Verge 4.1

VERGE CALVIN COLLEGE VOL. 4.1

How Calvin students learned to be the hands and feet of Christ in India—and in Grand Rapids. p. 8

PLUS:

Leading worship at Calvin Discipling athletes in Montana How to get a campus job Art that saves lives First-year schedule

Made in God’s image to live in loving communion with our Maker, we are appointed earthkeepers and caretakers to tend the earth, enjoy it, and love our neighbors. God uses our skills for the unfolding and well-being of his world so that creation and all who live in it may flourish. —Our World Belongs to God, A Contemporary Testimony

Learn to care for God's creation by growing fruits and vegetables in Calvin's community garden. Even if you don't have a green thumb yet, this opportunity will help you develop skills to grow healthy, sustainable food right where you live.

The community garden is just one way to get involved in creation care initiatives at Calvin. You can learn more about environmentally sustainable living by participating in the residence hall's annual Kill-a-Watt competition or by living on the Creation Care/Outdoor Recreation floor in van Reken Hall.

Learn more about Calvin's commitment to environmental sustainability at www.calvin.edu/go/sustainability.

community

VERGE Vol. 4.1

A Calvin College publication for prospective students and parents

hands and 8 The feet of Christ in India and Grand Rapids

Verge—the edge, rim or margin; the brink. The point beyond which an act, state or condition is likely to start or happen—as in “on the verge.”

The verge is a place where you’re finally able to see everything that’s in front of you. A place where you can say, “I can get there from here.”

art that 26 Making saves lives

At Calvin, you’ll find yourself on the verge of more than you can imagine. New ideas, unexpected opportunities, new territory in your life, your studies and your faith. From the verge, you’ll catch a vision of how to live. And Calvin will take you there.

Contact To submit a question or a letter: verge@calvin.edu

focus: 28 Leadership Student Senate

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Explore Grand Rapids with new app

To change your address: verge@calvin.edu

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The First-Year Experience

13

Nursing in the community

Production VERGE is produced two times a year by Calvin’s admissions and financial aid office.

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Leading worship on campus

20

Discipling athletes in Montana

22

Meet your dmissions counselor

23

Cal's guide to getting a campus job

24

Faculty profile: Jamie Smith

25

Internship Q&A

www.calvin.edu/verge Editorial and creative team: Allison Graff ’07, head writer Jeanne Nienhuis ’80, editor Joy’l Ver Heul ’04, creative director Nate Hibma ’04, web rockstar Contributing writers: Beth Heinen Bell ’03 Molly Monet ’15 Calvin News & Stories Contributing photographers: James Li ’16 James Richard Fry Jill DeVries ’08 Mikaela Mannes ’16 Val Markov ’13

stroke at a time Campus Security and Personal Safety Calvin College is committed to assisting all members of the Calvin community in providing for their own safety and security. The annual Clery security and fire safety compliance document is available on the Campus Safety website at www.calvin.edu/go/clery.

If you would like to receive a paper copy the combined Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains this information, you can stop by the Calvin College Campus Safety Department in the Mail and Print Services Building at 3230 Lake Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, or you can request a copy be mailed to you by calling 616-526-6751.

The website and booklet contain information regarding campus security and personal safety including topics such as: crime prevention, fire safety, college security law enforcement authority, crime reporting policies, disciplinary procedures and other matters of importance related to security and safety on campus.

Calvin College admits students of any race, color and national or ethnic origin.

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the 18 Advancing kingdom, one

Join Calvin’s class of

2018

Meet the students you'll be chatting with

community on Facebook!

After you're admitted to Calvin, watch your email for an invitation to join this community. You can chat with current students about living in the dorms, signing up for classes, trying out for sports, music or theater—whatever is on your mind. You’ll also meet hundreds of other new students, so when you step onto campus in the fall you’ll already have a great group of friends waiting for you.

Yuri Paek ’14 Hometown: Cypress, California Major: Early childhood education Extracurriculars: Airband, interim trip to Florida Everglades, Dance Guild

MORE

Real stories, from real students calvinblogs.com

Megan Matthew ’15 Hometown: Naperville, Illinois Major: Occupational therapy major with a minor in Spanish Extracurriculars: Photography, act leader for Rangeela, watching “Psych” with friends

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Be our guest!

galleries

biking

Stay overnight on your Fridays at Calvin visit and have a chance to hang out in Grand Rapids! www.calvin.edu/visit

cupcakes miles of beaches

Downtown

apple picking

Heritage hill

East

coffee shops

midnight hotdogs

A R D N A R G Heritage Hill

massive tire swing 4

Rockford

GR

WALKS APP: Discovering neighborhoods with personality bakeries

From an Eastown mansion that has been home to lumber barons and monks to a Heritage Hill home rumored to have several resident ghosts, “GR Walks”—a new walking tour app—tells the stories of Grand Rapids neighborhoods through their buildings.

Calvin alum Josh Leo ’06 developed the app and put it together with assistance from Calvin students working for the Service-Learning Center (SLC). The first two tours, Eastown and Heritage Hill-North, are available for download on Apple and Android devices.

Getting started Noah Kruis, SLC associate director, had plans to use the tours for service-learning programs like StreetFest and dorm partnerships. He received a grant to pay several students to research and write histories for the stops.

The students’ research on Heritage Hill uncovered surprising details: “There’s one stop on Crescent Street … . The family that lived there were all great artists—particularly the women,” Josh said. One of those women was considered the finest ceramic artist in the Midwest.

But it was the evolution of the Eastown neighborhood as a whole that stood out to Owen Selles ’13, who worked as an SLC research coordinator last year.

t town

S D I AP ice cream

“There’s definitely a theme of urban revitalization [in the tour]. It’s interesting to see how much change—both good and bad—has come about in Eastown even over the last 10 years,” he said.

To increase public appeal, Owen also added neighborhood staples such as Yesterdog, a locally renowned hot dog joint.

He knew those neighborhood mainstays well—he was living in Eastown at the same time he was researching it.

“It was cool investigating the place I was living in,” he said.

“You look at it differently when you know the history.”

Looking forward Noah hopes the tours have a similar effect on the SLC students. “We believe understanding the city has an impact on how you go about serving,” he explained.

Josh urges everyone—not just Calvin students—to explore local history. He hopes “GR Walks” makes that history more accessible.

“In order to understand the place you’re living in, you need to understand why it is the way it is. It makes the experience so much richer,” Josh said.

“You value a place a lot more.”

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THE FIRST-YEAR

EXPERIENCE Ansley Kelly chose Calvin because of the Honors Fellows program and the opportunities it provided to become involved with other students who share her passion for academics.

Below is Ansley's schedule for the spring of her freshman year.

Check out how she managed to balance a heavy course load, actively participate in Student Senate, and still have time to participate in fun activities with her friends on the Creation Care/Outdoor Recreation floor in van Reken Hall.

Ansley Kelly ’16

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

6:00AM

DEVOTIONS

DEVOTIONS

DEVOTIONS

DEVOTIONS

DEVOTIONS

7:00AM

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST

BREAKFAST

8:00AM

CLASS

HOMEWORK

CLASS

LAB

CLASS

9:00AM

CLASS

SENATE TEAM MEETING

CLASS

CLASS

10:00AM

CLASS

HOMEWORK

COFFEECLASS WITH FRIEND

CHAPEL CLASS

CLASS

CLASS

11:00AM LUNCH

SENATE OFFICE HOURS

SENATE OFFICE HOURS

LUNCH

LUNCH

1:00PM

CLASS

CLASS

LUNCH

CLASS

CLASS

2:00PM

HOMEWORK

LUNCH

HOMEWORK

COUNSELING AT BROENE

HOMEWORK

3:00PM

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My honors cluster was so incredible! I loved the small class size and being able to interact more closely with the profs. It really inspired me to be a literature major.

CLASS

5:00PM

DINNER WITH SENATE

6:00PM

SENATE MEETING

DINNER WITH QUEST GROUP

SENATE WORK

FLOOR DINNER

HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND STUDY

FLOOR DINNER

HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND STUDY

Uppercrust is an awesome place to grab a late lunch.

The salads are great!

Broene Counseling Center is a resource that every student should use. It's free, high quality Christian counseling.

It is so helpful to have someone to process the craziness of freshman year with. Check it out!

4:00PM

8:00PM

Breakfast is the best because there are so many choices and the dining hall is nice and quiet. It's the perfect place to read the paper.

SENATE OFFICE HOURS

12:00PM

7:00PM

Hometown: McKean, Penn.

Major: Literature

FLOOR DINNER

HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND STUDY

Get ready! While you’ll definitely have lots of fun on the weekends, expect some serious study time, too.

HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS AND STUDY Senate meetings are pretty intense, but it is so fun to move projects forward.

FALL HAPPENINGS

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[In U.S. hospitals], the doctor comes in and hands you your pills. In India I learned it’s important to really talk to people … and show them how to develop healthy lifestyles that can actually prevent illnesses.”

—Ryan Visbeen ’15 Hoboken, N.J.

THE HANDS AND

By Allison R. Graff

Ryan Visbeen ‘15 was in his first semester at Calvin when his roommate came home with news that no freshman in college should hear: He had a form of cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and would have to undergo treatment in between classes, varsity soccer practice and dorm activities.

“We were all like, ‘Whoa!’ That’s just not supposed to happen. … It’s genetic, not preventable, but still, nobody expects things like that to happen,” Ryan said.

His roommate eventually beat the lymphoma, but the experience fueled Ryan’s interest in health care. He thought about becoming a physician’s assistant, but that would take an additional two years of study after Calvin. He could become a nurse and start caring for people in just four years at Calvin, so that’s what he decided to do.* “Even if nursing is my base occupation, I can go anywhere with it.” *Calvin’s nursing program requires application during a student’s sophomore year, but in the past three years, 90 to 100 percent of applicants have been accepted to the program.

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FEET OF CHRIST To India So far, “anywhere” has meant traveling to some unexpected places with Calvin’s nursing program.

In January, he and 17 Calvin students traveled to rural India, where they visited the Comprehensive Rural Health Project, a World Health Organization model site. And though he’d been on missions trips in high school—including a medical service trip to Uganda— nothing could prepare him for what he

experienced in India. When they arrived, the barrage of exotic sights, sounds and smells was what you might expect to find in a developing country.

“We got off the plane and we were packed into a little van that probably had 10 seats for 16 people. From there it was 10-hour drive [to our destination] and the traffic was crazy, with people everywhere—it was 2 a.m. and people were still out on the streets, socializing!”

Ryan said.

Two villages, one difference The real surprises came when Ryan and his classmates traveled to two poor villages in rural western India.

In one village, houses were made of stone, with satellite dishes sitting on many of them. There was fresh water, gardens growing fruits and vegetables, and a school where most of the children from the village studied. But in the other village, houses were made of straw, with 9

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cows and other livestock living in them alongside people. There was a school but no teacher.

The people in the village with the village health worker were filled with knowledge.

They knew how to take care of themselves and their children, and they were ecstatic to show us what they knew.”

Thirty years ago, these two villages were equal to each other in terms of living standards, education and key health indicators like infant mortality rate. Ryan and his classmates were there to study exactly why today one of these villages is thriving and one of them is not.

Knowledge is power The thriving village has a person called a village health worker (VHW), trained at

the Comprehensive Rural Health Project headquarters in nearby Jamkhed. This individual, typically a village woman, isn’t a nurse or a doctor. She’s trained in basic health practices and works with her neighbors to show them how to treat and prevent illnesses and health complications. Since the village health program began, infant mortality has decreased from 17.6 percent to 2.4 10

percent of all births—and that’s just one of the results.

“The people in the village with the village health worker were filled with knowledge. They knew how to take care of themselves and their children, and they were ecstatic to show us what they knew.”

Witnessing the powerful effects of health promotion in rural India made a strong impression on Ryan, one that would outlast jet lag and getting through the rest of his pre-nursing courses.

Same lesson, different adventure Eight months later, Ryan climbed out of his car in a Grand Rapids neighborhood not quite as exotic as Jamkhed, India, but every bit as unknown. It was the first morning of his community-based nursing clinicals. It was set in an urban neighborhood where residents have

complex health issues: poor nutrition, diabetes, high blood pressure, mental illness.

His task? Be the village health worker.

In India, he was there to observe.

Back home in the United States, he is becoming what nursing professor Debra Bossenbroek says is the goal of Calvin’s nursing program: to be the “hands and feet of Christ” to patients in need.

His first real patient assignment is to meet with a resident and talk through the person’s health history. Through

patient can use to improve his or her quality of life.

that can actually prevent illnesses,” Ryan said.

“The experience in the community has resonated with my experiences in India and reignited the desire to work in (a community) setting.”

He may return to India or Uganda after earning his nursing degree, but more likely he’ll work in a hospital in his native New Jersey. But even in a U.S. hospital, his heart will be that of a village health worker: meeting people where they are, doing what he can to make them feel better and providing them with the knowledge they need to live healthy lives.

Bringing it all back home When Ryan isn’t being the hands and feet of Christ in India or in a Grand Rapids neighborhood, he’s helping his fellow college students become more aware of health issues.

“We think we’re all infallible, and it’s not true,” he said.

Proof: his freshman roommate with cancer. More proof: “We all eat such high-fat and high-sodium foods. I was checking my roommates’ blood pressures and found that some were dangerously high. Not so high that they needed to go to the ER, but high enough that they needed to start watching what they eat.”

As the campus health coordinator for the Calvin Student Nurses Association, it’s Ryan’s job to educate his fellow students about health problems that can creep up when you’re busy with classes, work, studying and social activities.

“There are so many things that can be easily prevented—things like diabetes and hypertension—with simple knowledge,” Ryan said.

Web exclusives See photos and a video from the “Rural Health in India” class.

Read about a nursing grad who’s living out her faith in a hospital. www.calvin.edu/verge

The heart of a village health worker Prevention through knowledge was the most powerful lesson Ryan brought home from India. repeated appointments, Ryan will develop a relationship with the individual and connect him or her to needed health resources: an exercise plan, a doctor’s visit at the local health clinic or nutritious food from a church food pantry.

Just like the village health worker, Ryan is there to impart knowledge that the

“It all made me more conscious of how important it is to explain things to patients. [In U.S. hospitals], the doctor comes in, hands you your pills and says he’ll see you tomorrow.

I learned it’s important to really talk to people … and show them how to develop healthy lifestyles 11

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Nursing major facts Calvin's nursing major combines classroom learning with lab time and clinical practice. If you're interested in nursing at Calvin, you'll spend two years taking pre-nursing courses before beginning the program during your junior year.

90-100%

Nursing applicants who were accepted into the program, 2010-13

RN

Calvin’s nursing program prepares students to pass the NCLEX-RN and become registered nurses.

100%

Nursing grads who were employed or in graduate school one year after graduation

Web exclusive Learn more about the nursing program at www.calvin.edu/go/nursing.

FACULTY PROFILES Most Calvin profs are busy with teaching and research, but nursing professors Suzan Couzens and Debra Bossenbroek add something else to their plate: intense community involvement. Both are community nursing coordinators who spend work and personal time in their Grand Rapids neighborhoods. They also co-lead the nursing trip to rural India.

Debra Bossenbroek, MSN, FNP-BC: One of the first things Professor Bossenbroek’s students do when they begin their clinical rotation in the Creston/Belknap neighborhood is walk through the area. They visit the local food pantry, a community garden and several homes that are being renovated for the neighborhood’s low-income residents. The effect? The Calvin nursing students start to understand that health isn’t just something done in the hospital or doctor’s office. It starts at home and in a person’s neighborhood. She hopes that some of her students will discover a calling to work in the community setting.

“Nursing opportunities abound in the day-to-day lives of underserved people.

I encourage students to be still, listen and look for God working around us in community. God continues His restoration work in the world, and nurses have a prime opportunity to come alongside discerning where God is calling them,” Bossenbroek said.

Suzan Couzens, MS, RN, FCN: Recognized by the Alliance for Health as a West Michigan “Health Hero” in 2012, Professor Couzens brings Calvin nursing students to Grand Rapids’ Heartside district for learning and service.

In this needy neighborhood, she co-founded the Health Depot, a clinic that provides health services to area residents. One of her favorite services is a walking group for homeless residents. Calvin nursing students join these residents for regular walks and help them work on health goals. The result has been measurable improvements in the residents’ cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

“We ask [the walking club participants] what they like about the program and they say, ‘Walking with the students.’ By getting to know them on a deeper level, they’re very open when [the students] ask them about their health,” Couzens said.

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Nursing in the community Prof. Beth Gordon and two nursing majors care for the feet of a person in Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood, where many residents are either homeless or live in transitional housing.

Calvin nursing students are scattered across a church gymnasium floor in downtown Grand Rapids. They work in pairs, scrubbing and inspecting the feet of anyone who comes through the church’s doors. While they work, they learn about each person’s life, including their health history and current health needs.

At the end of each foot care session, the Calvin nursing students ask if they can pray with the individual. Usually the person says yes, and the three join hands and talk to God together.

Most of the people who attend these events are either homeless or live in transitional housing in Grand Rapids’ Heartside neighborhood. The event is just a small piece of the health care puzzle that Calvin nursing students provide for this vulnerable population.

These students will spend plenty of time in Grand Rapids-area hospitals training for their future careers, but the community-based portion of their clinicals adds something that working in a busy ER or pediatric unit can’t: experience working with people in their own neighborhoods.

“

Calvin nursing students … are such compassionate people.

They’re genuinely interested in people, which I don’t often see in college students.

They just seem to really understand community, understand service and understand that that’s an essential part of their career.”

—A.J. Fossel, community partner and director of social concerns at St. Alphonsus Church

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MAKE A

VISIT www.calvin.edu/visit Making a visit is a great way to help you make up your mind about whether a college is right for you. You need to breathe the air and walk the paths to see yourself in that place for four years. So visit a class, eat lunch with our professors, worship with our students and a take a tour of campus. Come visit and let us introduce you to the Calvin experience.

And while you're making up your mind, apply for admission! It's free until December 2 (January 2 for international and transfer students). Of course, you are welcome to apply after these dates as well, as long as space in the Class of 2018 is still available.

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APPLY TODAY

www.calvin.edu/apply 15

LEADING At Calvin, there are numerous ways to lead worship. Whether you like to sing, play, plan, pray, greet or create, we encourage you to explore worship leadership as a way to use your skills and interests.

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Senior Nicole Schmitt played guitar and planned worship services in her dorm.

Junior Joel Altena and other Worship Apprentices help plan Calvin's chapel and Sunday night LOFT services.

Leading dorm worship

Worship Apprentices

Time commitment: 1-2 hours/week

Time commitment: 10-15 hours/week

Leading worship can mean more than just singing in chapel or leading a Bible study. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved, even in the dorms. A "Barnabas" is someone who is in charge of planning and leading worship in the residence halls, along with promoting a strong faith-based community throughout the dorm. Senior Nicole Schmitt, a former Barnabas leader, describes her time as a worship leader as an experience that helped her grow both in her faith and in her relationships.

Do you ever wonder what goes on behind the scenes of Calvin’s chapel and LOFT services? The Worship Apprentice (WA) team is a group of six to eight students who plan services, coordinate music practices, contact chapel speakers and write prayers for use in services. Junior Joel Altena describes his experience in the WA program as a life-changing experience.

“Worship leading is something I thoroughly enjoy, and I am blessed to be given the opportunity to do it at Calvin. … There are many aspects to worship that we often forget, and they are all open and readily available to students. If you are really interested in worship leadership, apply to be a Worship Apprentice. It is a position that challenges you and teaches you more about worship leadership than you could ever imagine.”

“I helped to plan the worship services with the other student leaders on my team, and I would often play guitar.

Planning dorm worship [services] … forced me into a position of [taking] ownership over the spiritual atmosphere in my dorm. I grew to care deeply about making worship in the dorm a space where other residents felt comfortable and grew closer to one another in the community.”

EVEN MORE WAYS TO LEAD WORSHIP Play, sing or speak at monthly student-led ReigKnight and Verve services.

Connect with a local church and become involved in worship there.

Help produce special videos for chapel and LOFT in Calvin’s film and media major.

WORSHIP Chapel/LOFT worship team Time commitment: 2-3 hours/week

Junior Emily Holwerda sings on a worship team for chapel and LOFT.

One of the many ways to lead worship is to join a chapel/LOFT (Living Our Faith Together) worship team. Junior Emily Holwerda is a vocalist in one of these groups, and she is passionate about using her gifts through this ministry. “Leading worship has helped to keep my faith active throughout my time at Calvin. … God doesn’t give us gifts just so that we can sit back and not use them—and every gift should be used to help His church to grow! It isn’t much of a commitment, but it has helped me to remember who really is at the center of my life. The devotions we do as a team and the songs that we practice bring the focus back to Jesus and away from the grades and papers, and it also solidifies several friendships and exposes me to other students who are also passionate about serving God through worship.”

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Advancing the kingdom, one stroke at a time

By Beth Heinen Bell

Golf is where Tyler Smies ’10 feels at home.

As a high school senior, Tyler simply wanted a college where he could earn a wellrespected degree, grow in his faith—and make the golf team. Calvin fit all three.

“I graduated from high school with no real direction on a vocation or a degree,” he admits. “Since then, I’ve been blessed to be a part of seven years with Calvin’s golf program: four years as a

student letter-winner and the past three as an assistant coach. It’s been an amazing experience.”

More importantly, Tyler has transitioned his love of the sport into a full-time career.

As executive director of a small nonprofit, The First Tee of West Michigan, he leads a team that teaches children and teens life skills, core values and healthy habits through the game of golf.

Since establishing the west Michigan chapter in 2011,

Tyler Smies ’10 Major: Business

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the organization has reached more than 400 young people.

CLASS OF 2012 – CAREER RESULTS

So how did Tyler go from directionless high school grad to nonprofit leader?

Turns out, his three criteria for college fit together pretty well.

Ever wonder what happens after you graduate from college?

For Calvin grads, the future is promising! Check out these results, as reported by the Class of 2012.

“My faith before going to Calvin wasn’t on the right foundation,” he says. “I could kick some butt in Bible trivia … but [faith] didn’t affect my daily life. I relied heavily on people at Calvin like Brian Bolt, the head golf coach, for guidance and encouragement, and they helped me shift into a ‘walk the talk’ faith in Christ.”

The opportunities provided through Tyler’s business major brought his future into focus.

“I interned at two different nonprofits during my senior year, and I knew that was where God was calling me.

When the opportunity arose to start a nonprofit that helps young people through golf, I grabbed it and ran.”

96% professionally employed or in grad school

#10 Kinesiology #9 Sociology/Social Work

.1% 4% 26.2%

unemployed

#8 English #7 Engineering #6 Biology #5 Nursing

seeking better employment

#4 Psychology #3 Communications #2 Education

in graduate school

#1 Business

69.7% professionally employed

82 different graduate schools

Now, Tyler has the chance to model Christ’s love to young people in the same way that he was mentored at Calvin.

“It’s been a fantastic ride, and God has really blessed the organization and the impact it is having. I have an opportunity to advance His kingdom here through His little ones, every single day. The First Tee is really relationship building with kids at its core—we just happen to do it around the game of golf.”

Top 10 majors

Cornell University Duke Divinity School Georgetown University Indiana University

8 out of 10 (82%) had at least one internship

Kent State University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Purdue University Rutgers University Stanford University

Web exclusive

Toronto Art Therapy Institute

www.calvin.edu/go/gradreport

and many more ...

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Discipling athletes, growing leaders

For one week every August, 33 student leaders from Calvin's varsity athletic teams board a plane and travel to the Two Moose Ranch in southwest Montana. In this corner of Big Sky Country, life slows down. No phones. No Internet. So what draws them there?

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300 Calvin athletes have participated in the Gainey Leadership Retreat. They start by learning about themselves.

act, we learn the great impact of servant leadership. Jesus led by example—we should do the same,” says Sanderson.

“If you’re going to lead others, we think you need to first understand yourself well,” says associate chaplain Aaron Winkle.

“…Leaders aren’t always the bold people; leaders can be behind the scenes as well.”

According to soccer player Michael Sanderson, it’s about leadership. “This is an opportunity to learn about you, your faith and your relationship with Christ; to learn what it means to lead and to challenge yourself to become a better leader.”

Wilderness hiking, group worship, talks by alumni athletes, around-the-world ping pong—even encounters with rattlesnakes—focus on team building, gaining trust and communicating with others.

Over the past 10 years, more than

“In the book of John, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. By this

Michael Sanderson ’14 Hometown: Rockford, Mich.

Major(s): Elementary education, integrated science and mathematics

MEET THE ATHLETES Leaders aren’t always the bold people; leaders can be behind the scenes as well.”

—Michael Sanderson ’14

Travis Vegter ’15 Hometown: Hudsonville, Mich. Major: Biology Position: Forward

What has soccer taught you?

At Calvin I learned that I must always give my first fruits to God. Everything I do, including my study habits and my efforts at practice, is an offering in His name.”

Maggie Kamp ’16 Hometown: Orland Park, Ill. Major: Business Position: Outside Hitter

What has volleyball taught you?

A group of athletes that is willing to surrender their individual desires for a common goal will find a deeper success that reaches far beyond wins and losses.”

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1

2

ADMISSIONS COUNSELORS

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1. AUDREY WALDRON: Ottawa County (Mich.), mid-Michigan, SE Michigan 2. BART TOCCI: Illinois

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3. PAUL MCMORROW: Texas, Missouri, the mid-Atlantic, N. Michigan 4. PAUL BYLSMA: Iowa, Indiana 5. MATT CAMBRIDGE: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Kent County (Mich.)

6. KELLY POWERS: Grand Rapids Christian HS

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7. MIKI PHUA: Asia

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8. NUNANA NYOMI: Canada 9. SARAH BONTHUIS: Africa, transfer students 10. NICOLE KINNEY: Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin

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To get to know some of our favorite people better, visit: www.calvin.edu/admissions/counselor

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11. BECKY KIM: Alabama, Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, SW Michigan

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12. RYAN SOUDERS: Athletes

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FISH HOUSE

DINING SERVICES

CAL'S GUIDE TO FISH HOUSE FISH HOUSE

GETTING A CAMPUS JOB

DO make awesome java drinks for customers.

DO NOT get too creative with the ingredients.

DO wash dishes.

DO NOT wash yourself with the dishes.

Virg’s guide to getting a Virg’s guide campus job to getting a

Calvin's JobShop connects students to 1,800 on-campus jobs and many off-campus jobs each year. java You can earn approximately $2,300 per year by working 10–12 hours DO make awesome DO NOT get too creative DO NOT wash your DO wash dishes. a week—a great way with to learn time management and help with college costs. with the dishes. drinks for customers. the ingredients.

GROUNDSDOCREW NOT get too creative

DO make awesome java drinks for customers.

with the ingredients.

DO NOT blow squirrels.

DO blow leaves.

DO NOT wash yourself with the dishes.

IT ASSISTANT DO blow leaves.

DO NOT blow squirrels.

IT ASSISTANT IT ASSISTANT DINING IT SERVICES ASSISTANT

DO makeDO awesome java squirrels.

DO NOT get too creative NOT blow drinks for customers. with the ingredients.

DO NOT use a hammer.

DO NOT wash yourself DO wash dishes.

DO fix broken computers. with the dishes. DO NOT use a hammer.

CAMPUS DO STORE fix broken computers.

campus job GROUNDS CREW

SSISTANT CAMPUS STORE

DO make sales at the register.

MPUS STORE

DO NOT blow squirrels.

DO blow leaves.

DO fix broken computers.

DO blow leaves.

TIP

DO NOT use a hammer.

DO NOT wash your with the dishes.

GROUNDSGROUNDS CREW CREW

DINING SERVICES

DO wash dishes.

DO wash dishes.

GROUNDS CREW

DINING SERVICES

NDS CREW COFFEE FISH HOUSE HOUSE

s.

DINING SERVICES DINING SERVICES

DO NOT use a hammer.

CAMPUS STORE CAMPUS STORE

DO NOT feel the need to barter.

DO NOT blow squirrels.

DO make sales at the register.

to barter.

Explore campus job opportunities during DO make sales at the register.

DO NOT feel the need to barter. your summer orientation session .

IT ASSISTANT DO NOT feel the need

Explore campus job opportunities 23

A major Christian voice in American culture “

A big part of contagious teaching is modeling exploration and discovery for students—sharing with them your excitement as you learn new things, inviting them to experience that unique joy of seeing the world anew.”

Winner of a Christianity Today 2007 Book Award, Prof. Smith's Who's Afraid of Postmodernism provides practical applications for Christians engaged in ministry in today's world.

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Professor James K.A. Smith Philosophy PhD, Villanova University One of the reasons Jamie Smith became a professor was because it meant he never had to stop being a student.

direction to our lives: “What do you love? What, at the end of the day, is going to trump the other activities in your life? What moves you?”

“My job is to be constantly curious: to keep studying, exploring and learning— because God’s broken-but-blessed world has all sorts of complexities that we have yet to understand, but also because I will be a better teacher if I am a perpetual student.”

Whatever that is, says Smith, it is something to which you are deeply —religiously— devoted. Ultimately, it's about how you rank your priorities.

What do you love?

A scholar, blogger, banjo enthusiast

Smith describes his childhood in Embro, Ont., as “very working class.”

His parents never graduated high school.

He was the first member of his family to go to college.

Leaving Ontario for the States, Smith began what would amount to 10 years of higher education, culminating with a PhD in philosophy. At Calvin, he teaches courses such as “Fundamental Questions of Philosophy” and “Interpreting Church Practices.”

For Professor Smith, teaching is about more than educating minds. It’s about Christian formation—developing practices that form our loves and give

“What’s challenging about it is that it’s something that’s working in you at a level you don’t always know,” he said.

In addition to his teaching and scholarly work, Smith’s calendar is filled with speaking engagements, where his topics range from ancient religious practices, to postmodernism to faith and culture. He is the editor of Comment Magazine and writes a blog. In his spare time, Smith enjoys gardening with his wife, reading fiction and poetry, watching NASCAR, traveling and, occasionally, trying to learn the banjo.

Internship Q&A

Every summer, hundreds of Calvin students scatter across the U.S. and around the world, researching, interning and exploring. Here’s one student's story.

Jeremy Smith ’15 Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.

Major: Strategic communications

Q. Where are you?

A. I’m in East Palo Alto, CA. with Bayshore Christian Ministries (BCM). I’m learning about a particular avenue of ministry: holistic development. BCM has been doing community work saturated in the Gospel and rooted in Christian community development principles, inspired by leader and civil rights activist John Perkins.

Q. What's your typical day like?

A. The day begins at 7 a.m. We begin by teaching language arts, writing, math and other literacy skills. After lunch we do workshops and transport our students to a sports camp. On top of our classroom work, we do home visits to build intentional and lasting relationships with the families of the students.

Q. How has Calvin prepared you for this?

A. During my resident assistant training I was introduced to the CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) through campus minister and friend, Nate Bradford. Calvin provided me with an opportunity to experience this amazing area of ministry first hand.

I believe serving and learning at Calvin prepared me to think more creatively and effectively as a teammate, not just as an individual.

Jeremy Smith spent the summer working with kids in an urban California setting. The work was part of a larger effort to build strong communities through holistic development work.

Recent internships English: Zondervan Kinesiology: Cleveland Cavaliers Computer Science: Google Techstop Communications: Southwest Airlines Economics: Washington, D.C., Office on African Affairs Fim and Media Production: SpringHill Camps

Web exclusive: www.calvin.edu/go/wearecalvin 25

Chantelle Yazzie describes herself as “normally pretty reserved.”

But as an artist whose focus is advocating for her native Navajo tribe, she is anything but.

“I make statement art to comment on social issues and bring attention to them —my goals are to stir up discussion on injustices that are right under our noses,” says Chantelle, whose mediums include photography, drawing, painting and sugar.

Sugar?

It sounds strange, but after seeing reports of increased cases of diabetes and obesity among her tribe, Chantelle turned to plain old white sugar to create “The Sugar Project: Modern Day Navajo Monster,” an ominous sketch of two faces, both with Xs for eyes and mouths. She also produced a short video to help spread her message around the Navajo Nation, a reservation in New Mexico, Arizona and Utah.

“I tried to depict sugar as being this beautiful, sparkly incentive in my photos and art piece … but I used this concept of a monster to show the Navajo people that we have created our own monster and, slowly, it is killing us.

“My father cautioned me that I would offend people with this project, and I was like, ‘Yes! I am doing something right!’”

Chantelle doesn’t just live to challenge other people, however. When choosing 26

a college, she wanted a community that would encourage her to grow.

Calvin fit that need.

“I wanted a place that would challenge me in multiple worlds like the social, academic and spiritual —all are a struggle for me, and I’m getting what I wanted in terms of tests and trials. I feel that Calvin is testing more of my weaknesses as well as enhancing my strengths.”

Along with personal growth, Chantelle says her Calvin professors have helped her discover her voice as an artist.

“Calvin has some of the best and most critical professors in the art department. They are never afraid to speak what they think about your

projects. Professor Mandy Villalobos, in particular, has made time for me and really puts my work into perspective.

She sees things in a broader sense, which is good because I want my message to reach as many people as I can with my work.

And it’s working. After seeing “The Sugar Project,” several members of the Navajo community—including Chantelle’s grandma— vowed to give up sugary items like soda.

So sugar is just the beginning for this artist.

Her latest project, “Our Glittering World,” focuses on another modern monster within the Navajo Nation: alcohol. The piece features a mosaic of the Navajo tribal

Making art that saves lives

By Beth Heinen Bell

seal, made up of broken alcohol bottles found on the land of the dry reservation.

Chantelle plans to use the skills she’s developed at Calvin to be a lifelong advocate for her Navajo people. With her social work and art degrees, she hopes to form a therapeutic art program on the Navajo reservation, working with youths who are troubled by drugs, domestic violence, obesity and other modern monsters.

“The most important aspect for me to touch on is the restoration of harmony in our youth,” she says. “It is said in our culture that when this harmony is lost from a person, that is when the monsters come out.

Restoration is essential for the Navajo culture to continue, and the youth are the future.

“I am, essentially, the future.”

Chantelle Yazzie ’15 Hometown: Heartbutte, N.M. Majors: Social work and studio art

Web exclusive: chantelleyazzie.wix.com/artport 27

David Kuenzi ’14 Hometown: Oak Brook, Ill. Major: Economics, pre-med program; biochemistry minor

Leadership focus: Student Senate

“

We want to get students saying what they think.”

For David Kuenzi, Calvin has been a place where he learned to hone his passions—and his leadership skills. Living on the Creation Care floor for his first two years was a great way to actively learn about sustainability. From there he really got busy: working for the Wilderness Orientation program, becoming student manager of the Climbing Center and sitting on the Student Finance Committee. Today, he serves as the president of the student body, lending a student voice to college decisions.

Web exclusive: www.calvin.edu/go/senators

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“These experiences have allowed me to see beyond myself and into what impact I have on my community and on the world.”

Through people like David, Calvin's 15-person Student Senate makes things happen—gathering student opinions and lobbying for the issues they care about. Senate appoints student representatives to serve on governance committees where they are able to directly speak into the college decision-making process.

Sound like something you’d like to do? First-year senators apply and are appointed during the first weeks of the fall semester. Learn more at www.calvinsenate.com.

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The John M. Perkins Leadership Fellows Program

“ Student Senate 2013–2014 projects • Sustainability initiatives: installing energy-efficient hand dryers and motion sensors for lights; researching the potential for biofuel vehicles on campus.

• College governance: promoting high-quality student representation on the governing committees of Calvin.

• Student-centered spaces: creating more places where students can participate in dynamic group studying or study 24/7. Or just relax.

• Rent-a-Bike program: providing transportation and promoting sustainability.

More leadership opportunities Dorm presidents Activities coordinators Orientation leaders Worship Apprentices Dance Guild choreographers Student/faculty research teams Sport team captains Barnabas Team Chapel Committee Resident assistants Jubilee Fellows Perkins Leadership Fellows Campus Safety officers Admissions hosts StreetFest leaders Multicultural Student Advisory Board Cultural Discerners International Student Advisory Committee ROTC … or lead one of Calvin's many student organizations!

Godly leadership is not about attaining recognition or glory; it's about serving others.”

—John M. Perkins

Apply to be part of a program that cultivates leaders who are ready to engage some of the world's most pressing issues: poverty, injustice, racism, reconciliation and materialism.

This two-year program is for students whose parents and grandparents didn't attend college (first-generation college students), and includes a $2,500 scholarship for study at Calvin. In the John M. Perkins Leadership Fellows program, you can: • Grow in your faith and discover your calling to be a servant leader.

• Take classes that explore Christian leadership, racial reconciliation and community development.

• Go on a spring break service trip to the Spencer Perkins Center in Jackson, Miss.

• Explore ways to lead in the Calvin community.

Apply to Calvin by February 1, 2014, to be considered for the Perkins Fellows program. Learn more at www.calvin.edu/leadership-fellows.

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Office of Admissions and Financial Aid 3201 Burton St. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4388 www.calvin.edu #calvincollege social.calvin.edu

You care about pop culture.

So do we.

Should you reject pop culture or embrace it? Consider Calvin’s approach. Using the lens of our Christian faith, we help students engage with today’s culture—art, music, film and literature—to discern its strengths and learn from its brokenness. It’s a bold path, but we accept the challenge.

See the lineup of upcoming concerts, films and activities at www.calvin.edu/sao.

Switchfoot, September 28, 2013