{"id":25120,"date":"2025-07-09T08:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T12:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/?p=25120"},"modified":"2025-07-09T08:32:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T12:32:02","slug":"chance-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/chance-encounter\/","title":{"rendered":"Chance Encounter with Alumni Opens Student’s Doors to K"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n

It was a leap of faith for both of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lily Toohey \u201926 had an associate\u2019s degree in business, an innkeeping job in Kalamazoo, and a strong desire to pursue more education challenged by financial constraints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nancy (Loebe) Hessler \u201968, along with her husband, Jan Hessler \u201965, had a comfortable retirement, deep pride in Kalamazoo College, and a commitment to pay forward the opportunities they were given.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their chance meeting at Kalamazoo House in September 2023, where the Hesslers were staying during K\u2019s Homecoming and Toohey was checking on guests at breakfast, started like many K stories: The proud alumni praising their alma mater, encouraging the unsure student to apply. Nancy Hessler, however, took it a step further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe said, \u2018You should apply. If you get in, I’ll sponsor you,\u2019\u201d Toohey said. \u201cAnd I was like, \u2018You met me yesterday. What do you mean?\u2019 But the way that she talked about it, she had so much pride that she went there and really talked highly about it. And I think in a spiritual sense, I felt like there were a lot of signs pointing to it being the direction I needed to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Hessler\u2019s part, she saw a drive in Toohey and aspirations in line with K\u2019s values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was so clear to me, oddly enough, so suddenly, that it was what we should do,\u201d Hessler said. \u201cJan and I were given by our parents enough of a start line to do well. We both had good, solid, steady professional employment [Jan as a researcher with Argonne National Laboratory and Nancy as a Moraine Valley Community College librarian], and we were raised conservatively financially. You live within your means, and you prepare for the future, so we were positioned by the time I met this young lady, whom I consider something of a wonder at this point, to offer this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They exchanged contact information, and despite lingering uncertainty, Toohey decided to apply to K and see what happened. When she let Hessler know that she had been accepted and offered an excellent scholarship, Hessler promised per-term financial support that would cover the rest of her tuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have hated to see someone like Lily, who clearly wanted very much to go to college, be denied that on the basis of finances,\u201d Hessler said. \u201cI would wish, in a perfect world, that it didn’t happen to any student with the ambition and drive to want to better themselves through a good education beyond high school. That’s not the world I live in, but by taking this action, I managed to make a strike on the good side of things.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Portrait
When Nancy Hessler ’68 met Lily Toohey ’26, she saw a strong drive in Toohey along with aspirations that align with Kalamazoo College\u2019s values. When Toohey later let Hessler know that she had been accepted to K, Hessler promised per-term financial support from her and her husband, Jan ’65, that would cover the remaining cost of her education after a scholarship.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Hesslers have long been financial supporters of Kalamazoo College, including the Kalamazoo College Fund, inspired in part by Nancy\u2019s parents, who were determined to offer their daughter higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ve always been stressed about the money aspect,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cI always wanted more education, but I had gone to community college because it was just too expensive. Having the financial support has been such a weight off my shoulders.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although readjusting to student life as a transfer mid-academic year in winter term 2024 while still working presented challenges, not having to worry about the cost allowed Toohey to focus on school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNancy has been so incredibly supportive of everything that I want to do,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cShe’s all about doing something, and if you don’t like it, change your mind and try again. She’s been supportive of my photography and wanting to study away and all these things. So having that has been like I’m doing it all for Nancy. When it gets hard, it’s for Nancy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Toohey originally planned to major in business<\/a>, minor in French and study abroad<\/a> in France. Then, as a dormant interest in photography came back to life, she changed her minor to studio art<\/a> and study abroad became study away<\/a> through the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) New York Arts Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hessler encouraged her every step of the way, and in January 2025, Toohey flew to New York City. In the New York Arts program, students participate weekly in a seminar to learn about, read on and discuss the arts in New York and art world careers. In addition, each participant is placed in an internship with a professional artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, she was so excited when she got the internship, and I was so excited for her, because I remember the excitement I had trying something out,\u201d Hessler said, reminiscing about her own K-Plan<\/em>. In addition to enjoying classes in a range of subjects and ending up with a major in French and minors in German, economics and religion, Hessler credits experiences such as studying abroad in Caen, France, and an off-campus work study program with developing independence and supporting the transition from child to fully functioning adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In New York, Toohey learned from three photographers as she completed a photography internship with a business owner who shoots mainly in studio, a mentorship with an event and fashion photographer, and an additional internship with a fashion photographer who works with brands. Through those experiences, Toohey conducted studio shoots, took behind-the-scenes images of New York Fashion Week and spent days on location for branding shoots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She learned, practiced and broadened her photography and business interests, coming away with a new focus on fashion marketing photography. The program capstone is a personal project, and Toohey\u2019s included seven photography shoots and curation of an exhibit on the duality of womanhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I presented my work, one of my friends got really emotional, and he was tearing up, talking about my work, and my advisor said that he can’t wait to see the big things that I do,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cGetting those comments from people felt like, \u2018OK, people are seeing it,\u2019 and also, I was proud of myself. I never thought I’d be creating work like I created in New York.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Arts Program built Toohey\u2019s confidence and reminded her of the importance of creating. Back on campus for spring term, she threw herself into a photography class project involving fashion shoots based on personification of her favorite beverages. She\u2019s been thinking about opportunities she may want to pursue, including a partnership with a local vintage store or internships in Grand Rapids or Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to move to New York after graduation,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cI fell in love with it; I literally got a New York City tattoo. The program helped me learn that I truly loved the city, and that I could make it work, and it built my photography skills and the confidence to go for it and make mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m very grateful for the way this has all worked out,\u201d Toohey said. \u201cI’m so incredibly grateful for the Hesslers and everything they\u2019ve done for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it a gamble for Toohey and for the Hesslers? Sure. Has that leap of faith paid off? Absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, my parents took a chance on me,\u201d Hessler said. \u201cThere is no guarantee in life that a student or any person will make the most of what they’ve been offered. I asked my dad once, when I wanted to thank my parents, \u2018What can I do?\u2019 He said, \u2018Pay it forward.\u2019 As it happens, I made a choice not to have children. So, OK, this is paying it forward. That\u2019s what I’m trying to do. There was no guarantee, but boy, did we pick a winner. Lily is doing amazing things and making the most of the opportunity. If I can be part of that, as far as I’m concerned, that’s the very least I could do. It\u2019s up to those of us who can and who have benefited from K\u2019s education to support young people in experiencing it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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aria-label=\"archive of category Alumni\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/alumni\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Alumni<\/a><a aria-label=\"archive of category News Stories\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/news\/\" rel=\"category tag\">News Stories<\/a><a aria-label=\"archive of category Students\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/category\/students\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Students<\/a>","tags_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/alumni\/\" rel=\"tag\">alumni<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/art\/\" rel=\"tag\">art<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/business\/\" rel=\"tag\">business<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/students\/\" rel=\"tag\">students<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/tag\/study-away\/\" rel=\"tag\">study away<\/a>","social_share_info":"<a data-share=\"facebook\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/chance-encounter\/\" class=\"pl-facebook-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-facebook-f\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/chance-encounter\/\" class=\"pl-twiiter-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><a data-share=\"linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/chance-encounter\/\" class=\"pl-linkedin-share social-share-default pl-social-share\" target=\"_blank\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin-in\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a>","wordExcerpt_info":"<p>Lily Toohey \u201926 desired more education, but was challenged by financial constraints. A chance encounter with Nancy ’68 and Jan Hessler ’65 changed that.<\/p>\n","comment_info":"No Comments","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25120"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25141,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25120\/revisions\/25141"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25120"},{"taxonomy":"post_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kzoo.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_formats?post=25120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}