K Students Witness People’s March in Washington

Tens of thousands of Americans who care about voting rights, women’s rights, the LGBTQ+ community, climate action, economic reform and more flooded the streets of Washington, D.C., on January 18 for the People’s March—a time for community building and social action—including 30 students from Kalamazoo College.

Thanks to funding through the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership, students such as Carter Haley ’28, Kennedy West ’27, Nick LaFramboise ’27, Ava Loncharte ’25 and Annslee Ware ’27 caravanned by bus to the nation’s capital for the weekend. The opportunity helped students develop personal ideas for how and why they should sound off in their communities and beyond about the issues important to them.

Each student echoed that the signs they saw—or even carried—represented signs of the times. That’s because many Americans find it difficult to support either end of the political spectrum as citizens are angered by and/or disappointed in both.

The students did, however, find purpose and solidarity with each other while building a desire to continue standing up for change.

Take Haley, for example.

“Ten years ago, you might’ve asked someone, ‘Are you a Democrat or Republican,’” he said. “I think we’re seeing now it’s more about the government versus the people. I feel our march was mainly the people trying to make their voices heard when the government isn’t listening.”

Haley came back to K feeling grateful, as participating in the march lit a fire under him that he didn’t expect.

“I didn’t understand the importance of it until I was there,” Haley said. “I didn’t understand the impact of 50,000, maybe 60,000 people. Seeing all those speakers and people of color was an amazing experience. It’s much different when you’re in it versus just seeing it on TV. Ever since I went on the march, I’ve been active in the Arcus Center. I’m a part of a committee made up of the people who went on the march, called Community and Resistance. We’re trying to focus on educating people about being a conscious consumer by not supporting companies who don’t support us.”

West previously found a passion for the Arcus Center’s mission and had been involved in similar, but smaller marches before. Yet the People’s March was special.

2025 People's March in Washington, D.C.
Thirty Kalamazoo College students were among the tens of thousands who gathered January 18 for the People’s March in Washington, D.C.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Students visited sites such as the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during their time in Washington, D.C.
Kalamazoo College representatives in Washington, D.C.
Executive Director Emily Williams (left) said the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership has a mission to create social justice leaders and increase the capacity of existing leaders.
2025 People's March on Washington
Attending the People’s March helped students develop personal ideas for how and why they should sound off in their communities and beyond about important issues.
2025 People's March
Students said signs at the march showed just how disappointed and angry attendees are with both political parties.
Crowds gather after the People's March outside the Lincoln Memorial
Crowds gather after the People’s March outside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

“A lot of conversations on the buses discussed that we were making history, or we were participating in it,” West said. “I feel like I wanted to say that, but I also wanted to speak up and stand in solidarity with others on the issues that are happening in today’s world. I’m proud that I was there to see other people who also find issues with what’s happening today.”

K’s representatives marched in a group that was focused on women’s rights, reproductive rights and rights for the queer community, which are issues that speak to West.

“A lot of times, we’re capable of talking about a bad situation,” she said. “We can say, ‘we need to change this and here’s why.’ But some won’t physically put in the work to make change. This march has motivated me even more to continue the work of promoting change, rather than just speaking about it. I had already been planning to do work outside of Arcus, but along with Arcus’ help, I’ve been more motivated. If we find an issue with campus or in the community, we can tell Arcus about it, and they will provide the resources to promote change.”

LaFramboise’s Washington, D.C., excursion was a return trip after visiting years ago as an eighth-grader. Since then, however, he has developed an interest in social justice, especially with the Black Lives Matter movement, which made the experience and the march that much more valuable.

“It’s incredible how Arcus was able to provide that opportunity for us,” he said. “I came to college for great opportunities to travel and get involved, and Arcus has been great at helping me get them. I really appreciate their allocation of resources because it didn’t cost us a dime to go. I wanted to go and voice my concerns. It was an obvious yes for me when I had the chance to go.”

While attending the March, LaFramboise heard voices and saw signs that expressed grief or dissatisfaction over social issues including trans rights, affordable housing and green-energy solutions, but his own big issue deals with the country’s political divide.

“I’m frustrated with how the American political system views its people and manipulates them to get votes because the views of the people are not necessarily reflected through the politicians that they vote for,” he said. “I’m concerned with economics and economic systems. I think it’s important to understand other social issues, too, including racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice. I went to this people’s march with the intention of exploring those issues and more. Will we be able to come back from this mass divide that has occurred over the last 20 years or so? I don’t know.”

Loncharte saw documentaries growing up about protests during the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s March in 2017 that prompted her desire to be a part of a protest herself in Washington, D.C.

“The environment, immigration justice and reproductive justice might be my top three issues,” Loncharte said. “But there are just so many things. I also want to hold the government accountable to serve the people. I feel like the government has forgotten that they’re supposed to be representing and serving us, and not the whims of billionaires. It’s sort of a newer thing that’s come to my attention, but it’s become painfully obvious in the last few weeks.”

As a senior working two jobs, Loncharte said she doesn’t have a lot of spare time to be more involved in the Arcus Center now, but she wishes she had been throughout her four years at K.

“I think so many people feel paralyzed by the scariness, the anger or the hurt of what’s happening right now and Arcus has people who know what they’re doing,” she said. “Arcus can help you get involved. I think an antidote to anxiety is action, and I think Arcus is there to help with that. I would recommend that anyone get involved.”

Ware previously attended gun violence protests in Nashville during her high school years, inspiring the sign she and Sofia Zeller ’27 created for Washington, which said, “Drag shows don’t kill, guns do.”

“I’ve always had a passion for advocating for people of color because I’m an Asian American woman myself, and I feel it’s important for me to use my voice, because I have the ability to do so,” Ware said. “I have always been involved with diversity and inclusion at my high school and some Nashville organizations. I want to feel like I’m getting things done.”

Ware said counter-protesters near the People’s March tried to discourage participation, although Arcus Center representatives prepared students well for what they would face during the event.

“The biggest piece of advice that I took away was to ignore the counter-protesters because they want to get a reaction out of you,” she said. “We didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of reacting. If you ignore them, they tend to feel awkward and flustered.”

Ware says that a fear of anything—counter-protesters, for example—shouldn’t paralyze people into feeling apathetic.

“We might feel like we can’t control anything,” she said. “But doing something positive could start with just talking to someone at the Arcus Center or volunteering there.  I felt love was encompassing us on the trip because we were all fighting for each other and for ourselves.”

The People’s March, rebranded from the 2017 Women’s March to broaden its reach, brought together thousands of individuals and groups focused on bringing attention to a broad range of issues, providing an opportunity for interested K students to stand up, speak out and seek change.

“Many K students who came to Arcus were dismayed by the outcome of the elections and fearful about what would come,” Arcus Center Executive Director Emily Williams said. “The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership’s mission is to create social justice leaders and increase the capacity of existing leaders. As activists and community organizers ourselves, we know that attending a historic event such as the People’s March and connecting to the power of the people is exactly the experience that would not only catapult students into the kind of activism that is required to protect democracy and human rights over the next four years, but it’s the kind of experience they will remember for a lifetime and share with future generations.”

‘Eurydice’ Puts Modern Spin on Greek Mythology

As an international student from Romania, Bernice Mike ’26 knows what it’s like to face a choice between staying with one’s family and pursuing life far away. Such is the choice her lead character makes in Eurydice, the play coming to Kalamazoo College’s Festival Playhouse, 129 Thompson St., this week. 

“I’ve loved Greek mythology since I was a child,” Mike said. “And being a dramatic play, Eurydice is the kind of story I gravitate toward. I read it over winter break and it hit me immediately, so I thought it would be a good role to try out for. I haven’t dealt with grief the way she has to, but I know what it’s like to make a choice between staying with loved ones and going away.” 

The original Orpheus and Eurydice story is told from the perspective of Orpheus, a musician who travels to the Underworld to try to save his wife after she dies on their wedding day from a snakebite. 

“Orpheus plays the most beautiful music in the world,” Mike said. “There are so many other people who are attracted to him, but because the story is Greek mythology, we don’t know much about Eurydice and why she’s the one for him. It’s a love story that shows you don’t have to put why you love someone into words, but she’s a big enigma.” 

Eurydice, though, is told from the heroine’s point of view. The play—directed this week by K Professor of Theatre Arts Ren Pruis—premiered at Madison Repertory Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin, in 2003. In Mike’s words, Eurydice is an intelligent and loving character, and the play emphasizes her internal struggle as she grapples between a desire to stay with a predeceased family member in the Underworld or return to Orpheus. Audiences will see her navigate stages of life as she forgets and then relearns how to be herself.  

“It’s cool to portray this character who turns out to be strong and brave through the lens of Sarah Ruhl’s play,” Mike said. “She deals with a loss from a young age, but has a lot of love to give. We see some of that in her relationship with Orpheus, but also with her father after they reunite in the Underworld. What is important is that she constantly stays true to who she is.”

Two students rehearse for Eurydice
Bernice Mike ’26 and Davis Henderson ’25 rehearse for “Eurydice,” which will be staged Thursday-Saturday at the Festival Playhouse. Photo by Andy Krieger/Inspired Media. 

Mike said she feels the story also wants audiences to learn to follow their own hearts. 

“Eurydice follows her heart and her own story,” Mike said. “It’s almost a coming-of-age story in that way. I’ve learned from playing Eurydice that it’s important to constantly seek and get to know yourself no matter the situation you’re in. There’s a lot of tragedy that goes into it. I would say the story’s message is to constantly get to know yourself and seek what your heart wants to do. At the end of the day, it is the best decision that you could make.” 

Eurydice will be staged at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday, February 27–Saturday, March 1, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2. Tickets are available online or by calling the Festival Playhouse at 269.337.7333. 

“I think you’ll be able to go through a lot of emotions if you see it,” Mike said. “There are funny, heartwarming and gut-wrenching moments. I think for people who love theater and want to feel those emotions, we offer a great array of them. It’s an immersive experience and a different one because it’s Greek mythology told in a modern way. It’s not something that you get to see every day.” 

K Retains Familiar Place on Fulbright Top Producers List

College-bound students interested in global experiences should take a close look at Kalamazoo College considering its latest honors from the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship academic exchange program. K has been named a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Students in the 2024–25 academic year by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 

K’s recognition, publicly unveiled today, was given to the colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected. Since the 2019–20 cycle, K has earned the Top Producer recognition six times among baccalaureate schools and produced 32 U.S. Student Fulbrighters. 

Chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, the four alumni from the Class of 2024 who were selected this year are participating in the English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program, which places grantees in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas to supplement local English language instruction and provide a native-speaker presence in the classrooms. The alumni, their hometowns and their host countries are Julia Holt, of Owatonna, Minnesota, Taiwan; Teresa Lucas, of Mattawan, Michigan, Germany; Ally Noel, of Midland, Michigan, Laos; and Danielle Treyger, of West Bloomfield, Michigan, Spain. 

Jessica Fowle ’00—K’s director of grants, fellowships and research—is a key individual at K when it comes to advising students about the federal program’s international immersion opportunities. She said the College’s long history of supporting successful Fulbright candidates is directly connected to the opportunities students have through the K-Plan

Portrait of Fulbright recipient Julia Holt
Julia Holt ’24
Portrait of Fulbright recipient Danielle Treyger
Danielle Treyger ’24
Fulbright recipient Teresa Lucas
Teresa Lucas ’24
Fulbright Recipient Ally Noel
Ally Noel ’24

“The combination of scholarly and experiential learning—in both supported and independent settings—nurtures the development of graduates who have the curiosity, flexibility and skills to thrive in the unique cultural exchange environment of a Fulbright grantee,” Fowle said. “Every year I am inspired by our applicants’ ability to reflect on their journey as K students, connecting their academic studies, co-curricular experiences and mentorship from faculty and staff to articulate a direct connection to their long-term goals.” 

Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.  

Fulbright alumni—working in their communities, sectors and the world—have included 44 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries. For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org

Neurodiversity Week Begins Monday at K

The Learning Support Center at Kalamazoo College has a week of events scheduled that will challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences between people on campus and beyond.

Neurodiversity Week, starting Monday, will provide the K community a chance to recognize the skills and talents of neurodivergent individuals, while creating more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate differences and empower every individual. Events will include:

  • Snacks and games in the Learning Support Room daily.
  • Panel pop-ups from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Monday–Wednesday at Hicks Student Center. Students and staff will answer questions and engage students in conversations about neurodiversity across campus. There will also be giveaways, raffles and a vote for what fidget toy the Learning Support Center will 3D print next.
  • A sharing of Senior Integrated Projects from 7–9 p.m. Wednesday in the Learning Support Center at the library. Seniors will talk about their SIP processes and experiences as neurodiverse students.
  • A neurodiversity mixer from 3–5 p.m. Thursday in the Learning Commons. The event will serve as a crafting party with make-your-own brain collages, snacks and games. Students can also meet the Learning Support Center mascots: axolotls of all kinds because you need to “axolotl” questions to succeed. A grand prize raffle winner will receive a large stuffed axolotl.
  • A fidget-toy petting zoo from 4–5 p.m. Friday in the Learning Commons. Enjoy cake and try a variety of fidget toys.
  • A study group for everyone from 2–4 p.m. Sunday in the Learning Support Room.

The Learning Support Center empowers students to develop study skills, notetaking methods and time-management strategies through a variety of methods that help students engage in deeper learning.

“We are excited to share our love of brains of all kinds,” Learning Support Specialist Candace Combs said. “We encourage everyone to learn more about neurodiversity throughout the week.”

Neurodiversity Week graphic lists events
Neurodiversity Week begins Monday, February 24, at Kalamazoo College.

Kalamazoo College Unveils Fall 2024 Dean’s List

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Fall 2024 academic term. Students who elect to take a letter-graded course on a credit/no credit basis (CR/NC) are not eligible for Dean’s List consideration during that term. Nor are students who receive an F, NC or W grade for that particular term. Students with incomplete (I) or in-progress (IP) grades will be considered for the Dean’s List upon receipt of their final grades. Dean’s List recognition is posted on students’ transcripts. Kudos to the entire group for Fall 2024.

Fall 2024 Dean's List
Congratulations to the students who qualified for the Fall 2024 Dean’s List.

Fall 2024

A

Callie Abair
Yaz Abu-Zaid
Jade Acosta
Aliyah Adams
Tahmina Ahadi
Fuzail Ahmed
Isaac Ahn
Isabella Alimenti
Maya Alkema
Zoe Allen
Randa Alnaas
Adnan Alousi
Mahmoud Alsafadi
Emiliano Alvarado Rescala
Zahra Amini
Eleanor Andrews
Connor Anspach
Maya Arau
Emerson Arensman
Emily Auchter
James Azim

B

Gabrielle Baldori
Poppy Balkema
Carter Bandemer
Leila Bank
Grace Barber
Shyane Barnes-Taylor
Luke Barnum
Lena Barrett
Gabriella Barry
Joseph Basil
Ava Bechler
Emma Becker
Saniyah Bedell
Annabel Bee
Conner Bell
Josephine Belsky
Camila Benavides
Aubrey Benson
Thomas Bentley
Alexandrea Bernal
Eleanor Bernas
Henry Black
Derek Blackwell
Miles Borgsdorf
Daphne Bos
Mairin Boshoven
Sotirios Bougioukos
Eleni Bougioukou
Mabel Bowdle
Adelaide Bowen
Jaylen Bowles-Swain
Ella Boyea
Teige Bredin
John Brewer
Chloe Briggs
Ellie Britt
Lukas Broadsword
Cole Bronoel-Cuthrell
Eamon Bronson
Blair Brouwers
Chloe Brown
Ava Buccafurri
Jaden Buist
Kali Bunce
Sara Bush

C

Bailey Callaway
Eleanor Campion
Raymond Cargill
Samantha Carpentier
Luis Castro-Limon
Isabella Caza
Daniel Celedon
Haziel Cerroblanco
Bo Chambers
Josetta Checkett
Trustin Christopher
Parker Ciurla
Alisha Clark
Nathaniel Clark
Maya Clarren
Brendan Clinard
Mai Elise Code
Logan Coller
Toby Comensoli
Jordan Cook
Clay Cook
Josee Cooke
Nicklaus Coseo
Courtney Cotter
Cate Cotter
Cameron Couch
Holden Coulter
Sebastian Courtright
Connor Creech
Kamya Crenshaw
Mia Crites
Cameron Crosby
Isabella Cross
Lilian Crowder Smith
Skye Crowell
Chase Cummins

D

Emily Dalecki
Erik Danielson
Ethan Daugherty
Jasmine Davis
Jacob Davis
Griffin Davis
Maya Davis
Avery Davis
Asha Dawson
Zachary Dean
Tara Dean-Hall
Noel DeFeyter
Lille Dekker
Enrique Delzer
Maansi Deswal
Laura DeVilbiss
Jack Dewey
Alexander Di Dio
Olivia DiGiulio
Michaela Dillbeck
Reed Dixon
Shane Dong
Alexia Dowell
Charles Doyle
Jack Duggins

E

Alden Ehrhardt
Abigail Eilertson
Evelyn Ellerbrock
Elise Elliot
Owen Ellis
Francis Ernzen
Lily Evans
Ryan Everham
Dilynn Everitt
Chad Ewing
Bradley Eziuka

F

Claire Farhi
Madalyn Farrey
Max Feliks
Margaret Ferris
Blake Filkins
Bridget Finco
Sara Finks
Mabel Fitzpatrick
Alex Fleming
Sofia Fleming
Jordan Flink
Mathias Florian
Robyn Foley
Ross Fooy
David Fooy
Jessica Forbis
Drew Fortino
Emma Frederiksen
Caden Frost

G

Dillon Gacki
Lucy Gallagher
Maria Garcia
Valeria Garcia
Ingrid Gardner
Isaac Garza
Roberta Gatti
William Geiger
Mallory Gentry
Arlo Getachew
Maira Ghaffar
Logan Gillis
Nathan Gleason
Makala Goddard
Brizza Gonzalez
Charles Gordon
Charles Graves
Cecilia Gray
Natalie Greene
Kaitlyn Grice
Westin Grinwis
Cassandra Grotelueschen
Cole Grupenhoff
Sarah Guerrero Gorostieta
Oliver Gutierrez

H

Aiden Habboub
Sydney Hagaman
Isabelle Hahn
Carter Haley
Avery Hall
Colin Halloran
Blu Haney
Alison Hankins
McKinley Hanninen
Colten Hansen
Luke Hanson
Kaylee Hanson
Doyle Harrison
Pauline Hawkes
Beatrice Hawkins
Willow Hayner
Thelma Hazen
Jacob Hazlewood
Zachary Heikka
Elizabeth Henderson
Litzy Hernandez
Jay Hernandez
Felix Hernandez Santiago
Gerardo Herrera-Sanchez
Ashlen Hill
Alyssa Hinkley
Jacob Hoffman
Garrick Hohm
Timothy Hollern
Jaelyn Horn
Evanne Horrigan
Molly Horton
Tyler Houle
Gavin Houtkooper
Jakob Hubert
Kennedy Hynde

I

Zarifa Ibrahimzada
Jalen Iereneo
Carson Ihrke
Carolyn Ingram
Britt Inman
Weslee Innes
Harper Isaacs
Daniel Isacksen
Macy Ivins

J

Teddy Jacobson
Rex Jasper
Ryleigh Jaworski
Johe Newton Johnson
Halley Johnson
Jaden Johnson
Caroline Johnson
Zane Jones
Ayako Jurgle

K

Kiana Kanegawa
Thomas Kartes
Isabelle Kastel
Seth Keana
Jackson Keefer
Alyson Kemery
Mphumelelo Khaba
Hibah Khan
Joshua Kim
Dong Eun Kim
Ava King
Samuel King
Kendyl Kirshman
Mart Klenke
Toni Koshmider
Katya Koublitsky
Jaden Kowalski
Julia Kozal
Daryn Krause
Jason Krawczyk
Jack Kreckman
Shay Kruse
Annabelle Krygier

L

Andrew La Penna
Kathleen La Prad
Nicholas LaFramboise
Daikan Lale
Rylee Lambert
Edward Langton
Braeden Lavis
Elijah Layne
Son Le Dinh Truong
Delaney Lee
Seonha Lee
Maya Lee
Joseph Leonard
Ellie Lepley
Sage Lewis
Aidan Liedeke
Alexander Ligman
Alex Lloyd
Ava Loncharte
Katelyn Long
Beatriz Lopez
Alondra Lopez
Maya Lopez
Grace Lounds
Madeline Lovins
Mairead Lynch
Isabella Lyskawa

M

Ellie MacE
Lauren MacKersie
Kyler Maiorana
Natalie Maki
Larson Makie
Andrew Mallon
Ariadne Markou
Natalie Martinez
Kate Martinez
Cassidy Martini-Zeller
Isabelle Mason
Alexandria Mason
Matthew Matuza
Benjamin Maurice
Zachary Maurice
Cedric May
Allison Mayer
Jay McDaniel
Mollie McDonald
Fallon McFarland
Grace McGlynn
Jacey Merkle
Rachel Meston
Estelle Metz
Gabriel Meyers
Bernice Mike
Brittany Miller
Marin Miroslavich
Ameera Mirza
Elana Mitchell
Aliah Mohmand
Jacques Monchamp
Raven Montagna
Alondra Danahe Montoya Martinez
Elizabeth Morgan
Meena Moritz
Maren Mosher
Mary Ellen Muenzenmaier
Elizabeth Muenzenmaier
Alex Mungai
Andrew Munger
Ella Myers
Sydney Myszenski

N

Nailia Narynbek Kyzy
Sabrina Nelson
Chloe Nelund
Mackenzie Newhall
Robert Newland
Emma Newlove
Kevin Nguyen
Yen Giang Nguyen
Theodore Niemann
Maeve Nolan
Malin Nordmoe

O

Mary Oduor
Nora Oleary
Gabriel Olivier
Nicholas Olmeda
Emma Olson
Tyler Omness
Reece Omodio
Kevin Oneill
Muna Onwochei
B Osborne
Andrew Oss
Aryka Ostroski
Nathan Overmier

P

Maren Palmer
Eron Palmer
Renzo Palomino Caceres
Brennan Pannucci
Rachael Pashturro
Juniper Pasternak
Morgan Paye
Zachary Payment
Alberto Paz-Rodriguez
Logan Pearson
Marcus Pedde
Phillip Pedicone
Audrey Pegouske
Isabella Pellegrom
Alex Pepin
Noah Peters
Maya Peters
Katarina Peters
Tobias Peters
Maggie Petersen
Paige Peterson
Anna Phyo
Timothy Pinches
William Plesscher
Evan Pollens-Voigt
Mario Pomorski
Madelyn Portenga
Tadeusz Potocki
Madison Potts
Grayson Pratt
Juliana Pullen
Noah Pyle

Q

Alex Quesada
Brody Quinn

R

Elizabeth Rachiele
Tieran Rafferty
Akaash Raghunath
Nicole Rapp
Hunter Rayens
Sara Reathaford
Laura Reinaux Silva Oliveira
Julia Reisor
Micahaia Reynolds
Jaycee Rider
Sheldon Riley
Narelle Robles
Jackie Rodriguez
Ash Rodriguez
Nevaeh Rodriguez-Vergel
Amelia Rooks
Luke Rop
Eli Routt
Miriam Ruiz Kahle
Nathaniel Rulich
Wyatt Ruppenthal
Amir Rustamov
McKenna Ryan-Elbert

S

Amelie Sack
Abigail Samson
Ryan Sanborn
Sofia Santos
Leslie Santos
Isabella Santos-Pye
Simon Sawyer
Maxwell Saxton
Cecilia Schihl
Leo Schinker
Olivia Schleede
Vivian Schmidt
Annika Schnell
Eden Schnurstein
Arden Schultz
Audrey Schulz
Ava Schwachter
Aurora Scott
Alison Settles
Brendon Shaffer
Katherene Shank
Halen Sherwood
Veda Shukla
Clara Siefke
Mo Silcott
Zachary Simmons
Julia Sitz
Kiersten Sjogren
Colby Skinner
Dawson Skupin
Kendall Slamka
Jamie Smith
Maja Smith
Ping Smith
Owen Smith
Anoushka Soares
Jonah Spates
Sophia Sprick
Florian Stackow
Adam Stapleton
Katelyn Steinbrecher
Eleanor Stevenson
Joseph Stevenson
Meredith Steward
Pavel Stojanovski
Elena Stolberg
Calvin Strader
Zachary Strauss
Katherine Suarez
Maeve Sullivan
Hannah Summerfield
Jocelyn Suranyi
Grace Sweet
Brady Swift

T

Ella Talaski
Charlotte Tatara
Jovanay Taylor
William Thomas
Levi Thomas
Sandra Tienda-Lopez
Elizabeth Tiesworth
Emily Tiihonen
Alexander Tolman
Lily Toohey
Phoebe Tozer
Vincent Tran
Samuel Tremaglio
Sutton Tutas

U

Christopher Ulrich
Lilibeth Uribe

V

Tony Vaisanen
Anthony Valade
Eli Van Drie
David Van Hooser
Gavin Van Kampen
Lucy Vandemark
Lauren Vanderstelt
Cameron VanGalder
Mitchel VanGalder
Ella VarnHagen
Morgan Vasquez
Gianna Vicario
Savannah Vincent

W

Audrey Walker
Ivy Walker
Annslee Ware
Ryan Warezak
Nina Warrow
Haley Watson
Jordan Wesaw
Kiersten West
Charles Wester
Maggie Westra
Jack Wheeler
Benjamin Whitsett
Jay Wholihan
Alicia Wilgoren
Elisabeth Wilks
Ruth Wilson
Sierra Winter
Ryan Witt
Darius Wright
Emma Wrobleski

Y

Devin Yankee

Z

Sofia Zeller
Nora Zemlick
Katalina Zhao
Maggie Zhu
Brock Zimmerman
Kenzi Zimmerman-Frost
Lee Zwart

Top News Stories Illuminated Student Success in 2024

Kalamazoo College students exemplified personal excellence with their accomplishments around campus and around the world in 2024. Based on your clicks, here are their top stories from the past year. Watch for our top news stories of faculty and staff, alumni and the College itself coming soon.


10. Horse Sense Guides Equestrian Team

You might be chomping at the bit to attend a football game when you visit campus—but hold your horses. Find out first about some student-athletes in another sport, who are just as proud as their peers to represent K.

Top News Stories Equestrian Team
Kalamazoo College’s Equestrian Team consists of (from left) Libby McFarlen ’26, Sydney Myszenski ’25, Ella Varnhagen ’25, Shannon Dopp ’28 and Emily Spelson ’28.

9. Project Puts Inclusive Spin on Classic Game

Drawing on scholarly literature, Maddie Hurley ’24 designed new elements to the Game of Life and analyzed the concepts of happiness and heteronormativity for the course Feminist and Queer Inquiries.

Top News Stories Maddie Hurley with the Game of Life
Biochemistry major Maddie Hurley ’24 values the women, gender and sexuality (WGS) courses she has taken at K.

8. Phi Beta Kappa Welcomes New Inductees

Kalamazoo College’s Delta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa welcomed 38 new members in June, recognizing their exceptional scholastic achievements across a wide range of disciplines.

Top News Stories Phi Beta Kappa inductees
Blagoja Naskovski ’24 is introduced among the 38 inductees into Phi Beta Kappa.

7. Computer Science Team Impresses at Programming Contest

Chau Ta ’25, Benjamin Whitsett ’27 and Cole Koryto ’25 represented K in a computer science contest where they bested five teams from the University of Michigan, a team from Michigan State and a team from Harvard among others.

Top News Stories Programming Competition 2
Chau Ta ’25, Cole Koryto ’25 and Benjamin Whitsett ’27 impressed Dow Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sandino VargasPérez at the International Collegiate Programming Contest regional.

6. Silent Film Festival Screens Student’s Creativity

A love of classic movies helped Grace Cancro ’25 win her age group at the International Youth Silent Film Festival Detroit regional with her production, A Deadly Affair.

Top News Stories Silent Film Festival
Filmmaker Grace Cancro ’25 works with Josie Checkett ’25 for Cancro’s award-winning film, “A Deadly Affair.”

5. Hungary Satisfies Student’s Hunger for Neuroscience

Vivian Schmidt ’25 might one day advance the fight against neurological disorders such as ALS, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Her recent study abroad experience is one reason why. 

Top News Stories Vivian Schmidt in Hungary
Vivian Schmidt ’25 (left) earned a scholarship to study abroad in Budapest, Hungary.

4. Model UN Team Earns Honors

K’s squad earned an Honorable Mention Delegation award at the National Model United Nations in New York in April, and several awards at the Midwest Model UN conference in St. Louis in February. 

Students from K pictured in the UN General Assembly Hall during the Model UN Conference
The National Model United Nations team from Kalamazoo College attends the conference’s closing ceremony in the UN General Assembly Hall.

3. Six New Heyl Scholars Choose K

Heyl scholarships have enabled hundreds of high school graduates from Kalamazoo County to attend Kalamazoo College for STEM-focused majors or Western Michigan University for nursing, with renewable benefits for up to four years that cover tuition, fees, housing and a book allowance.   

The 2024 Heyl scholars pose for a photo during their banquet at the Hornets Suite
The 2024 Heyl scholarship recipients include (from left to right) Charles Gordon, Maxwell Lloyd, Nathan Gleason, Isabella Hahn, Grace Mohney, Sean Dhanaraj and Chaise Gould. Not pictured: Katherine “Kate” Suarez.

2. Student-Athlete, Business Major Finds Passion for Filmmaking

In a pivot prompted by Kalamazoo College’s flexible curriculum, Ian Burr ’24 heeded a call for “lights, camera, action” in New York while discovering a potential lifelong passion.

Ian Burr discovers filmmaking
Ian Burr ’24

1. Thailand Lessons Influence Student, City’s First Read Along

From a prestigious science scholarship to a transformative study abroad experience in Thailand, a seat on the Climate Action Plan committee, and an impactful internship with the City of Kalamazoo, Emerson Wesselhoff ’25 has immersed herself in opportunities that bring her passion for sustainability to life.

Emerson Wesselhoff working at a table with a city of Kalamazoo table cloth
Emerson Wesselhoff ’25

Student Filmmakers Praise Instructor, Showcase

After a pandemic pause, a favorite Homecoming tradition returned in October, showcasing the creative talents of Kalamazoo College film and media studies students. A film festival featuring the introductory and advanced students in classes led by Visiting Instructor Danny Kim, allowed alumni to peek behind the curtain and see how students hone artistic skills through documentary filmmaking. After the screening, alumni asked questions of the filmmakers to learn more about the projects and applauded the students’ talents.

The projects required students to take B-roll footage to supplement the main footage, conduct about four interviews and use a filming technique called framing that shows the interviewee looking somewhere other than at the camera. Three of the student producers recently shared what they learned from their experiences.

Homecoming film festival with instructor and filmmakers
Visiting Instructor Danny Kim (from left), and students Ethan Galler, Davis Henderson, Alex Quesada, Megan McGarry, Emma Frederiksen and Jane Bentley, all from the class of 2025, attend the Homecoming Film Festival.

‘Saturday Night Live’ if it Had No Budget

Davis Henderson ’25 put K’s TV-production class in the spotlight with “ARTX-200,” a film named for the course taught by media producer and studio instructor Jaakan Page-Wood.

“To quote Jaakan, it’s very much like Saturday Night Live if Saturday Night Live was filmed on a Thursday afternoon by amateurs with no money, and was at 4:15,” Henderson said. “It was a great time, and I wanted to give it more attention. It’s definitely helped me find a space at K where I’m able to make stuff.”

“ARTX-200” presents Henderson’s peers as they explain how the course provided a creative outlet they had yet to find elsewhere on campus. Henderson, a theatre major who plans to pursue voice acting, developed an interest in filmmaking as a child when he and his brother began making skit videos with his mom’s photography equipment along with editing tools such as iMovie.

“ARTX-200” by Davis Henderson ’25

“Documentary filmmaking is interesting to me because it’s challenging,” Henderson said. “When something unexpected happens, you can’t restart. There’s no script and you pick it up as it goes. I can open up a history book and get bored. But being able to open a documentary, and see and hear what people are talking about, provides demonstrations that allow your imagination to take over. This is probably the most influential and crucial class I’ve taken here at K. I was able to create something tangible that will go in my portfolio and use it to get a job.”


An Art Form That’s Interesting and Exciting

Jane Bentley ’25 took a much more serious issue of importance to her and created “Students for Justice in Palestine,” a film about the student organization of the same name.

The film opens with Suha Qashou ’24—then president of K’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)—leading a vigil outside the Light Fine Arts building, surrounded by signs and supporters. She discusses her desire to commemorate the lives lost in Gaza in an honorable way.

The subject matter provided Bentley with some challenges.

“Between rallies and meetings, I set up a lot of my shots so a lot of people wouldn’t be identifiable for two reasons,” Bentley said. “First, I wasn’t confident that I was going to get a release form for every single person who might be there. And also, when you’re making something about the pro-Palestinian movement, especially in the immediate aftermath of October 7, you have to consider that leaving someone recognizable could put them in a vulnerable position.”

“Students for Justice in Palestine” by Jane Bentley ’25

Regardless, Kim’s class provided Bentley a chance to be expressive in an inclusive fashion that was supportive of all the student members of SJP.

“If you have something in your life that you think is worth talking about, the best way to get people interested in it is to package it in a form that’s interesting and exciting,” Bentley said. “I think a documentary can be the best way you to do that.”


A Day to Live Graciously

Unlike Bentley or Henderson, Ethan Galler ’25 had the problem of being uncertain when circumstances would allow him to film the bulk of his footage given his subject matter, K’s Day of Gracious Living.

This is DOGL” captures student voices and some thoughts from Vice President for Student Development Malcolm Smith the day before DOGL 2023. They discussed the importance of the traditional day off toward the end of the spring term as well as the history of it being a secret date selected by student government representatives and revealed in advance only to a few administrators.

Thankfully, Galler scheduled the interviews in advance through some sleuthing and logical conclusions.

“This is DOGL” by Ethan Galler ’25

“It was getting close to the end of the term, and either DOGL was the day it was or there would’ve been conflicts with other student events,” he said. “We picked the day before for interviews and hoped for the best.”

Despite cloudy and cool conditions for DOGL, Galler collected footage of a good number of students having fun at the beach in South Haven and supplemented it with footage from K’s archives of previous DOGL activities.

The end product and his enjoyment of the creative process led him to echo Henderson and Bentley’s praise for their instructor and the advantages of taking the class.

“It’s always good to have a little variety in the classes you take, especially if you’re a K student,” Galler said. “Everybody can be a fan of film in their own way, and making a documentary, you get to see behind the curtain with a production. It’s a fun experience.”

All the student videos from the film festival are available on YouTube. Click the links below to watch the others.


Featured Filmmakers

The other student filmmakers featured in the film festival and their projects included the following. Links are included where available:

  • Ian Burr ’24: “Football,” spotlighting K football players and what their sport means to them.
  • Sam Douma ’26: “Via Ferrata,” in which a voracious duo aims to harness their raw musical energy despite being young and distracted.
  • Emma Frederiksen ’25: “Growing with Disability,” showcasing three K students who describe their experiences navigating adulthood and transitioning into college while living with a disability.
  • Alek Hultberg ’26: “Tom Evans,” showing students and friends of Music Professor Tom Evans honoring him as he prepares to retire.
  • Caleb Kipnis ’26: “How to Run Hillel,” presenting insights into the Jewish student organization Hillel and its board members’ roles in planning and executing an event.
  • Megan McGarry ’25: “Clay and Community,” with ceramics students collaborating to make art pieces in response to a problematic mural.
  • Alex Quesada ’25: “Train Swag,” featuring cities, states and people that can seem far apart, but with a train, the world becomes smaller and connected communities get bigger.
  • Amalia Scorsone ’24: “A SuperKut of Us,” with friends discussing the importance of their time at K as they approach graduation.
  • Luke Torres ’25: “Squishmallows,” in which Jenna Paterob ’23 reveals her obsession with Squishmallows toys.
  • Tariq Williams ’23: “Sustainability at Kalamazoo College,” showing K’s efforts in sustainability and the impact of recycling on campus.
“Football” by Ian Burr ’24
“Train Swag” by Alex Quesada ’25.
“A SuperKut of Us” by Amalia Scorsone ’24

NSF Grant Benefits K’s Tresca, Lab Students

A National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will help a Kalamazoo College faculty member and his students develop a lab partnership with some of their counterparts at the University of Toronto while performing research with peptoid nanomaterials.

Blakely Tresca, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded nearly $250,000 under the NSF’s Launching Early-Career Academic Pathways in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (LEAPS-MPS). The LEAPS-MPS grant emphasizes helping pre-tenure faculty at institutions that don’t traditionally receive significant amounts of NSF-MPS funding, including predominantly undergraduate institutions, as well as achieving excellence through diversity. 

Tresca and his students will create peptoid nanomaterials, which are synthetic molecules that show promise in detecting harmful substances in water or people, for example, or in creating coatings that can impart new properties onto other materials. Their work will dovetail with research at University of Toronto in the lab of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Helen Tran.

“I’ve been working with Dr. Tran on putting an alkyne functional group into peptoids, and then studying how the peptoids can self-assemble into materials,” Tresca said. “And once they self-assemble, we want to know how alkynes react in these materials.”

Tresca explained that his lab’s processes require several repetitive tasks including shaking and rinsing samples five or six times each with 10 to 18 individual steps requiring a total of 18 to 20 hours of work when done by hand. The grant covers the cost of a robot that makes the process faster, easier and safer.

“Dr. Tran’s lab has expertise in doing automated synthesis,” Tresca said. “They have a robot that’s the same as the one we have here now. They also have expertise in characterizing the materials, using instruments like an atomic force microscope or AFM. I’m excited because, if things turn out the way we plan, we will be able to work on some really cool applications to design new ways of sensing, either analytes or toxins.”

The grant also covers funding for Tresca’s students to work in the lab, travel to conferences and visit the University of Toronto over the next two years. He estimates that two K students will assist in his lab during the academic year and five will work during the summer.

Tresca’s grant is one of two NSF awards given to faculty members in K’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the past year. The other has allowed Roger F. and Harriet G. Varney Assistant Professor of Chemistry Daniela Arias-Rotondo to redesign the lab portion of inorganic chemistry (CHEM 330 at K). It also has helped her and her lab students make compounds that can absorb solar energy and turn it into electricity using manganese, a low-cost, low-toxicity alternative to the materials currently used in solar energy conversion, which tend to be rare, expensive and difficult to mine. 

NSF Grant Recipient Blake Tresca in his lab with a student
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Blakely Tresca, a recent NSF grant recipient, works with students in his lab
NSF Grant Recipient Blake Tresca with students
Tresca poses with his lab students in summer 2024.
NSF Grant Recipient Blake Tresca in his lab with a student
Tresca joins his lab after the summer poster presentations at the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership in 2024.

Computer Science Team Impresses at Programming Contest

Three Kalamazoo College computer science students traveled to Grand Valley State University last weekend to compete in the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC), the longest-running higher education programming competition in the world. 

More than 50,000 students from more than 100 countries competed in several regional competitions, solving a number of programming problems over the course of five hours. The contest fosters creativity, teamwork and innovation in building new software programs, and tests the students’ ability to work efficiently in challenging conditions. 

Chau Ta ’25, Benjamin Whitsett ’27 and Cole Koryto ’25 finished sixth out of 18 teams in the East Division’s Central North America Region, which included students from Ohio, Michigan, Eastern Ontario, Western Pennsylvania and Indiana. K’s representatives, in a team aptly named Bit by Bit, finished higher than five of eight teams from the University of Michigan and one of three teams from Michigan State University among others. Overall, Bit by Bit finished 48th out of 182 teams in the East Division. 

With school standings determined by the average scores of all their representing teams, K placed 12th in the East Division. That was good enough for second among five teams from Michigan and first among three teams from Great Lakes Colleges Association institutions. 

“I believe this is an outstanding achievement and something we can celebrate,” Dow Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sandino VargasPérez said. “Our students are bright, dedicated and enthusiastic about learning. They enjoy these contests where they can express what they’ve learned here at the College. I asked them, ‘Team, what is your goal for the event?’ They responded, ‘We want to be above the 50th percentile and maybe beat one of the teams from Harvard.’ Not only were they in the top 20%, but they also defeated one of the four teams that Harvard sent and defeated the University of Michigan in average points. They were so delighted with their results.” 

Programming Competition 2
Chau Ta ’25, Cole Koryto ’25 and Benjamin Whitsett ’27 impressed Dow Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sandino VargasPérez at the International Collegiate Programming Contest (ICPC) regional.
Programming Competition 1
Whitsett (from left), Ta and Koryto compete in the ICPC.