A visiting international student with experience teaching English to youths was among a Kalamazoo College contingent that recently returned from presenting at a statewide teaching conference.
On October 14, Lina Alalami—from Aman, Jordan—was joined by Learning Support Specialist and ESL Coordinator Candance B. Combs, and students Paola Guzman Jimenez and Kenia Coronel Gonzalez at the Michigan Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (MiTESOL) conference. Together, they spoke on “Engaging College Students as Teachers’ Assistants in Kalamazoo Public Schools.”
Alalami holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in foreign languages (German, Italian and English literature) with a minor in journalism from the University of Jordan. Influenced by diverse communities in Aman, Alalami developed an eagerness to learn new foreign languages and gain insights regarding different cultures. In addition, she wants to pursue a career where she can work to bring understanding between cultural groups around the world, especially in the Middle East.
One of the reasons why she decided to join K as a visiting international student is its great reputation with the K-Plan on an international level. She said K has a unique academic environment that cares about on- and off-campus communities.
At K, Alalami works closely with Combs in the academic course LANG295: One in a Billion, a class where K students each week visit newcomer classrooms in some of the Kalamazoo Public Schools to provide academic support to children and teens from Afghanistan, Rwanda, Syria and Central America. Through a collaboration with the Kalamazoo Teaching Volunteers, a Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement student-led program, Alalami also works as an assistant tutor at Maple Street Middle School, where she teaches Arabic to non-Arabic students. Additionally, she teaches English to ESL students and refugees as an assistant tutor at Millwood Middle School.
At the MiTESOL conference, Alalami discussed the Kalamazoo Teaching Volunteers, her student engagement and the Newcomers Newsletter produced by students in Combs’ classes.
“I always tend to be proactive and I want to give back to the community,” Alalami said. “I have been volunteering since the age of 13. My sense of altruism is something that drives my enthusiasm and commitment to support the newcomers.”In her on-campus involvement, she is part of the Arabic Student Union and actively contributes by supporting the events that help students learn more about Arabic culture. As an international student from a different cultural background, she feels a responsibility to step out of her comfort zone and counter stereotypes that students may have heard in the broader world. Similarly, she enjoys connecting with and learning from others.
“Being active on campus gives me an opportunity to meet and connect with a lot of K students,” Alalami said. “I have the chance to meet people with a wide range of different interests and passions. It makes me happy to learn something new every day about our college and student activism. I also saw at K-Fest that we have a diverse set of student organizations that contribute to our campus community. Kalamazoo College is a student-centric college that makes every student a proactive citizen.”
Editor’s note: This story was written by Blagoja Naskovski ’24. He serves as a social media ambassador for the College Marketing and Communications team.
Kalamazoo College students are not only known for their high academic accomplishments, but also their pro-active engagement in the local communities outside campus. One of those students is Rojina Timsina ’24, who has been civically engaged in her local communities since high school. Rojina’s earliest civic engagement experience included volunteering with the Refugee Educational Center in her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Once she arrived in Kalamazoo, her sophomore year of college, she was drawn to the work that the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) did in the Kalamazoo community. Through the CCE, she worked as a classroom aide at El Sol Elementary School, where she assisted the teacher in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. Additionally, she worked as a monitor and tutor with the Homework Champions Tutoring program (HCT). Students who work with HTC join a partnership through the CCE that includes Kalamazoo Public Schools, the Refugee Outreach Collective and Western Michigan University to provide educational, emotional and holistic support to recently settled refugee students and their families in the Kalamazoo area.
This year, Rojina is one of the three Civic Engagement Scholars (CES) for the HCT program. As a CES, Rojina’s roles include recruiting K students for the program, facilitating orientations and reflection sessions, working toward expanding the program, and serving as a liaison between the K students and the community partners. “I was very drawn to the mission of HCT, and the group of very dedicated, aware and intentional people that were making this program happen,” Rojina said.
Rojina has also been involved in the public policy and non-profit sector during the past two summers. Through the CCE’s Community Building Internship program, she interned at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) (2022). As a public policy intern, she was working with coalitions around Michigan that were attempting to gain momentum on policies that would serve the communities they represented. Rojina’s favorite policy was the Drive Michigan Forward act that allowed Michigan residents to obtain a driver’s license regardless of their immigration status. Also through the CBI program, in 2023 Rojina interned at the Kalamazoo Youth Development Network, where she explored how the values of identity, belonging and agency are incorporated within the BIPOC youth programs. While studying abroad in Jordan, Rojina worked with a global organization called Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB). TBB connects refugees to international job opportunities, opening labor mobility as a complementary solution to traditional refugee resettlement. As an intern, she helped with the process of finding professional jobs overseas for refugees in Jordan and assisting them with the preparation process after they received the job.
Rojina is a senior working on her psychology major with an English minor. She enjoys the diversity of classes, viewpoints and ideas in both the psychology and English departments. “I have absolutely loved every class I have been in,” she said. “I have taken unique memories, knowledge, perspective, and ah-ha moments from every class. My First-Year Seminar, Culture of Slang, with Candace Combs challenged me to appreciate the uniqueness of my identity and find a community that I can fall back on to this day. One of my most beloved assignments has been a five-hour life history with a K student for my Narrative Analysis class with Dr. Gary Gregg. Some of my most significant memories this past year can be traced back to my beginning Arabic classes with Professor Anna Swank. The Arabic program at K really challenged me to step out of my comfort zone and paved a path for me to go abroad and live life in another language.”
Editor’s note: This story was written by Blagoja Naskovski, a senior at K, majoring economics with a minor in art history. Currently he serves as a social media ambassador for the College Marketing and Communications team.
Kalamazoo College is one of the nation’s best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career preparation at a relatively affordable price, according to the Princeton Review.
The education services company Tuesday named K as one of its Best Value Colleges for 2023 and ranked the College No. 16 among the Top 20 Private Colleges for Making an Impact. That ranking is up two spots from No. 18 last year.
“It’s not surprising that Kalamazoo College continues to receive these honors from the Princeton Review,” Dean of Admission Suzanne Lepley said. “The K-Plan—our unique approach to the liberal arts and sciences—provides a broad-based education, as well as the communication, decision-making, and problem-solving skills students will need as professionals, continuing students and citizens. A K education empowers their outcomes as they help build a better world.”
The Princeton Review chose 209 schools for the 2023 list based on data from its surveys of administrators at more than 650 colleges in 2022-23. Topics covered everything from academics, cost and financial aid to graduation rates and student debt. The company also factored in data from its surveys of students attending the schools as well as data from PayScale.com’s surveys of alumni about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction.
In all, the Princeton Review crunched more than 40 data points to tally return-on-investment ratings of the colleges that were Best Value Colleges school selections.
While the Princeton Review does not rank the Best Value Colleges hierarchically from 1 to 209, Kalamazoo College is one of just four Michigan institutions, private or public, to be honored this year. It’s also the only private institution in the state recognized as a top place where students can make an impact.
“The schools we chose as our Best Value Colleges for 2023 are a select group: they comprise only about 8% of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions,” said Rob Franek, editor-in-chief of the Princeton Review. “We commend their administrators, faculties, staff and alumni for all they are doing to educate their students and guide them to success in their careers. These colleges are also exceptional for the generous amount of financial aid they award to students with need and/or for their comparatively low cost of attendance.”
The Princeton Review is also known for its other college rankings in dozens of categories, many of which are reported in its annual book, The Best 388 Colleges, published in August, which again included K in 2023.
After the 2020 federal election, Kalamazoo College earned platinum status in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge with 83.7% of eligible students casting their ballots, nearly 20% higher than the national average. Now, thanks to the organizing efforts of the Center for Civic Engagement team (CCE), K Votes Civic Engagement Scholars and volunteers, and allied faculty, K also has been certified as a Voter Friendly Campus with the national Campus Vote Project for the first time. This places Kalamazoo College among 258 other campuses in 38 states.
Campus Vote Project is a part of the Fair Elections Center, a national nonpartisan voting-rights and election-reform organization. Campus Vote Project works with universities, community colleges, faculty, students and election officials to reduce the barriers of student voting. It works across 41 states with more than 3.4 million students. The Voter Friendly Campus designation, a collaboration between Campus Vote Project and NASPA, was created “to help institutions develop democratic engagement action plans that coordinate administrators, faculty and student organizations in civic and electoral engagement.”
To be designated a Voter Friendly Campus, the college must submit a plan outlining what actions they plan to take during the election cycle to increase voter engagement. They then submit a report after the election that assesses how successful they were in their efforts and how they can improve in the next election cycle. This report is reviewed and scored by members of Campus Vote Project to determine whether the efforts warrant the designation.
“I see this as an important accomplishment,” Civic Engagement Scholar Thomas Lichtenberg said. “For years, K has been building a coalition of staff, faculty and students to ensure that every eligible student has the resources and opportunity to vote. I am overjoyed by the results of our efforts, and this is a perfect opportunity for us to continue to grow and improve.”
Lichtenberg added that this is just one of the initiatives that K Votes has planned for spring term.
“It’s important to remember that there’s always an election happening somewhere,” he said. “Kalamazoo has a special election on May 2. It might seem minor compared to the flashier elections, but we want to remain consistently engaged and make sure that the other elections do not go ignored.”
This commitment to election engagement will be layered with several on-campus activities and events in which students can participate to see firsthand what it means to be politically active between elections.
Over more than 15 years, dozens of faculty and staff have contributed volunteer time and resources to support student-voter engagement. In recent years, CCE post-baccalaureate fellows and paid student Civic Engagement Scholars have built community connections and campus structures to connect students to nonpartisan voter education and prepare them for lifelong civic engagement. These efforts have helped hundreds of students through quarterly voter education events, democratic advocacy and activism, and the countless individual efforts by students to get their votes cast. Congratulations, K voters!
When Kalamazoo College’s Department of German Studies was one of just three in the country to earn a German Center of Excellence award last year, the department’s community outreach was cited as one reason why.
Some of that community outreach was put into motion when Assistant Professor of German Petra Watzke secured a La Plante Grant in summer 2021 for K’s introductory German students to plan workshops for fourth graders in Ms. Snow’s class at Woodward Elementary School in Kalamazoo. That fall and in fall 2022, in a partnership with the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Community Engagement (CCE), K students collaborated to provide children with early lessons in the foreign language.
The outreach struck such a positive chord with parents, teachers, children and the K students, that the program expanded during the winter term to include Ms. Longhon’s kindergarten class at the school. In its most expansive effort to date, teaching assistants Alex Nam ’25 and Ben Flotemersch ’23 tested their new language skills by preparing lessons and materials for both grades, introducing lessons, and supporting students in the classroom.
“I went on one or two trips to Woodward in the fall, and then I was asked by Professor Watzke if I would want to help lead these trips as a TA,” Nam said. “I immediately said, ‘Oh, yes, I’d love to join in.’ Chances are not all of them will remember every word we teach them for the rest of their lives. We just want to instill within the kids an open-mindedness that leads to learning new languages. We want them to understand that different languages may sound a little weird and some may sound really similar to English. That sense of progress is something I’ve definitely seen with the kids through their willingness to step into the discomfort of learning a new language.”
In return, K representatives such as Flotemersch experienced a valuable way to make deeper connections within the community by visiting Woodward.
“I hadn’t really felt in touch with the Kalamazoo until now,” Flotemersch said. “My first year, we had 20 weeks on campus, and then COVID hit. Then, I was isolated sophomore year. This is just my fourth term on campus, and for the first time, I feel I’ve left campus and I’ve had a great time.”
Nam and Flotemersch both worked in close contact with Lucinda Hinsdale Stone Associate Professor of German Kathryn Sederberg and Watzke, who helped them build syllabuses and curriculums.
“It’s rewarding to go into the elementary schools and interact with these kids,” Nam said. “But on a deeper level, it allows me to contextualize how I learned German because I began these trips last year as a 101 student when I barely knew any German myself. To put myself in the role of a teacher instead of a student for a concept that’s still very fresh provides me with a much greater appreciation for German education, as well as the German language, because I’ve been able to see both perspectives of student and teacher.”
It was an experience that Flotemersch hopes will touch more K students while benefiting Woodward students in the future.
“I think we all had this experience, when we were kindergarteners or fourth graders, of an adult who showed up as a special guest,” Flotemersch said. “Those are highlights of our school experiences. When someone comes and they’re teaching you German, that’s amazing, and I think more people should volunteer in similar ways.”
Flotemersch and Nam gained experiences through volunteering at Woodward that might improve their chances of earning the Fulbright scholarships they seek. Through its U.S. Student Program, Fulbright helps graduating seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to teach English, perform research or study abroad for one academic year.
For Flotemersch, that would mean following in the footsteps of his brother, K alumnus Matthew Flotemersch ’20, who now serves Fulbright’s U.S. Teaching Assistant Program in Austria. The elder brother also previously earned a Fulbright through the U.S. Student Program to teach in Germany. But for now, the younger brother is relishing his opportunity to instill a love of foreign languages locally.
“We can’t expect every kid to be engaged all the time,” Flotemersch said. “One kid might be kind of sleepy one day, and the next week, they’re super engaged. We just keep using different teaching strategies, and hopefully, we reach as many kids as we can. Emotionally, reaching students makes the teaching really rewarding.”
A nonpartisan and nonprofit initiative is saluting Kalamazoo College today as one of 394 U.S. institutions doing the most in higher education to encourage student voting.
K is being recognized as a 2022 All-In Most-Engaged Campuses honoree, meaning that the College:
Reported its 2020 student voting data to the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement (NSLVE), which is run through the Institute of Democracy and Higher Education (IDHE) at Tufts University.
Shared that data with the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge, an effort that strives to improve and increase democratic-engagement activities on college campuses.
Developed and submitted to the All-In challenge a 2022 voter-engagement action plan.
Signed on to a national list of institutional presidents committing their colleges to efforts that increase student turnout at the polls.
K Votes, the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement’s (CCE) nonpartisan coalition to inform the College’s students, faculty and staff members about voting and civic engagement, is the primary driver of K’s efforts in increasing voter participation. In 2020, K eclipsed national averages for voter turnout as 83.7 percent of the student body cast ballots in the presidential election. That rate was the highest among all campuses in Michigan and put K in the top 4 percent of colleges and universities nationally that reported their data to the IDHE.
K Votes representatives work in partnership with their student peers, the local League of Women Voters and the national Rock the Vote organization—which is led by Executive Director Caroline DeWitt ’04, a K alumna—to register new voters, mail absentee ballots, provide rides to the polls, and distribute candidate information with maps to local polling places.
Those endeavors are the hallmarks of a robust get-out-the-vote effort, currently led by CCE Program Associate Riley Gabriel ’20 and K Votes Civic Engagement Scholar Thomas Lichtenberg ’23, along with students, faculty, emeriti faculty and staff.
“In addition to CCE staff, we could not have done any of this without the rest of the K staff and faculty who were eager to help with driving, helping register voters, and just getting the word out,” Lichtenberg said. “We appreciated the contributions of students Eleanor Carr, Lyrica Gee and Abby Stump, who worked closely with the CCE’s Students for Reproductive Freedom, and we collaborated with the NAACP and League of Women Voters of the Kalamazoo Area, registering voters at the Women’s March and assisting with their candidate forums, led by the LWVKA’s MerriKay Oleen-Burkey and Denise Hartsough.”
“Young people are shaping our future in myriad ways, and their informed engagement in elections is vital,” CCE Director Alison Geist said. “The CCE is grateful to our student leaders and all of the people in our community, both on and off campus, who energetically encouraged and enabled students to vote, many for the first time. Voting isn’t a panacea for social change, but it helps.”
For Anna Canales ’23, a desire to help in the community has often been constrained by the need to work in order to remain financially stable, while also taking classes full time.
This summer, a Community Building Internship (CBI) through the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) made it possible for Canales to serve in her community and experience a potential future path. Each year, the CCE and the Center for Career and Professional Development offer K students the opportunity to apply for CBIs at a wide variety of local organizations. The positions usually last six to eight weeks, and interns are on the job for 30 to 40 hours a week while earning a stipend.
Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, near the border with Mexico, Canales saw many families separated due to immigration cases and other reasons. She herself spent time in foster care as a child and was adopted at age 13. Those experiences have shaped both her desire to volunteer and her plans for her future.
Canales has been heavily involved with the CCE, where Assistant Director Moises Hernandez ’17 has served as a mentor for her, and many of its partner organizations. She has worked with Kalamazoo dual-language elementary school El Sol, Latino community foundation El Concilio, and foster care organizations.
Majoring in art history, she plans to teach art for a few years before going to law school to become a child advocacy attorney.
For her CBI, Canales helped plan and run the EASEL arts and science experiential learning summer program for grades 1–5 at Eastside Youth Strong. The organization aims to help young people in the Eastside neighborhood in Kalamazoo graduate and develop social and emotional strength.
“When I read the mission statement of Eastside Youth Strong, I was really emotional about it,” Canales said. “I cried during my interview, and she told me, ‘It’s OK. It’s good that you’re passionate about children coming from low economic backgrounds and diverse backgrounds.’ Being with kids outside of the traditional school environment was important to me.”
Through the CBI, Canales was able to observe different teaching styles and also practice advocating for children.
“There were two different teachers in the program and they had such completely opposite teaching styles and ways of interacting with the kids,” Canales said. “I could pick and choose what I thought was working and what I thought wasn’t that great of a strategy for me personally. It was almost like shadowing in a classroom; it was a lot of input in how I would like to run my own classroom.”
In addition to helping with lesson planning, Canales was responsible for ensuring the students’ physical, social and emotional needs were being met.
“A lot of it was making sure everybody felt comfortable, everybody was respectful, everybody was having fun while learning,” Canales said. “While the teachers were teaching, my job was to make sure the kids felt like they were being heard, they were being seen. If they needed anything, I was the one to make those calls to parents, like, ‘Hey, does your kid need shoes? We can get them shoes.’ Or, ‘Your kid said they can’t eat XYZ, we’re going to work to get them a lunch provided that they can eat with their dietary or religious needs.’ Making sure the kids felt supported was my role.”
While Canales was initially intimidated by that role, by the end of the program she found herself feeling connected to the families and pleased that she made a difference. Many parents expressed appreciation for her efforts, and some asked her to babysit or tutor their children.
Watching kids who started the program shy and reserved blossom in confidence was Canales’ favorite part of the internship.
“It was so special seeing them grow and be more confident in themselves,” Canales said.
Canales learned a lot about supporting students’ social and emotional growth through the CBI.
“A lot of what I was learning was about the social emotional stages the kids are in, never getting upset or showing that you’re upset about something, no matter how stressful the kids’ behaviors could be,” she said. “I was always trying to find a solution and be the one in control of the tone, the mood, everything, and understand where these kids are coming from.”
Canales hopes to stay involved with Eastside Youth Strong in the future.
“I really appreciate that a lot of the people are women or people of color and that they do programs all year round,” she said. “You can really tell that they care about where these kids are coming from and where they’re going.”
In addition to the CCE, Canales has been heavily involved at K with the Pre-Law Society, Women of Color Alliance, Anime Club and K Desi, and this year she will serve as an interfaith leader. She has worked in the library, where Collection Services Librarian Leslie Burke and Digital Services Librarian Ethan Cutler particularly mentored her with helpful conversations about life after college. Professor of Art and Art History Christine Hahn and Assistant Professor of Japanese Brian White have also been mentors for Canales.
“I feel like so many people at K have impacted me,” Canales said.
She is grateful for the opportunity to pay that forward to the young students on the east side.
“As a full-time student who has to work, I don’t always have time for everything I want to do,” Canales said. “But I do my best to help when I can.”
Tom Massura, an instrument technician in both the physics department and chemistry and biochemistry department at Kalamazoo College, is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence. The award, announced Friday to celebrate Founders Day, marking the College’s 189th year, recognizes an employee who has served the institution for at least 26 years and has a record of stewardship and innovation.
The recipient—chosen by a committee with student, faculty and staff representatives—is an employee who exemplifies the spirit of K through excellent leadership, selfless dedication and goodwill. Massura started at the College in 1987. Today, he maintains more than 50 machines used exclusively in the College’s Science Division while managing general science instrumentation and setting up physics labs.
Massura’s “kindness, patience, quick wit and positive attitude brighten the days of everyone he interacts with,” Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez said in presenting the award. “Nominators noted how helpful, dedicated and easy to work with he is with a sense of humor that helps days move along even when they’re challenging. His considerable technical expertise has helped generations of science students.”
In accordance with Founders Day traditions, two other employees received individual awards. Assistant Professor of Music Chris Ludwa was given the Outstanding Advisor Award and Associate Professor of Chemistry Jennifer Furchak received the First-Year Advocate Award.
Ludwa is the director of K’s College Singers, the Lux Esto Chamber Choir and the Kalamazoo Bach Festival. Before arriving at K, he served as the director of music at the Federated Church Cleveland, where he led four ensembles, presented an annual concert series and maintained a voice studio for exceptional singers enrolled in performing arts academies and high schools.
Nominators for the award said Ludwa is always a thoughtful and kind source of advice and encouragement, and Gonzalez added Ludwa is being honored for his “caring commitment and dedication to the growth and well-being of our students.”
Furchak teaches courses in chemical composition and structure, analytical chemistry and instrumental analysis. Her research interests are in analytical separations and spectroscopy.
Furchak has, through her first-year seminar, “not only illustrated how scientific work needed to evolve into a more equitable and inclusive form, but how our own work will contribute to this institutional shift and real, tangible benefits,” Gonzalez said. “Her instruction illustrates the importance of being one’s authentic self while pursuing one’s aspirations, scientific or not.”
Student soloists Julia Ghazal and Sophia Merchant also performed and, in a special appearance, State Rep. Julie Rogers attended Founders Day to present an honorary certificate to the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement to recognize its 20th anniversary. The certificate was signed by all the state representatives and state senators from Kalamazoo County, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist.
“In looking back over 20 years of the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement’s history, it’s clear that the hard work of the faculty and students has impacted many,” the certificate says. “Through thoughtful and ethical engagement, students gain skills, knowledge and critical perspectives that prepare them for meaningful careers and a lifelong commitment to the public good.”
The deadline is April 15 to apply to be a Civic Engagement Scholar (CES) for the 2022-23 school year.
Apply to Be a Civic Engagement Scholar
The deadline to apply for a Civic Engagement Scholar position in 2022-23 is April 15.
To apply, complete the following three steps:
• Submit your resume and cover letter on the Civic Engagement Scholar Handshake posting. • Complete the Civic Engagement Scholar online application. • Sign up for an interview using the Google form.
CESs are student leaders who work through the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) to coordinate ongoing community partnerships with Kalamazoo organizations that promote literacy, youth development, gender equity, food security and sustainability, immigrant rights, health equity, voting rights, the arts and more.
Independently or in pairs, scholars work with community liaisons and recruit and manage K students who participate as volunteers or through federal work study. CCE staff provides support while allowing CESs the freedom to shape and manage their program.
CESs also participate in reflection sessions with other scholars, and run reflection sessions for the K students involved in their programs.
With a wide variety of programs and community partners, the CCE offers diverse opportunities for students seeking a leadership role in engaging with the local community. Some shape students’ path after Kalamazoo College; all teach valuable skills. Read on for the stories of three current CESs and their advice to other Kalamazoo College students.
Reyna Rodriguez, El Sol Elementary CES
In her second year at K, Reyna Rodriguez ’22 committed through the CCE to volunteer at El Sol Elementary, a Kalamazoo magnet school with dual language immersion where all students spend half their instructional time in Spanish and half in English.
“I knew being able to speak Spanish to those kids was going to feel a little bit like I was home,” Rodriguez said. “I loved it. I grew up thinking I wanted to be a teacher and while I had steered away from that path, being in the classroom has steered me back into education.”
After spending the 2020-21 school year learning remotely, Rodriguez applied to be a CES for the El Sol program. In that role, she has recruited, educated, interviewed and submitted background checks on K students, coordinated their schedules with El Sol, and participated in and led structured reflections.
“I’ve enjoyed it more than being a volunteer, because I get to see more of the behind-the-scenes work,” Rodriguez said. “While I’ve been in school settings, tutoring and things like that, I never thought, ‘How is this possible that we can enter the schools?’ Seeing the logistics and rules the district has, like background checks, is going to be important for my future work.”
Observing different teaching styles in the classroom has also been a valuable experience for Rodriguez. A chemistry major with a minor in psychology, Rodriguez currently plans to take one gap year to work in an elementary school or continue her job in adult computer literacy before going into a master’s program for educational administration or leadership.
Leading the reflections was a learning process, from the big picture—finding ideas and researching—to the little details, such as reserving a room.
“My winter quarter, I led a reflection about social emotional learning,” Rodriguez said. “I talked about what I learned in my SIP (Senior Integrated Project), which was on some of the challenges that English learners were facing in virtual learning, and what we could do about that.”
Rodriguez has also led reflections on learning how Kalamazoo city government works, as well as other aspects of Kalamazoo and the Vine neighborhood, where El Sol is located.
“K students are residents of this community,” she said. “Do they know the local restaurants and local shops; do they support them?”
Rodriguez enjoys the structured reflections CCE staff puts on for the CESs.
“I’ve been able to appreciate that more because I know what it takes to lead them,” Rodriguez said. “I love the CCE. I feel like they’re a close-knit family. They’re definitely always checking in, respond quickly and are always ready to support us.”
For students interested in the CES role, Rodriguez said, it is important to understand there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work and to be organized and ready to help both the community partners and the K students who participate. She encourages all students to consider working with a CCE program even if they are not yet ready to fill the CES role.
“As long as you have a year of experience in the program under your belt, you’re more than ready to take a bigger step,” Rodriguez said. “Just be ready to make a difference in their lives and yours as well.”
Emmeline Wendel, Students for Reproductive Freedom CES
Emmeline Wendel ’24 spent her first year at Kalamazoo College virtual due to COVID-19. Learning virtually from Seattle, Wendel knew she needed to find ways to engage with other students and the K community. After looking into a few student clubs, she connected with Students for Reproductive Freedom.
“I found a bit of myself in that program because I’m adopted from China and was personally impacted by governmental family planning,” Wendel said. “I thought it would be a good way to look at the different intersections of my life and my journey and also learn more about a topic I’m passionate about.”
Wendel began attending the weekly virtual meetings, making an effort to engage and share her thoughts—something that did not come naturally for her.
“In high school, I wasn’t a very outspoken individual,” Wendel said. “It was only my senior year that I found my voice. One of my goals for college was to integrate and engage and get to know many students.”
Wendel’s passion for the topic helped her overcome her shy feelings, and the CES that year, Ruth Butters, took note and invited her to help plan a meeting. Eventually, Butters invited Wendel to apply to be her co-CES for the 2021-22 school year.
“I’m very grateful she reached out,” Wendel said. “I consulted with Ruth a lot about what the position was, what it would entail, the responsibilities, any advice she would give me.”
Wendel decided to apply for the CES position based on the benefits she thought it would afford both herself and others.
“I wanted to have the space to explore my own personal reflections, and also hear what others think and reflect on their thoughts and opinions and questions,” Wendel said. “I wanted both to raise my own voice and to be a part of the K community.”
SRF works with community partners OutFront Kalamazoo and Planned Parenthood as well as other student organizations to help educate students, facilitate discussions and host events.
“I’ve met so many wonderful individuals who are passionate about what they do and are making a positive impact on the Kalamazoo community and Kalamazoo College students,” Wendel said. “It’s inspirational to see how hard people work and it’s rewarding to make those connections.”
Working with the CCE has been a positive experience as well.
“I have really enjoyed working with my advisor, Riley Gabriel,” Wendel said. “They are super understanding and kind and communicative. We meet weekly to check in and see how SRF is going. I appreciate their support. I also often communicate with Alison Geist. They are both amazing coworkers and delightful to chat with, helpful with brainstorming and organizing logistics, and a lot of fun.”
Wendel has learned a lot from the CES role.
“One thing I’ve learned is how important it is to go into a community and listen and respect their boundaries, requests, decisions and community guidelines,” Wendel said. “I hope and believe Ruth and I are trying to support and spread awareness of the issues the community wants to have and needs to have addressed.”
The job has also improved her interpersonal skills.
“I feel like I’m much better at making connections than I was—talking with people for the first time, reaching out and using my voice in a larger community setting,” Wendel said. “I was very shy and didn’t like talking. I would engage through writing and art, not orally. I have found my voice through the CES role.”
Engaging and getting involved is key for all students, Wendel said, especially those coming from far away.
“For all students, I would really advise getting connected and engaging with the CCE,” Wendel said. “It has provided space for me to reflect individually, and also given me a powerful mindset in how community plays a huge role in many intersections of discussions. For out-of-state students, I highly suggest it. Being away from home can feel lonely at first. It has been really powerful to work together with passionate individuals and integrate myself into the community in a way that respects the community.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
Ryley White, Woodward Elementary CES
Ryley White ’23 started at K in fall 2019 and learned about the CCE’s CAPS (Community Advocates for Parents and Students) program at her first K Fest. She quickly fell in love with the program, which provides tutoring for Kalamazoo Public Schools students who live at Interfaith Homes on the city’s north side.
“Having a chance to connect with the community, especially a community that I identify with, was empowering,” White said. “Sometimes as K students, we forget the power we have, and that’s the power to make change. Just being consistent with tutoring makes a big difference in those kids’ lives.”
The CES for the CAPS program, Aarzoo Qureshi, inspired White to apply to be a CES, a process that was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. She spent her sophomore year taking K classes remotely while working at a childcare facility that provided remote tutoring camp for elementary students. In the spring of that year, White applied to be a CES for the CAPS program. The CCE staff, however, thought she would be a better fit for the Woodward Elementary program.
“I thought, I’ll take it, because there must be something they see in me that I’m not seeing in myself,’” White said. “I thought I would give it a shot and see how it goes, and I’ve loved it ever since.
“The CCE staff knows the community partners; they know the needs of each program, so people should go in with an open mindset.”
White started as a CES for Woodward in the fall of 2021. The fall quarter was heavy on recruitment at K events, working to rebuild the program after COVID-19 interruptions. White also instituted interviews with K students who signed up to participate, leaning on her childcare experience to discern if participants were a good fit for working with children. During winter quarter, White took the initiative to recruit more diverse K participants.
“The students at Woodward are predominantly African American,” White said. “We wanted them to see more representation of themselves. Currently, about 50% of our K participants identify as students of color, which is really great for the kids.”
In addition to recruiting K students, White communicates with a community partner at Woodward to coordinate scheduling, taking into account teacher needs and student availability, while juggling issues that pop up, such as snow days and COVID-19 contact tracing.
Leading and participating in reflections is a crucial piece of the program.
“The last reflection we did was about how COVID-19 has impacted education,” White said. “We watched a YouTube video from the Harvard Dean of Education talking about how remote learning has caused delays or additional setbacks. Then we asked our participants to talk about how they see this happening with our students or what they think we should do with this information moving forward. Structured reflections provide a chance to think about why we’re doing the work we’re doing and I think that’s critical. We probably all volunteered in high school, but I don’t think that we actually thought about the work we were doing and engaged meaningfully, which is something the CCE does very well.”
The CCE also promotes work-life balance, White said.
“The staff is really good at trying to get student workers to think about how we can be better leaders while also taking care of ourselves,” White said.
The CES role has taught White about setting boundaries and interpersonal communication.
“It can be awkward managing your peers,” White said, especially if there are issues with a student’s attendance or performance. “You have to be okay with setting firm boundaries because you have to think about what’s best for your community partner/program, and in my role, I also have to think about what’s best for the kids.”
The role has also honed her public speaking and pushed her to speak up and advocate for her program.
“I was never a huge talker,” White said. “I was kind of shy. In this role, you’re forced out of that bubble. If you want participants for your program, you’re going to have to learn to advocate.”
White has also benefitted from seeing and building connections between her psychology classes, her interactions with students at Woodward, her work as a certified nursing assistant and her plans to apply to physician assistant school after graduation.
“The CCE supervisors are so amazing and supportive,” White said. “If I have any ideas or have something I want to chat with them about, they’re always open to having those conversations. They’ll say, ‘That’s a good point. I didn’t think about that,’ or, ‘What do you think is the best way to go about that?’ Sometimes on campus jobs, you’re just told what you have to do and you just do it. This role allows independence and the ability to make bigger decisions that can shape how your program moves forward. The amount of independence and self-sufficiency you have is something unique to the CCE.”
White plans to serve as Woodward CES again her last year at K. She said students who are interested in the CES roles should talk with current CESs.
“Hearing the student perspective and getting a deeper understanding is more impactful than just reading the bullet points listed on the job application,” White said. “Even though this role can seem overwhelming, once you are a CES, you will see the flexibility and support that you have from other CESs and the CCE staff. You will know there’s a whole community of people who rooting for you to succeed and are more than willing to help you in various ways.”
Students should not be afraid to apply, White said.
“Get out of the K bubble. We’re here for four years, get out and connect with the community. There’s work you could be doing that’s so impactful and meaningful and it will change your life in ways you never expected.”
A theatrical performance at Kalamazoo College that shares student interviews with members of the Southwest Michigan community will explore the deeper meaning of reproductive justice and its impact.
Pro Voice: The Abortion Monologues, directed by Ynika Yuag ’21, will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 3, in Dewing 103. The event is organized by K’s Feminist Psychology of Women class in partnership with Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Michigan, K’s Office of Student Involvement and the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement.
Student actors, through monologues about abortion, will dramatize experiences that were shared in interviews. A talk-back panel discussion on reproductive justice will follow the event. Snacks will be provided. Attendees must wear masks, be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination with ID.