Stay Curious

Priscilla Megalaa ’12 grew up in Cairo, Egypt, and, over the years, has made her home on three different continents. Her diverse experiences have taught her a deep sense of interconnectedness both to people and nature. “Understanding our interconnectedness holds us responsible to more than just ourselves in the choices we make,” Megalaa says. “I try to hold that with intention wherever I go.”

At Calvin, Megalaa majored in political science and international development. She served as both vice president and president of Calvin’s chapter of Amnesty International. “The best part of Calvin was the sense of community and support.” She still appreciates how “all the professors took such care with us.”

Megalaa calls her semester abroad at the University of Ghana, Legon, the most formative of her undergraduate experiences. “Professor David Hoekema led the Ghana program. He was kind of a dad to us during that semester,” she fondly remembers. Living in Ghana influenced her desire to work in social impact, and, she says, it may have something to do with her full circle return to working on the African continent.

Megalaa’s journey from Cairo to Grand Rapids to Madagascar has been far from direct, however. From Calvin, she volunteered for one year with Americorp, choosing a placement at a public charter preschool called Briya in Washington D.C. Designed for immigrant families, “Briya’s program was very holistic. It had a two-generational approach where parents learned English while their children attended preschool. Seeing the impact that model had on families got me interested in how education can transform lives,” Megalaa says.

In 2017, Megalaa graduated from the University of Amsterdam with a master of science in conflict resolution and governance. Her career led her to Berlin, where she worked in peacebuilding at the Berghof Foundation and then as head of programs and impact at Lilipad e.V., a nonprofit that creates multilingual libraries for children at refugee accommodation centers in Germany’s capital city.

Today, Megalaa serves as the fundraising and hiring coordinator at Onja, a social enterprise in Toamasina, Madagascar, that trains underprivileged youth in software development, then helps them secure remote jobs in E.U. and U.S. companies. The young developers reinvest a portion of their salaries into future Onja students’ educations, support their families, and contribute to the economic growth of their communities. “The most important aspect of Onja’s model is that developers are proud to be working to pay their own way,” Megalaa says.

Megalaa approaches each next step in her life with curiosity—a value that has guided her “in surprising directions.” Faith acts as the “grounding force, something you can turn back to in moments where the next step isn’t just your next job, but your next calling. It allows you to hold a perspective on life that gives it more meaning and helps with decision making.”

Over the last year, Megalaa says she’s spent a lot of time reflecting on her life path. “You never know where you’re going to end up, but you discover yourself along the way. I think that’s the most exciting thing. Because I never imagined I would end up where I am now, and I’m so excited, so happy to be here. It’s given me a mindset to be open to growth and open to learning.”

2000s

07 Wyoming Rescue Mission, a non-profit Christian ministry providing services to individuals and families struggling with homelessness in Casper, Wyoming, welcomed Cheryl DenHouten Hackett ’01 as its new director of development in June. Hacket oversees fundraising for the mission’s annual operating budget and manages communications and community relations.

Crocs, Inc. hired Erinn Murphy ’04 as senior vice president of investor relations and corporate strategy in September.

Stephanie Baar Potoka ’01 joined Michigan-based civil engineering firm Prein&Newhof as a hydraulics engineer in August.

08 In August, Foster Swift Collins and Smith PC welcomed attorney Rachael Kuilema Klein ’01 to the firm’s Trusts and Estates practice group. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Rachael dedicates herself to helping design and implement estate plans that meet clients’ financial, family, and philanthropic goals.

09 The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to K–12 American history education, named Matt Vriesman ’07 both the 2023 National

History Teacher of the Year and the 2023 Michigan History Teacher of the Year. The committee selected Vriesman for his “ability to tell the story of American history through the lens of his community.” Vriesman partnered with the Grand Rapids Public Museum to tell the story of the Great Migration through first-hand accounts of Black migrants to Grand Rapids and had his students create a historical virtual tour of west Michigan using research from primary source documents and historical archives. Vriesman was honored with a $10,000 prize at a ceremony at the Harvard Club in New York City on October 24. He teaches at East Kentwood High School, in East Kentwood, Michigan.

2010s

10 Lyndsay DeGroot ’15 successfully defended her dissertation, Palliative care needs of community-dwelling older adults with heart failure and physical frailty. She graduated with her PhD in nursing from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Joe Kelley ’17 is a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, based out of the Los Angeles Field Division office. The DEA is the federal law enforcement agency that enforces the Controlled Substances Act, tasked with disrupting and dismantling enterprise-level drug trafficking organizations, both domestic and international. Kelley previously

2023 NATIONAL HISTORY TEACHER OF THE YEAR

2023 MICHIGAN HISTORY TEACHER OF THE YEAR worked as a systems engineer at L3Harris in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) promoted Katy Luimes Tigchelaar ’08 to vice president of operations. Tigchelaar first joined the WMSC as an intern while studying K–12 physical education at Calvin. She went on to earn her master’s degree in sports management at Western Michigan University and has been working full time at WMSC since 2011.

Michael Zahrt ’11, an attorney for the law firm Foster Swift Collins & Smith, was named among “Ones to Watch” by his peers in The Best Lawyers in America 2024 for his professional excellence in private practice.

2020s

11 Alaina Benjamin ’20 has been named staff attorney for CTB Inc., a global designer of agricultural products based in Milford, Indiana.

12 Global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company hired Oyindamola Shobowale ’23 as a business analyst in their Detroit office. Shobowale hails from Lagos, Nigeria and joins the firm with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

John Standiger ’23 joined Michiganbased civil engineering firm Prein&Newhof as an engineer-intraining in June.