Category: Students

Dean’s List Spring 2018

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Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the spring 2018 academic term.

Students on the quad for spring 2018 dean's list
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the spring 2018 dean’s list.

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 Dean’s List upon receipt of the final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group of nearly 500 students, and good luck to the rising sophomores, juniors and seniors in fall term 2018.

Spring 2018

A  B   C  D  E  F   G   H   I   J  K   L   M  N   O  P   Q  R   S   T   U   V  W   X   Y   Z

A

Maddy  Adams
Alejandro Alaniz
Michelle Alba
Jazzmyn Albarran
Allegra Allgeier
Tyler Allyn-White
Max Ambs
Lukia Artemakis
George-Joseph Asher
Avani Ashtekar
Meredith Ashton
Max Aulbach
Juan Avila

B

Julia Bachmann
Andrew Backer
Nicki Bailey
Heather Banet
Angel Banuelos
Eli Barker
Lilly Baumann
Quentin Baur
Grace Beck
Sage Benner
Kate Bennett
Brigette Berke
Owen Bersot
Dominic Bertollini
Brad Bez
Daniel Bidwell
Dan Black
Elliott Boinais
Jake Bonifacio
Cavan Bonner
Rachel Bovey
Emily Boyle
Jada Brown
Caroline Brown
Autumn Buhl
Jane Bunch
Madison Butler

C

Alex Cadigan
Abby Calef
Mackenzie Callahan
Lluvia Camarena
Madeleine Camilli
Madison Campbell
Paloma Campillo
Christopher Cao
Angel Caranna
Cate Carlberg
Shannon Carley
Charles Carson
Kebra Cassells
Marissa Castellana
James Castleberry
Karen Ceballos-Pineda
Kit Charlton
Sharmeen Chauhdry
Deana Chavarria
Sherry Chen
Tapiwa Chikungwa
Liza Chinchilakashvili
Nutsa Chinchilakashvili
Belinda Chipayi
Iffat Chowdhury
Justin Christopher-Moody
Qynce Chumley
Yoensuk Chung
Hannah Clark
Isabelle Clark
Chris Coburn
Nyima Coleman
MaryClare Colombo
Carmen Compton
Noah Coplan
Valentina Cordero
Chase Coselman
Austin Cramer
John Crane
Karli Crouch
Alex Cruz
Ethan Cuka
Cara Cunningham
Peter Czajkowski

D

Wentao Dai
Sela Damer-Daigle
Addie Dancer
Anuja Dandekar
Minh Dang
Elan Dantus
Shayaan Dar
Steven Davis
Amelia Davis
Adam Decker
Gina DeGraaf
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Katia Dermott
Christy Diaz
Abby Dickstein
Tuan Do
Julia Dobry
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Amelia Donohoe
Austin Duff
Will Duffield
Alexa Dulmage
Zach DuMont
Lotte Dunnell
Thao Duong

E

Adam Edery
Emma Eisenbeis
Jenna Ellis
Abe Ellison
Anna Emenheiser
Sarah Eringaard
Emily Eringaard
Lia Evangelista

F

Anders Finholt
Natalie Fisher
Matthew Flotemersch
Abigail Flowers
Benjamin Forhan
Cj Foster
Monet Foster
Talea Fournier
Maria Franco
Ian Freshwater

G

Riley Gabriel
Anna Gambetta
Andre’ Gard
Amanda Gardner
Camden Gardner
Charlotte Gavin
Sarah Gerendasy
Carina Ghafari
Malak Ghazal
Camille Giacobone
Josh Gibson
Matthew Giguere
Hannah Ginsberg
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Sophia Goebel
Abhay Goel
Amir Golshan Tafti
Emily Good
Kaitlyn Gordon
Monica Gorgas
Konah Gourlay
Shadaijah Grandberry-Payton
Connor Grant
Ryan Graves
Jordan Gray
Anthony Grayson
Claire Greening
Stanton Greenstone
Preston Grossling
Gelinda Guo
Cristina Guzman

H

Alex Hale
Emily Hamel
Griffin Hamel
Caryn Hannapel
Kelly Hansen
Martin Hansknecht
Val Harding
Haley Harris
Kelly Haugland
Mara Hazen
Kaylee Henderson
Maeve Hening
Mei Mei Hensler
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Maya Hernandez
Sam Hicks
Sophie Higdon
Sophia Hill
Kento Hirakawa
Sam Hoehle
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Aly Homminga
Audrey Honig
Shelby Hopper
Taylor Horton
Josephine Hosner
Annabelle Houghton
Matt Howrey
Kaspar Hudak
Ellie Hughes
Ayla Hull
Destiny Hutcherson
Li Li Huynh

I

Ayami Iijima
Shannon Irvine
Bradley Iseri

J

Sadie Jackson
Sam Jacobsen
Aliyah Jamaluddin
Eric Janowiak
Danielle Janowicz
Alejandro Jaramillo
Hanna Jeung
Jade Jiang
Qiwei Jiang
Ben Johanski
Kelly Johnson
Katherine Johnson
Emily Johnston
Lisa Johnston
Jackson Jones
Madeline Jump

K

Liza Kahn
Claire Kalina
Amani Karim
Grace Karrip
Maria Katrantzi
Joe Keller
Christina Keramidas
Hannah Kerns
Gyeongho Kim
Min Soo Kim
Sky Kim
Sarah Kleppe
Nick Klepser
Ryan Knight
Elizabeth Knox
Hannah Kowalski
Ethan Krasman
Kate Kreiss
Matthew Krinock
Charlie Krone
John Kunec

L

Megan Lacombe
Mackenzie Landman
Zoe Larson
Madeline Lauver
Binny Lee
Darryl Lewis
Alison Lilla
Lucy Liu
Rosella LoChirco
Molly Logsdon
Sara Lonsberry
Chloe Love
Nick Ludka
Emily Lulkin

M

Rachel Madar
Teresa Madden
Sam Maddox
Alicia Madgwick
Madisyn Mahoney
Merrick Manchester
Marshall Marcero
Zoey Mark
Natalie Markech
Cydney Martell
Sophia Martin
Kathryn Martin
Thibaut Martinon
Barthelemy Martinon
CJ Martonchik
Maximo Mazeiro
Nick McCabe
Kevin McCarty
Abby McDonough
Miles McDowall
Maygan McGuire
Ian McKnight
Isabel McLaughlin
Keelin McManus
Clayton Meldrum
Ben Meschke
Ana Mesenbring
Nate Micallef
Daniel Michelin
Namfon Miller
Chelsea Miller
Beth Mitchell
Mina Mkrtchian
Ethel Mogilevsky
Faizan Mohammed
Jake Mooradian
Cesareo Moreno
Tamara Morrison
Amanda Moss
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Libby Munoz
Jessa Murshak
Hannah Muscara

N

Yukiko Nakano
Jacob Naranjo
Sara Nelson
Kyle Neuner
Eli Neuner
Kelly Nickelson
Niko Nickson
Sara Nixon
Rosemarie Nocita
Carmen Nogueron
Jonathan Nord
Brooke Nosanchuk
Ian Nostrant
Max Novick

O

Joab Odero
Evan O’Donnell
Abigail O’Keefe
Ryan Orr
Michelle Orta

P

Karina Pantoja
James Paprocki
Boemin Park
Khusbu Patel
Jefferson Patrell
Cayla Patterson
Caleb Patton
Meera Patwardhan
Helen Pelak
Calder Pellerin
Victoria Penman-Lomeli
Jessica Penny
Allie Periman
Sean Peterkin
Matthew Peters
Emma Peters
Nhi Phan
Sarah Pobuda
Priya Pokorzynski
Karen Portillo
Arianna Prater
Zach Prystash

Q

Daniel Qin
Yilan Qiu
Jorence Quiambao
Abdullah Qureshi

R

Ari Raemont
Sagar Rafai
Hannah Rainaldi
Andrea Ramirez
Mona Ramirez Quinones
Sam Ratliff
Zack Ray
Tori Regan
Jordan Reichenbach
Erin Reilly
Mili Renuart
Sam Rice
Gabriel Rice
Cecilia Ringo
Sage Ringsmuth
Laken Rivet
Skylar Rizzolo
Molly Roberts
Danna Robles-Garcia
Angelica Rodriguez
Becca Rogers
Brynn Rohde
Daniela Rojas
Anna Roodbergen
Justin Roop
Ryan Ross
Melanie Ross-Acuna
Avery Rothrock
Maelle Rouquet
Orly Rubinfeld
Angela Ruiz
Tim Rutledge
Conor Ryan

S

Amber Salome
Tanush Samson
Garrett Sander
Danielle Sarafian
Fumiyasu Satoyama
Nehe Scarborough
Dana Schau
Anselm Scheck
Kim Schmidt
Nick Schneider
Emma Schneider
Nicholas Schneider
Hannah Scholten
Trenton Schrader
Pete Schultz
Jd Seablom
Sharif Shaker
Yasi Shaker
Reagan Shapton
Allison Shaw
Drew Sheckell
Tianqi Shen
Jenna Sherman
Hannah Shiner
Arun Shrestha
Josie Sibley
Nate Silverman
Manveer Singh
Alexander Sitner
Sharon Situ
Asia Smith
Ben Smith
Erin Smith
Jack Smith
Maggie Smith
Michael Smith
Adam Snider
Meagan Soffin
Youngtae Song
Sophie Spencer
Kalista Stanger
Gabriel Stanley
Katelyn Steele
Grace Stier
Claudia Stroupe
Shelby Suseland
Savannah Sweeney

T

Jack Tagget
William Tait
Hanna Teasley
Tommy Teftsis
Subi Thakali
Audrey Thomas
Natalie Thompson
Dustin Tibbetts
Paige Tobin
Diana Toj-Ortiz
Jane Toll
Alayna Tomlinson
Emma Toomey
Melanie Torres
Caitlin Tremewan
Uyen Trinh
Sydney Troost
Lydia Turke

U

Lexi Ugelow
Amanda Ullrick

V

Emma Valencia
Clara Valenti
Cynthia Valentin
Adriana Vance
Joshua Vance
Zach VanFaussien
Taylor VanWinkle
Carter Vespi
Tejas Vettukattil
Liam VosWilliams

W

Sean Walsh
Preston Wang-Stosur-Bassett
Maya Wanner
Claire Ward
Madeline Ward
Mary Warner
Lesli Washington
Rachel Wasserman
Eleri Watkins
Maija Weaver
Zhi Nee Wee
Ailih Weeldreyer
Haley Wentz
Ehren White
Sarah Whitfield
Annarosa Whitman
Nora Wichmann
Jordan Wiley
Brooklyn Willett
Kiavanne Williams
Clay Wilms
Meg Wilson
Maddy Winarski
Ryan Witczak
Emily Wittman
Marjorie Wolfe
Bailey Woods
Julia Woods
Tori Wright

X

Cindy Xiao

Y

Noa Yaakoby
Kimberly Yang
Ethan Young
Ynika Yuag
Austin Yunker
Adre Yusi

Z

Julie Zabik
Kaylin Zajac
Alaq Zghayer

Class of 2018 Celebrates Commencement June 17

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Kalamazoo College’s 2018 Commencement will take place at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 17, on the campus Quad. A total of 318 members of the class of 2018 are expected to participate in the ceremony with biology, business, psychology and chemistry representing the most popular majors.

Class of 2018 Commencement 2
Kalamazoo College will conduct its Commencement ceremony June 17. A total of 318 members of the class of 2018 are expected to participate.

Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez will welcome graduates along with about 2,000 family members and friends, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and community members.

This year’s class includes:

  • 197 Michiganders;
  • students from 26 states including Illinois, California, Washington, Florida and Massachusetts;
  • students from 14 countries including China, Vietnam and India; and
  • 93 double majors and three triple majors.

Rain Location

If inclement weather forces the ceremony indoors, it will take place at Anderson Athletic Center, where tickets will be required for entry. Each senior will receive five tickets that will be distributed at the mandatory senior rehearsal at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 14. No extra tickets will be issued. If events are forced indoors, graduating students will receive an email around 9 a.m. Sunday with that information. Such an announcement would also be made at K’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Commencement Parking

All faculty, staff and student parking lots will be available to families and guests. Click the link with the title of each lot below to see its location on our interactive map.

Vehicles must be parked in marked stalls. Permits are only required for handicapped spaces. If you choose to park in a surrounding neighborhood, please note all posted regulations, which are maintained by the City of Kalamazoo.

Handicapped Guests and Parking

Limited handicapped parking spaces are clearly marked and available throughout campus, both on streets near campus buildings and in campus lots. Handicapped spaces are reserved for vehicles with a state permit.

Due to limited handicapped parking, a designated drop-off area will be available on Campus Drive in front of Hoben Hall, accessible from Academy Street. Families may drop off guests for barrier-free access to the Quad before finding parking elsewhere on campus.

A designated seating area will be available for guests in wheelchairs on the northeast side of the Hicks Center. Families with guests in wheelchairs who would like to reserve seating in this area should contact Kerri Barker at 269.337.7289 or kerri.barker@kzoo.edu. Guests in wheelchairs who wish to sit with their entire party elsewhere on the Quad may do so.

Barrier-free restrooms are available at Olds Upton Hall at the south side of the building, near the main entrance at the Hicks Center, and in Stetson Chapel at the south side of the building.

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker for the class of 2018 Deborah Bial
Deborah Bial, the Posse Foundation’s president and founder, will address the class of 2018.

K will celebrate its relationship with the acclaimed Posse Foundation when it welcomes the organization’s president and founder, Deborah Bial, as its commencement keynote speaker.

Posse gives talented, high-achieving students from urban public schools the opportunity to attend top colleges and universities on tuition scholarships while ensuring they have a support group to help them navigate the cultural challenges of a new landscape.

Kalamazoo College has partnered with the Posse Foundation since 2008. K’s sixth cohort of Los Angeles Posse students will graduate this year. Its 10th cohort will arrive on campus as first-year students this fall.

Bial earned her B.A. at Brandeis University and her M.A. and Ed.D. at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She received a MacArthur Fellowship award in 2007.

Class of 2018 Student Speaker

Elyse Tuennerman, a sociology and anthropology major with a public policy and urban affairs concentration, is the student speaker.

Elyse Tuennerman Class of 2018
Elyse Tuennerman will serve as the class of 2018 student speaker.

Tuennerman, of Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania, is a Senior Leadership Recognition Award recipient, the co-editor-in-chief of the student newspaper The Index, the office coordinator for the Student Funding Board and an Admission tour guide. She served as a President’s Student Ambassador for her sophomore through senior years, giving the student keynote address at the 2017 President’s Community Breakfast last fall.

Tuennerman became a class agent during her senior year and will continue to serve in that leadership role as an alumna, keeping her classmates connected with the College.

Baccalaureate

Baccalaureate, a non-denominational service with student and faculty speakers and musical performances, will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at Stetson Chapel. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. A sound system will be set up outside of the chapel for overflow. Some guests choose to bring a blanket and relax on the lawn of the chapel.

Heyl Scholarship Winners Announced

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Eight students from Kalamazoo County high schools and one Kalamazoo College first-year student will receive Heyl scholarships to attend Kalamazoo College in the 2018-19 school year, majoring in math or science.Heyl Scholars

The prestigious scholarships, available to accomplished Kalamazoo-area math and science students who meet certain requirements, cover tuition, rooming and book fees. The scholarships were established in 1971 through the will of F.W. and Elsie L. Heyl. F.W. Heyl was the first director of research at the Upjohn Co. and taught at Kalamazoo College.

Honored at a dinner at the College, the scholarship winners are (from left): Evelyn Bartley (Loy Norrix High), Eva DeYoung (Loy Norrix High), Sam Ratliff (Kalamazoo College), Madeline Guimond (Loy Norrix High), Molly Ratliff (Loy Norrix High and Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center), Alina Offerman (Loy Norrix High), Syeda Tooba (Parchment High and Kalamazoo Area Math & Science Center), Tatianna Tyler (Kalamazoo Central High) and Thomas (Jake) Fales (Kalamazoo Central High).

Five other students received Heyl Scholarships to attend Western Michigan University’s Bronson School of Nursing.

Fulbright Allows Student to Retrace Her Heritage in Lithuania

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Imagine an opportunity to travel abroad, retrace your heritage, teach English in a foreign country, greet family you’ve never known and promote international understanding between cultures. Katie Johnson ’18 will have that opportunity through a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant that will take her to Lithuania this fall.

Katie Johnson Fulbright Lithuania
Katie Johnson ’18 developed a taste for international travel when she studied abroad in Budapest, Hungary. She liked the experience so much that she decided to apply for a Fulbright grant when she returned. That grant will take her this fall to Lithuania.

Johnson – a business major and psychology minor from Okemos, Michigan – has yet to receive the specific assignment that details her Fulbright destination city and school. She expects, however, to work in a rural village within about three hours of the capital, Vilnius.

Johnson will travel to Washington, D.C., for an orientation in July before heading to Lithuania in late August or September.

Kalamazoo College was identified as one of the top-producing Fulbright colleges and universities in the 2017-18 academic year. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to research, study or teach English abroad for one academic year.

Such recognition is one of the highest honors the federal government gives with regard to scholarship and international exchange. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected as a result of their academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields, to promote international understanding.

“I feel very fortunate to have attended K,” said Johnson, who has also served on the Athletic Leadership Council, received internships and held an externship at Ryzome Investment Advisors during her college years. “I don’t think I would’ve had these opportunities at another school.”

Johnson chose Kalamazoo College because attending would allow her to play for the women’s lacrosse team while still getting to study abroad. That led her during her junior year to Budapest, Hungary, where the people she met and the independence she gained shaped her world view and sparked her desire to seek more adventures.

“I got back from study abroad and I decided to apply for a Fulbright because I wanted to study abroad again,” Johnson said, noting she soon began a year-long application process. “I thought the opportunity to teach English was interesting. Plus, my grandfather is from Lithuania, and my grandma and great-grandma were teachers. It seemed like a great fit.”

Since then, Johnson has begun learning Lithuanian through her grandfather.

“It’s a hard language to pick up because only about 8 million people in the world speak it,” Johnson said, although she is attending a church in Chicago where the sermons are in Lithuanian and talking with friends who have traveled to Lithuania. She also has a best friend from Estonia with whom she bonds over a similar culture and family background including grandparents who immigrated to the United States for the same reasons.

“I’m going to go and hope for the best because I want to understand more about the Lithuanian culture and how it has changed since my grandpa arrived after World War II,” Johnson said.

Among recent K representatives receiving Fulbright grants, Johnson joins:

  • Andrea Beitel ’17, who earned a research/study award and is in the United Kingdom.
  • Riley Cook ’15, who earned a research/study award to travel to Germany.
  • Dejah Crystal ’17, who earned an English teaching assistantship in Taiwan.
  • Sapana Gupta ’17, who earned an English teaching assistantship in Germany.

Vegan Desserts Event Gives Students Hands-On Fun

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Being a student at Kalamazoo College means discovering new opportunities to get involved everywhere you look on campus, even where you eat.

vegan desserts
Baker Sarah Ross (right) talks with student Lezlie Lull as she points toward examples of the vegan banana cake and vegan/gluten-free black bean brownies students created May 10 during the vegan desserts event at Hicks Student Center.

Kalamazoo College Dining Services on Thursday offered students hands-on fun with a vegan desserts class taught by Sarah Ross, a Dining Services baker with 20 years of experience in the food-preparation industry.

Although Ross admitted she sometimes indulges in Greek yogurt or certain cheeses, she strives to maintain a vegan diet, occasionally finding baking or cooking ideas through family recipes and on the Internet. From there it’s a matter of increasing the ingredients in the right balances to find many of the dishes she serves to students.

Lezlie Lull, Rigel Bobadilla, Miranda Flores-Tirado and Shannon Carley participated in the class, learning to bake vegan banana cake and vegan/gluten-free black bean brownies from scratch. The desserts are easy enough to concoct at any off-campus apartment or on campus with the right supplies and tools. The students stirred, mixed, poured, folded, whisked, blended and processed until their delectable creations were complete.

vegan desserts
Students used ingredients such as black beans, salt, sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla to prepare vegan desserts.

Dining Services regularly offers engaging activities such as Random Acts of Yum, which provides students with free treats such as root beer floats; special Chef’s Table dinners featuring locally sourced and sustainable foods; and an emergency coffee truck during finals week. This, however, was an opportunity to get hands on.

“We’ve done contests and events in the past, which have been fun, but not much that has involved teaching skills,” Dining Services Marketing Coordinator Tabitha Skornia said, adding more opportunities like the vegan desserts class are in the works. The next class will be a cheese class May 24. Plus, Dining Services is looking for suggestions on what else it might offer.

“What students like changes over time,” Skornia said. “We’d like to keep these varied, so students can keep walking away with different skills.”

vegan desserts
Miranda Flores-Tirado prepares ingredients for vegan/gluten-free black bean brownies during the vegan desserts event May 10 at Hicks Student Center.
vegan desserts
Shannon Carley blends ingredients for vegan/gluten-free black bean brownies during the vegan desserts event.

If you have ideas for food-inspired, hands-on opportunities, Dining Services wants to hear from you. Skornia is reachable by email at Tabitha.Skornia@kzoo.edu. In the meantime, feel free to try the vegan banana cake or the vegan/gluten-free black bean brownies yourself with the recipes below.

Vegan Banana Cake

3 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup oil
3 cup banana puree
2 tsp vanilla extract
* Can also use applesauce, mango puree and pear puree.

  • Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk sugar, oil, fruit puree and vanilla.
  • Fold dry ingredients into the wet ingredients gently.
  • Pour into desired pan and bake at 325 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Vegan/Gluten-Free Black Bean Brownies

3 cups black beans drained and rinsed
4 tbsp. cocoa powder
1 cup quick oats
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup maple syrup or agave
½ cup sugar
½ cup oil
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 tsp baking powder

* Optional: 1 cup vegan chocolate chips

  • Blend all ingredients except chips in a food processor until very smooth.
  • Fold in chips and pour into a greased 8-by-8 pan.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes and allow to cool completely.
  • Can set in the fridge to help firm them up.

Baseball Player Makes a Surprise Proposal

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It was always going to happen.

Connor Grant ’18 and Kelsey Corless had known each other since seventh grade in Lake Orion, Michigan. They were high school sweethearts. And though he went to Kalamazoo College while she attended Grand Valley State University, they remained committed to one another.

Connor Grant on one knee in front of Kelsey Corless for surprise proposal
Connor Grant ’18 gave Kelsey Corless a surprise proposal last weekend during a Senior Day doubleheader at Kalamazoo College’s Woodworth Field.

“We talked about it and she knew something like this was coming,” Grant, a first baseman for Kalamazoo College’s baseball team, said of his engagement to Corless.

The inevitable, however, didn’t have to be predictable. Grant wanted to make sure his proposal was a special — and very memorable — moment.

So before last weekend’s Senior Day doubleheader at K’s Woodworth Field, he went to Head Baseball Coach Michael Ott and asked for permission to carry out a secret plan. It was crafted to make sure that when he made his proposal, not only Corless but both their families would be there and that she would have no clue as to what was about to happen.

Grant’s plan revolved around the Senior Day ceremony, which takes place during the break between games. The graduating players line up along the third base line, then are called one by one with their families and friends to home plate, where they receive a bat engraved with their name and position. Grant, the team captain, deliberately asked to be called last so as not to overshadow his fellow senior players and he made sure he had their assent.

He also arranged it so that when his roommate, catcher Alex Fultz ’18, presented him with the bat, he would slip him the ring, as well. The announcer would then set up the moment, saying, “This is more than a Senior Day …”

Grant’s proposal to get hitched went without a hitch, and the appropriately stunned bride-to-be said yes. And both of their families got to witness the engagement, as planned.

“I had a nervous day leading up to it,” Grant said. “But other than that, it went perfect.”

For the crowd, one of the biggest of the season, it was an unexpected treat.

“Their reaction was amazing,” Grant said. “People were ecstatic for us. All the seniors’ families were there and got to be a part of it.”

“I think there were some people wiping away tears,” said Ott, adding that the opposing team joined in the cheers and applause.

The wedding date has yet to be set, but Grant said he expects it to occur sometime next summer, after he and Corless get settled in to post-college life. Corless last month received her degree from Grand Valley in management information systems, and Grant, a business and economics major who graduates June 17, is set to start work this summer as a mortgage banker with Quicken Loans in Detroit.

Ott said the proposal “was a really cool moment” for the baseball program, and “definitely a first.”

It capped a weekend when the Hornets finished their season with a sweep of Olivet College, making it even better. And despite his nervousness, Ott said, Grant drove in four runs in the afternoon’s first game.

For Grant and Corless, Ott said, “I’m sure it’s something they’re going to remember.”

He said it was also a reminder for Grant’s graduating teammates that, although their collegiate athletic careers are coming to an end, their lives—like Grant and Corless’ together—are just getting started.

“I think it was a moment that was a little bit bigger than baseball,” Ott said. “It provided some perspective about what’s really important.”

He said he was proud to have been able to make the surprise proposal possible for Grant, who is fourth on the list of Hornets baseball players for most games played.

“I just love the kid,” he said.

Grant said being at a school like K allowed him to forge a strong relationship with his coaches and fellow players so he could share his big moment with them.

“That’s what made it possible,” he said.