Life Changer

Lor VangLor “Sana” Vang ’14 received a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to pursue advanced language study in China this past summer. She studied at Zhejiang University of Technology in Hang Zhou, China for ten weeks.

She is one of approximately 550 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students who received the scholarship this year. The CLS Program is part of a U.S. Department of State’s effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages, specifically Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian, Japanese, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, or Urdu. CLS Program participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

Before Sana departed for China, we asked her to participate in a Q&A on her K career and her upcoming CLS summer.

Your hometown? I am from St. Paul, Minnesota. I was born in Thailand and raised in the U.S. I am Hmong-American.

Major, Minor? I majored in East Asian studies with minors in Japanese and economics.

Where did you study abroad? I studied in China during my junior year 2012-13, spending six months in Beijing and three months in Harbin.

Did you complete an Integrative Cultural Project (ICRP) during study abroad? Yes. My ICRP focused on traditional music and I learned how to play a Pipa, a four-string plucked lute. I took Pipa lessons with a graduate student at the Conservatory of Music in Beijing. I attended a music workshop and concerts, and also interviewed music students to learn why they decided to learn traditional versus western instruments.

How did your K study abroad experience affect your life? My K study abroad experience affected my life in many ways. China was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to see things in a different perspective. I studied the history of Beijing, improved my Chinese, and learned about music. In Harbin, I saw the influences of Western cultures and studied about Chinese myths and fairy tales. I also took a course in business that led me to understand more about China’s economic developments and how people are affected by the policies that are being implemented. I traveled and saw many historic sites, and got engaged in the community. I have many good friends from study abroad who will be with me throughout my life.

Describe your Senior Individualized Project? My SIP focused on the clashes of American culture and Hmong culture. Hmong are a diaspora group of people, and Hmong-Americans especially find it’s hard to keep the balance between being both Hmong and American. My SIP talked about finding a new identity of bi-culturalism, some of the struggles within our modern society, and understanding how history has become a big part of who Hmong are today.

Have you been involved in K student organizations? I served as the president of the Badminton Club in my sophomore year and was vice-president my senior year. I also was a member of the Asian Pacific-Islander Student Association.

Campus jobs? I worked for political science department and at the New Media Center.

What do you expect to experience and learn during your CLS summer in China? I want to learn more about the food culture and how to make authentic Chinese food. I also am interested in seeing the differences between living in the south of China and the north. I also expect to improve my Chinese language and learn more about the dialects.

What strengths and learning experiences from your nearly four years at K will help you during your CLS summer? I think my study abroad experience during my junior year will definitely help me during the CLS Summer. Studying abroad helped me become more independent, as well as understand more about myself, and the adaptation process that we all experience while moving to a different place. I learned that exploring cities and having conversations with others can also be beneficial in that you can get to know a place, the people, and become part of that ecosystem.

What are some of your longer-term academic and career goals beyond this summer? Beyond this summer I hope to either find a job or continue my studies in graduate school studying international relations and business. Critical Language Scholars are encouraged to study our targeted language and incorporate it into our future career. I hope to become fluent in Chinese and work in U.S.-China related jobs. Some activities that I might be engaged in are international relations related jobs and programs.

What would you like people to know about you and your K experience as you head toward Commencement and into the ranks of K alumni? Kalamazoo College’s slogan—More in Four. More in a Lifetime.—is, I believe, my Kalamazoo experience. I have met many inspiring people, become great friends with other K students, and have had an amazing four years that I will not forget. K is indeed life changing.

 

Dean’s List Spring 2014

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 2014 academic term. Kudos to the entire group of some 300 students, and good luck in Fall term, 2014.

Spring 2014

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

Ayaka Abe
Melissa Acosta
Sara Adelman
Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti
Omid Akhavan-Tafti
Dana Allswede
Suma Alzouhayli
Katelyn Anderson
Steven Andrews
Giancarlo Anemone
Jasmine An
Jill Antonishen
Lucas Arbulu
Simone Arora
Jose Avalos Jr.

B

Gordon Backer
Caroline Barnett
Joseph Barth
William Bartz
Abraham Bayha
Nicholas Beam
Blake Beauchamp
Matthew Beck
Andrea Beitel
Kate Belew
William Bell
Erin Bensinger
Andrew Berner
Cleome Bernick-Roehr
Yuvraj Bhagat
Anup Bhullar
Mara Birndorf
Alexis Blakley
Reid Blanchett
Hannah Bogard
Amanda Bolles
Kira Boneff
Madeline Booth
Nathalie Botezatu
Olivia Bouchard
Miss Grace Bowe
Jonathan Bowman
Zoe Bowman
Riley Boyd
McKenna Bramble
Caitlin Braun
Scott Brent
Stavros Bricolas
Erran Briggs II
Lee Broady
Allie Brodsky
Ebony Brown
Erin Brown
Maxine Brown
Elisse Buhmann
Camille Burke
Shanice Buys

C

William Cagney
Xiaotang Cai Jr.
Robert Calco
Kathryn Callaghan
Sonia Camarena
Ellie Cannon
Olivia Cares
Edward Carey
Fiona Carey
Owen Carroll
Sheila Carter
Marissa Cash
Nicholas Caywood
Colin Cepuran
Savanna Chambers
Chido Chigwedere
Christi Cho
Clare Chodoroff
Jae Hyun Choe
Ji Won Choe
Jennifer Cho
Yoensuk Chung
Josefina Cibelli
Annaliese Collier
Quinton Colwell
Kacey Cook
Hannah Cooperrider
Colleen Corrigan
Wilson Cross
Laura Crouch
David Crudder
Brian Cunningham-Rhoads
Katherine Curley
Suzanne Curtiss

D

Paula Dallacqua
Joshua Daniel
Callie Daniels-Howell
Corrin Davis
Megan Davis
Marissa Dawson
Francesca DeAnda
Cecilia DeBoeck
David Demarest
David DeSimone
Dana DeVito
Claire De Witt
Claire Diekman
Calee Dieleman
Cecilia DiFranco
Ryan D’Mello
Querubin Dubois
Trisha Dunham
Alivia DuQuet
Erin DuRoss
Kayla Dziadzio

E

Maya Edery
Charles Edick
Anna Eshuis
Marlene Espinoza
Fiona Evans
Rachel Evans
Kevin Ewing

F

Alan Faber III
Rachel Fadler
Abram Farley
Andrew Feeley
Nathaniel Feuerstein
Alexis Fiebernitz
Claire Fielder
Olivia Finkelstein
Marie Fiori
Raven Fisher
Joshua Foley
Samantha Foran
Caroline Foura
Christopher Francis
Michael Francisco
Valentin Frank
Abigail Fraser
Anthony Frattarelli
Annah Freudenburg
Gabriel Frishman
Rina Fujiwara
Lydia Fyie

G

Bridget Gallagher
Jacob Gallimore
Joana Garcia
Maria Luisa Garnica Marroquin
Brett Garwood
Katherine Gatz
Lauren Gaunt
Ian Geiman
Kathleen George
Mousa Ghannam
Grace Gilmore
Danielle Gin
Sarah Glass
Alexa Glau
De’Angelo Glaze
Daniella Glymin
Carter Goetz
Marlon Gonzalez
Kaitlin Gotcher
Adam Gothard
Emma Gougeon
Anna Gough
David Graham
Colleen Grasher
Madalyn Grau
Jackson Greenstone
Kaitlyn Greiner
William Gribbin
Ethan Grier
Marquise Griffin
Alexandra Groffsky
Guilherme Guedes
Alyse Guenther
Maria Isabel Guevara Duque
Yicong Guo
Rebecca Guralnick
Caleb Gurd
Cory Gyulveszi

H

Kayan Hales
Marie Hallinen
Allison Hammerly
Daniel Handley
Sameen Haque
Hadley Harrison
Sally Harrison
Rachel Hartman
Cheyenne Harvey
Andrew Hassevoort
Bonita Hazel
Stephanie Heard
Alina Hechler
Frances Heldt
Ashley Henne
Mariah Hennen
Jordan Henning
Kyle Hernandez
Jamie Heywood
Cassidy Hillis
Emily Holloway
Gabrielle Holme-Miller
Jenna Holmes
Pornkamol Huang
Audra Hudson
Robert Hudson
Jane Huffman
Madeline Hume
Katherine Hunter
Siwook Hwang

I

Pinar Inanli
Yohana Iyob

J

Jordan Jabara
Dana Jacobson
Nisha Jagannathan
Clare Jensen
Amy Jimenez
Lara Job
Amanda Johnson
Andrea Johnson
Marylou Johnson
Monica Johnson
Katherine Johnston
Tibin John
Dylan Jolliffe
Samantha Jolly
Brittany Jones
Hannah Jones
Stann-Omar Jones

K

Kamalaldin Kamalaldin
Nicholas Keen
Jessica Kehoe
Clover Kelly
Jack Kemper
Allison Kennedy
Spencer Kennedy
Faiz Khaja
Alexandra Kim
Hannah Kim
Na Young Kim
Elizabeth Kinney
Siga Kisielius
Lucille Klein
Lindsey Koenig
Mehmet Kologlu
Emily Kotz
Holly Kramer
Matthew Kuntzman
Lucas Penn Hardy Kushner

L

Rebecca La Croix
Anh Lam
Bryan Lara
Samuel Larioza
Tessa Lathrop
Colin Lauderdale
Rachel Leider
Jacob Lenning
Colin Lennox
Rachel LePage
Arianna Letherer
Madeline LeVasseur
Sarah Levett
Ayoki Levy
Emily Levy
Clara Lewis
Jordan Lewis
Samuel Lichtman-Mikol
Rachel Lifton
Alex Lindsay
Bret Linvill
Gordon Liu
Cooper Logsdon
Trenton Loos
Elise Lovaas
Chenxi Lu
Riley Lundquist
Liam Lundy

M

Lucy MacArthur Jr.
Sydney Madden
Miranda Madias
Paige Maguire
Lucy Mailing
Megan Malish
Laura Manardo
Amanda Mancini
Grace Manger
Scott Manski
Natalie Martell
Alexis Martin-Browne
Elizabeth Martin
Mary Mathyer
Takumi Matsuzawa
Katherine Mattison
Mallory McClure
Quinn McCormick
Adam McDowell
Tyler McFarland
Sara McKinney
Thomas McLravy
Molly Meddock
Thomas Mehall
Natalie Melnick
Lesley Merrill
Emily Mickus
Shannon Milan
Chelsea Miller
Joshua Miller
Suzanne Miller
Mallika Mitra
Christopher Monsour
Jacob Montz
Daniel Moore
Tessa Moore
Asia Liza Morales
Aliera Morasch
Alexandra Morris
Brittany Morton
Cody Mosblech
Hagop Mouradian
Chloe Mpinga
Tendai Mudyiwa
Chelsea Muller

N

Victoria Najacht
Alissa Neff
Audrey Negro
Gisella Newbery
Hang Nguyen
Hoang Nguyen
Ly Nguyen
Thi Phuong Lan Nguyen
Anne Nielsen
John Nocita
Mackenzie Norman
Emily Nummer
Fernando Nunez

O

Kelly Ohlrich
Stephen Oliphant
Rachel Olson
One Ookeditse
Devin Opp
Anya Opshinsky
Nicholas Ortiz
Colleen Orwin
Jessie Owens

P

Dana Page
Kari Paine
Anthony Palleschi
Fayang Pan
Yunpeng Pang
Grace Parikh Walter
Jisung Park
Hunter Parsons
Bronte Payne
Gabriel Pedelty Ovsiew
Miss Elizabeth Penix
Stephany Perez
Lauren Perlaki
David Personke
Adam Peters
Caroline Peterson
Thanh Thanh Phan
Katherine Pielemeier
Dylan Polcyn
Duncan Polot
Ayesha Popper
Maylis Pourtau
Emily Powers
Beau Prey
Laurel Prince
Danielle Purkey

Q

 

R

Katherine Rapin
Katelyn Ray
Mengyang Ren
Lindsey Reppuhn
Maria Rich
Jenna Riehl
Danielle Riffer-Reinert
Megan Rigney
Megan Riley
Katherine Ring
Annika Roberts
Sophie Roberts
William Roberts
Megan Robison
Erika Robles Araya
Jakob Rodseth
Camryn Romph
Elana Rosen
Lyla Rothschild
Stefanie Roudebush
Elinor Rubin-McGregor
Wendy Rubio
Devin Rush

S

Emily Salswedel
Alejandra Sanchez
Kira Sandiford
Andrea Satchwell
Eri Sawai
David Schapiro
Christa Scheck
Katharine Scheck
Jennie Scheerer
Ashley Schmidt
Natalie Schmitt
Sarah Schmitt
Grady Schneider
Aaron Schoenfeldt
Colleen Schuldeis
Aaron Schwark
Eli Seitz
Allison Seiwert
Jenna Sexton
Sanjay Sharma
Hannah Shaughnessy-Mogill
Rami Sherman
Veronica Shiemke
Geon-Ah Shin
Sonam Shrestha
Brandon Siedlaczek
Alexsandra Siems
Petar Simic
Kaylah Simmons
Blake Simon
Madeline Sinkovich
Eren Sipahi
Kathryn Skinner
Miss Claire Slaughter
Caitlyn Smith
Colin Smith
Emily Smith
Grace Smith
Sarah Smith
Cassandra Solis
Joshua Sowers
Austin Sroczynski
Sara Stack
Jordan Stainforth
Vethania Stavropoulos
Ernest Stech
Charlotte Steele
Collin Steen
Petra Stoppel
Lydia Strini
Thomas Stuut
Sarah Sullivan
Kyle Sunden
Muyang Sun
Shang Sun
Mira Swearer

T

Thomas Tabor
Emerson Talanda-Fisher
Brendan Tamm
Kiyoto Tanemura
Aidan Tank
Salwa Tareen
Jennifer Tarnoff
Abigail Taylor
Lilian Taylor
Diana Temple
Kaitlyn Thiry
Cassie Thompson
Laurel Thompson
Spencer Thompson
Eric Thornburg
Karen Timm
Allison Tinsey
Mary Tobin
Benjamin Toledo
Nadia Torres
Alexander Townsend
Madeleine Tracey
Brooke Travis
Dakota Trinka
Brittany Trombino
Minhkhang Truong
Ngoc Truong
Shelby Tuthill
Elizabeth Tyburski

U

Elizabeth Uribe

V

Caleb VanDyke
Christian VanHouten
Mitchell VanKoevering
Erica Vanneste
Kaela Van Til
Umang Varma
Natalie Vazquez
Rolf Verhagen Metman
Madeline Vermeulen
Thomas Verville
Samantha Voss
Austin Voydanoff

W

Raoul Wadhwa
Reid Wagner
Kyra Walenga
Brigid Walkowski
Sidney Wall
Emily Walsh
Emily Walsh
Jessica Walters
William Warpinski
Olivia Weaver
Jared Weeks
Perri Weiderman
Natalie Weingartz
Paris Weisman
Madeline Weisner
Clayton Weissenborn
Kenneth Weiss
Cameron Werner
Joseph Westerfield
Scott Wharam
Caitlyn Whitcomb
Zachary White
Joshua Whitney
Elijah Wickline
Joseph Widmer
Laurel Wiinikka-Buesser
Arshia Will
Kieran Williams
Rachel Williams
Courtney Wise
Emily Witte
Camille Wood
Dayon Woodford
Lisa Woolcock Majlof
Erika Worley
Lindsay Worthington
Kate Wynne
Joseph Wyzgoski

X

Anja Xheka
Jincheng Xu

Y

Michael Yeomans
Samantha Young
Skylar Young

Z

Cheryl Zhang
Matthew Zhiss
Zhipeng Zhou
Agron Ziberi

Dense, Disconcerting Bite

Faded portrait of Diane SeussThat I could have written it shorter had I only more time has been attributed to great writers from Montaigne to Mark Twain. Those multiple attributions may be the best testament to the statement’s truth. It is hard to write “good short.” Unless you’re Writer-in-Residence Diane Seuss ’78, winner of Indiana Review’s 2013 1/2K Prize for her prose poem “Wal-Mart Parking Lot,” which was published in IR’s Summer 2014 issue.

More good news: IR editor Peter Kispert interviewed Di about various prize-related matters, including which actual Wal-Mart inspired her, how she approached making her poem, and the challenges and triumphs of the compressed form. You can read that interview online. In the 1/2K, word count cannot exceed 500 and all genres are open–albeit constrained. Di is spending part of the summer at Hedgebrook on Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. Hedgebrook is a retreat for women writers. “If you receive the residency you get your own little cottage (overlooking Mt. Rainier and the Sound), solitude, and meals out of their organic garden,” wrote Di. “I’m not sure how to receive such a gift, but I’m working on it.”

In other news, The Missouri Review published Di’s poem “Still-Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl (after Rembrandt),” one of a series that arose from Di’s interest in still life painting. “What I discovered about still lives is that they are not still,” Di said, “or their stillness draws out our projections like a poultice lures poison.”

Senior Awards Ceremony 2014

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who received awards during the Senior Awards Ceremony on June 15, 2014, in Stetson Chapel. The awards include all academic divisions, prestigious scholarships, and special non-departmental awards. Again, congratulations to all graduates and members of the Class of 2014.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

Art and Art History

THE LILIA CHEN AWARD IN ART, awarded to students in their junior or senior year who distinguish themselves through their work in ceramics, sculpture, or painting, and who exhibit strong progress in their understanding of art.
Zoe Beaudry
Ayesha Popper
Caitlyn Smith

THE MICHAEL WASKOWSKY PRIZE, awarded to an outstanding junior or senior art major.
Taylor Hartley

Music

The LILLIAN PRINGLE BALDAUF PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded to an outstanding music student.
Nathalie Botezatu

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT AWARD, given by the Music Department of the College for outstanding contributions to the musical life on campus, for achievement in performance areas, and for academic achievement.
Curtis Gough  

THE FAN E. SHERWOOD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for outstanding progress and ability on an orchestral stringed instrument.
Fayang Pan            
Ramon Rochester

THE MARGARET UPTON PRIZE IN MUSIC, awarded each year to a student designated by the Music Department faculty as having made a significant achievement in music.
Madeleine Aborn            
Brian Craig     
Campbell Flood
Taylor Hartley
Jonathan Husar
Sherin John                
Elizabeth Kinney
Chelsea Miller
Abigail Miner    
Duncan Polot 

Theatre Arts

THE RUTH SCOTT CHENERY AWARD, given to a graduating senior who has excelled academically in theatre and who plans to continue the study of theatre arts following graduation.
David Landskroener        
Lydia Strini                            
Arshia Will

THE IRMGARD KOWATZKI THEATRE AWARD, awarded to the senior who has excelled both in academic areas and in theatrical productions during the four years at the College.
Mary Mathyer 

THE CHARLES TULLY DESIGN AWARD, given annually to a senior who has achieved excellence in some aspect of theatre design.
Lydia Strini

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

Chinese

THE CHINESE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, recognizes seniors who have excelled in the study of the Chinese language and China-related subjects on campus and abroad in China.
Kimberly Balk                                 
Clara Lewis                                  
Lor Vang

Classical Studies

THE PROVOST’S PRIZE IN CLASSICS, awarded to that student who writes the best essay on a classical subject.
Alan Faber
Claire Fielder

German

THE JOE FUGATE SENIOR GERMAN AWARD, awarded to a senior for excellence in German.
Elizabeth Kinney

Japanese

THE JAPANESE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY, COLLEGE CHAPTER, is awarded in recognition of the student’s achievement in their study of the Japanese language and for their overall academic excellence.
Jeric Derama                        
Lucas Kushner                             
Erika Robles Araya                    
Hailey Stutz

Romance Languages

THE ALLIANCE FRANCAISE PRIZE IN FRENCH, awarded for excellence in French by an advanced student.
Fiona Carey                                
Lisa Woolcock Majlof                        
Hagop Mouradian

THE SENIOR SPANISH AWARD, given by the Department of Romance Languages for outstanding achievement in Spanish.
Matthew Muñoz                                
Salwa Tareen                                
Megan Walsh 

HUMANITIES DIVISION

American Studies

THE DAVID STRAUSS PRIZE IN AMERICAN STUDIES, awarded for the best paper written by a graduating senior in his or her junior or senior year in any field of American Studies.
Colin Lauderdale                                  
Rachel Olson

English

THE GRIFFIN PRIZE, awarded to the senior English major who, like Professor Gail Griffin, demonstrates an exceptional ability to bridge his/her analytical and creative work in the English department.
Matthew Muñoz 

THE ELWOOD H. AND ELIZABETH H. SCHNEIDER PRIZE, awarded for outstanding and creative work in English done by a student who is not an English major.
Colin Lauderdale                            
Samantha Voss  

THE MARY CLIFFORD STETSON PRIZE, awarded for excellence in English essay writing by a senior.
Paula Dallacqua 

THE DWIGHT AND LEOLA STOCKER PRIZE, awarded for excellence in English writing: prose or poetry.
Dakota Clement                                
David Landskroener      
Trevor Vader

History

THE JAMES BIRD BALCH PRIZE, for the showing academic excellence in American History.
Julia Duncan

THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT AWARD, given for outstanding work in the major.
Claire DeWitt                                 
Laurel Thompson

Philosophy

THE HODGE PRIZE IN PHILOSOPHY, awarded to that member of the graduating class who has the highest standing in the field.
Allison Tinsey

Religion

THE MARION H. DUNSMORE MEMORIAL PRIZE IN RELIGION, awarded to a graduating senior for excellence in the major.
Claire DeWitt                                
Emily Smith

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

Biology

THE H. LEWIS BATTS PRIZE, awarded to the senior who has done the most to support the activities of the Biology Department and to further the spirit of collegiality among students and faculty in the Department.
Sherin John
Gisella Newberry    
Christina Tarn

THE ROBERT BZDYL PRIZE IN MARINE BIOLOGY, awarded to one or more students with demonstrated interest and ability in marine biology or related fields.
David Schapiro

THE DIEBOLD SCHOLAR AWARD, given to one or more seniors in recognition of excellence in the oral or poster presentation of the SIP at the Diebold Symposium.
Matthew Davidson                            
Alan Faber

THE WILLIAM E. PRAEGER PRIZE, established by the faculty in the Biology Department and awarded to the most outstanding senior major in Biology, based on academic achievement in the discipline.
Michael Korn

Chemistry  

THE ANNUAL UNDERGRADUATE AWARD IN INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, sponsored by the American Chemical Society Division of Inorganic Chemistry, to an undergraduate student planning on pursuing graduate studies in chemistry.
Sara Adelman

THE OUTSTANDING CHEMISTRY STUDENT FROM KALAMAZOO COLLEGE, sponsored by the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society and is given to the graduating senior who has demonstrated leadership in the chemistry department and plans to pursue graduate studies in chemistry.
Amanda Bolles

THE KURT KAUFMAN FELLOW, given annually to seniors who receive Honors in the Senior Individualized Project (SIP) conducted with faculty in the Chemistry Department.
Amanda Bolles       
Joseph Widmer

Mathematics and Computer Science

THE CLARKE BENEDICT WILLIAMS PRIZE, awarded to that member of the graduating class who has the best record in mathematics and the allied sciences.
Tendai Mudyiwa        
Fayang Pan    
Umang Varma 

Physics

THE JOHN WESLEY HORNBECK PRIZE, awarded to a senior with the highest achievement for the year’s work in advanced physics toward a major.
John Nocita                                
Reid Wagner

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION

Physical Education

THE GEORGE ACKER AWARD awarded annually to a male athlete who in his participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Tyler McFarland

THE OUTSTANDING SENIOR WOMAN ATHLETE AWARD, given by the Department of Physical Education to the outstanding senior female athlete.
Jenna Riehl

THE KALAMAZOO COLLEGE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION AWARD, for a graduating senior who has most successfully combined high scholarship with athletic prowess.
Michael Korn 

THE MARY LONG BURCH AWARD, for a senior woman who has manifested interest in sports activities and excelled in scholarship.
Holly Cooperrider

THE C. W. “OPIE” DAVIS AWARD, awarded to the outstanding senior male athlete.
Mark Ghafari  

THE KNOECHEL FAMILY AWARD, awarded to a senior male and a senior female member of the swim teams in recognition of demonstrated excellence in both intercollegiate swimming and academic performance.
Alexandra Stephens

THE CATHERINE A. SMITH PRIZE IN WOMEN’S ATHLETICS, awarded to a woman athlete who in her participation gave all, never quit, with good spirit supported others unselfishly, and whose example was inspirational.
Quinn McCormick

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

Anthropology and Sociology

THE RAYMOND L. HIGHTOWER AWARD, given to a graduating senior for excellence in and commitment to the disciplines of sociology and anthropology and leadership in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.
Ryan Gregory                                
Amy Jimenez       
Roxann Lawrence                                
Kylie Meyer 

Economics and Business

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded to a senior for excellence in academic work in an economics or business major.
Edward Carey (Business)                            
Katharine Moffit (Business)                        
Sanjay Sharma (Business)
Mark Ghafari (Economics)                        
Colin Lennox (Economics)                        
Kari Paine (Economics)

Human Development and Social Relations

THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL RELATIONS PRIZE, awarded for leadership in the major, reflecting commitment to inter-disciplinary thinking and social justice.
Charlotte Steele                            
Dayon Woodford

Political Science

THE E. BRUCE BAXTER MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to a senior showing outstanding development in the field of political science.
Jenna Neumann                                
Allison Seiwert

THE WILLIAM G. HOWARD MEMORIAL PRIZE, awarded for excellence in a year’s work in political science.
Abigail Miner                                
Salwa Tareen 

Psychology

THE MARSHALL HALLOCK BRENNER PRIZE awarded to an outstanding student for excellence in the field of psychology.
Ian Good 

THE XARIFA GREENQUIST MEMORIAL PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT AWARD, given in recognition of distinctive service to students and faculty in psychology by a student assistant.
Katherine Curley                             
Rachel Evans                                
Alejandra Sanchez

THE RICHARD D. KLEIN SENIOR AWARD IN PSYCHOLOGY, awarded to a senior psychology major for an outstanding SIP oral presentation.
Claire Diekman

THE RICHARD D. KLEIN SENIOR AWARD IN PSYCHOLOGY, given for outstanding contributions to the community
Jordan Earnest                                
Marlene Espinoza                            
Rachel Olson                                
Emily Smith                                
Sarah Sullivan

THE DONALD W. VAN LIERE PRIZE, given for excellence in psychology research.
Dana Allswede                                
Katherine Curley                               
David Graham

THE DONALD W. VAN LIERE PRIZE, given for excellence in psychology coursework.
Dana Allswede      
Kira Boneff          
Holly Kramer 

Women’s Studies

THE CATHERINE A. SMITH PRIZE IN HUMAN RIGHTS, awarded to a senior who has been active on campus in promoting human rights, furthering progressive social and cultural change, and combating violence, repression, and bigotry.
Jordan Earnest                                
Kaitlyn Thiry 

THE LUCINDA HINSDALE STONE PRIZE, awarded to a student whose scholarship, research or creative work in women’s studies, in the form of a SIP or other academic work, is most impressive.

Chelsey Shannon

COLLEGE AWARDS

THE GORDON BEAUMONT MEMORIAL AWARD, awarded to the deserving student who displays qualities of selflessness, humanitarian concern, and willingness to help others, as exemplified in the life of Gordon Beaumont.
Paula Dallacqua
Roxann Lawrence

THE HENRY AND INEZ BROWN AWARD is awarded in recognition of outstanding participation in the College community.
Jessie Owens

THE ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA GLADYS BELL GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP, given to a senior working toward a graduate or professional degree.
Jenna Neumann

THE VIRGINIA HINKELMAN MEMORIAL AWARD is awarded to a deserving student who displays a deep concern for the well-being of children, as demonstrated through career goals in the field of child welfare.
Raven Fisher

THE ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA MARIA LEONARD SENIOR BOOK AWARD, given to the Alpha Lambda Delta member graduating with the highest GPA.
Suzanne Curtiss                                
Spencer Thompson

THE BABETTE TRADER CAMPUS CITIZENSHIP AND LEADERSHIP AWARD, awarded to that member of the graduating class, who has most successfully combined campus citizenship and leadership with scholarship.
Lori-Ann Williams  

THE MAYNARD OWEN WILLIAMS MEMORIAL AWARD, for the best student entry in the form of an essay, poetry, paintings, sketches, photographs, or films derived from Study Abroad.
Fiona Carey                                
Brianna Melgar

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning recognizes LAPLANTE STUDENT SCHOLARS who have shown outstanding dedication to civic engagement and who design and lead community programs that promote a more just, equitable and sustainable world.
Dana Allswede     
Raven Fisher
Brenda Guzman
Roxann Lawrence
Katherine Mattison
Ayesha Popper
Eren Sipahi

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement recognizes the VIBBERT SCHOLARS, students who honor and exemplify the life and spirit of Stephanie Vibbert–scholar, activist, poet, feminist and artist–by leading programs that promote equity and justice through the arts and feminist organizing.
Zoe Beaudry                    
Jordan Earnest
Chelsey Shannon

The Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement recognizes the SERVICE-LEARNING FELLOWS, students who “carry on the work of Tony Vonk and Howard DeMoore … by turning lives around,” working with incarcerated youth and adults and promoting restorative justice.
David Graham

THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP RECOGNITION AWARD is awarded to students who have provided key elements of leadership in their organizations, athletic teams, academic departments, employment, and the wider Kalamazoo community.  Students were nominated by faculty and staff members in January.  Seniors eligible for this award also had to meet a minimum cumulative Grade Point Average requirement and be in good academic and social standing at the College.
Keaton Adams
Yesenia Aguilar      
Anna Asbury
Nicholas Beam
Amanda Bolles       
Nathalie Botezatu
Erran Briggs
Edward Carey
Ismael Carrasco
Claire DeWitt
Emma Dolce
Raven Fisher
Mark Ghafari
Ian Good
Brenda Guzman
Amy Jimenez           
Sherin John
Michael Korn
Lucas Kushner
Colin Lauderdale
Roxann Lawrence
Ayoki Levi               
Amanda Mancini
Geneci Marroquin
Tendai Mudyiwa
Kari Paine
Ramon Rochester
Sara Sullivan
Hsu Tun
Umang Varma   
Lori-Ann Williams
Marc Zughaib

Heyl Scholars Bound for Kalamazoo College

Eight Kalamazoo College Heyl ScholarsAt a May dinner in the Hicks Center Kalamazoo College celebrated the 2014 Kalamazoo County high school graduates who earned Heyl Scholarships for Kalamazoo College (science and math) or Western Michigan University (nursing). The scholarship covers tuition, book costs, and room charges. The 2014 Heyl scholars include (l-r): front row—Rachel Chang, Fiona Beaton, Emily Fletcher, Amber Salome; back row—Jacob Naranjo, Peter Rossi, Jager Hartman, and Abhay Goel. Beaton will attend WMU; the other seven will begin their undergraduate studies at K in September. Not pictured is Alexandria Oswalt, who also will attend K. (Photo by Anthony Dugal Photography)

Germany Honors K History Professor

Kalamazoo College history professor David BarclayDavid Barclay, the Margaret and Roger Scholten Professor of International Studies, was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland), the country’s highest decoration, popularly known as the Federal Cross of Merit. Because he was unable to receive the award in Berlin, it was presented to him at a ceremony at the German Consulate General in Chicago on June 17.

The website of the Federal President of Germany describes honor as follows: “The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was instituted in 1951 by Federal President Theodor Heuss. It is the only honour that may be awarded in all fields of endeavour and is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. The Order of Merit may be awarded to Germans as well as foreigners for achievements in the political, economic, social or intellectual realm and for all kinds of outstanding services to the nation in the field of social, charitable or philanthropic work.”

At K, Barclay has taught a wide variety of courses on European history and German history. He directed the Center of Western European Studies at Kalamazoo College from 1990 to 2003, and he currently serves as the executive director of the German Studies Association. He is the author of numerous books and articles, and the focus of his scholarship in particular has been the history of West Berlin from 1948 to 1994. Barclay has received many academic awards and honors, among the most prominent of these was his selection as the George H.W. Bush/Axel Springer Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin (2007). He and fellow faculty member Joe Fugate (professor emeritus of German and director emeritus of the foreign study program) are two Kalamazoo College faculty to receive the Order of Merit.

Inaugural Symposium Features Distinguished Alumnus

The first ever economics and business Senior Individualized Project symposium is bringing back one the department’s own to serve as keynote speaker. Will Dobbie ’04 will address senior econ and business majors during a dinner that will follow the poster presentation to occur in the Hicks Center at 4:30 PM on May 22.

After graduating from K, Dobbie earned his master’s degree in economics from the University of Washington. He received his Ph.D. (economics and public policy) from the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Dobbie is an assistant professor of economics and public affairs at the Princeton University Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs.

Dobbie’s research interests are primarily in the areas of labor economics and the economics of education. His work has examined the effect of school inputs on student outcomes, the importance of peer effects, the impact of voluntary youth service, and the benefits of the consumer bankruptcy system. Earlier this year he received an award from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research for writing the best doctoral dissertation in the field of labor-related economics. Ahmed Hussen, the Edward and Virginia Van Dalson Professor of Economics and Business, attended that event. “Will’s lecture was based on his highly acclaimed and controversial work on high performing charter schools in New York City,” says Hussen. “We are delighted to have him back for our first SIP symposium. He has accomplished a great deal in such a short period of time after graduating from K–living proof that we do more in four years so students can do more in a lifetime.”

More-in-FourPeat

Kalamazoo College has won the coveted Klein Cup for the fourth consecutive year. “If we keep this up, perhaps the award should be re-named the K Kup,” said John Fink, the Rosemary K. Brown Professor in Mathematics and Computer Science. The Klein Cup honors the first place finisher in the annual Lower Michigan Mathematics Competition (LMMC). This year’s math dust-up took place a Lawrence Technological University (Southfield, Mich.) and featured 20 teams from nine schools. K sent three teams that placed first, second, and tenth. Not bad. And since half the first place team and all of the second place team are underclassmen, the prospects for next year look good. K Kup, indeed! This year’s K math hornets included: first place team–Umang Varma and Tibin John; second place team–Raoul Wadhwa, Ngoc (Van) Truong, and Raj Bhagat; tenth place team–Sajan Silwal, Mehmet Kologlu, and Alex Townsend.

Professor John Fink Honored by the Mathematical Association of America’s Michigan Chapter

Professor John Fink
John Fink, Ph.D., is Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at K.

K Professor John Fink, Ph.D. has received the 2014 Distinguished Service Award from the Michigan Section of the Mathematical Association of America “for the many contributions he has made to his institution [Kalamazoo College!], to our [MAA Michigan] Section, and to the larger mathematical community for many years,” sayeth the citation. Fink is K’s Rosemary K. Brown Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science. A longtime member and past governor of the MAA Michigan section, he was honored with the Section’s Distinguished Teacher Award in 2001. In 1989, he co-founded the Michigan All-Stars team of high school mathematics students, serving as the team coach in national competitions for 17 years. He served as Department of Mathematics and Computer Science chair at K for 10 years. This spring, he was recognized with Kalamazoo College’s Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship Award for Excellence in Teaching. He delivered his acceptance lecture May 6 in the Mandelle Hall’s Olmsted Room to a standing-room only audience of students, faculty, staff, family, friends, and fellow math aficionados. Congrats, Professor Fink. If dedication, love, and talent count for anything, you really add up!

Four in More Than 15,000

Three female students who presented at the 2014 Experimental Biology Meeting
K student researcher/presenters at the 2014 Experimental Biology Meeting included (l-r): Amanda Bolles, Rina Fujiwara, and Virginia Greenberger. Not pictured is Michael Korn.

Four Kalamazoo College students attended at the 2014 Experimental Biology Meeting: Amanda Bolles ’14, Chemistry; Rina Fujiwara ’15, Chemistry; Virginia Greenberger ’14, Chemistry; and Michael Korn ’14, Biology. Experimental Biology is a joint meeting of six different societies including the American Association for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) as well as societies for physiology, nutrition, pharmacology, pathology, and anatomy. The meeting provides a great opportunity for students to present their work and attend a variety of engaging scientific talks. More than 15,000 scientists attended the event in San Diego, Calif.

Bolles and Fujiwara presented their research findings during the Undergraduate Poster Competition and during the regular scientific session for ASBMB. Their research involves recent work completed in the laboratory of Professor of Chemistry Laura Furge. That work has shown that two different (but related) compounds inactivate P450 3A4, an enzyme in the liver and intestine that metabolizes (or processes) a major pharmaceutical drug. The titles of the Bolles and Fujiwara posters were, respectively, “5-Fluoro-2-[4-[(2-phenyl-1H-imidazol-5-yl)methyl]-1 piperazinyl]pyrimidine is a mechanism based inactivator of CYP3A4” and “Mechanism-based inactivation of human CYP3A4 by a piperazine-containing compound.” The ASBMB competition includes posters of some 300 students from a variety of college and universities across the country. One grand prize award was presented to a student in each of four research categories (bioenergetics/protein structure, cell biology/developmental biology, DNA/gene regulation, and immunology/microbiology/neurobiology). Bolles won the $500 grand prize in the bioenergetics/protein structure category and was recognized the next day before an audience of hundreds of scientists, educators, and students at the award lecture for outstanding contributions to education. Bolles’s presentation derived from her Senior Individualized Project (SIP), which will be published later this year along with results from co-author Fujiwara.

Greenberger conducted her SIP research in the laboratory of Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss. The abstract she presented at the meeting was titled “Bacterial Action of Novel Cationic Peptide Sequences.” As more antibiotic resistance is observed in patients, new sources of antibiotics are being investigated, including short peptide sequences. Greenberger’s work in the Truss lab was aimed at determining the antibiotic activity (and the precise mechanisms of action that yielded the activity) of two newly studied peptide sequences.

Dr. Furge also presented a poster in the ASBMB regular scientific session based on work started last year by Parker de Waal ’13. The work began as part of a course assignment in Furge’s “Advanced Biochemistry” course and grew into an elegant computational study of structural differences between select variants of the drug-metabolizing enzyme P450 2D6. de Waal used molecular dynamics methods to show how subtle differences in the enzyme structure can help explain differences in the metabolizing abilities of the enzymes. The study is being completed by Kyle Sunden ’16. While in San Diego, Furge spent an afternoon at the Skaggs School of Pharmacy at the University of California-San Diego discussing the implications and approach of the study with other scientists in this field.

Korn attended the American Physiological Society (APS) portion of the Experimental Biology meeting. He presented the results of his SIP work (conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Christopher Mendias at the University of Michigan) in the APS Student Poster Competition. Korn’s abstract received the David Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award. The title of his presentation was “Simvastatin reduces myosteatosis following chronic skeletal muscle injury.”

The future is promising for all four of these outstanding student researchers. In the fall, Bolles will enter the University of Michigan Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences; Greenberger will matriculate to the chemistry department at Pennsylvania State University to begin work on her Ph.D; Korn will attend the University of Michigan Medical School; and Fujiwara will complete her SIP with Furge this summer. She plans to attend graduate school after her June 2015 graduation from K.

Professors Furge and Truss are both members of the ASBMB and attend the annual meeting each year. Truss also directs a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded workshop for area high school science teachers in connection with the annual ASBMB meeting. This year’s workshop attracted more than a dozen local teachers who learned science and teaching strategies to use in their classrooms. Attendees at the workshop are also eligible for mini-grants to support further development of their teaching after the workshop. A recent article describes the impact of this workshop (which is in its fourth year).

In other meeting news, the Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award was given jointly to President Freeman Hrabowski III and Professor Michael Summers of University of Maryland-Baltimore County. Professor Summers was the SIP mentor to Erran Briggs ’14 and has worked closely with Professor Truss on the Professional Development and Minority Affairs Committees of ASBMB. Professor Summers also visited K’s campus in 2010 as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Guest Scholar Lecturer. Given the connections, and important work of Summers and Hrabowski, Professor Truss arranged for Bolles, Fujiwara, and Greenberger to interview Summers for Kalamazoo College’s Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership’s Praxis Center. Following the interview, Summers treated the students and Truss to lunch overlooking the San Diego Harbor marina! Notes from the interview will be posted on the Praxis website.

Travel to ASBMB for Bolles, Fujiwara, and Greenberger was supported by grants from the Provost Office, the Heyl Foundation (Greenberger), and the ACSJL. Korn’s travel to the meeting was sponsored by grant funds from his SIP advisor and the University of Michigan. Furge and Truss were supported by the Hutchcroft Endowment as well as their NIH and NSF grants, respectively. Next year’s Experimental Biology Meeting will occur in Boston, Mass.