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From Mentor to Memoirist: Ahmed Hussen’s ‘The Dessie Kid’

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Economics Professor Ahmed Hussen with colleagues in 1997.
“The Dessie Kid” author Ahmed Hussen in 1997.

For generations of Kalamazoo College students, Professor Emeritus Ahmed Hussen was more than a teacher of economics. His titles and honors tell part of the story: longtime chair of the department, founder of the College’s environmental studies concentration, inaugural Edward and Virginia Van Dalson Endowed Professor of Economics, and recipient of the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching, K’s highest teaching honor. But what students remember is what the titles alone can’t capture: a professor who challenged them intellectually while earning their admiration through his generosity, mentorship, and genuine interest in their success.

Now, in The Dessie Kid, Hussen traces his path from his childhood in Dessie, Ethiopia, through an academic career that spanned continents, including a year as a visiting scholar at Waseda University in Japan, two semesters at Africa University in Zimbabwe, and a Fulbright year at the University of Botswana. The memoir offers a deeply personal reflection on resilience, gratitude, family, and the people who shaped his life. We spoke with Hussen about what inspired him to write the book, what it was like to revisit decades of memories, and what he hopes readers, especially those in the K community, will take away from his story.

What inspired you to write this memoir at this point in your life?

I felt compelled to write this memoir to understand how a boy from an unlikely corner of Ethiopia—the first in his family to attend public school, at a time when secular education was still in its infancy, and raised by uneducated parents—found his way to a life in academia in the United States. Coming from a Muslim household, I faced even greater odds; public schools were often viewed with suspicion, perceived as not entirely secular and influenced by Christian teaching. Reaching this stage of life made reflection feel not only natural but necessary—a chance to look back with honesty and gratitude.

Although my story echoes familiar immigrant narratives, I did not write it to celebrate personal achievement. If anything, I wanted to challenge the idea of the “self-made” life. My journey has been shaped by luck, serendipity, and the generosity of people—and institutions—who appeared at exactly the right moments. Writing this book allowed me to honor them and acknowledge that I did not walk this path alone.

I wrote it for my family, who deserve to know the forces that shaped our story, and for the many individuals and institutions—teachers, mentors, schools, colleagues, friends, students—whose kindness and support changed the course of my life. In telling it, I hoped to understand not only what happened but also what sustained me: resilience, discipline, and the quiet mystery of how opportunity and human generosity can change a life.

Looking back across your life, were there themes or surprises you didn’t fully recognize until you began writing?

When I began writing this book, my intention was modest: to reflect on a few major turning points in my life. Halfway through, I realized I was writing an autobiography—a chronological account of my life’s journey. The book became both a narrative of events and a reflection on the lessons each stage offered. The anecdotes that appear throughout were not planned; they emerged naturally as I wrote, revealing a voice I had not fully recognized as my own.

Another surprise was that the chapters about my 34 years at Kalamazoo College became an informal history of the institution from 1985 to 2019. While I verified many of the factual details, I am aware that others may remember events differently.

What I did not anticipate was that writing would reveal deeper patterns—how often adversity redirected my path, how profoundly my life was shaped by the communities I belonged to, and how intertwined my personal and professional identities have always been.

Your years at K were a significant part of your professional life. How did your experiences shape the person reflected in this memoir?

My experience at Kalamazoo College shaped me in more ways than I can capture in a single answer. A few examples illustrate this:

Economics Professor and Dessie Kid Authoor Ahmed Hussen
Hussen in his office in 1999.
Book Cover for The Dessie Kid
Book Cover for “The Dessie Kid.”
Ahmed Hussen with his grandchildren
Ahmed Hussen with his grandchildren.

K was the first institution where I felt fully accepted, supported, and appreciated for who I was and for what I contributed. The collegial environment sustained me from my first year through the day I retired, giving me a sense of belonging that shaped my confidence as a teacher and scholar.

The students at K—curious, well-prepared and generous with their feedback—kept my passion for teaching alive. Their seriousness about learning pushed me to grow, and their kindness often lifted me more than they realized.

K offered me opportunities to develop as a leader, to engage in transformative international teaching and scholarship, and to participate in interdisciplinary work that ultimately led to my environmental economics textbook. These experiences broadened my intellectual horizons and helped shape the educator I became.

Looking back, I realize that K did more than shape my career; it deepened my commitment to students and gave me a professional home where my values and work could fully align.

As you reflect on your years at K, were there particular students, colleagues, or moments that stayed with you?

It is difficult for me to single out individuals, but certain students and moments have stayed with me. I was especially moved by students who arrived unsure of themselves and gradually discovered their abilities. Watching them grow in confidence and competence over their four years at K was one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. Their progress reminded me why teaching mattered so deeply to me.

I was also fortunate to work in a collegial culture that, in many ways, defined the institution’s character. Many colleagues played important roles in my development as a teacher and scholar, and I express my gratitude to them in the book. Of course, there were moments when I encountered attitudes that did not align with my values, but even those experiences taught me about leadership, humility, and the kind of colleague I aspired to be.

One of the most significant and impactful transformations I witnessed was K’s evolution from a predominantly white, Eurocentric institution to a more diverse and inclusive community. To live through that change—and to contribute to it in my own way—remains one of the defining experiences of my time at the college.

These students, colleagues, and moments taught me patience, resilience, and the profound privilege of being part of a community that was continually learning to become better.

How did your relationships with students influence your thinking—not only as a professor but as a person?

Throughout my teaching career, I was fortunate to build relationships with students grounded in trust, respect, and genuine care. Over time, I came to understand that these relationships shaped not only my approach to teaching but also my understanding of myself. They taught me that character—the quiet consistency of how one shows up—is the foundation of any meaningful teacher-student bond.

I was never known as an easy grader, yet students accepted my high expectations because they trusted my intentions. They believed I wanted them to grow, not merely to perform. Through them, I learned that challenge, when offered with clarity and goodwill, is not a burden but a gift. Their willingness to meet that challenge reshaped my thinking and affirmed that rigor and compassion are not opposites but partners.

As a person, I found these relationships humbling. They reminded me that influence is earned, not assumed; that young people respond not to authority but to authenticity; and that learning is most powerful when shared. Nothing has been more rewarding than hearing from former students who later recognized the value of being pushed, supported, and believed in. Their reflections taught me that the impact of teaching often reveals itself long after the classroom lights are off.

In this way, my students shaped my thinking as deeply as I shaped theirs. They made me a more patient teacher, a more attentive listener, and, I hope, a better human being.

Did writing about your own experience change the way you think about your career or the impact you have had?

Writing about my experience did not fundamentally change how I think about my career, but it sharpened and clarified what I had long sensed. My entry into teaching was never planned. I became a teacher almost by accident, despite having been trained exclusively as a researcher with strong empirical skills and no formal preparation for the classroom. Yet within two years of teaching at Allegheny College, where I taught before coming to K, I realized that what had begun as a career experiment had revealed my true calling. Nothing since has made me imagine a life outside teaching.

Revisiting these early years helped me see more clearly how I learned to reconcile two commitments I once feared were incompatible: the demands of full-time teaching at a small liberal arts college and the scholarly work that fed my intellectual curiosity. I had assumed one would inevitably crowd out the other. Instead, I discovered that teaching and research could inform and strengthen each other, though doing so required imagination and a willingness to shape my scholarly agenda around the rhythms of the classroom.

What the memoir distilled for me was the coherence of that journey. One of the accomplishments I value most is finding a way to build a career in which my teaching and scholarly lives were not competing forces but mutually sustaining. Writing the memoir helped me see that this alignment was not accidental at all, but a steady and shaping force throughout my professional life.

After spending so much time looking back, what lessons or perspectives feel most important to share with the next generation of students and faculty?

Looking back, the lesson I most want to share with students is simple: never underestimate the power of a liberal arts education. It prepares you not only for a career but also for a lifetime of learning, adaptation, and curiosity. I have found nothing more reliable for navigating an uncertain future. This does not diminish the value of vocational preparation; during my 17 years as department chair, I worked to integrate business courses into a liberal arts framework. It is challenging but deeply worthwhile.

To my faculty colleagues, I offer a reminder shaped by both history and experience. K has always been a resilient institution. Over its long history, it has weathered repeated cycles of financial strain—patterns driven by forces larger than the college itself. I witnessed this over my 34 years at K, and I write about it in my book. Through every downturn, the college has held fast to its core mission: a high‑quality liberal arts education.

We are again in a difficult moment, one shared by many small liberal arts colleges, especially as the very idea of liberal arts education faces public skepticism. Yet I have no doubt that K will endure this period as it has others and will ultimately emerge stronger. My advice to faculty and staff is steady and sincere: do not lose hope in K.

At the same time, looking ahead requires honesty about challenges that are not simply financial. My experience taught me that a collegial environment is vulnerable to slippage, and it’s something I hope the community will continue to guard against. Collegiality is not a luxury; it is the quiet foundation that allows a liberal arts institution to thrive.

I am also mindful of a deeper, more existential challenge: the rapid introduction of AI into learning and teaching. When the internet became widespread at the dawn of the 21st century, I worried about what it meant for a teacher who preferred chalk and blackboard. But the scale of today’s transformation is different. AI has the potential to fundamentally alter how knowledge is acquired and transmitted—an unknown, unfamiliar, and largely untested field. It is not a threat in the budgetary sense, but in the intellectual and pedagogical sense. My hope is that K will approach this moment with both caution and imagination, preserving the human core of education even as new tools reshape its landscape.

What has your latest chapter of life looked like since retiring?

Since retiring, my life has taken on a different but deeply meaningful direction—caring for my grandchildren, continuing my lifelong learning, and traveling when time allows, accompanied by my lifelong partner. I also devote a good deal of time to caring for my aging body through regular physical exercise, which has become an essential part of my daily routine.

How long did this project take, and where can readers find a copy of The Dessie Kid?

It was a long journey. Although the project spanned nearly six years, most of the writing happened over the past two. The book was never intended for commercial purposes. That is why I chose to self-publish through Palmetto Publishing, which allowed me to retain full copyright ownership while producing a professionally edited, high-quality book, and to manage distribution myself. These decisions were not cheaper or easier—quite the opposite. However, they gave me complete control over the process, from content to final production.

I believe the result is a substantive, thoughtfully crafted book, produced with care and intention. For those who wish to read it, the book can be ordered directly from the website created exclusively for its distribution: dessiekid.com.

For my colleagues and former students, if a signed copy would add a personal touch to your reading, I would be glad to provide one. You may contact me at ahmed@dessiekid.com. Lux Esto!

Scholarly, Teaching Excellence Lead to Tenure for Two K Faculty

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Kalamazoo College has awarded tenure and promotion to Daniela Arias-Rotondo and Manfa Sanogo, recognizing years of their excellence in teaching, scholarly achievements and service to the institution while affirming their long-term roles as leaders in the College community.   

Daniela Arias-Rotondo    

Arias-Rotondo, the Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Endowed Chair in Natural Science, teaches courses including Introductory Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Molecular Structure and Reactivity at K.  

Her research focuses on molecules that convert light energy into electricity with broad implications for renewable energy. In 2024, Arias-Rotondo received an American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund grant for her lab’s exploration of photoredox catalysis, a project which explored new uses for petroleum byproducts through these reactions. Her collaboration with Maxwell Rhames ’25 on alternative metals for more affordable solar panels earned an honorable mention in the 2024 Division of Inorganic Chemistry Award for Undergraduate Research, which recognizes research that students and faculty perform in tandem.     

This academic year, working under Arias-Rotondo’s guidance, Will Tocco ’26 was one of just six undergraduates nationwide selected from more than 1,400 nominees to present at the ACS Presidential Symposium in Atlanta. 

Tocco and Rhames are two of 36 students who have worked in Arias-Rotondo’s lab in her years at K. Tocco and Rhames both were also among the students who benefited from a $250,000 grant she received in 2023 from the National Science Foundation’s Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS) program, which has provided funding for about eight to 10 student researchers per term. 

Arias-Rotondo was recognized by the College in 2025 with the First-Year Advocate Award. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Universidad de Buenos Aires in Argentina and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University. 

Portrait of Daniela Arias-Rotondo, Scholarly, Teaching Excellence Lead to Tenure
Daniela Arias-Rotondo

Manfa Sanogo    

Sanogo joined K as an assistant professor in 2020, bringing experience as a teaching assistant, lecturer and research fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Sorbonne Universités and École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and Florida State University.    

Sanogo has recently taught courses at K such as Beginning French, Intermediate French, French Conversation and Composition, Indian Ocean Literature and Culture, and Afro-Perspectives. He earned a Chateaubriand Fellowship from the French Embassy in the U.S. in 2018 for a project highlighting how Madagascar’s Indigenous literature has shaped innovation in French-language literature while aiming to foster greater scholarly interest in the Indian Ocean as an important literary center. In 2022, he completed a Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship at University College of Dublin.   

He has also been among the conveners of Africa Month events at the College over the last two years. The series brings world-renowned scholars, artists, filmmakers and performers from four continents to Kalamazoo for lectures, art exhibits, community conversations, meals and joyful music.  

Sanogo holds a Ph.D. from Florida State University.    

Portrait of 2026 tenure recipient Manfa Sonogo, scholarly, teaching excellence
Manfa Sanogo

Scandalous! Dickens, True Crime and Podcasts Come to K

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Archivist Lisa Murphy reviews some of the materials she provided to students for Novels and Podcasts that explored the Dickens classic "Bleak House"
Archivist Lisa Murphy ’98 reviews some of the materials she gave students for Novels and Podcasts, a class that incorporated the Charles Dickens classic “Bleak House.”

Blindfolded professors dumped in a cornfield. A campus scandal that landed in The New York Times. And a 19th-century Charles Dickens novel with more in common with true crime podcasts than most people would guess. Welcome to Novels and Podcasts, a distinctive new English course at Kalamazoo College. 

The winter course, led by Professor of English Ryan Fong, drew students from across disciplines into a conversation about how serial storytelling works and why it still resonates today. At the center of the syllabus sat Dickens’ Bleak House, an 1852–53 masterwork about an inheritance lawsuit, tangled secrets and systemic injustices in Victorian England. Students compared it with groundbreaking true-crime podcasts such as Serial, which has captivated millions with its own drip-feed of suspense, scandal and revelation. 

The parallels, it turns out, were hard to ignore. 

“Most of Dickens’ novels were written in serialized installments over many months,” Fong said. “In this class, I wanted to explore the continuities between that form of storytelling—when it became popular in the 19th century—and how it shows up today in podcasting, where stories unfold incrementally over time.” 

For their final project, students in the course didn’t write papers—they made podcasts. Working in groups, they designed five-episode series using materials from the College Archives before recording episodes in the library’s audio lab. Students used documents, old editions of the Index student newspaper, historical faculty meeting minutes and photographs curated by College Archivist Lisa Murphy ’98 to inform their storytelling. Reference Librarian Kelly Frost also helped students deepen their research through specialized library guides, and Elena Pulliam in the Rare Book Room showed students two serialized versions of works by Dickens: Bleak House and Little Dorrit. 

Those archival discoveries became the backbone of their storytelling. The students’ explorations ranged widely across K’s history, but a couple of groups zeroed in on a notorious 1890 campus kidnapping prank so outrageous that it landed in national headlines. Students transformed the episode into serialized audio narratives, echoing the same suspense techniques they studied in Dickens and modern podcasts. 

Lisa Murphy with the portrait of
Murphy holds the portrait of William Des Autels.

“The story was that two professors stopped by Upper Hall, which was the men’s dorm,” Murphy said. “They had been invited to the birthday party of student William Des Autels, and when the two professors showed up, a bunch of students burst in, loosely bound their hands, blindfolded them and marched them up past Monroe Street to a cornfield.” 

Students at the time testified to trustees that the young professors, who were close to the students’ ages, knew it was a prank and that the situation got blown out of proportion. 

“The controversy became more about the punishment, the reaction and the bad publicity for the College,” Murphy said. “William Des Autels, who later became a Baptist minister, was expelled and there were several suspensions.” 

Several years later, the College and its faculty board awarded a degree to Des Autels because he had been so close to graduating at the point of his expulsion. But today’s students were attracted to the unusual circumstances.  

“It’s fun telling the college’s stories, because a lot of students don’t know about the archives or about the College’s history,” Murphy said. “Watching them have fun and seeing their disbelief, especially at this kidnapping story, was exciting.” 

Other students explored different historical narratives. Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta ’28 produced a podcast examining former College President James Stone and his wife, Lucinda Hinsdale Stone, an early feminist advocate for coeducation. In the 1860s, both faced backlash from conservative Baptist leaders and students resistant to progressive ideas, ultimately leading to their departure from the College. 

The research inspired Guerrero and helped her feel a deeper connection to Lucinda, the College and K’s history. 

“That was only possible because of the deep archival research we had to do,” she said. “This class was extremely valuable to my journalism aspirations because we were given the tools to create a passion project that bridged relevant local history to contemporary questions and conversations.” 

She added that the course changed her perspective on literature, making it one of her favorite classes at K so far. 

“I never thought I would become as enthralled with Dickens’ work the way I did, but Bleak House, and the themes we explored through the book, helped me understand why pre-20th century literature is worth studying,” she said. 

Behind the scenes, teaching assistant James Hauke ’26 kept podcasting operations running. Hauke guided students through the recording process, from the first-time in the studio to final edits, and came away impressed with the course and the students. 

“I appreciate that every Dr. Fong class is a conversation, where there are no lectures and 20 people or so are talking to each other,” Hauke said. “Everyone speaks. There’s never one person who’s raising their hand and taking all the questions. Everyone is a part of it, and I think that’s why he loves podcasts so much. They’re just conversations. I’d say the conversations are why Dr. Fong is a great professor.” 

From Dickens’ serialized mysteries to student-produced podcasts, the course showed that great storytelling, whether in print or audio, still unfolds one episode at a time. Fong said he will offer the class again, in part because it also showcased campus resources that students might have repeatedly overlooked. Now, they have used those resources to investigate the history of student life and culture, conduct independent research, and evaluate the information they found. 

“It was exciting to see students go into the archives and realize the richness of materials there,” he said. “It was equally exciting to see them use the audio lab and develop skills that are going to be increasingly important in the future. Watching students connect literature, history, research and creativity in this way was incredible, especially as they collaborated and engaged with contemporary and historical issues.” 

English Professor Earns GLCA-Sponsored Fellowship

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Professor of English Babli Sinha has received a fellowship administrative position sponsored by the Great Lakes Colleges Association as Kalamazoo College’s director of AI and education. 

In this role, she will develop guidelines and policies for AI use in conjunction with K’s Gen AI Coordinating team and its Teaching and Learning Committee. Her responsibilities will include developing faculty resources to foster critical thinking about AI and pedagogy; creating opportunities for dialogue about AI technologies among faculty, staff and students; and gathering information about the promises and limitations of AI in various disciplines, divisions and departments.  

The GLCA cohort of fellows including Sinha will meet regularly to foster their professional and leadership development while grounded in self-reflection and strategic self-awareness. Together, they will share their learning, successes and challenges on their project and administrative responsibilities with each other. 

Sinha will serve through the 2026–27 and 2027–28 academic years.  

Portrait of GLCA fellowship recipient, English Professor Babli Sinha
Professor of English Babli Sinha has received a fellowship administrative position sponsored by the Great Lakes Colleges Association.

Karlyn Crowley Named 19th President of Kalamazoo College

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Portrait of Karlyn Crowley in downtown Kalamazoo
Karlyn Crowley will be the 19th president of Kalamazoo College.

Kalamazoo College has named Karlyn Crowley, provost at Ohio Wesleyan University, as its 19th president following a national search. Crowley was appointed by unanimous vote of the Board of Trustees and will succeed President Jorge G. Gonzalez, who will retire on June 30, 2026. She will begin her role as president on July 1, 2026.

“Dr. Crowley is a strategic, innovative, and deeply collaborative leader who brings both intellectual rigor and a bias for action,” said Jody Clark ’80, president of the Board of Trustees and chair of the search committee. “She understands the moment facing liberal arts colleges and has demonstrated the ability to translate bold ideas into meaningful outcomes for students. Just as importantly, she brings an authentic energy and belief in this work that is both compelling and contagious. We are confident she is the right leader to build on Kalamazoo College’s strengths and lead us forward.”

“Kalamazoo College represents what the liberal arts must be right now—rigorous, globally engaged, and deeply connected to the lives students want to lead,” said Crowley. “I am drawn to the K-Plan as a powerful foundation, and I look forward to working with the campus community to build on its strengths in ways that deepen student opportunity, strengthen outcomes, and position K as a national leader in liberal arts education. This is a college with both a remarkable legacy and extraordinary potential.”

As provost of OWU, Crowley has guided a series of transformative academic initiatives, including the university’s first comprehensive general education revision in 50 years, the establishment of a university-wide faculty development center, and the launch of new programs in public health, entrepreneurship, and a nursing pathway. Most recently, she oversaw the introduction of mechanical engineering through OWU’s new Conrades School of Engineering and helped bring comprehensive civil discourse training to campus through a partnership with the Constructive Dialogue Institute.

A champion of student success, she co-led the “Move the Needle” retention initiative, which achieved the largest first-to-second-year retention increase in OWU’s history.

Her work in strategic partnerships and philanthropy reflects a similar focus on access and opportunity. She co-led a transfer agreement with Columbus State Community College that resulted in a 250% increase in transfer enrollment, and helped establish pathways to advanced degrees through articulation agreements with institutions including Case Western Reserve University and Miami of Ohio. She also played a key role in cultivating and securing gifts for OWU’s Smith Center for Faculty Excellence, the Westwood Real Estate and Community Development Program, and the Conrades School of Engineering. Previously, she collaborated with corporations such as Humana, Schneider, and the Green Bay Packers on educational initiatives.

Throughout her career, Crowley has focused on aligning the enduring strengths of the liberal arts—critical thinking, communication, and ethical reasoning—with emerging student needs and evolving career pathways. This approach has been shaped by her experience as both a student and leader within “Colleges That Change Lives” institutions, including Earlham College, Ohio Wesleyan University, and now Kalamazoo College.

Before joining Ohio Wesleyan in 2020, Crowley spent 18 years at St. Norbert College in Wisconsin, where she served as the interim assistant vice president for academic affairs, founding director of the Cassandra Voss Center, and professor of English and women’s and gender studies. A frequent speaker and published voice on the value of liberal arts education, she is widely recognized as a thought leader in higher education.

“Dr. Crowley is a fierce and enthusiastic proponent of the liberal arts, with a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing colleges like K today,” said Beau Bothwell, associate professor of music and member of the search committee. “In a large pool of highly accomplished candidates, she distinguished herself with a record of turning vision into positive action. She brings a deep respect for faculty voices and collective governance, and we are excited to work with her as we collectively help the K-Plan evolve for the future.”

Crowley holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in English and women’s studies from Earlham College. Crowley and her family—spouse John Pennington and their daughter, Ada—look forward to joining the Kalamazoo community.

The College’s presidential search process included a series of listening sessions for campus and community members, as well as a comprehensive survey to collect feedback and input. The Presidential Search Committee was composed of alumni trustees, faculty, staff, and students. The committee was assisted by DSG Storbeck, a leading academic executive search firm, and chaired by Clark.

The College will hold an event introducing Crowley to the K community on May 18 at 11 a.m. in Stetson Chapel. The event will be in-person for faculty, staff, and students and livestreamed. A link to the livestream will be available at the presidential search website.

About Kalamazoo College

Founded in 1833, Kalamazoo College is a nationally recognized liberal arts and sciences college located in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Through the K-Plan, its signature approach to education, students design a personalized path that combines rigorous academics with study abroad, undergraduate research, career and civic engagement, and a Senior Integrated Project. Known for its global, experiential approach to learning, Kalamazoo College is a member of Colleges That Change Lives and is included on The Princeton Review “Best Colleges” and “Best Value Colleges” lists. Learn more at kzoo.edu.

ACS Conference Proves K ‘Punches Above its Weight Class’

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Kalamazoo College students, faculty and alumni attend the American Chemical Society (ACS) Conference
Kalamazoo College students, faculty and alumni attend the American Chemical Society (ACS) Conference. Pictured (from left) are Caden Frost ’26, Will Tocco ’26, Baylor Baldwin ’26, Ellen Robertson ’08, Ava Schwachter ’27, ACS president-elect Christina Bodurow ’79, Associate Professor of Chemistry Blakely Tresca, Bea Putman ’26, Devi DeYoung ’26 and Christopher Aldred ’26.

Will Tocco ’26 joined an elite group this spring as one of just six undergraduates nationwide selected from more than 1,400 nominees to present at the American Chemical Society’s Presidential Symposium in Atlanta. 

Tocco’s selection came through two pathways. He had already been approved to present at a specialized inorganic chemistry symposium at the ACS National Meeting, one of the field’s premier annual gatherings. Separately, because Kalamazoo College offers an ACS-certified degree, the chemistry department was invited to nominate a student for the Presidential Symposium and put Tocco’s name forward. 

“I felt very honored,” Tocco said. “It was a great experience to network, meet people and learn how professionals found their way, because I’m still figuring out what I want my career to look like.” 

Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo and Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss nominated Tocco. For Arias-Rotondo, sending students to conferences is central to her lab’s mission. 

“Every opportunity for students to share their work and practice presenting is valuable,” she said. “Conferences give them the chance to get feedback from experts in the field and expose them to perspectives they may not encounter on campus.” 

One highlight of the experience was a private reception hosted by the ACS president the evening before the symposium, where Tocco mingled with leading scientists and industry professionals. He met a senior scientist from Pfizer, the president of the Goldwater Foundation and the president of the ACS. He also connected with ACS president-elect Christina Bodurow ’79, a K alumna and member of the College’s Board of Trustees. 

Absorbing Light, Moving Electrons 

The opportunity stemmed from research Tocco has been developing in Arias-Rotondo’s lab at the intersection of chemistry and renewable energy. Building on work started by Maxwell Rhames ’25, he has helped develop single-molecule dyes capable of absorbing light and converting it to electricity, an approach with potential applications in next-generation solar panels and hydrogen fuel production. 

“They can be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, and then you can burn that hydrogen as a fuel source,” Tocco said. 

Tocco synthesized one such complex and demonstrated that it can move electrons through nearly every step of the energy-transfer process. 

“It can absorb the light and do everything up until the handoff, but it doesn’t want to release the electron,” he said. “A solar panel needs to absorb light and give off electrons.” 

Unlocking that final step by enabling the compound to release its electron and complete the cycle will be the focus of future work in the lab after Tocco graduates. His contributions have already refined procedures for synthesizing key molecules, giving future students a strong foundation to build on. 

“Will is a strong synthetic chemist, and his work is opening the door for new students to join this project and make contributions,” Arias-Rotondo said. “It is impossible to overstate his contributions to our research group, both scientifically and personally. He is always willing to support and encourage others.” 

Tocco’s presentation was well received, particularly at the inorganic symposium as more of the audience was familiar with the topic. Ahead of the conference, he contacted faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where he will begin his doctoral studies this fall, and one professor made a point to attend. 

“He had his own presentation, but he took the time to come see mine,” Tocco said. “That was really inspiring.” 

Tocco also earned an honorable mention for the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), a highly competitive award that provides three years of funding for graduate study. Although the honorable mention does not include funding, it is a significant distinction. 

“As an undergrad, getting that honorable mention is big because I’m a year behind most others applying,” he said. He plans to apply again next year as a first-year doctoral student. 

From Math Major to Chemist 

American Chemical Society Conference presenter Will Tocco
Tocco presents his research at the ACS Conference.
American Chemical Society Conference Presenter Devi DeYoung
DeYoung presenting at the ACS Conference.
K Reps in Atlanta for Chemical Conference
K representatives attend the ACS Conference in Atlanta.
Two students, an alumna, a faculty member and the president of ACS
Arias-Rotondo, Bodurow, Frost, Tocco and ACS President Rigoberto Hernandez at the ACS Conference in Atlanta.

Tocco did not arrive at K intending to pursue chemistry. He planned to major in mathematics, entering with dual enrollment calculus credits, before taking General Chemistry I with Arias-Rotondo. 

“I just had so much more fun than I did in any other class,” he said. “Even what some might consider boring felt kind of cool.” 

On the first day of class, Arias-Rotondo—known to her students as Dr. DAR—mentioned her research and invited interested students to speak with her. By the next term, Tocco had joined her lab, where he has worked since. 

“When I first started chemistry, I thought I’d get my bachelor’s degree and find a job,” he said. “But I kept going to conferences, kept learning and realized I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. A lot of that was Dr. DAR’s influence.” 

Tocco also credits Associate Professor of Chemistry Blakely Tresca, who organized a group of graduate student mentors to help K students navigate the demanding GRFP application process. 

“I wouldn’t have started it without his help,” Tocco said. 

The process also strengthened his Senior Integrated Project, as feedback on his grant proposal turned into improvements. 

Tocco’s undergraduate experience also has included a Research Experience for Undergraduates fellowship at Duquesne University and a study abroad term in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He will graduate this spring with a major in chemistry and a minor in mathematics. 

A Lab Community in Atlanta 

Tocco was not the only K student to attend the conference. He was joined by fellow chemistry and biochemistry students Caden Frost ’26, Ava Schwachter ’27, Bea Putman ’26, CJ Aldred ’26, Jack Bungart ’26, Max Plesscher ’26, Baylor Baldwin ’26 and Devi DeYoung ’26, along with Arias-Rotondo and Tresca. The students shared an Airbnb, and the trip became as much a bonding experience as a professional one. 

“We went to the Georgia Aquarium, went to dinner, hung out and watched movies,” Tocco said. “It was a great experience to be professionals and also just spend time together.” 

That blend of close community and high-level research is what Tocco sees as distinctive about K. 

“Kalamazoo College punches above its weight class,” he said. “Our professors are well connected, so if we don’t have an instrument, we know someone who does. I’ve built relationships with all of the chemistry faculty, and that wouldn’t always happen at a larger institution.” 

Arias-Rotondo has seen the impact firsthand. After returning from Atlanta, she led students through a debrief, reflecting on what they learned. 

“Every time we take students to conferences, colleagues from other schools tell me how well our students present,” she said. “We could see the growth that happened in just a few days.” 

Looking ahead, Tocco imagines returning one day to a lab that has continued to evolve. 

“It’ll be exciting to see what others build,” he said. “That’s what makes it special.”

Founders Day Celebrates Faculty, Staff, College’s Anniversary

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Regina Stevens-Truss, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, is this year’s recipient of the Lux Esto Award of Excellence as announced today during Kalamazoo College’s Founders Day celebration, marking K’s 193rd year. 

The award recognizes an employee who has served the institution for at least 26 years and has contributed significantly to the campus. The recipient—chosen by a committee with student, faculty and staff representatives—is an employee who exemplifies the spirit of K through selfless dedication and goodwill. President Jorge G. Gonzalez presented Stevens-Truss with the award in his final Founders Day before retiring in June. 

In 2016, Stevens-Truss received K’s highest teaching honor, the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching. In 2018, she was named the College’s director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence grant, awarded to K’s science division. She’s also been a faculty leader for Sisters in Science, a student organization that visits local schools to encourage young women to pursue science; and Sukuma, a peer-based study group for students of color in the sciences.  

“One of my favorite traits of this individual is their integrity and how I consistently see them promote goodwill on campus,” a nominator said about Stevens-Truss. “Our mission at K is to provide enlightened leadership to a richly diverse and increasingly complex world. Through her strong moral principles, gratitude and honesty, she does just what our institution stands for. She never fails to leave a strong, positive impression, and she never fails to foster long-term relationships. Her reputation of being a strong, intelligent, kind, supportive and nurturing person proceeds her.” 

Regina Stevens-Truss and Jorge G. Gonzalez at Founders Day
Kalamazoo College President Jorge G. Gonzalez presents Regina Stevens-Truss, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry, with the 2026 Lux Esto Award at Founders Day events.

In accordance with Founders Day traditions, two other employees received community awards. Kurt D. Kaufman Associate Professor of Chemistry Dwight Williams was given the Outstanding Advisor Award and Assistant Professor of Theatre Quincy Thomas received the First-Year Advocate Award. 

In 2025, Williams was awarded a three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his work developing new molecules that could help protect brain cells from dying from neurodegenerative diseases. In 2019, he was awarded a Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching grant from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and Course Hero. 

Williams teaches courses including Organic Chemistry I and II, Advanced Organic Chemistry and Introductory Chemistry. His research interests include synthetic organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry and pharmacology. 

A student in Williams’ nomination said, “He has played a significant and meaningful role in my time at K. He suggested courses that will be beneficial to me no matter what career path I decide to take. I have always appreciated how he is realistic and honest with me and genuinely cares as much as I do about my future.” 

Dwight Williams and Jorge G. Gonzalez at Founders Day
Gonzalez presents the 2026 Outstanding Advisor Award to Dwight Williams, the Kurt D. Kaufman Associate Professor of Chemistry, during Founders Day events.

At K, Thomas has directed Festival Playhouse productions including The Mountaintop, The Importance of Being Earnest, Love’s Labour’s Lost and Be More Chill. His research centers on subjects including counter-storytelling; Black performativity in American culture; representations of the marginalized in popular culture; comedic and solo performance; and performative writing. 

Thomas teaches courses such as Directing, Theatre History and Playwriting. His courses are informed by his research on issues of cultural marginalization and misrepresentation in the arts, specifically of racial and ethnic minorities, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

One first-year student said in Thomas’ nomination for the award, “I hadn’t known what to expect out of the transition from high school to college, and some parts were definitely rougher than I’d thought they would be. At every moment when I or other cast members stumbled, he was always there. He checked in, listened, directed us to resources and helped us set boundaries. He made rehearsals a safe space and community where we could just breathe and keep going, and I’m so grateful for that. He made it clear that we were more important than the show.” 

Quincy Thomas and President Jorge G. Gonzalez at Founders Day
Gonzalez presents the 2026 Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award to Assistant Professor of Theatre Quincy Thomas.

Gonzalez also recognized the students who served as President’s Student Ambassadors in the 2025–26 academic year. As student leaders, President’s Student Ambassadors serve as an extension of the president’s hospitality at events and gatherings, welcoming alumni and guests of the College with a spirit of inclusion. About 15 students serve as ambassadors in a given academic year. The students selected show strong communication skills; demonstrate leadership through academic life, student life or community service; and maintain a minimum grade-point average. 

The 2025–26 ambassadors have been: 

  • Mckenna Acevedo ’27
  • Randa Alnaas ’27
  • Emiliano Alvarado Rescala ’27
  • Zahra Amini ’26
  • Baylor Baldwin ’26
  • Jaylen Bowles-Swain ’26
  • Gracie Burnham ’27
  • Avery Davis ’28
  • Blake Filkins ’26
  • Landrie Fridsma ’27
  • Grey Gardner ’26
  • James Hauke ’26
  • Jessica Kaplan ’26
  • Ava King ’28
  • Belle Mason ’27
  • Claire Rhames ’27 
  • Amelie Sack ’27 
  • Simon Sawyer ’28
  • Jillian Smith ’27
  • Darius Wright ’28

Class: Is Civil Discourse Still Possible in Politics?

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Americans are struggling to talk across political divides, but a classroom at Kalamazoo College recently became a laboratory for civil discourse. Political Science Associate Professor Justin Berry led what he describes as the best class he’s had the privilege of teaching: a senior seminar on political polarization that challenged students not just to study the problem but to actively engage with it.

“I teach a lot of the bigger kinds of classes—intro classes—on Congress and the presidency,” Berry said. “This was my first opportunity to teach a seminar-oriented class, and I was excited about the chance to design something new. I picked a topic that I thought was pertinent to what they’ve learned over their time in political science. It’s a topic that’s particularly relevant to the democracy they’re participating in today.”

Berry designed the course to give students the tools and experiences they need to model what he calls civil disagreement. Over the term, students examined the forces driving political polarization in the United States, from widening divides among elected officials and the public to the ways media and social media reinforce differences. They analyzed the most recent election cycle using various sources, and through dialogue and interviews, they practiced ways to communicate across these differences.

“I wanted to give them the space and the tools to engage in difficult conversations,” he said. “I wanted them to fundamentally disagree on ideas, concepts and values, and yet do so in a constructive, civil way, which I think is absent from our politics today.”

Berry also noted the delicate balance between creating a sense of safety while fostering genuine disagreement in a course of this nature.

“I want to engender an environment that’s intellectually, politically and socially safe, but at the same time, I don’t want it to be so safe that people aren’t actually sharing their true beliefs,” he said. “If everybody’s feeling happy and comfortable, we’re probably not engaging in a real political discussion because politics is conflictual.”

The class was able to achieve that balance, Berry said.

“There was enough overlap, commonality and trust in one another for us to engage in a meaningful conversation on a weekly basis,” Berry said. “Yet there was also enough disagreement to lead to a meaningful exchange. A student would have a strong opinion, attitude or concept, and people would push back and give different perspectives. I heard students say time and again that in their discussions, they changed an attitude or an opinion toward something and I thought that was great. That’s real conversation.”

Student observing a cell phone
Justin Berry teaches his polarization and civil discourse students
Political Science Associate Professor Justin Berry teaches his polarization and civil discourse students.

The Assignment That Changed Perspectives

The centerpiece of the course was an intentional challenge: students had to interview someone with drastically different political views and write about their conversation. For many students, this meant stepping far outside their comfort zones. What they discovered often surprised them.

Lyrica Gee ’26 spoke with her uncle in Florida, whose politics differed sharply from her father’s despite their similar upbringings.

“I had gone home with some of the questions that we’ve been asking in class,” she said. “I talked to my dad about it and heard some of his answers about the way he was raised by his parents and their ideological lenses. Then, going into that interview with his brother, who ended up with a totally different political perspective, it was interesting to see how such a similar background landed them in these different situations.”

Libby McFarlen ’26 emphasized the humanizing effect of the face-to-face conversation she had.

“It’s so much easier to see what people think and dismiss it when it’s online,” she said. “But when you’re actually speaking to someone face-to-face, it personalizes those opinions. You realize that your opinions about people who disagree with you are attached to a real person, not to a statistic or someone on the other side of a phone screen.”

Berry mentioned two outcomes from the project that were especially noteworthy to him.

“I had one student who interviewed her dad, and she valued the experience so much that she wants to do it with all of her family members and record the conversations to trace her family’s political story,” he said. “I also had some students who assumed those they interviewed had very different beliefs, only to find false polarization once they had the conversation. Sometimes our assumptions are just false, and these things that we think divide us are our own misperceptions.”

Two students talking in a polarization and civil discourse class
Reagan Woods ’26 (left) talks with Lyrica Gee ’26.
Student leads the class on polarization and civil discourse from a blackboard
Libby McFarlen ’26 leads a discussion.

Student-Led Learning Creates Community

For Reagan Woods ’26, the seminar did more than explore polarization; it gave students practical ways to understand and challenge it.

“Polarization in past political science courses has been an undergirding theme that doesn’t get talked about,” she said. “It’s almost like the boogeyman—this unnamed force that drives our political differences and our current political economy. I like that we have a course where we can address it head-on and say, ‘This is what this is. Let’s name it. Let’s talk about it. Let’s dissect it.’”

The seminar’s structure was deliberately collaborative. Rather than traditional lectures, students led discussions, preparing activities and questions to engage their peers with weekly readings on topics such as media, geographic, and identity-based polarization. Woods described these readings as tools that could be kept in a tool belt, ready to use for class discussions, as well as outside the classroom.

“We have this tool belt full of theories, so what do we do with it now,” she asked. “Do we tackle polarization? Is this a problem we can fix? And while there is no one answer to that, I think it still got the gears turning. We can ask, ‘Is polarization an inevitable problem?’ Dr. Berry also mentioned that we’ve been more polarized before when we fought the Civil War and during the revolution, but we survived as a nation. This is not a hopeless cause, which I think was a hopeful message.”

Hollis Masterson ’26, who is pursuing majors in political science and history, appreciated how the seminar synthesized his undergraduate work.

“The interview assignment and leading class discussions were probably the most important to the classroom experience,” he said. “They offered a great sense of community and understanding among us about where our politics lie, our backgrounds, and that variability of where we all come from.”

Berry said the students embraced the student-led process.

“One thing I found really special about the class was how kind and gracious they were with one another,” he said. “In today’s world of social media and our phones, more often I’ll walk into a classroom, and students won’t be engaging with each other. But because they were developing the lesson plan, I would walk into class, and no one was on their phones—they’d be chatting about the reading they’d done. They posted questions on social media to poll other K students about their attitudes toward topics like political violence, and then they brought up the results in class. We would talk about the different responses in the community, so the conversations didn’t just end in the class; they kept flowing. That, for me, is a rare occurrence.”

The student-led approach created unexpected benefits. Masterson noted that the class brought together political science majors who had rarely shared a classroom before their senior year.

“It became this slow development of a community,” he said. “I wish we could have started this cohort sooner, but having the opportunity to tie everything together as a group made this one of the most valuable experiences of my education.”

Two students talk about their civil discourse and polarization class
Hollis Masterson ’26 (left) talks with Dymytri Hayda ’26.
Reagan Woods talks with Libby McFarlen.

From Skeptic to Scholar

Maddie Hanulcik ’26 had an experience with the course that reflects the transformative power it had.

“I was excited to take the senior seminar with my cohort, but to tell you the truth, I wasn’t excited about the topic,” she said. “We know that polarization exists, so I wondered whether we needed to make a whole class about it.”

Hanulcik’s perspective shifted drastically as the course progressed. What she initially dismissed as obvious became fascinating as she discovered the depth and breadth of polarization’s impact. The transformation was so complete that Hanulcik chose polarization as the focus of her Senior Integrated Project (SIP). Her project examines why Generation Z has significantly lower faith in democracy than Generation X and how the media influences this decline.

“If people don’t believe in democracy, that’s really scary,” Hanulcik said. “Even if a democracy is not functioning the way you want it to, it’s important to change it for the better instead of just abandoning it. We need to have things like civil discourse and a civil society to keep democracy alive.”

Two students listen in civil discourse and polarization course
Lilly Cleland ’26 (left) and Maddie Hanulcik ’26
Students in a classroom sit in a semicircle around their professor
Senior Libby McFarlen (from left), Estrella Arana, Lilly Cleland, Maddie Hanulcik, Reagan Woods and Lyrica Gee talk with Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry.

Challenging Assumptions

Perhaps the course’s most powerful lesson was how small the actual policy differences could be between opposing sides.

“Despite the fact that ideologically and verbally we have all of these differences, when it comes down to policy, the difference between a moderate Republican and a moderate Democrat is maybe an inch wide,” Gee said. “The difference between voting for one person and voting for the other is sometimes just about how much you dislike the other team.”

Hanulcik, a self-described libertarian, was one of only two non-left-leaning individuals in a class of 20. Initially, that made her feel uneasy, but as class conversations progressed, she found common ground she hadn’t expected.

“People started asking me why I felt the way I did, and after explaining, they said, ‘Oh, I share almost every belief that you have. I just came to it in a different way in my head.’”

The experience helped Hanulcik recognize her own polarization.

“At the beginning of the class, I was polarized against people who were polarized,” she said. “But then I realized I have to have conversations and help them understand the dangers of polarization and what it can lead to.”

She came to see polarization not as a simple left-right divide but as a problem created by extremes on both sides.

“Most individuals here in the U.S. have a similar concept of good or bad,” she said. “Discourse is driven by the extreme ends of both parties, and folks are slowly pulled from the middle. At what point do we lose that extreme dialogue and start communicating with folks in the middle?”

McFarlen captured a common takeaway from the course: people on both sides of the aisle really aren’t as different as they think; they are just shaped by different environments and experiences.

“It doesn’t mean they are your enemies,” she said. “It just means that they think differently, and it’s important to try to understand why people think the way they do.”

Gee reflected on how social media algorithms and sensational journalism exacerbate division for entertainment and profit.

“We’re stoking this fire between the two sides to make it more entertaining,” Gee said. “The entertainment aspect is making us grow further apart because we are sitting in our anger rather than in any critical thinking.”

Associate Professor Justin Berry
Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry
Civil Discourse and Polarization Class
Seniors Maddie Hanulcik, Reagan Woods, Lyrica Gee, Lilly Cleland, Estrella Arana and Libby McFarlen listen to Associate Professor of Political Science Justin Berry.

Beyond the Classroom

The lessons students learned have already begun influencing how they engage with politics beyond the classroom. McFarlen said the course changed how she views political campaigns, making her more attentive to how candidates target different audiences and frame their messages.

For Masterson, the course sparked greater interest in state and local politics, where he said bipartisanship still occasionally exists. He’s applying to master’s programs at Tufts University, George Washington University, and three Australian universities, having fallen in love with Australian politics during study abroad.

Gee, who plans to pursue political journalism in Washington, D.C., sees the course as foundational to her future work.

“I always want to look toward educating others and helping them get through really complex bureaucratic systems,” she said. “Having some of these ideas in my head is going to be very helpful in understanding the complexities within people.”

Hanulcik plans to join the Peace Corps after graduation.

“I love being abroad,” she said. “I like moving all the time, and I like helping people in some way, shape or form. I want to live my life as a life of service.”

Libby McFarlen listens in the civil discourse an polarization class
Libby McFarlen ’26

A Model for Democratic Citizenship

For Professor Berry, the course represents more than an academic exercise. It’s about preparing students for democratic citizenship in a fractured era.

“We have reached the point where we can no longer discuss politics with those with whom we disagree,” he said. “I wanted to provide students with a venue to grapple with difficult political questions and model how to engage in civil disagreement. It is a vital component of democratic citizenship, and it is not a skill we have effectively modeled for them.”

The results speak for themselves. What began as a required senior seminar became what multiple students described as their favorite class at K. In a moment defined by division, the course offered a glimmer of hope, proof that with curiosity, respect, and honesty, real conversation is not only possible; it’s transformative.

Estrella Arana ’26

A Republic, If You Can Keep It

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When Americans think about the Revolution, they often picture the Boston Tea Party, the Siege of Yorktown, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the famous men who shaped these iconic events. Charlene Boyer Lewis ’87, the Larry J. Bell ’80 Distinguished Chair in American History, reminds us that the American Revolution wasn’t just fought by generals and statesmen; it unfolded in kitchens, camps, farms, and city streets, where women’s decisions, labor, and political thought shaped the outcome of the war. For Women’s History Month, Boyer Lewis reflects on how women across racial, economic, and political lines experienced and contributed to the founding of our Republic—their influence still shaping the nation 250 years later. 

Q: How should we rethink the role of women in the American Revolution?

Boyer Lewis: Women at the time did not have access to formal leadership or political roles. However, the American Revolution didn’t just happen with “those guys in Philadelphia” or the men fighting on the battlefield. A revolution is essentially a civil war, so there is no real distinction between the homefront and the battlefront. Roughly a third of the colonists were Loyalists, a third Patriots, and a third what historians call disaffected—they hadn’t really chosen a side. During the war and the period leading up to it, women were often calculating and making choices about their allegiance based on what was best for their families. Yes, there were some women who were making choices based on political ideology—Mercy Otis Warren, the poet and playwright; Martha Washington;  Abigail Adams, writing to John Adams to “remember the ladies.” Mrs. Benedict Arnold, whom I write about, started as a Loyalist flirt, then became a Patriot bride, and then became a very strident Loyalist when she and her husband committed treason. But most women were choosing whether to be a Patriot or a Loyalist based on which side their families were taking and what would be best for their families, their community, and their neighbors. As the British and Patriot forces moved around, women would often shift their loyalties to whichever troop had occupation at the time.

Once the Revolution started in 1775 and 1776, women had to choose sides, just like men did, and women very much understood that they were moving from being subjects in a monarchy to citizens in a republic. They understood the stakes.

Q: In what concrete ways did women participate in the Revolution, both before the fighting began and during the war itself?

Boyer Lewis: Most women spent the years leading up to the Revolution involved in the protests and boycotts against tea and British imported goods. The boycotts would not have been successful otherwise; you needed women to forego purchasing those items for their households. They were eschewing imported silk, cotton, and linen; they were gathering to share each other’s spinning wheels and looms to make homespun fabric, and they were conscious that in doing so, they were taking a stance against English oppression. Some of them said they felt nationalistic while they were doing it.

Kalamazoo College Professor of History Charlene Boyer Lewis, A Republic, if You Can Keep it
Charlene Boyer Lewis ’87 is the Larry J. Bell ’80 Distinguished Chair in American History at Kalamazoo College.
Abigail Adams bronze statue at the Boston Women's Memorial located on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall
A bronze sculpture of Abigail Adams by Meredith Bergmann at the Boston Women’s Memorial on Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

As the war started, women weren’t removed from warfare. When you live on a rural farm near a battlefield, the violence is going to come right into your home or your surrounding area. Women in these situations served multiple purposes for armies, bringing water, serving as laundresses and cooks, and taking care of wounded and sick men in their homes. Along with these really basic services to the army, they also provided sexual services to soldiers. That was, frankly, a really effective way for women to make money.

Women were also an important part of the army encampments, known as camp followers. Many had no choice but to follow their husbands, fathers, or brothers serving in the army, as they could not afford to stay at home, so they were feeding, laundering, and tending to sick men in the encampments. George Washington complained regularly that all these women, children, and literal baggage made it difficult to move an army quickly. But he also recognized their importance, and the women were provided half rations.

There are a handful of women that we know of who disguised themselves as men. A woman named Deborah Sampson was an ardent Patriot who wanted to go and fight. She cut her hair, bound her breasts, and fought in the Continental Army for a couple of years. Despite being wounded several times, it wasn’t discovered that she was a woman until she fell ill with fever and was found out by a doctor when he undressed her. He was shocked because everybody knew this soldier as Robert Shurtleff. Of course, they kicked her out immediately when they realized she was a woman. She received an honorable discharge, and 30 years later, she applied to Congress for a pension, like any other Continental Army soldier.  Congress sent Paul Revere to Massachusetts to interview her, and he found her case deserving. So, she became the first woman to receive a military pension in American history.

Most women experienced the Revolution from afar. They kept the farms going, kept the newspapers in print. Women ran taverns. They ran shops. They were picking up for the men and learning all sorts of skills. Abigail Adams actually made more money for the farm than when John Adams was running it. There are many letters back and forth between wives and their husbands about logistics, like, when should I sell the corn? When do I plant? They start with lots of questions, and over time, the women become more and more confident. Instead of saying, when do I do this? They say, “Oh, I sold all the corn last month.” They now know how to take care of it.

But there was a scary side to this independence. In any war, troops often use violence to subdue a population, so women were sexually assaulted; they were physically abused. Women watched in terror while their houses were turned topsy-turvy as soldiers looked for money, weapons, clothing—anything to sell—because soldiers were allowed to come in and pilfer. Women lived with that terror every day during this war, and it’s clear many of them suffered later from trauma. This is what I mean by no separation between the homefront and the battlefront: there was no safe homefront. The battlefront was everywhere. You could walk the street and be hassled by a soldier. You could walk the street and be questioned at bayonet point as to which side you are on.

Women also smuggled things over lines using the fact that they were women and not combatants. Women were very good spies because soldiers were often hesitant to accost women and say, “What’s on your person?” So, women often tucked things under their dresses. We know of one story where two women were walking the Philadelphia line, going from British into Patriot territory, and soldiers thought they were pregnant, but under their alleged bellies were leather shoes, leather belts, and some food.

Q: How did the Revolution unfold differently for Black and Native American women?

Boyer Lewis: We tend to think of slavery as a southern phenomenon, but at the time of the Revolution, there were enslaved people in every single one of the 13 Colonies. It was the British who first offered freedom to enslaved people, and they offered it very early on. It wasn’t altruistic; they understood this was good strategy, offering freedom to those enslaved under Patriot masters. Thousands took that offer, and the number of Black Loyalists was tremendous. Whenever the British came near a Patriot farm or homestead, enslaved women fled, and they would take their children with them to look for freedom behind British lines. Many ended up in different parts of the British Empire—Canada, for instance, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia—and the British gave them farms there. Some of them ended up in England. Tragically, when the British started running out of supplies, some of these women were sold into slavery in the Caribbean, which is basically a death sentence. The Americans also eventually offered freedom and land to enslaved men who joined them, so many Black men fought valiantly for the Continental Army, in the hopes of surviving the war and owning their own land.

Other enslaved women and their families took advantage of the chaos of war to run away. Historians estimate that 25,000 to 30,000 enslaved Africans chose to run, usually north, to cities like Philadelphia or Boston, where it was easy to slip in and not be noticed.

Enslaved people were also hearing the Patriots’ language of liberty, independence, and equality, and were writing petitions, or having white allies write petitions on their behalf, petitioning legislatures in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to abolish slavery, arguing that it was oppositional to what the Patriots advocated. Many Patriots understood that slavery was antithetical—Massachusetts, for instance, abolished slavery immediately. Vermont, the first new state after the Revolution, did not allow slavery. So, the voices of these enslaved women were having an impact.

There’s a marvelous poet named Phyllis Wheatley, who was owned by a Massachusetts family, and they taught her English, Greek and Latin. She gets published during the Revolution, and she writes poetry to George Washington and to some of the other Continental Army officers. She’s a very ardent Patriot, and George Washington actually writes her back, complimenting her on her genius. He even invites her to visit camp.

But Black women also experienced the most violence during the war. When soldiers came to a homestead, farm, or town house, and there was an enslaved or even a free Black servant, they were the ones most likely to be abused or dragged into helping the army. When white families were running short of food, they would feed their own family first over their enslaved people, so Black women experienced starvation more than white women did.

Just like white women, Black women and Native American women were taking stances and choosing sides. Molly Brant, an Iroquois woman, was a highly influential Loyalist among her tribe. She ended up getting a sizeable pension from the British government for her efforts during the Revolution.

Q. What did the Revolution change—or not—about women’s role in political life?

Boyer Lewis: Ultimately, these changes were very temporary. When the men returned, the women didn’t want to keep running the farm, the store, or the tavern, and they gave back that responsibility. However, they were still aware of themselves as political beings and very much engaged in the political conversations of the time. You can look at letters, and it’s clear that women gained more confidence in the household, and there’s probably a more equal sense of give and take with their husbands.

But while the Patriot revolutionaries got rid of a lot of British laws that they decided were too oppressive, too tyrannical, they never questioned the inferiority of women. They never questioned the law, which is known as coverture, that establishes how, upon marriage, a woman legally ceases to exist and is subsumed by her husband’s identity. As I mentioned earlier, Abigail Adams argues to John Adams in an incredibly famous letter, “Remember the ladies.” She says, “Remember, all men will be tyrants if they could.” She’s asking him to remove coverture in the Declaration of Independence, using the language of the Revolution. John Adams writes back to her, “As to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh.” Coverture remains untouched after the war.

Yet one huge impact of the Revolution is the idea that, if women were political beings and had political thoughts, what role would they play in this new republic? Women will be acknowledged as citizens. They’ll be counted in the census, counted for the House of Representatives, and taxed as citizens, but they’re not going to be given any political rights.

So, a group of progressive-minded men and progressive-thinking women crafted a role in the 1780s and 1790s for women that was known as Republican Motherhood, and this is how women were meant to contribute. They were going to raise good, virtuous citizens—meaning boys—who would continue to sacrifice their private interests for the good of the Republic. Women—middle- and upper-class women—saw Republican Motherhood as a way to act politically.

One important outcome of Republican Motherhood is that it demanded that women be educated. This led to a huge surge in women’s education in the coming decades. This idea that women have equal intellect and should be educated to serve the Republic is tremendous. There’s no going back.

The young women who then go to school in the early 1800s will be the ones who lead the women’s rights movement in the 1840s—Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, all are the beneficiaries of this notion of Republican Motherhood. Elizabeth Cady Stanton at Seneca Falls in 1848 rewrites the Declaration of Independence in terms of women’s independence, and where Thomas Jefferson referenced the tyranny of King George, Elizabeth Cady Stanton referenced the tyranny of men over women. It’s a marvelous full-circle moment. The American Revolution didn’t change women’s lives that dramatically, but by 1848 they’re going to use the language of the Declaration of Independence to call for their rights.

Q: How does expanding the story of the Revolution reshape our understanding of who made our republic possible and what it takes to sustain it?

Boyer Lewis: In 1787, Elizabeth Willing Powel, a prominent social figure and friend of the Washingtons, asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” And he famously replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

If we want to tell a story as inclusive as possible about the American Revolution, we have to center women’s experiences equally with men’s experiences. Where was this Revolution fought? It was fought everywhere, in every single city, in every town, on every farm. The women were shaping the Revolution as much as any man with a musket or as much as any founding father who signed his name to the Declaration of Independence.

Women’s participation in boycotts became just as important as Patrick Henry standing up and saying, “Give me liberty or give me death.” They were protesting the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and the Townshend Acts. They were writing to newspapers. They were forming organizations to collect money for the Continental Army. Women were the ones who kept the farms and shops running. Without them, there would have been nothing left to fight for—and no republic to keep.

Charlene M. Boyer Lewis is a professor of history at Kalamazoo College. She is the author of Ladies and Gentlemen on Display: Planter Society at the Virginia Springs, 1790-1860 and Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte: An American Aristocrat in the Early Republic. Her current project is a biography of Margaret Shippen Arnold titled Traitor, Wife: Peggy Shippen Arnold and Revolutionary America, forthcoming from Norton in 2027.

From ‘Wait, What’ to ‘Here’s Why,’ Stevens-Truss Champions Science

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'Wait, Why': Regina Stevens-Truss with three students
Emily Dalecki ’26, Morgan Paye ’26, Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry Regina Stevens-Truss and Anoushka Soares ’26 worked together in the Stevens-Truss lab last summer.
Regina Stevens-Truss with former student
Stevens-Truss and student Ava Apolo ’25 point to Apolo’s photo in a display highlighting that year’s Senior Integrated Project students in Stevens-Truss’ lab.

Some people spend years searching for their calling. For Regina Stevens-Truss, the Dorothy H. Heyl Professor of Chemistry at Kalamazoo College, finding her calling was different. 

“I’m not sure that it was a matter of finding what I wanted to do,” she said. “It was more like destiny. I have always loved science and math!” 

That destiny has taken her on a remarkable journey. She’s gone from a 14-year-old immigrant—arriving in Brooklyn, N.Y., with limited English—to a nationally recognized biochemistry educator who has spent 26 years inspiring students at K. And career success is why the United Nations is celebrating women like Stevens-Truss today, February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

According to the U.N., a significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progress toward increasing their participation in higher education, they are still underrepresented in these fields. The U.N.’s hope is that role models like Stevens-Truss will continue inspiring young women to stay with STEM—in academics and their professions—for years to come. 

The ‘Wait, What’ Kid 

Born in Panama, Stevens-Truss arrived in the United States in 1974 with an insatiable curiosity that often tested her father’s patience. 

“I was that kid who wanted to know ‘Why? How?’” Stevens-Truss said. “My dad would say to me in Spanish all the time, ‘Cállate, Regina,’ because I would always ask why. Yes, I was that ‘wait, what?’ kid in school.” 

Her transition to the U.S., though, wasn’t easy. Placed in eighth grade despite limited English proficiency, Stevens-Truss faced isolation as a self-described scrawny Black Latina in 1970s Brooklyn. 

“I got picked on a lot and had very few friends,” Stevens-Truss said. 

But what could have derailed her education became her anchor. 

“What grounded me was school, and in particular my math classes.” 

Those early teachers, none of whom looked like her, saw something special and encouraged her learning. When her family moved to New Jersey, she found community among her white classmates at Cherry Hill West High School.  

“Those were hard years because I was an outcast yet again,” Stevens-Truss said. “I only had three Black friends. My friend groups were all white women, and they helped keep me in science and math because we all loved these subjects. We were taking these classes together, we lived near each other, and I belonged.” 

Finding Her Path 

At Rutgers University, Stevens-Truss initially pursued medicine—like many first-generation students—to fulfill family expectations. Later, a turning point came at the University of Toledo while she was working as a part-time research technician for Richard Hudson ’61. 

Regina Stevens-Truss with a former student
Stevens-Truss stands with Kaleb Brownlow ’01, the first SIP student she had in her tenure at K.
'Wait, Why': Regina Stevens-Truss with student and painting
Dalecki shared her portrait of Stevens-Truss during a Fun Friday activity last summer in which students painted their principal investigators.

Hudson was a K chemistry alumnus who would later become her Ph.D. advisor. One day he walked into the lab with unexpected news and said, “Regina, you need to go do something else.” Thinking she was being fired, Stevens-Truss asked why. His response changed her life: “Because I can tell you’re bored. You need to go get a Ph.D.” 

He was right. 

“I love learning, and when it gets stagnant, I get bored,” Stevens-Truss said. 

That restless curiosity that made her the “wait, what?” kid still drives her today, pushing her to constantly find new ways to reach students. 

The Biochemistry Connection 

What captivates Stevens-Truss about biochemistry now is the intersection where chemistry illuminates biology. 

“Living systems are so complex and yet work so well that I, still to this day, find it exhilarating to learn about them,” she said. “My chemistry classes felt like work, and my biology classes made no sense to me. It’s always been awesome when I could connect my chemistry knowledge to biological phenomena—hence the reason I consider myself a medicinal biochemist. I love to understand living systems through how chemical changes impact them.” 

This philosophy permeates her teaching. Ask her biochemistry students, and they’ll tell you she constantly pushes them to ask how and why—the same questions that defined her childhood. Her current research focuses on ESKAPE pathogens, as she and her lab students study how antimicrobial peptides and hybrid compounds—developed in the K labs of Kurt D. Kaufman Associate Professor of Chemistry Dwight Williams and Associate Professor of Chemistry Blake Tresca—work against dangerous bacteria like E. coli and S. aureus.  

Twenty-Six Years at K 

Hudson had more career advice for Stevens-Truss when she was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. 

“Richard called the lab one day and said to me, ‘Regina, I have the job for you: teaching chemistry at Kalamazoo College.’” 

Her response was, “Kalama what?” 

That was 26 years ago. What keeps her engaged after more than two decades? The students. 

“Their curiosity amazes me, and their true interest in knowing makes me want to know and keeps me questioning and finding out,” Stevens-Truss said. “They make me laugh daily.” 

Her impact extends far beyond K. The 2023 ASBMB Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education recognized her decades of work on classroom and social issues affecting student success. 

“Being selected for this award was incredibly humbling,” she said. “It also helped validate my career.” 

That commitment to student success has taken many forms. In 2016, she received K’s highest teaching honor, the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching. In 2018, she was named the College’s director of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Inclusive Excellence grant, awarded to K’s science division. She’s also been a faculty leader for Sisters in Science, a student organization that visits local schools to encourage young women to pursue science; and Sukuma, a peer-based study group for students of color in the sciences. 

A Message for the Next Generation 

When she was asked what message she hoped her students would carry forward, Stevens-Truss didn’t hesitate, though she acknowledged it might sound clichéd. 

“Truly, follow your dreams,” she said. “Don’t let naysayers tell you that you don’t belong and that you can’t.” 

She encourages students to ask themselves key questions: How did you get here? Why do you want to be here? Who inspires you? Who gives you the brutal truth? Who supports you when you’re down? 

“Answers to these questions will help keep you on track,” she said. 

Her advice for finding your passion is simple yet profound. 

“The thing that you go to bed at night thinking about, the one that gets you up in the morning ready to go do it, is your passion and what you should do. Make a career out of that and you’ll be happy.” 

It’s advice that comes from experience. Stevens-Truss never stopped being that curious kid who wanted to know why and how. She just found a way to build a life and help hundreds of students build theirs around asking those questions. 

As she puts it, “Figuring out how and why something changed, to this day, brings me joy, so I think being a scientist is what I was made to be.”