Africa Month: Homecoming will focus on the category of home and the mobilities that carry people to and from their homes, across land, time, memory and knowledge.
Kalamazoo College will host world-renowned scholars, artists, filmmakers and performers from four continents Thursday, May 14–Saturday, May 16, for its second annual Africa Month. The assemblage will provide a space of conviviality and community for conversations, meals and joyful music at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, 205 Monroe St.
Director of African Studies Dominique Somda, Assistant Professor of French Manfa Sanogo, Associate Professor of Anthropology Espelencia Baptiste and Professor of English Babli Sinha are the event’s convenors.
In 2025, the first edition of Africa Month helped K relaunch its African studies concentration while invited scholars and the community rethought and questioned their knowledge of Africa and from Africa. This year’s edition, themed Homecoming, turns its focus to the category of home and to the mobilities that carry people to and from their homes, across land, time, memory and knowledge. The event offers a space to think through African studies in its broadest sense, embracing Africans and the homes of African descendants alike.
“Home, in postcolonial thought, is never a stable or innocent place,” Somda said. “It is both a site of return and a terrain of struggle. Homecoming asks what it means to return when histories of colonial violence, displacement and extraction have profoundly transformed the conditions of belonging.”
Sinha said that the exploration of this theme will take place through a variety of media including art, film, scholarship and music, “reflecting the ethos of the liberal arts as it explores Africanness through many forms of knowledge and expression in dialogue with each other.”
Sanogo said the continuation of Africa Month helps establish a lasting tradition of K engagement and institutional commitment to centering African and diasporic voices, knowledge, culture and lived experiences.
“Calling it Homecoming highlights the importance of creating a space where these experiences can circulate across borders and generations,” he said. “We hope this program will resonate both on campus and in the broader Kalamazoo community.”
Presenters, speakers and panelists will include:
Cheikh A. Thiam, professor of English and Black studies, Amherst College
Sakiko Nakao, assistant professor of African history and French, University of Tokyo
Hilary Jones, director of graduate studies for history, University of Kentucky
Alain Kassanda, filmmaker
Julia Woods ’20, New York University Ph.D. candidate
Brian Klein and Justine Davis, Afro-American and African studies assistant professors, University of Michigan
Klara Boyer-Rossol, historian, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
Franck Rakotobe, assistant professor of French at the American University of Paris
Erol Josué, a Vodou priest, performer and director general of Haiti’s National Bureau of Ethnology
Espelencia Baptiste, Kalamazoo College associate professor of anthropology
“This is a new annual rendezvous: a place to learn, think and celebrate in a world where Africa and Africans are too often seen only through the lens of lack,” Somda said. “The event of the year, Homecoming, speaks to experiences we all carry: mobility, nostalgia, the journey away and the journey back.”
Cheikh Thiam
Sakiko Nakao
Alain Kassanda
Hilary Jones
Julia Woods ’20
Brian Ikaika Klein
Justine Maisha Davis
Klara Bover-Rossol
Franck Rakotobe
Erol Josué
Africa Month: Homecoming
“Homecoming, especially for Africans in the diaspora, asks us to think about homemaking by negotiating history, identity, power and mobility. It is a constant search for stability and meaning in spaces and places shaped by colonial disruptions and global economic inequalities.”
— Kalamazoo College Associate Professor of Anthropology Espelencia Baptiste
Shruti Debburman ’26 has found a home away from home on study abroad in Clermont-Ferrand with her host parents, Arielle and Stéphane Calipel, pictured here on the Puy de Combegrasse volcanic peak.
Study abroad in Clermont-Ferrand has been a dream come true for Debburman, pictured here with Olivia Cannizzaro ’26 at vendanges (grape harvesting).
A double major in French and psychology with a minor in music, Debburman has studied pipe organ at the conservatory of Clermont-Ferrand during her study abroad.
Living in France is everything Shruti Debburman ’26 dreamed of since she was 9 years old.
In fact, Debburman had been in Clermont-Ferrand on study abroad from Kalamazoo College for only two weeks before she started to feel that the six-month study abroad program—which had seemed overwhelming in advance—would not be long enough.
“I got here at the end of August, and once I was here, time went by so differently,” Debburman said. “Time started to move very quickly, and I knew that in six months I was not going to be ready to leave, and that I would want more time. I am so happy here; I don’t want to leave when there’s so much to do that I’m not going to be able to have done by February. I wouldn’t be fluent enough, and I don’t want to leave not being as fluent as possible. And I thought, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, why not take full advantage of it?”
With the support of program administrators, her parents and her host family, Debburman extended her stay from a February end date into the middle of May.
“I want to make the most of it, to really speak French without giving in to English, to push myself in terms of grammar and vocabulary and speaking correctly,” Debburman said. “I would like to make some more French friends, and I’m excited to travel more.”
Growing up in Lake Bluff, Illinois, as a fan of both reading and baking, Debburman got hooked on France thanks to a French cookbook of her mom’s from Le Cordon Bleu culinary institute.
“It’s really complicated, all the types of doughs you can make, all the types of sauces, all the types of creams,” Debburman said. “I read the thing cover to cover, and I was like, ‘I must learn how to do this. And I need to learn about France, because all of this is so cool, and it must be an interesting country that it comes from.’ I was at a Montessori school and we didn’t have a language class, but what’s incredible about Montessori is that it encourages students to spend time pursuing their interests during the school day, so for example, our assistant teacher had studied French in college, so she was giving me little French lessons on the side.”
K appealed to Debburman based on small class sizes, flexible curriculum and emphasis on study abroad. While her intention to major in French persisted, she took advantage of the ability to explore other areas of interest, considering a second major first in history, then in classics, then music. Currently, she has declared a double major in French and psychology with a minor in music.
For study abroad, Jan Solberg, professor of French and Francophone studies, encouraged Debburman to consider Clermont-Ferrand.
“It’s a very immersive program, but it’s also a small and very supportive program,” Debburman said. “I think she knew it was the right place for me.”
The Clermont-Ferrand program runs during K’s fall and winter terms in partnership with Institution Saint Alyre, an educational establishment that includes primary and secondary schools as well as higher education. Students live with host families and take classes in French language, culture and civilization designed especially for K students as well as classes in French literature and philosophy or modern world history and economy alongside Saint-Alyre students. They complete an Integrative Cultural Project (ICRP) and volunteer at the international short film festival held in Clermont in early February before returning to Kalamazoo for spring term.
An anxious flier, Debburman remembers feeling surprisingly calm while soldiering through the journey to France, including a long flight delay, being met at the airport by the program’s resident director and her host dad, and her host dad driving her to their home. There she met her host mom and a younger daughter who lives on her own but came for dinner and brought her boyfriend—and the travel caught up with her.
“It was such a long day, and I gave everyone the most scatterbrained impression of myself,” Debburman said. “I’m normally pretty put together on the outside, but I was so worried about making a good impression that I kind of forgot how to speak French. My host mom is fluent in English, thankfully, so there were some moments of half English, half French going on, and it was a lot. But everyone was wonderful, incredibly welcoming and kind. I was worried about being an imposition, and they did such a good job making me feel like I was not intruding or an imposition and I felt like part of the family right away.”
Her host family has been a highlight of her time in Clermont. Having grown up as an only child, Debburman relishes the opportunity to experience family dinners, game nights and life with siblings.
She also loves getting to know Clermont-Ferrand, which she finds an interesting city with a manageable size. The city’s population of just under 150,000 is roughly double the population of Kalamazoo, but with a size of about 16 square miles, it covers between half and three quarters as much land as Kalamazoo.
“You can walk most places downtown,” Debburman said. “I have a 10-minute walk most places, because I’m close to the middle. If you’re going somewhere farther out, there is decent public transportation. It’s not super cosmopolitan, so you have to speak French and get good at it quickly.”
Improving French fluency is also necessary in the coursework, which Debburman found challenging at first.
“Classes were more lecture heavy than in my classes at K. In French, especially, and in the rest of the humanities, K classes are mostly discussion based. It also felt fast. The first couple of weeks, I was just writing stuff down as fast as possible, without having a clue what I was writing. But then it got easier. The more I was around the language, I started understanding it better, until it felt like I was actually learning the material in class.”
The study abroad program at Clermont-Ferrand proved a perfect fit for Debburman, pictured at the Mémorial de Caen.
Debburman, pictured at the Loire River, extended her study abroad in Clermont-Ferrand when she decided six months was not enough time.
In Clermont-Ferrand, Debburman visits the Chateau de Chavaniac, the Marquis de Lafayette’s childhood home, with Jacob McKinney ’26, Françoise Evangelista, resident director, and Didier Croze, civilization teacher.
Learning French literature and economics alongside French students offers an intriguing contrast for Debburman—one class right in her wheelhouse, the other brand new to her, and both with a distinctively French perspective.
In addition, Debburman and (until February) the other two K students studying in Clermont-Ferrand this academic year attend a French language class, a French culture and civilization class, and a time set aside for extra support with the economics teacher, where they review material from class or go deeper on topics that are relevant to their interests.
“Those classes are very flexible,” Debburman said. “It’s what we need to learn or what we want to learn.
Our teachers are absolutely fabulous. They’re so engaging.”
Debburman also takes pipe organ lessons at the Regional Conservatory for music, dance and theatre, and she completed her ICRP at the Conservatory, researching and writing about the history and current state of the pipe organ in France.
For the ICRP, each student chooses a topic or question of interest to him or her and completes 40 hours of work on a site and 10 interviews with professionals in the field, often tied to an internship. Having played piano since she was 5 years old and viola since high school, Debburman grew interested in the academic side of music at K and started pipe organ lessons during her first year.
“I didn’t realize how absolutely in love I would end up with the instrument,” Debburman said. While true mastery of many instruments requires an early start, pipe organists often begin as teenagers, because they need to have achieved their full height and a level of piano competence.
“It’s usually a weird connection—in French, they call it ‘un coup de foudre,’ which is like love at first sight,” Debburman said. “It literally translates to crack of lightning, so it’s like love struck; you hear it or you play it for the first time, and it’s like destiny, you just know it’s your instrument.”
Struggling to find 10 pipe organ professionals in Clermont even with her contacts at the Conservatory, Debburman expanded her interviewees to include students of the pipe organ, which enriched her final product.
“I didn’t think of doing that at first, but I found that the students put a lot of thought into it, they answered very thoroughly, and I feel like some of the insights that I got from them were more creative and out of the box,” Debburman said. “The kids still have that enthusiasm in them, a spark. It was interesting to have the kids explain how they fell in love with it while it’s still fresh for them.”
Debburman did get to meet (and interview) professionals—people who are important in the pipe organ world—and she had the opportunity to play historic instruments in the process.
In her time abroad, Debburman has traveled to many places; Normandy, Florence and London were highlights for her, offering natural beauty, architecture, history and amazing food.
“We went skiing in the Alps,” Debburman said. “I think that would be a collective highlight for all of us. I’d never skied in my life. I was terrified, and it was really fun. It’s the coolest possible place to try it.”
Since the two other K students left Clermont in February, some things have stayed the same for Debburman—her host family was happy to extend her stay; most of her classes remained consistent—while other things have shifted. In addition to adjusting to the absence of her fellow Hornets, Debburman has been thinking about her Senior Integrated Project (something related to medieval feminist literature), started a French book club with her former resident director, and added a Latin class with high school students to her schedule.
“That’s been an interesting experience, because translating Latin to English is one thing, but translating Latin to French, one language that is not my first language to other language that’s not my first language, is complicated,” Debburman said. “It’s also interesting being with high school kids, because they have so much energy. They talk differently, and they’re a lot more willing to test out their English. They ask a lot of questions that tell you a lot about how French people see the U.S.”
Her K-specific classes are now one-on-one, opening opportunities to explore topics of particular interest for Debburman.
“In French, we don’t have much grammar to do, and the teacher has been bringing in documents on all these different French women of interest, like one of the lawyers who was instrumental in legalizing abortion, a female artist, female scientists. I’m focusing on a lot of medieval history with my history teacher. It’s very flexible, very individualized, which is a special opportunity, because that’s not usually how school works. This is unique, and I think it’s valuable to my education.”
Debburman’s experiences in France have improved her fluency, flexibility, communication and confidence.
“Study abroad has changed my life,” she said. “I’m so grateful for everything that’s happened and will happen for the next couple of months. I have a family here for life now, I’ve gotten to see incredible places, I’ve met wonderful people. I’ve gotten to play organs that are 200 years old. I’ve made new friends. I’ve reconnected with old friends from high school, and that’s been lovely as well. It’s very much a dream come true to be here and to be enjoying it so much. I am sure that little me would be so proud and absolutely over the moon.”
She hopes other French students will consider Clermont-Ferrand.
“It’s an extremely special program, and all the people in the program, the teachers, the families, the satellite families you can do activities with, they’re all wonderful,” Debburman said. “There are so many unique opportunities, and you will not regret going there. It was one of the best decisions of my life.”
Connecting Back: From France to Kalamazoo
While reflecting on her study abroad experience in Clermont-Ferrand, Shruti Debburman ’26 also appreciates other opportunities K has offered her, both on and off campus.
“Being part of Kalamazoo Philharmonia, K Phil, has been a big part of my time at K. I did not get in on my first try, but got in on the second try, so it felt very fulfilling. I play viola, and K Phil is mostly community members with a pretty small group of students, which means that we as students get close. Some of the closest friends I have at K are from orchestra.”
Debburman has worked in the Music Department office as well as the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL), through which she also takes part in Interfaith Student Leaders.
“ORSL was another place I made some of my closest friends,” she said. “When I first came to K, I was not sure that K was the right place for me. My second term, I found Interfaith, and it’s been a community that has made my experience at K so wonderful. It’s made me grow and think, and it’s pushed me, and I love that.”
In the ORSL Cavern space, Liz Candido, College chaplain, has proven an important mentor for Debburman.
“She’s been supportive throughout my ups and downs at K, and also so open and encouraging of all the weird questions I throw at her,” Debburman said. “I have a tendency to walk into the Cavern at the start of my shift and have some theological question that I’d been thinking about, and she is so kind and talks me through it. We go into the history and the language, like the Greek, and it’s so interesting. She’s been very encouraging of my interest in theology and helpful whenever I’ve done something in classes that involves something religion-related.”
In the French department, Jan Solberg, professor of French and Francophone studies, has offered invaluable support and connection.
Debburman, Cannizzaro and Adrien Chandioux, a Saint-Alyre student, visit the Manoir de Clos Lucé, Leonardo da Vinci’s home.
“She was my first French professor at K, and the way she taught French, it made me keep loving the language,” Debburman said. “I had definitely had my moments of hating it; every single year of high school, I said, ‘I’m going to drop French next year.’ She helped me love the language, and she’s been incredibly supportive of me academically; she’s helped me through some of my decisions and classes. In terms of life, she’s been there for me throughout my time at K and has been super supportive. And she’s in orchestra, too, so that’s fun. She’s there in every part of my life.”
During the summers, Debburman has completed an internship at the National Alliance on Mental Illness in their North suburban office of Chicago and research at Rosalind Franklin University in West Chicago.
Returning to Kalamazoo for her last year, Debburman looks forward to returning to Interfaith and collective music making as well as tackling her Senior Integrated Project. Beyond that, she plans to apply for a fellowship or scholarship that would allow her to spend more time abroad post-graduation exploring her interests before settling into a Ph.D. and research path.
Assistant Professor of French Aurelie Chatton is shown teaching a class. Language programs at K will receive a $500,000 boost from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is awarding Kalamazoo College a $500,000 grant through the American Rescue Plan to help offset financial losses incurred as a result of the pandemic.
In total, the NEH is giving $87.8 million to 300 cultural and educational institutions, 90 of which are colleges and universities.
“The American Rescue Plan recognizes that the cultural and educational sectors are essential components of the United States economy and civic life, vital to the health and resilience of American communities,” NEH Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson said. “These new grants will provide a lifeline to the country’s colleges and universities, museums, libraries, archives, historical sites and societies, save thousands of jobs in the humanities placed at risk by the pandemic, and help bring economic recovery to cultural and educational institutions and those they serve.”
At K specifically, the grant will help fortify the College’s language programs. Enrollment in language courses has waned over the past year, in part because the pandemic affected study abroad opportunities. The money will support the hiring and retention of foreign language faculty and staff; sustain student interest in language programs; revitalize programs in Arabic, Hebrew and ancient Greek; provide faculty better opportunities for research; and bolster study abroad to ensure it remains affordable as it restarts this term.
Associate Provost Katie MacLean, who is an associate professor of Spanish, said the honor of receiving the grant underscores K’s reputation for the humanities and study abroad programs.
“Study abroad is among the most popular answers students provide when they’re asked, ‘Why did you choose K?’” MacLean said. She and Jessica Fowle—K’s director of grants, fellowships and research—submitted the grant proposal on the institution’s behalf while providing proof the emergency short-term funds would combat pandemic-related issues and add value rather than apply a temporary fix.
“As a liberal arts college, the vitality of the humanities is important to our institutional identity and languages have a symbiotic relationship with study abroad,” MacLean said. “To me, this is a lot of money for humanities programs, which shows how much of an honor this is. That’s exciting for us.”
Kalamazoo College recognized outstanding achievements by its students Friday with the annual Honors Day Convocation.
More than 250 students were recognized Friday during the annual Honors Day Convocation for excellence in academics and leadership. Students were recognized in six divisions: Fine Arts, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below. Watch the recorded event at our website.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Awarded to a sophomore student who, during his or her first year, exhibited outstanding achievement and potential in art.
Elena Basso
Nicole Taylor
Camryn Zdziarski-West
Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Provided by the Women’s Council of Kalamazoo College and awarded each year to a student designated by the Music Department Faculty as having made significant achievement in music.
Katherine Miller-Purrenhage
Cooper Award
For a junior or senior showing excellence in a piece of creative work in a Theatre Arts class: film, acting, design, stagecraft, puppetry or speech.
Jonathan Townley
Sherwood Prize
Given for the best oral presentation in a speech-oriented class.
Sedona Coleman
Cameo Green
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Given to a sophomore for outstanding departmental efforts during the first year.
Milan Levy
MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Awarded to the sophomore who as a first-year student demonstrated the greatest achievement in French.
Tristan Fuller
Claire Kvande
Hardy Fuchs Award
Given for excellence in first-year German.
Ben Flotemersch
Elizabeth Wang
Margo Light Award
Given for excellence in second-or third-year German.
Ellie Lotterman
Noah Prentice
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Awarded for excellence in the first year in Spanish.
Emma Sidor
MiaFlora Tucci
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans.
Sydney Patton
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject.
Jane Delmonico
Classics Department Prize in Greek
Awarded to the outstanding student of the language of classical Greece.
Nick Wilson
HUMANITIES DIVISION
Allen Prize in English
Given for the best essay written by a member of the first-year class.
Shanon Brown
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
Awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in history.
Helen Edwards
Sam Kendrick
Department of Philosophy Prize
Awarded for excellence in any year’s work in philosophy.
Julia Bienstock
Emma Fergusson
Luke Richert
Teague Tompkins
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Awarded to a sophomore who in the first year shows the greatest promise for continuing studies in philosophy.
Garret Hanson
Clarice Ray
Mikayla Youngman
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Department of Chemistry Prize
Awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in chemistry.
Abby Barnum
Marissa Dolorfino
Elizabeth Wang
First-Year Chemistry Award
Awarded to a sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated great achievement in chemistry.
Thomas Buffin
Mallory Dolorfino
MiaFlora Tucci
Lemuel F. Smith Award
Given to a student majoring in chemistry pursuing the American Chemical Society approved curriculum and having at the end of the junior year the highest average standing in courses taken in chemistry, physics and mathematics.
Jennalise Ellis
Computer Science Prize
Awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in computer science.
Eleanor Carr
Vien Hang
Aleksandr Molchagin
Erin Murphy
William Shaw
Hanis Sommerville
First-Year Mathematics Award
Given annually to the sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated the greatest achievement in mathematics.
Tolkien Bagchi
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Awarded to a member of the junior class for excellence in the work of the first two years in mathematics.
Joseph Jung
Tommy Saxton
Carter Wade
Cooper Prize in Physics
Given for excellence in the first year’s work in physics.
Oliver Tye
Blue Truong
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Awarded for excellence during the first and/or second year’s work.
Milan Levy
Milagros Robelo
Aija Turner
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Awarded annually to a student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year.
Kayla Carlson
Mihail Naskovski
Emily Tenniswood
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Awarded for excellence in any year’s work in economics.
Nicklas Klepser
Nathan Micallef
Sage Ringsmuth
Andrew Sheckell
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Awarded annually to a student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year.
Lucas Kastran
Cade Thune
Alex Wallace
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Awarded for excellence in the first year’s courses in the Department of Economics and Business.
Zoe Gurney
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Awarded for excellence in any year’s work in political science.
Elisabeth Kuras
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Awarded for excellence in the first-year student’s work in psychology.
Violet Crampton
Sarah Densham
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Awarded to those students who as first-year students best combined leadership and scholarship in promoting athletics, physical education and recreation.
Sam Ankley
Alexis Petty
Maggie Wardle Prize
Awarded to that sophomore woman whose activities at the College reflect the values that Maggie Wardle demonstrated in her own life. The recipient will show a breadth of involvement in the College through her commitment to athletics and to the social sciences and/or community service.
Camille Misra
COLLEGE AWARDS
Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Denise Jackson
Heather Muir
James Totten
Vanessa Vigier
Nicholas Davis
Nathan Garcia
Zy’ere Hollis
Tytiana Jones
Aaron Martinez
Udochi Okorie
Joshua Pamintuan
Anthony Peraza
Samantha Rodriguez
Rina Talaba
National Merit Scholars (Class of 2024)
Carter Wade
Voynovich Scholars
Awarded annually to a student who, in the judgment of the faculty, submits the most creative essay on the year’s topic.
Marina Bayma-Meyer
Yung Seo Lee
Alpha Lamda Delta
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year. The Kalamazoo College chapter was installed on March 5, 1942.
Jez Abella
Hashim Akhtar
Cameron Arens
Tolkien Bagchi
Elena Basso
Cassandra Bergen
Thomas Buffin
Natalie Call
John Carlson
Mary Margaret Cashman
Cassidy Chapman
Nicholas Cohee
Violet T. Crampton
Lauren Crossman
Sarah Densham
Charles Pasquale DiMagno
Mallory Dolorfino
Marissa Dolorfino
Katia Duoibes
Hannah Durant
Carter Eisenbach
Benjamin Flotemersch
Caelan Frazier
Nathaniel Harris Fuller
Tristan Fuller
Grace Garver
Zoe Gurney
Yoichi Haga
Vien Hang
Garrett Hanson
Lucy Hart
Katherine Haywood
Marshall Holley
Audrey Huizenga
Ian Becks Hurley
Jonathan Jiang
Emily Robin Kaneko Dudd
Benjamin Tyler Keith
Isabella Grace Kirchgessner
Sofia Rose Klein
Lena Thompson Klemm
Rhys Koellmann
Elisabeth Kuras
Caroline Lamb
Am Phuong Le
Dillon Lee
Ginamarie Lester
Milan Levy
Thomas Lichtenberg
Cassandra Linnertz
Alvaro J. Lopez Gutierrez
Kanase J. Matsuzaki
Camille Misra
Aleksandr V. Molchagin
Samantha Moss
Arein D. Motan
Matthew Mueller
Erin Murphy
Maya Nathwani
William Naviaux
Sudhanva Neti
Stefan Louis Nielsen
Keigo Nomura
Rohan Nuthalapati
Jenna Clare Paterob
Sheyla Yasmin Pichal
Harrison Poeszat
Noah Prentice
Isabelle G. Ragan
Abby L. Rawlings
Katherine Rock
Skyler Rogers
Gi Salvatierra
Hannia Queren Sanchez-Alvarado
Madeline Gehl Schroeder
William Shaw
Hanis Sommerville
Alex M Stolberg
Kaleb Sydloski
Clara Margaret Szakas
Claire Tallio
Nicole Taylor
Abhishek Thakur
Kaia Thomas
Blue Truong
Oliver Tye
Duurenbayar Ulziiduuren
Chilotam Christopher Urama
Elizabeth G. Wang
Margaret L. Wedge
Ryley Kay White
Katelyn Williams
Skai Williams
Leah Wolfgang
Camryn Zdziarski-West
Sophie Zhuang
Nathaniel Zona
Enlightened Leadership Awards
Robert Barnard
Irie Browne
Rebecca Chan
Nolan Devine
Daniel Fahle
Grace Hancock
Julia Leet
Lia Schroeder
Matthew Swarthout
Jonathan Townley
Ethan Tuck
Ian Yi
MIAA Award
These teams earned the 2019-2020 MIAA Team GPA Award for achieving a 3.3 or better grade-point average for the entire academic year:
Men’s Baseball
Women’s Basketball
Men’s Cross Country
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Golf
Women’s Golf
Men’s Lacrosse
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Softball
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women’s Volleyball
MIAA Academic Honor Roll
Student Athletes 2019-2020
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association each year honors students at MIAA member colleges who achieve in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average for the entire academic year.
Max Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Grant Anger
Hunter Angileri
Samuel Ankley
Julia Bachmann
Travis Barclay
Elena Basso
Lillian Baumann
Alex Bowden
Austin Bresnahan
Jack Brockhaus
Pierce Burke
Annika Canavero
Raekwon Castelow
Claire Cebelak
Walker Chung
Nicholas Cohee
Thomas Cook
Noah Coplan
Rachel Cornell
Chase Coselman
John Crane
Cameron Crothers
Gwendolyn Davis
Riley Davis
Emmelyn DeConinck
Robert Dennerll
Sarah Densham
Eva DeYoung
Mallory Dolorfino
Marissa Dolorfino
Amanda Dow
Austin Duff
Alex Dupree
Hannah Durant
Thomas Fales
Dugan Fife
Gwendolyn Flatland
Payton Fleming
Matthew Ford
Clifton Foster
Luke Fountain
Sierra Fraser
Rachael Gallap
Brendan Gausselin
Katie Gierlach
Anthony Giovanni
Madison Goodman
Mya Gough
Matthew Gu
Rebekah Halley
Grace Hancock
Laura Hanselman
Lucy Hart
Katherine Haywood
Zachary Heimbuch
Alyssa Heitkamp
Daniel Henry
McKenna Hepler
Sam Hoag
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Matthew Howrey
Tre Humes
Aidan Hurley
Amiee Hutton
Benjamin Hyndman
Samantha Jacobsen
Jonathan Jiang
Jaylin Jones
Jackson Jones
Amani Karim
Lucas Kastran
Maria Katrantzi
Greg Kearns
Ben Keith
Will Keller
Jackson Kelly
David Kent
Hannah Kerns
Meghan Killmaster
Dahwi Kim
Alaina Kirschman
Lena Klemm
Allison Klinger
Ella Knight
Nicholas Kraeuter
Brandon Kramer
Matthew Krinock
John Kunec
Nicholas Lang
Juanita Ledesma
Jack Leisenring
Kathryn LeVasseur
Marissa Lewinski
Rosella LoChirco
Rachel Madar
MacKenzy Maddock
Deven Mahanti
Lauren Marshall
Samuel Matthews
Courtney McGinnis
Dylan McGorsik
Keelin McManus
Benjamin Meschke
Tytus Metzler
Nathan Micallef
Camille Misra
DeShawn Moore
Dominic Moore
Maxo Moran
Samantha Moss
Elizabeth Munoz
Alexis Nesbitt
Nikoli Nickson
Madeline Odom
Abigail O’Keefe
Marianna Olson
Michael Orwin
Ella Palacios
Cayla Patterson
Hellen Pelak
Calder Pellerin
Scott Peters
Eve Petrie
Nicole Pierece
Noah Piercy
Jared Pittman
Harrison Poeszat
Zachary Prystash
Erin Radermacher
Harrison Ramsey
Zachary Ray
Jordan Reichenbach
Benjamin Reiter
Ashley Rill
Molly Roberts
Katherine Rock
Lily Rogowski
Isabelle Russo
Justin Schodowski
Michael Schwartz
Darby Scott
Andrew Sheckell
Josephine Sibley
Elizabeth Silber
Nathan Silverman
Jack Smith
Katherine Stewart
Abby Stewart
Grant Stille
Alexander Stockewell
Alex Stolberg
Hayden Strobel
Thomas Sylvester
Jacob Sypniewski
Clara Szakas
Nina Szalkiewicz
Jack Tagget
Leah Tardiff
Emily Tenniswood
Cade Thune
Kaytlyn Tidey
Mary Trimble
Matt Turton
Oliver Tye
Damian Valdes
Madison Vallan
Naomi Verne
Alex Wallace
Maija Weaver
Margaret Wedge
Tanner White
Megan Williams
Madalyn Winarski
Hannah Wolfe
Brandon Wright
Tony Yazbeck
Julie Zabik
Christian Zeitvogel
Sophie Zhuang
More than 250 students including Rebecca Chan ’22 were recognized Friday, Nov. 8, at the Honors Day Convocation at Stetson Chapel.
Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the Honors Day 2019 convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Nov. 8, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Kate Roberts
Beth Schulman
Zoe Zawacki
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Sophia Yurdin
Cooper Award
Maria Jensen
Sherwood Prize
Rebecca Chan
Brianna Taylor
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Rebecca Chan
MODERN AND CLASSICAL LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Rebecca Chan
Thomas Saxton
Hardy Fuchs Award
Christian Zeitvogel
Margo Light Award
Daniel Fahle
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Emiley Hepfner
Hayden Strobel
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Kelly Hansen
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Jessica Chaidez
Annabelle Houghton
Classics Departmental Prize in Greek
Lydia Bontrager
HUMANITIES DIVISION
M. Allen Prize in English
Abigail Cadieux
Jessica Chaidez
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
Fiona Holmes
Department of Philosophy Prize
Mitch Baty
Julia Bienstock
Emma Fergusson
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Max Bogun
Zoe Celeste Schneberger
Nick Wilson
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology Natalie Barber
Abigail Gray
Madeline Harding
Grace McKnight
Department of Chemistry Prize
Aleksandra Bartolik
Grace McKnight
First-Year Chemistry Award
Robert Barnard
Saudia Tate
Andrew Walsh
Professor Ralph M. Deal Endowed Scholarship for Physical Chemistry Students Leonardo Sota
First-Year Mathematics Award
Haley Crabbs
Thomas Saxton
Carter Wade
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Lisa Johnston
Dahwi Kim
Samuel Ratliff
Cooper Prize in Physics
Revaz Bakuradze
Samuel Barczy
Kate Roberts
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Yuridia Campuzano
Mauricio Guillén
Jillian Lynk
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Rebekah Halley
Chaniya Miller
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Georgie Andrews
Jade Jiang
Zachary Ray
Adam Snider
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Nathan Micallef
Sage Ringsmuth
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Mihail Naskovski
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Ava Keller
Christian Zeitvogel
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Walker Chung
Kaytlyn Tidey
Maggie Wardle Prize
Darby Scott
COLLEGE AWARDS
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Yasamin Shaker
Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Mya Gough
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Rosella LoChirco
Elizabeth Munoz
Erin Radermacher
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Jilia Johnson
HEYL SCHOLARS
Class of 2023
Samuel Ankley
Ben Behrens (’20)
Carter Eisenbach
Rachel Kramer
Rachel Lanting
Alexis Nesbitt
Suja Thakali
Elizabeth Wang
POSSE SCHOLARS
Class of 2023
Jayla Ekwegh
Naile Garcia
Devin Hunt
Juan Ibarra
Angel Ledesma
Milan Levy
Katharina Padilla
Milagros Robelo
Emilio Romo
Diego Zambrana
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS
Class of 2023
Donald Brown
Claire Kvande
VOYNOVICH SCHOLARS
Audrey Honig
Nikoli Nickson
ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA
CLASS OF 2022
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year. The Kalamazoo College chapter was installed on March 5, 1942.
Elizabeth Abel
McKenzi Baker
Natalie Barber
Samuel Barczy
Aleksandra Bartolik
Mitchell Baty
Julia Bienstock
Alexander Bowden
Haylee Bowsher
Irie Browne
Elizabeth Burton
Abigail Cadieux
Rebecca Chan
Gabriel Chung
Haley Crabbs
Sofia Diaz
Adam Dorstewitz
Imalia Drummond
Daniel Fahle
Emma Fergusson
Kaitlin Gandy
Levon Gibson
Jessica Gracik
Madeline Guimond
Emiley Hepfner
Ellie Jones
Joseph Jung
David Kent
Yung Seo Lee
Marissa Lewinski
Donna Li
Isabella Luke
Deven Mahanti
Clara Martinez-Voigt
Mihail Naskovski
Rushik Patel
Houston Peach
Anthony Peraza
Lucas Rizzolo
Marco Savone
Isabella Shansky-Genovese
Caroline Skalla
Emily Smith
Abby Stewart
Emily Tenniswood
Carter Wade
Samantha White
Zachary Worthing
Christian Zeitvogel
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Performing Arts: Music
Marilu Bueno
John Carlson
Emily Dudd
Sarma Ejups
Peter Fitzgerald
Rose Hannan
Garrett Hanson
Koshiro Kuroda
Milan Levy
Matthew Mueller
Clarice Ray
MIAA AWARDS
These teams earned the 2018-2019 MIAA Team GPA Award for achieving a 3.3 or better grade-point average for the entire academic year:
Men’s Baseball
Women’s Basketball
Men’s Cross Country
Women’s Cross Country
Men’s Golf
Women’s Golf
Men’s Lacrosse
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Softball
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women’s Volleyball
MIAA ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL
Student Athletes 2018-2019
The Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association each year honors students at MIAA member colleges who achieve in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average for the entire academic year.
Hayleigh Alamo
Georgie Andrews
Hunter Angileri
Lauren Arquette
Brooklyn Avery
Julia Bachmann
Sonal Bahl
Nicole Bailey
Lillian Baumann
Brad Bez
Rose Bogard
Jacob Bonifacio
Maria Bonvicini
Alexander Bowden
Molly Brueger
Jane Bunch
Pierce Burke
Alexander Cadigan
Gabriel Chung
Isabelle Clark
Noah Coplan
Rachel Cornell
Chase Coselman
Eva Deyoung
Alexis Dietz
Adam Dorstewitz
Amanda Dow
Sydney Dowdell
Thomas Fales
Colton Farley
Anders Finholt
Clifton Foster
Jakob Frederick
Brendan Gausselin
Sarah George
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Sophia Goebel
Preston Grossling
Garrett Guthrie
Rebekah Halley
Emily Hamel
Grace Hancock
Megan Heft
Alyssa Heitkamp
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Matthew Howrey
Benjamin Hyndman
Samantha Jacobsen
Benjamin Johanski
Jaylin Jones
Jackson Jones
Claire Kalina
Grace Karrip
Lucas Kastran
Maria Katrantzi
Greg Kearns
Jackson Kelly
Brandon Kramer
Benjamin Krebs
Matthew Krinock
Stefan Leclerc
Kathryn Levasseur
Rosella LoChirco
Molly Logsdon
Nicholas Ludka
Andrea MacMichael
Rachel Madar
Deven Mahanti
Cydney Martell
Samuel Matthews
Eliza McCall
Benjamin Meschke
Hannah Meyers
Nathan Micallef
Zachary Morales
Max Moran
Amanda Moss
Elizabeth Munoz
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Ian Nostrant
Drew Novetsky
Michael Orwin
Dylan Padget
Paul Pavliscak
Calder Pellerin
Anthony Peraza
Erin Perkins
Eve Petrie
Zach Prystash
Daniel Qin
Erin Radermacher
Harrison Ramsey
Zachary Ray
Jordan Reichenbach
Benjamin Reiter
Lucas Rizzolo
Margaret Roberts
Scott Roberts
Lily Rogowski
Marco Savone
Ashley Schiffer
Nicholas Schneider
Justin Schodowski
Darby Scott
Justin Seablom
Sharif Shaker
Drew Sheckell
Nathan Silverman
Maya Srkalovic
Abby Stewart
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Garrett Swanson
Jacob Sypniewski
Nina Szalkiewicz
Jack Tagget
Leah Tardiff
Emily Tenniswood
Cade Thune
Matt Turton
Madison Vallan
Zachary Van Faussien
Travis Veenhuis
Tejas Vettukattil
Vanessa Vigier
Maija Weaver
Megan Williams
Hannah Wolfe
Sophia Woodhams
Austin Yunker
Christian Zeitvogel
Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the Honors Day 2018 convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Nov. 2, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
Interim Provost Laura Lowe Furge applauds students receiving awards in the Fine Arts Division during the Honors Day 2018 convocation at Stetson Chapel.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Isabel McLaughlin
Angela Pastor
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Dylan Beight
Cooper Award
Alysia Homminga
Megan Wilson
Sherwood Prize
Christina Diaz
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Christina Diaz
Ynika Yuag
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Avani Ashtekar
Jessica Gougeon
Hardy Fuchs Award
Emily Eringaard
Margo Light Award
Grace Stier
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Sophia Goebel
Samantha Vasquez
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Madeline Ward
Zhi Nee Wee
Provost’s Prize in Classics
Mara Hazen
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. Allen Prize in English Avani Ashtekar
Ynika Yuag
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
CJ Martonchik
Department of Philosophy Prize
Johanna Jeung
Rosella LoChirco
Merrick Richardson
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Max Fitzell
Daniel Qin
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology Alexa Dulmage
Department of Chemistry Prize
Joseph Keller
Priya Pokorzynski
First-Year Chemistry Award
Lillian Baumann
Camden Gardner
Lemuel F. Smith Award
Sean Walsh
Computer Science Prize
Josephine Hosner
Ian Nostrant
First-Year Mathematics Award Samuel Ratliff
Minh Dang
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Austin Cramer
Ethan Cuka
Michael Orwin
William Tait
Madeline Ward
Cooper Prize in Physics
Andrew Backer
Adam Decker
Emily Eringaard
Daniel Qin
Eleri Watkins
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Julia Bachmann
Nyima Coleman
Vivian Enriquez
Marcos Ferguson Morales
Yasamin Shaker
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Jade Jiang
Zachary Ray
William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Shayaan Dar
Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Georgie Andrews
Valentina Cordero
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Nick Klepser
William G. Howard Memorial Prize in Political Science
Alaq Zghayer
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Cavan Bonner
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize
Alex Dupree
Hannah Wolfe
Maggie Wardle Prize
Sophia Goebel
COLLEGE AWARDS
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Anthony Diep
Malak Ghazal
Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Alex Cadigan
Sarah George
Nicholas Ludka
Amanda Moss
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Sara Lonsberry
Heyl Scholars – Class of 2022
Evelyn Bartley
Eva DeYoung
Thomas Fales
Madeline Guimond
Alina Offerman
Molly Ratliff
Syeda Tooba
Tatianna Tyler
Posse Scholars – Class of 2022
Sonia Arreguin
Nicholas Davis
Nathan Garcia
Zy’ere Hollis
Tytiana Jones
Aaron Martinez
Udochi Okorie
Joshua Pamintuan
Anthony Peraza
Samantha Rodriguez
Fiorina Talaba
National Merit Scholar – Class of 2022
Carter Wade
Voynovich Scholars
Haley Harris
Kathryn Martin
Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.
Nicole Bailey
Angel Banuelos
Catherine Carlberg
Justin Christopher-Moody
Nyima Coleman
Karli Crouch
Alexandro Cruz
Sela Damer-Daigle
Shayaan Dar
Adam Decker
Julia Dobry
Talea Fournier
Anna Gambetta
Camden Gardner
Sophia Goebel
Stanton Greenstone
Emily Hamel
Kelly Hansen
Kaylee Henderson
Amelia Hensler
Audrey Honig
Samantha Jacobsen
Madeline Jump
Liza Kahn
Joseph Keller
Hannah Kerns
Lu Liu
Rachel Madar
Natalie Markech
CJ Martonchik
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Abigail O’Keefe
Daniel Qin
Sage Ringsmuth
Maelle Rouquet
Kimberly Schmidt
Lily Shearer
Hannah Shiner
Caitlin Tremewan
Carter Vespi
Claire Ward
Maija Weaver
Ehren White
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Performing Arts: Music
Robert Barnard
Irie Browne
Rebecca Chan
Nolan Devine
Daniel Fahle
Grace Hancock
Julia Leet
Thomas Saxton
Lia Schroeder
Matthew Swarthout
Jonathan Townley
Ethan Tuck
Andrew Wright
MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS
The following Hornet teams earned the 2017-2018 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum a 3.5 grade-point average for the entire school year.
Alexandrea Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Ryan Andrusz
Hunter Angileri
Lauren Arquette
Julia Bachmann
Nicole Bailey
Zoe Barnes
Lillian Baumann
Jacob Bonifacio
Thomas Bryant
Jane Bunch
Alexander Cadigan
Charles Carson
Claire Cebelak
Joshua Claassens
Noah Coplan
Chase Coselman
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
Guillermo Dominguez Garcia
Anders Finholt
Matthew Flotermersch
Benjamin Forhan
Maria Franco
Alex Fultz
Andre Gard
Sarah George
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Sophia Goebel
Connor Grant
Keenan Grant
Preston Grossling
Rebekah Halley
Griffin Hamel
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Matthew Howrey
Briana Huisken
Shannon Irvine
Samantha Jacobsen
Tim Jeske
Benjamin Johanski
Katherine Johnson
Lisa Johnston
Jackson Jones
Madeline Jump
Claire Kalina
Grace Karrip
Maria Katrantzi
Donald Kearns
Sai Klein
Emily Kozal
Matthew Krinock
Rosella LoChirco
Molly Logsdon
Nicholas Ludka
Rachel Madar
Cydney Martell
Eliza McCall
Courtney McGinnis
Clayton Meldrum
Tytus Metzler
Nathan Micallef
Madison Moote
Amanda Moss
Elizabeth Munoz
Kelly Nickelson
Nikoli Nickson
Jonathan Nord
Skyler Norgaard
Ian Nostrant
Abigail O’Keefe
Ryan Orr
Michael Orwin
Alexandria Oswalt
James Paprocki
Cayla Patterson
Caleb Patton
Zachary Prystash
Erika Pueblo
Daniel Qin
Erin Radermacher
Zachary Ray
Joshua Reuter
Julia Riddle
Scott Roberts
Anna Roodbergen
Justin Roop
Peter Rossi
Matthew Ryder
Claire Schertzing
Nicholas Schneider
Eleanor Schodowski
Justin Seablom
Sharif Shaker
Reagan Shapton
Danielle Simon
Jordan Skidmore
Adam Snider
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Jack Tagget
Liam Tait
Kathryn Thamann
Alayna Tomlinson
Madison Vallan
David Vanderkloot
Zachary VanFaussien
Travis Veenhuis
Maija Weaver
Alex White
Jessica Wile
Jordan Wiley
Clayton Wilkey
Hannah Wolfe
Madeline Woods
Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the College’s annual Honors Day convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Oct. 27, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.
The Honors Day Convocation, conducted Oct. 27 at Stetson Chapel, celebrated the achievements of more than 250 Kalamazoo College students.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art Hannah Rainaldi
The Margaret Upton Prize in Music Joshua Gibson Jenna Sherman
Cooper Award Kate Kreiss
Sherwood Prize Cody Colvin
Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award Sophia Hill Alysia Homminga
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION
LeGrand Copley Prize in French Valentina Cordero Ravi Nair
Hardy Fuchs Award Matthew Flotemersch
Margo Light Award Annarosa Whitman
Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish Joshua Gibson Kevin McCarty
Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin Mara Hazen
Provost’s Prize in Classics Clayton Meldrum
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. Allen Prize in English Paige Coffing
John B. Wickstrom Prize in History Riya Bhuyan
Department of Philosophy Prize Lee Carter Emiline Chipman
L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy Rosella LoChirco
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology Brigette Berke Amelia Davis Dominic Gonzalez
Department of Chemistry Prize Kevin McCarty
First-Year Chemistry Award Kristen Amyx-Sherer Alyssa Heitkamp
First-Year Mathematics Award Michael Orwin William Tait
Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics Allegra Allgeier
Cooper Prize in Physics Benjamin Behrens Valentina Harding Alexis Periman Justin Seablom Ethan Tucker
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology Paige Chung Shadaijah Grandberry-Payton Aliyah Jamaluddin Elizabeth Munoz Emiliana Renuart
C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics Andrew Parsons Evelyn Wagner
C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business Jessica Penny Scott Roberts Garrett Swanson
Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize Zachary Ray
William G. Howard Memorial Prize Sarah Gerendasy
Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize Shannon Carley
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
Division of Physical Education Prize Laura Hanselman Daniel Henry
Maggie Wardle Prize Elizabeth Munoz
COLLEGE AWARDS
Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award Cydney Martell Rumsha Sajid Cindy Xiao
Henry and Inez Brown Prize Alexandrea Ambs Emily Good David Vanderkloot
Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award Sarafina Milianti Sep’tisha Riley
Heyl Scholars – Class of 2020 Andrew Backer Matthew Giguere Josephine Hosner Danielle Janowicz Samuel Meyer Hannah Pittman Stephanie Rauhoff Subi Thakali Dustin Tibbetts
Posse Scholars – Class of 2020 Alejandro Aguirre Alexandro Cruz Kahira Embry Moses Gonzalez Denise Jackson Trevor Loduem-Jackson Daniel Mota-Villegas Angela Pastor Enrique Robles Gabrielle Walton Schwartz
National Merit Scholar – Class of 2020 Ehren White
Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019 Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.
Logan Beck Benjamin Behrens Brigette Berke Riya Bhuyan Shannon Carley Iffat Chowdhury Valentina Cordero Austin Cramer Adelaine Dancer Matthew Flotemersch Amanda Gardner Joshua Gibson Dominic Gonzalez Martin Hansknecht Sophia Hill Kento Hirakawa Alysia Homminga Maria Katrantzi Zoe Larson Samuel Maddox Kathryn Martin Kevin McCarty Tamara Morrison Elizabeth Munoz Cayla Patterson Alexis Periman Victorialyn Regan Danna Robles-Garcia Orly Rubinfeld Danielle Sarafian Jenna Sherman Simran Singh Grant Stille Sarah Whitfield
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
Performing Arts: Music Madeleine Armstrong Zachary Colburn Adam Decker Jennalise Ellis Stanton Greenstone Audrey Honig Isabel McLaughlin Katherine Miller-Purrenhage Natalie Minzey Julia Riddle Margaret Roethler
MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS
The following Hornet teams earned the 2015-2016 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winners in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum 3.5 grade point average for the entire school year.
Cheyenne Allyn-White Alexandrea Ambs Georgie Andrews Ryan Andrusz Hunter Angileri Alberto Ayala Sonal Bahl Chase Baysdell Matthew Benedettini Jacob Bonifacio Kennedy Boulton Riley Boyd Andrew Bremer Allie Brodsky Molly Brueger Ian Bunker Matthew Burczyk Alexander Cadigan Charles Carson Madeleine Chilcote Jack Clark Elizabeth Clevenger Anthony Convertino Austin Cramer Anna Dairaghi Christina Dandar Elan Dantus Roger Darling Sabrina Dass Steven Davis Eric De Witt Dana DeVito Mikayla Doepker Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia Nathan Donovan Erin DuRoss Tristyn Edsall Emma Eisenbeis Michael Faust Anders Finholt John Fowler Christopher Francis Maria Franco Brett Garwood Cory Gensterblum Joseph Giacalone Jacob Gilhaus Anthony Giovanni Rachel Girard Beau Godkin Emily Good Monica Gorgas Mya Gough Andre Grayson Garrett Guthrie Alyssa Heitkamp Daniel Henry Kaiya Herman-Hilker Kyle Hernandez Mathew Holmes-Hackerd Allia Howard Nicole Huff Briana Huisken Claire Jensen Katherine Johnson Marylou Johnson Claire Kalina Maria Katrantzi Greg Kearns Samuel Kepes Benjamin Kileen Dahwi Kim William Kirchen Ian Kobernick Emily Kozal Matthew Krinock Stefan Leclerc Rosella LoChirco Nicholas Ludka Cydney Martell Eliza McCall Katherine McKibbon Branden Metzler Joshua Miller Suzanne Miller Madison Moote Zachary Morales Elizabeth Munoz Dylan Padget James Paprocki Cayla Patterson John Patton Bradley Popiel Nicole Prentice Zachary Prystash Erin Radermacher Zachary Ray Phillip Ritchie Scott Roberts Justin Roop Matthew Ryder Paige Sambor Aaron Schwark Jacob Scott Justin Seablom Anorah Seita Sharif Shaker Chase Shelbourne Alec Sherrill Gabrielle Shimko Grace Smith Adam Snider Kathleen Sorensen Sydney Spring Vethania Stavropoulos Grant Stille Shelby Suseland Matthew Suter Jacob Sypniewski Jack Tagget William Tait Emma Tardiff Benjamin Toledo Alyana Tomlinson Zachary Tornow Matt Turton Eva Ugelow Madison Vallan Kaela Van Til Joshua Vance David Vanderkloot Zachary VanFaussien Mitchell VanKoevering Travis Veenhuis John Vinson Sidney Wall Jacob Wasko John Wehr Alex White Madeline Woods Brent Yelton Julie Zabik Matthew Zhiss
“Foreign study at K cultivates confidence and an open mind,” said Jennifer Zeoli, a Kalamazoo College graduate who studied abroad during her junior year in Strasbourg, France. Today, her foreign study continues in places such as Thailand.
Jennifer Zeoli’s foreign study has never stopped. Fortunately, she has a great job for travel and the perfect avocation (photography) to freeze and savor its moments.
After the psychology major (Kalamazoo College Class of 1996) graduated, she returned home (Clinton Township, Mich.) and took a temporary job through Kelly Services. She was assigned a two-week gig at Tweddle, a publishing company that quite likely produced the owner’s manual in your car. Well, for Zeoli, “temporary” turned to 20 years that, through work or play, have included 45 countries and 300 cities.
Quotidian and un-sexy as automobile owner manuals may seem, there are cars all over the world, making manuals a very cosmopolitan product. As Tweddle’s account manager for Ford Europe and Ford Asia Pacific, Zeoli has worked in many countries, including a three-and-a-half year posting in Turin, Italy. Last December she was in Melbourne, Australia, and February found her in India. Whenever she’s on the road, she takes every opportunity to wander and see the sights.
“I like my job,” said Zeoli. “Evolving technologies make it interesting. I also love traveling for the company and on my own.”
Foreign study began in France
Travel means diving into different languages and cultures and meeting different people, with many of whom she continues to correspond.
“Foreign study at K cultivates confidence and an open mind,” said Zeoli, who studied abroad during her junior year in Strasbourg, France. “K helped prepare me for work in other countries.”
Work abroad has provided other, less material, value. “Travel allows you to see how other people live, which can deepen your awareness and appreciation of your own home.” (For all her travels, Zeoli still calls home the town where she grew up.) “When I was in Cambodia, I saw long lines of people with sick children waiting to see a doctor. In Tanzania I saw kids wearing shoes made from motorcycle tires. Travel has changed my perspective on what’s important in life.”
Jennifer Zeoli travels to places such as Florence, Italy, today after foreign study at K took her to Strasbourg, France.
Her wanderings extend beyond work. She’s seen (and photographed) wonders: the star-filled night sky outside her Bedouin tent in the Sahara desert, the muted gray beauty of beach ice in Iceland (see back cover), the grace and presence (both overwhelming and tenuous) of the animals—lions, elephants, giraffes and wildebeests— she saw during a safari in the Serengeti.
Zeoli has a knack of aligning the places she visits with her own life’s moments, like timing her 40th birthday celebration on Easter Island. One year in Europe, she celebrated Halloween by going to Transylvania and visiting the castle of Vlad the Impaler.
“He’s considered a hero because he helped defend Romania against the Ottoman Empire,” said Zeoli. “His brutality helped inspire the 1897 gothic horror novel, Dracula, by Irish author Bram Stoker.”
In addition to her business travel, Zeoli has joined group tours and traveled alone. In 2012, she soloed in Jordan and Turkey and never had any problems. “I always show respect for people and don’t take any unnecessary chances. I’ve been OK and expect that will continue.”
Jennifer Zeoli travels to places such as Iceland today after foreign study at K took her to Strasbourg, France.
In true liberal arts fashion, Zeoli preps for her trips by studying the history of a place. Before she saw the cathedral in Florence she studied how construction commenced in 1294 without a plan for building the dome. Builders put up the walls, and the town held a contest that sought ideas on how to build the dome.
“Once you know a few things about a place, you gain another layer of appreciation for it,” said Zeoli.
She definitely appreciates Tuscany and hopes to one day own a villa there. “My love of Tuscany grew when I worked in Italy. I spoke broken Italian but managed pretty well with my 50 Italian co-workers. They became my teachers and were patient and kind to me.”
Zeoli studied French at K to go along with her foreign study and relied on it when she spoke Italian.
“If I didn’t know a word in Italian, I’d use the French word and add a vowel at the end. You’d be surprised how often it worked,” she said. The company also gave her a week-long language class in Florence.“I did pretty well,” she said, “but the teacher did comment that I spoke Italian with a French accent.”
Foreign study creates a devoted traveler
Zeoli’s position provides four weeks of vacation which (no surprise) she devotes to travel.
“I use the wallpaper on my computer for the next place I will visit,” she said. Next on her agenda is Hawaii.
“One of the items on my bucket list is to ride in a helicopter over the big island,” said Zeoli. “It will make for fantastic photos, and I can’t wait!”
Her photography has morphed from avocation to art. Zeoli is quite accomplished at recording the beautiful and intriguing places she has visited. She uses a Canon 70D camera, which has full manual settings. It’s definitely not your point-and-shoot style camera, and it produces fabulous effects.
She takes her camera with her everywhere and loves to photograph landscapes, cityscapes, animals and flowers — or anything she finds interesting or unique. She is intent on capturing the moment.
“When you stand in front of the pyramids you’re a part of them,” she said. “When I am home and look at the photos on my wall, I think about how they represent different moments of my life.”
Of those 45 countries and 300 cities, what’s her favorite? “Florence. I love its history, its connection to cultural giants like Dante, Machievelli, Michangelo and DaVinci, its compactness and, of course, its fabulous food.
“I don’t usually go back to a lot of places, but I go back to Florence as often as I can,” adds Zeoli. “It’s a great picture-taking place, too.”
She posts her photos on Facebook to share moments with family and friends. Lately, she is selling her photos.
“I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair one year and noticed all the amazing photos for sale,” she said. “I decided to sell my photos, too.”
She features her photographs through Fine Art America, which provides an online marketplace and fulfillment service as well as marketing services for artists and photographers.
Someday, she’d like to pursue the art market for her photography and write a coffee table book featuring her travels and photography.
Zeoli encourages others to travel but knows it’s not for everyone. “Some people don’t like the inconveniences, or they may be fearful of the foods they might have to eat. Others, like me, want to experience everything they can. If it’s your passion, you have to go for it…like the old proverb, ‘Leap before you look.’ ”
— Story by Olga Bonfiglio for Lux Esto, the magazine of Kalamazoo College
Honors Day soloist Lauren Landman and President Jorge Gonzalez
Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as backdrop for the College’s annual Honors Day convocation. More than 250 students were recognized for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College recognition awards. In addition, student athletes and teams who have won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards were feted. The students who received awards or recognition are listed below.
FINE ARTS DIVISION
THE BRIAN GOUGEON PRIZE IN ART, awarded to a sophomore student who, during his or her first year, exhibited outstanding achievement and potential in art. Kaiya Herman-Hilker Qynce Chumley
LILLIAN PRINGLE BALDAUF PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded to an outstanding music student. John Bowman Christopher Coburn Matthew Peters Madeline Lauver
COOPER AWARD for a junior or senior showing excellence in a piece of creative work in a theatre arts class: film, acting, design, stagecraft, puppetry, speech. Quincy Crosby
THEATRE ARTS FIRST-YEAR STUDENT AWARD, given to a sophomore for outstanding departmental efforts during the first year. Kate Kreiss Robert Davis Maren Prophit Louise Thomas
FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION
LeGRAND COPLEY PRIZE IN FRENCH, awarded to a sophomore who, as a first-year student, demonstrated the greatest achievement in French. Lauren Arquette Danny Horwitz
HARDY FUCHS AWARD, given for excellence in first-year German. Emma Eisenbeis
MARGO LIGHT AWARD, given for excellence in second- or third-year German. Eric Thornburg
ROMANCE LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN SPANISH, awarded for excellence in the first year in Spanish. Kate Kreiss Daniel Cho
CLARA H. BUCKLEY PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN LATIN, awarded to an outstanding student of the language of the ancient Romans. Emma Peters
CLASSICS DEPARTMENT PRIZE IN GREEK, awarded to an outstanding student in the language of the ancient Greeks. Brittany Jones
PROVOST’S PRIZE IN CLASSICS, awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject. Danielle Gin
HUMANITIES DIVISION
O.M. ALLEN PRIZE IN ENGLISH, given for the best essay written by a member of the first-year class. Kate Kreiss
JOHN B. WICKSTROM PRIZE IN HISTORY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in history. Mackenzie Callahan
L.J. AND EVA (“GIBBIE”) HEMMES MEMORIAL PRIZE IN PHILOSOPHY, awarded to that sophomore who, in the first year, showed the greatest promise for continuing studies in philosophy. Katherine Bennett Garrett Sander
NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION
WINIFRED PEAKE JONES PRIZE IN BIOLOGY, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in biology. Min Soo Kim Cydney Martell Maggie Smith
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in chemistry. Meghan Horal
FIRST-YEAR CHEMISTRY AWARD, awarded to a sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated great achievement in chemistry. Anthony Diep Nicholas Ludka
LEMUEL F. SMITH AWARD, given to a student majoring in chemistry, pursuing the American Chemical Society approved curriculum, and having at the end of the junior year the highest average standing in courses taken in chemistry, physics and mathematics. Collin Steen
COMPUTER SCIENCE PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in computer science. Hans Wieland
FIRST-YEAR MATHEMATICS AWARD, given annually to the sophomore student who, during the first year, demonstrated the greatest achievement in mathematics. Dahwi Kim
Allegra Allgeier
THOMAS O. WALTON PRIZE IN MATHEMATICS, awarded to a member of the junior class for excellence in the work of the first two years in mathematics. Abhay Goel
COOPER PRIZE IN PHYSICS, given for excellence in the first year’s work in physics. Kayla Park Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado
SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION
DEPARTMENTAL PRIZE IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY, awarded for excellence during the first and/or second year’s work. Paige Tobin Meghan Horal Hannah Muscara Adam Edery Benjamin Smith
C. WALLACE LAWRENCE PRIZE IN ECONOMICS, awarded annually to a economics student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year. Maria Franco Hannah Kline Logan Smith
C. WALLACE LAWRENCE PRIZE IN BUSINESS, awarded annually to a business student who has done outstanding work in the Department of Economics and Business during the sophomore year. Cody Colvin Jacob Wasko Alex White
IRENE AND S. KYLE MORRIS PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s courses in the Department of Economics and Business. Christopher Coburn Rachel Frank Evelyn Wagner
WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for excellence in any year’s work in political science. Lauren Arquette
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY FIRST-YEAR STUDENT PRIZE, awarded for excellence in the first year’s work in psychology. Michelle Alba
MARSHALL HALLOCK BRENNER PRIZE, given by the family and friends in memory of Marshall Hallock Brenner, class of 1955, to be awarded to an outstanding junior for excellence in the study of psychology. Kyle Hernandez
PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION
DIVISION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION PRIZE, awarded to those students who, as first-year students, best combined leadership and scholarship in promoting athletics, physical education and recreation. Jordan Wiley Amanda Moss Cheyenne Allyn-White
MAGGIE WARDLE PRIZE, awarded to that sophomore woman whose activities at the College reflect the values that Maggie Wardle demonstrated in her own life. The recipient will show a breadth of involvement in the College through her commitment to athletics and to the social sciences and/or community service. Malak Ghazal
COLLEGE AWARDS
GORDON BEAUMONT MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to the student who displays qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern and a willingness to help others, as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont. Sarah Bragg Mireya Guzman-Ortiz
HENRY AND INEZ BROWN PRIZE, awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community. Sidney Wall
VIRGINIA HINKELMAN MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to a student who displays a deep concern for the well-being of children, as demonstrated through career goals in the field of child welfare. Moises Hernandez
HEYL SCHOLARS – CLASS OF 2020
Taylor Ashby Kento Hirakawa Matthew Krinock Samuel Maddox Shukrani Nsenga Michael Orwin Marjorie Wolfe Julie Zabik
POSSE SCHOLARS – CLASS OF 2020
Iffat Chowdhury Fabien Debies Neelam Lal Madisyn mahoney Israel Mazas Joseph Ney-Jun Melissa Pasillas Cesar Soria Gabriel Ugarte Raphaela Varella
NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLAR – CLASS OF 2020
John Patton
ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA – CLASS OF 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.
Lauren Arquette Meredith Ashton Max Aulbach Katherine Bennett Kevin Bhimani Emily Boyle Moly Brueger Mackenzie Callahan Tapiwa Chikungwa Heeseong Cho Jennifer Cho Christopher Coburn Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado Anthony Diep Emma Eisenbeis McKinzie Ervin Alex Fairhall Rachel Frank Ian Freshwater Sarah George Natalie Gratsch Claire Greening Meghan Horal Sadie Jackson Min Soo Kim Mackenzie Landman Madeline Lauver Hyunyn Lim Sara Lonsberry Nicholas Ludka Cydney Martell Abigail McDonough Jacob Mooradian Emma Mullenax Kayla Park Andrew Parsons Cecilia Ringo Skylar Rizzolo Scott Roberts Timothy Rutledge Austin Smith Benjamin Smith Margaret Smith Natalie Thompson Evenly Wagner Ailih Weeldreyer
ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS
ARCUS CENTER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERSHIP Donovan Williams
CREATIVE EXPRESSION IN JOURNALISM Emiliana Renuart Maia Taylor
CREATIVE EXPRESSION IN MUSIC Anna Christinidis Liam Fries Joshua Gibson Kathryn Martin Boemin Park Orly Rubinfeld
CREATIVE EXPRESSION IN VISUAL ARTS Georgie Andrews Brianna Burnell Lizi Chinchilakashvili Nutsa Chinchilakashvili
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT Lakshya Choudhary Shiva Sah
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM AND SUSTAINABILITY Aiden Voss Madeline Ward
MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS
The following Hornet teams earned the 2015-2016 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.
The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction on the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winner in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum 3.5 grade point average for the entire school year.
Michael Allen Kelsey Adamski Ryan Andrusz Elizabeth Arellano Lauren Arquette Alberto Ayala Sonal Bahl Victoria Beehler Kennedy Boulton Riley Boyd Allie Brodsky Molly Brueger Thomas Bryant Hayley Buckhout Matthew Burczyk Janice Burnett Alex Cadigan Kathryn Callaghan Olivia Cares Charlie Carson Katherine Cebelak Madeleine Chilcote Cody Colvin Anthony Convertino Anna Dairaghi Christina Dandar Elan Dantus Sabrina Dass Eric De Witt Ricardo DelOlmo-Parrado Dana DeVito Cecilia DiFranco Mikayla Doepker Guillermo Dominguez Garcia Alivia DuQuet Erin DuRoss John Dynes Charles Edick Emma Eisenbeis Rachel Epstein Angelia Evangelista Kevin Ewing Andrew Feeley George Fishback Matthew Fitz Chris Francis Maria Franco Ian Freshwater Brett Garwood Sarah George Camille Giacobone Emily Good Evan Gorgas Monica Gorgas Kyle Hahn Griffin Hamel Jordan Henning Kaiya Herman-Hilker Kyle Hernandez Samantha Hicks Megan Hoinville Shelby Hopper Allia Howard Robert Hudson Nicole Huff Julia Hulbert Jordan Jabara Clare Jensen Claire Kalina Spencer Kennedy Kelsey Kerbawy Benjamin Kileen Dahwi Kim William Kirchen Hannah Kline Emily Kozal Stefan Leclerc Da Bin Lee Jacob Lindquist Jordan Loredo Nick Ludka Megan Malish Sarah Manski Nicholas Marsh Cydney Martell Mallory McClure Alexander McDonnell Thomas McLravy Madison Moote Christopher Muir Victoria Najacht Jonathan Nord Skyler Norgaard Mackenzie Norman Andrew Novetsky Michael Oravetz Alexandria Oswalt Dylan Padget Dana Page James Paprocki Bradley Popiel Nicole Prentice Megan Riley Phillip Ritchie Scott Roberts Sophie Roberts William Roberts Rebecca Rogers Anna Roodbergen Keigan Ryckman Matthew Ryder Mason Sarosi Ashley Schiffer Grady Schneider Eleanor Schodowski Aaron Schwark Cameron Schwartz Jacob Scott Lauren Seroka Sharif Shaker Claire Slaughter Grace Smith Kathleen Sorenson Sophia Spencer Vethania Stavropoulos Mira Swearer Lily Talmers Alexander Townsend Lydia Turke Elizabeth Tyburski Kaela Van Til David Vanderkloot Jacob Waier Kyra Walenga Jacob Wasko John Wehr Alex White Joshua Whitney Hans Wieland Jordan Wiley Madeline Woods Sarah Woods Brent Yelton Matthew Zhiss
Rocketry and a liberal arts education might seem like a strange combination, but not for Kalamazoo College’s Emma Kristal. Emma recently won individual and team gold medals with the USA World Space Modeling team in the Space Modeling Championships in Lviv, Ukraine.
Kalamazoo College student Emma Kristal wears gold medals she won during the World Space Modeling Championships.
Emma – a junior from Royal Oak, Mich. – majors in psychology and biology with a concentration in neuroscience. She also minors in French at K. Yet rocketry has been a passion since fifth grade.
“I didn’t want to go compete at first, but my dad had the time off and it was finally in Michigan,” Emma said of her first National Association of Rocketry competition. “He conned me into going by telling me it would be just for fun.”
Emma set one of her 10 U.S. National Model Rocketry records in the E SuperRoc event during that competition. That led to more competitions and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum accepting one of her rockets.
The Smithsonian “liked it because a fifth-grade girl used it to set a record and because I made it to look like a giant pink pencil,” Emma said. Although the rocket is not on display, she hopes it one day might be.
Emma since has tried several events to find which she likes best. Her event this year on the world stage was the S2P Precision Fragile Payload. In this event, competitors tried to reach an altitude of 300 meters and a flight time of 60 seconds for three consecutive flights while not breaking an egg in the rocket. Emma was the flyer who came closest to the cumulative target without breaking or cracking her egg.
“The fun part is we can’t check between rounds whether the egg is cracked,” Emma said. “It wasn’t until an hour after the final round had ended that I found out I was in first place.”
The world championships are every other year. Emma has competed with the U.S. team since 2010. The competition has allowed Emma to travel to Serbia, Slovakia and Bulgaria in addition to Ukraine for competitions. Emma also has visited Vienna, Austria, and a rocket manufacturer in the formerly closed city of Dnipro, Ukraine.
“Most of the competitions are in Eastern Europe because that’s where most of the competitors are from other than the U.K. and China,” she said, noting she has made friends from all over the world.
Emma Kristal stands with Team USA during the World Space Modeling Championships.
“We’re the fiercest competitors on the field, but afterward, we can still sit down and play cards together,” she said. “I’m making connections with people from all over the world. Sometimes I can scroll through my newsfeed (on Facebook) and not see a single thing in English.”
Despite her interest in science-related topics and hobbies, Emma quite naturally chose K.
“My dad is an emergency room doctor and when we asked his colleagues where I should attend college, they all said K. Honestly, we thought (Kalamazoo College) put something in the water to make them all rave about it,” she said with a smile.
Emma has no plans to make a career out of rocketry, but one thing is certain: She will always shoot for the stars.
Emma Kristal’s U.S. National Model Rocketry Records
8/2/07A, Division E, SuperRoc, Altitude, 138,223 points, E6-8 motor
