magnets

Students tend to a booth showing homemade volcanoes — K students helped community members investigate acid/base chemistry with baking soda and vinegar to make mini-volcanoes.

The K students developed ideas using household ingredients that ranged from experiments such as creating miniature volcanoes with baking soda and vinegar, exploring the freezing point of water by making ice cream and learning about the life cycle of plants by planting herbs, to creative activities such as removing the iron from cereal with magnets, extracting DNA from strawberries and investigating rubber polymers by using oranges to pop balloons.

“The planning committee and I worked together with groups to hone their scientific concept and think creatively about how students could get their hands wet and learn through experimentation,” Mitchell said. “For example, one group was learning about acids and bases. There is a chemical in red cabbage called anthocyanin that serves as a pH indicator and it will change color depending on how acidic or basic the solution is. K students prepared a red cabbage pH indicator solution and then had K-12 students add it into acidic and basic solutions and observe a color change. Many of the parents would also engage with the science booths, and I believe events like this can bring out the inner child-like curiosity in all of us.”

Family Science Night attendees explored protein folding using a computer program and origami.

Family Science Night 9 — K students taught K-12 students and parents about genetics through taste inheritance by using a PTC test.

The K community made the night possible with involvement from the planning stages all the way through cleanup after the event.

“We had a lot of help, especially with funding from the Center for Civic Engagement and donated prize items from K Admissions and the K Bookstore,” Mitchell said. “I communicated with (CCE Director) Alison Geist throughout the planning stages, and (Associate Director for Community Partnerships) Teresa Denton tapped into the CCE’s amazing network of local schools and programs to invite community members to the event.”

Student organizations such as Sisters in Science and the College’s chapter of the American Chemical Society also assisted.

“I think our student involvement was the most rewarding part,” Mitchell said. “I’ve already known how amazing our students are, but they went above and beyond to make this event possible. I wanted to start smaller and more focused this year to see how it went, and next year I would love to invite other K students from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines to host a booth.”

Family Science Night 4 — K students showed Family Science Night attendees how to test the pH of household items using cabbage water.

K students helped K-12 students explore density by using oil, water and Alka-Seltzer to make lava lamps.

Family Science Night 13 — K students taught community members how to extract DNA from strawberries during Family Science Night.

Family Science Night Experiments

Magnetic Munchies: extracting iron content in cereal using magnets
Fold It: exploring protein folding using a computer program and origami
Dancing Drawings: learning about density by watching dry erase drawings float
Butterfly Wings: creating colorful butterflies using coffee filter paper chromatography
Mini Volcanoes: investigating acid/base chemistry with baking soda and vinegar
Strawberry DNA: extracting DNA from strawberries
Ice Cream: exploring the freezing-point of water by making ice cream
The Lifecycle of Plants: planting herb seeds and taking them home to watch them grow
Magic Milk: investigating polarity of molecules using milk, food coloring and detergent
Lava Lamps: exploring density using oil, water and Alka-Seltzer to make lava lamps
Oranges and Balloons: investigating rubber polymers using oranges to pop balloons
Bitter or Bland: exploring the genetics of taste inheritance using a PTC test
DNA Bracelets: making DNA bracelets using the DNA sequence from various animals
Acid or Base: testing the pH of various household items using cabbage water as a pH indicator
Spies in Disguise, Invisible Ink: learning about acid/base chemistry by writing hidden messages

Volunteer Feedback

“I had so much fun running this booth and it was fun to be able to teach kids about chemistry. I feel like everything was running smoothly with some rush of people, but it was manageable.”
“This was a wonderful time! I heard phenomenal things from parents as they came out!”
“I had so much fun and would love to do it again! I loved seeing all of their reactions to our volcanoes!”

Parent Feedback

“The Family Science Night was absolutely wonderful. My children had the best time! My son is very interested in science, but my daughter has approached it more cautiously, although last night really made her more interested in it so I am grateful to you all!”

Graduating Senior Earns First Sherbin Fellowship, 10 Months Abroad

Posted on May 27, 2023July 17, 2024

A new fellowship established by alumnus Robert Sherbin ’79 and named after his father, Jerry, is giving its first Kalamazoo College graduating senior a chance to go overseas for 10 months while exploring a subject of deep personal interest.

To fulfill her fellowship, Elle Waldron ’23—a women, gender and sexuality (WGS) major—will visit a variety of feminist and gender-equity organizations to witness the tools and strategies they use to execute their work and complete their goals.

“Having this opportunity to travel and continue my education is a special way to be able to see other perspectives,” Waldron said. “It affirms that it’s possible for me to continue to follow my passions of WGS and gender equity work because people are working in those fields in their careers.”

Assuming her plans develop as proposed, she will travel to Australia, South Africa, Costa Rica and Spain beginning in late August or early September. Through that she will regularly update Sherbin, the College and the Center for International Programs (CIP) on her progress. In fall 2024, she will return to K to present her experiences to prospective fellowship applicants.

Waldron said she felt overwhelmed when she first was notified that she was selected for the fellowship.

“It felt unreal and now I’m super excited,” she said. “I think part of the excitement is being able to challenge myself and push my comfort zone. I feel like this will change the trajectory of my post-grad experience.”

Waldron was one of seven applicants and three finalists in the fellowship’s first year. The other finalists were Zoe Reyes ’23, who planned to study eco-poetry on medicinal plants in biodiversity hotspots; and Shannon Brown ’23, who proposed investigating the social status of French-based creoles in the Caribbean.

Waldron “had a lot of attention to detail with her application and showed she’s aware of how she would be perceived in places as an outsider while being amenable to how she could navigate those kinds of situations,” said Lizbeth Mendoza Pineda ’16, the Sherbin Fellowship CIP liaison and a co-chair of the fellowship’s selection committee. “She also recognizes that she’s only going to be abroad for a short amount of time, yet she’s trying to make as much of an impact and learn as much as possible, while making sure that whatever work she accomplishes is sustainable. I think that’s something that impressed the committee.”

Sherbin Fellow Elle Waldron — Elle Waldron ’23 will spend 10 months abroad as the first recipient of the Jerry Sherbin Fellowship, funded by Bob Sherbin ’79.

Sherbin participated in study abroad at K by traveling to the University of Nairobi, where he was one of just six undergrads from the U.S. and the only K student.

Later, as a senior, he received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, an external grant through the Watson Foundation, that allowed him to create and follow through with a one-year project overseas. With that he spent a year in Central and West Africa as a Watson Fellow, conducting a sociological study of long-distance truck drivers. Sherbin said the experience was transformative and guided him toward graduate school at Northwestern University, years spent as an international journalist, and eventually, working as the vice president of corporate communications at NVIDIA, a Silicon Valley-based technology company.

Waldron had her own study abroad experience in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for six months last year.

“I was lucky to have a study abroad experience that allowed me to be comfortable in a space that I wasn’t familiar with because I was supported and had friends in the program,” Waldron said. “Because of that, I recognized my own skills and ability to adapt. With K providing that foundation, I feel I have a fantastic ability to investigate things abroad.”

Now, she hopes those investigations will yield long-term relationships with people from around the world and allow her to consult those people regularly in the future. She would also like it to help her become a better critical thinker and define feminism from a global perspective as it’s influenced by a variety of historical and cultural contexts.

“I think as a WGS major and as an individual, I’m interested in how gender and sexuality structures the world around me,” Waldron said. “But for me, getting out of academia is a bit of a leap, because I’m not sure how to apply all these things that I have learned. I want to work on projects that pursue gender equity and find out how to be the most effective. That’s why I’m interested in this project. I want to see what other new worlds women and people are creating, because I want to see them in my own career.”

Students Launch ‘This Is Public Health’ Campaign

Posted on May 23, 2023September 17, 2024

If you’re not sure what public health encompasses or what its workers do, you’re not alone, and an awareness campaign from a Kalamazoo College class aims to change that.

“This is Public Health at K,” adapted from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, is being launched by K’s Issues in Public Health class, taught by Dr. Khadija Brumblay.

Students in the class said jointly, “Dr. Brumblay’s class has impacted our perception of public health and public health workers. We hope to expand that understanding to K students to help them realize how public health impacts their daily lives.”

Public health promotes well-being through education and advocacy, protects health through policy and legislation, and prevents illnesses, diseases and injuries. It includes things as varied as speed limit signs, ergonomic chairs, trash cans, sewage systems, vaccine developments and campaigns, water sanitation, mental health prevention, diet and physical exercise education, tobacco taxation and national surveys that monitor health.

Its workers are community workers who visit homes to engage with people, their families and entire communities. They organize education campaigns, develop sexual-education curriculum and cancer screening campaigns. They collect pond and rain water, soil and animal droppings to identify the causes and risk factors for diseases, while predicting and modeling the occurrence and trends of diseases, illnesses and injuries. They promote planting trees and encourage people to use seat belts while driving and helmets while biking.

No matter who they are or what they do, “public health workers are advocates for various communities who work in pursuit of a healthier, more equitable society that prioritizes the well-being of all,” the class said.

About 100 years ago, about half of all the babies born in the U.S. didn’t live past their first year. A century of interventions as simple as hand washing have pushed overall life expectancy from 40 to 78 years in the U.S. That is the might of public health.

Issues in Public Health class — Cameron, Danielle, Lizbeth, Jessica, Emma, Sofia, Sophia F., Sophia H, Jonathan, Amelia, Mahum, Vanita, Elizabeth, Sophia L, Onora, Lindsey, Addison, Leslie, Thea, Megan, Nate, Rachel and Hana are students in the Issues in Public Health Class.

Image provides a QR code for K's 'This Is Public Health' campaign

These positive trends are observed worldwide. But significant inequities between countries and between communities in the same countries remain due to the socio-demographic, economic and political hierarchies in our societies. In Kalamazoo, infant mortality is much greater for Black children than white children. Equity and access to opportunities are therefore at the center of all public health efforts.

Unfortunately, for the first time in human history, life expectancy is declining due to a combination of deaths of despair such as opioid overdoses, suicides and the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of recent developments, including vaccine hesitancy and reduced trust in science and the medical profession, it is important to pause and appreciate public health for its central role in human health and well-being.

You can help by spreading the word. Talk to your friends, share links and hashtags (#ThisIsPublicHealthatK) from the campaign, and like and comment on social media posts.

As the College’s motto is lux esto, or be light, “public health is the light leading us to a brighter future,” the class said.

From the Class

Health is more than just a hospital with doctors and shots. Please take a moment to skim this information and gain a better understanding of both the different forms that public health takes on and how they have manifested on our campus. It should be said that you can advocate for further efforts toward supporting any of these forms of public health on our campus. To make changes in the health of this campus, you must first understand it, so we hope this infographic and other supporting information provides some of the knowledge to support utilization and even expansion of public health care at K.

Our Why

This campaign’s goal is to increase awareness and understanding of what public health is and how it impacts all facets of daily life. Public health is the promotion of healthy living by education to prevent injuries and illnesses. How can we impact the attitudes of K students to identify what makes public health important to them at a personal level and then at the community level? Furthermore, this campaign will generate critical thinking of where Kalamazoo College may need help. This will benefit the College’s public health approach. We want to be a part of the larger picture and be a model institution.

The Original ‘This Is Public Health’ Campaign

The This Is Public Health Campaign divides the campaign into three areas: prevention, impact, and equity & justice. Impact is one of its standout qualities and it speaks to the CGHL 210- Issues in Public Health class. Preventing disease and injury starts with education and acknowledging where the inequities occur that lead to health disparities. This Is Public Health campaign is run by Association of Schools and Programs of Health to raise awareness and meet students where they’re at. Various modes of technology and advertisement includes news articles, social media, books, and podcasts. Most resources on the campaign websites are created and promoted by student teams and classes. This Is Public Health centers self-advocacy and agency of students to gain a stronger presence in all areas of public health.

'This is public health' graphic lists categories including reproductive health, mental health, injury, equity, health ethics, misinformation, environment, spirituality, physical health, emergency, individual action and policy and built environment

K’s Banner Year Elates Faculty, NSF Fellows

Posted on May 19, 2023December 14, 2023

Kalamazoo College STEM-related academic departments are celebrating a banner year as the overall number of current students and alumni receiving National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate research fellowships reaches four, the most since 2016.

The Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) recognizes and supports outstanding students who pursue research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. A five-year fellowship covers three years of financial support, including an annual stipend and a cost-of-education allowance to attend an institution along with access to professional-development opportunities.

About 2,000 applicants are offered a fellowship per NSF competition in fields such as chemistry, biology, psychology, physics and math. This is the first year since 2013 that two current K students, Claire Kvande ’23 and Mallory Dolorfino ’23, have earned awards. Two alumni also have earned fellowships, Cavan Bonner ’21 and Angel Banuelos ’21.

“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is a highly competitive program that is only awarded to about 16% of the applicants, who represented more than 15,000 undergraduates and graduate students across all STEM fields,” Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Assistant Professor of Chemistry Blakely Tresca said. “Approximately 2,500 awards were offered this year across all STEM fields and the vast majority of them go to students at large research universities and Ivy League schools. It is rare to see more than one or two awards at an undergraduate-focused college, particularly at a small liberal arts school like K. It is exceptional for schools in the GLCA (Great Lakes Colleges Association) to have one award in a year, and four awards is a truly outstanding accomplishment for these students.”

Claire Kvande ’23

Kvande has been a double major in physics and chemistry with minors in math and French at K. She credits faculty members such as Dow Distinguished Professor of Natural Science Jan Tobochnik and Associate Professor of Physics David Wilson, along with a wide range of courses, for preparing her to receive an NSF fellowship.

“I like the nitty gritty of sitting down and figuring out how to approach a problem within physics even though it’s often hard,” she said. “I really like work that is grounded in real-world problems and it’s part of why I’m interested in the subfield of condensed matter. There’s a lot that stands to be applied to technologies that I think could improve our world and help a lot of people.”

Kvande will attend the University of Washington this fall, where she plans to extend her Senior Integrated Project (SIP) work, which examined how charge-density waves relate to superconductivity within condensed matter.

“Superconductivity is a tantalizing physics concept,” she said. “If we could realize superconductivity at room temperature, it would allow us to do a lot with energy saving and revolutionize how we use electricity. There are schools of thought that say charge-density waves would be helpful in achieving that and others that say it would be hurtful. Since we really don’t know how superconductivity works, this is worth investigating so we can hopefully better understand this powerful phenomenon.”

NSF fellow Claire Kvande presenting her SIP — Claire Kvande ’23 will attend graduate school at the University of Washington as a National Science Foundation fellow.

Mallory Dolorfino ’23

Dolorfino, a computer science and math double major, also will attend the University of Washington, where they will pursue a doctorate in math.

“I didn’t really like math until I came to K,” Dolorfino said. “I took calculus in high school and I was just not going to take any more in college until one of my senior friends told me when I was a first-year student to take linear algebra. I took that and Calculus 3 online during the first COVID term and I just kept doing math, so I switched my major. It’s not like other subjects because you can work for hours and not get anything done. That’s frustrating at times, but it’s fun to understand it enough to prove things logically.”

Dolorfino credits several faculty members for their growth and success at K, leading to their NSF opportunity. They include Tresca, who helped students keep track of their NSF application timelines and materials; Associate Professor of Mathematics Michele Intermont, who provided letters of recommendation and application assistance for research opportunities and graduate school; and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Stephen Oloo, who provided invaluable feedback regarding their research proposal and many conversations about math.

Dolorfino remains in contact with a professor they worked with in a math-focused study abroad program in Budapest. The two of them conducted a monthlong research project in algebraic number theory, which is a foundation in applications such as encryption and bar codes. Their NSF application proposes group theory work, which is what she based some research on last summer at Texas State University. They hope their NSF work will help them become a college professor one day. “There are a lot of math institutions on the West Coast and specifically in the Northwest, so I will have really good connections there,” said Dolorfino, who agreed the award is an honor. “I was grateful for the people at K who helped me apply.”

NSF fellow Mallory Dolorfino — Mallory Dolorfino ’23 will attend graduate school at the University of Washington as an NSF fellow.

Cavan Bonner ’21

Bonner has spent the past two years working as a research staff member in industrial and organizational psychology at Purdue University. His NSF fellowship will take him to another Big Ten school.

“My area of research involves personality development and how personality changes over the lifespan,” he said. “It’s a pretty small sub field and there are only a few doctoral programs where you can study the topic with an expert. The University of Illinois is one of them.”

Bonner further hopes the fellowship will propel his career toward a tenure-track job at a research university. He said K helped prepare him well for that trajectory through a broad range of subjects, not only in psychology, but in adjacent fields such as sociology and statistics. Bonner also credits his experience working as a research assistant for Ann V. and Donald R. Parfet Distinguished Professor of Psychology Gary Gregg, and Associate Professor of Psychology Brittany Liu for training him in skills that he frequently uses in his research work after graduation.

“I was drawn to personality psychology because it provides an integrative framework to study many of the research questions I have about human development, aging and change over time,” Bonner said. “My SIP and research assistant experiences at K helped me realize that I could address these questions from a personality perspective, but my professors also exposed me to so many other fields and perspectives that inform my research. I primarily identify as a personality and developmental psychologist, but ultimately I hope that this fellowship helps me contribute to the broader science of aging and development.”

Portrait of Cavan Bonner — Cavan Bonner ’21 will attend the University of Illinois as an NSF fellow.

Angel Banuelos ’21

Banuelos, a biology major and anthropology/sociology minor at K, is in his second year at the University of Wisconsin, where he said he studies genetics—specifically the construction of the vertebrate brain and face—under an amazing mentor, Professor Yevgenya Grinblat.

“Live beings are built by cells that are informed by DNA,” Banuelos said. “At the beginning of embryonic development, the cells split into groups. One of those groups is called the neural crest cells. Those cells go on to contribute to a whole bunch of things such as pigment cells in the skin, and cartilage and bones in the face. My project is trying to understand how neural crest cells contribute to stabilizing the very first blood vessels of the developing eye.”

Ultimately, when his graduate work is finished, he would like to steer his career towards education.

NSF fellow Angel Banuelos in the lab — Angel Banuelos ’21, a newly-named NSF fellow, is in his second year of graduate school at the University of Wisconsin.

“I would like to bring research opportunities to people who don’t have higher education experience,” Banuelos said. “I would imagine starting with programs for middle schoolers, then high schoolers and adult learners. I want to be part of research addressing community problems and conducted by the people who live there.”

Banuelos credits inspiration for his career goals to the many mentors he had at K. Natalia Carvalho-Pinto, former director of the intercultural center, and Amy Newday, who provided guidance in food and farming justice, served as role models for applying theory to meet material needs.

“In my NSF application, I described meeting community needs as a central component of my scholarship,” he said. “Natalia and Amy are people who literally fed me while I was at K. They saw the student and the human. They handed me books, handed me plates, even welcomed my family. During a very difficult transition to grad school, they were there for me. When I’m a professor, I want to be like them. I’m grateful for the growth opportunities I had at K through the Intercultural Center and food and farming.”

‘It doesn’t happen every year’

Faculty members as a whole across STEM departments are taking great pride in these K representatives earning fellowships as it speaks to the quality of students at the College and their studies, especially as the number of recipients stands out.

“At K, it is exciting when even a single student wins a fellowship, and it certainly doesn’t happen every year,” Professor of Physics Tom Askew said. “It’s special to have four in one year.”

K Honors 29 Senior Leadership Award Recipients

Posted on May 16, 2023May 6, 2025

A total of 29 students known for their invaluable contributions to the Kalamazoo College community were honored Friday, May 12, at the annual Senior Leadership Recognition Awards.

The seniors represent talented athletes, outstanding academic performers, members of the President’s Student Ambassadors and student-organization standouts. Here are the honorees:

Litzy Bahena, nominated by Danielle Turner of Residential Life
Violet Crampton, nominated by Hunter Magrum of Residential Life
Kylah Davis, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors
Katia Duoibes, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Riley Gabriel and Felicia Ford of the Center for Civic Engagement
Jazmyne Fannings, nominated by Alaq Zghayer of Intercultural Student Life and Jon Collier of Student Activities
Peter Fitzgerald, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors
Yoichi Haga, nominated by Noriko Sugimori and Brian White of the Department of Japanese
Kate Haywood, nominated by Pam Cutter of the Department of Computer Science
Isabella Kirchgessner, nominated by Sara Stockwood and Binney Girdler of Environmental Stewardship and Environmental Studies
Claire Kvande, nominated by Jan Tobochnik of the Department of Physics
Milan Levy, nominated by Nat Markech of Student Activities and Alaq Zghayer of Intercultural Student Life
DaShawn Meeks, nominated by Alaq Zghayer of Intercultural Student Life; Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors; and Jon Collier of Student Activities
Crystal Mendoza, nominated by Daniela Arias-Rotondo, Jeff Bartz and Regina Stevens-Truss of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Aleksandr Molchagin, nominated by Alyce Brady of the Department of Computer Science
Maheen Mulligan, nominated by Jon Collier of Student Activities
Justin Negrete, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors
Stefan Nielsen, nominated by Jeffrey Haus of the Department of History and Jewish Studies
Gunzi Otj, nominated by Nat Markech of Student Activities and Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors
Alexis Petty, nominated by Women’s Soccer Coach Bryan Goyings
Noah Prentice, nominated by Kathryn Sederberg of the Department of German Studies
Andrew Puckett, nominated by Cyndy Garcia-Weyandt of Critical Ethnic Studies
Milagros Robelo, nominated by Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Riley Gabriel and Felicia Ford of the Center for Civic Engagement
Alex Stolberg, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors
Suja Thakali, nominated by Daniela Arias-Rotondo, Jeff Bartz and Regina Stevens-Truss of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Chilotam Urama, nominated by Patrik Hultberg and Darshana Udayanganie of the Department of Economics and Business, and Ryan Patterson of Residential Life
Elizabeth Wang, nominated by Regina Stevens-Truss of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ryley White, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors, and Alison Geist, Teresa Denton, Riley Gabriel and Felicia Ford, of the Center for Civic Engagement
Christian Zeitvogel, nominated by Kathryn Sederberg of the Department of German
Nathaniel Zona, nominated by Sandy Dugal, coordinator of President’s Student Ambassadors