VERGE 3.1 by Calvin University

VERGE C ALVIN COLLEGE | VOL. 3.1

What’s your passion? Map it at Calvin. p. 16

PLUS: FREE CO NCE RT TICKETS: FUN. REGINA SPEKTOR INGRID MICHAELSON FROM MODEL PLANES TO THE DREAMLINER IMMERSION INTO INDIA INSTAGRAM IT

TAKE A DIFFERENT PATH TO COLLEGE. REHOBOTH BRIDGE SEMESTER Spend your first Calvin semester living, studying, playing and serving in the diverse setting of Rehoboth, New Mexico. We’ll give you space to grow into college and explore what life may have in store for you—and earn 12–14 core credits while you’re doing so. Explore all of Calvin’s off-campus programs: www.calvin.edu/academic/off-campus

VERGE Vol. 3.1

A Calvin College publication for prospective students and parents 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.”

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 To change your address: verge@calvin.edu PRODUCTION VERGE is produced three times a year by Calvin’s admissions and financial aid office.

www.calvin.edu/verge EDITORIAL AND CREATIVE TEAM: Allison Graff ’07, head writer Jeanne Nienhuis ’80, editor Joy’l Ver Heul ’04, creative director CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Myrna Anderson ’00 Jorie Antuma ’11 Beth Heinen Bell ’03 Samantha Vanderberg ’12 CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jill DeVries ’08

FEATURES 4 6 8 14 16

THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE IMMERSION INTO INDIA FROM MODEL PLANES TO THE DREAMLINER INSTAGRAM CONTEST GIS: A NEW KIND OF MAPPING

14 MORE 10 11 12 13 20 22 23 24 26 28

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RAISING AWARENESS OF NORTH KOREA’S REFUGEES GRAND RAPIDS COMING YOUR WAY RE-IGKNIGHT PROFESSOR PROFILE FROM ENGINEERING TO AÉROPOSTALE ANNOUNCING PUBLIC HEALTH ATHLETICS FINANCIAL AID VISIT + CONCERTS

VISIT TAKE US FOR A TEST DRIVE!

› FRIDAYS AT CALVIN

Choose from 17 Fridays dates during the school year. Experience our most activity-packed visit program. We’re told by campus visitors that it’s one of the best college visit experiences around!

›DEPARTMENT DAYS

Dive deeper into a specific area of study such as engineering, health sciences, education, communication, kinesiology, computing and more. Department Days and Fridays at Calvin programs run concurrently, so you can pick the activities that suit your needs best.

› ANYDAY

Monday through Thursday We’ll arrange an individual visit to help you get a feel for Calvin’s people, programs and places. We also offer in-depth visit days on Mondays that are national holidays, such as Columbus Day and Presidents Day.

www.calvin.edu/visit 3

THE FIRST-YEAR EXPERIENCE MATT MEDENDORP MAJOR: English writing MINOR: communications HOME: Wheaton, Ill.

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MO N DAY

T U E S DAY

WE D NE S DAY

T H U R S DAY

F R I DAY

8: 00AM BREAKFAST 9: 00AM 10: 00AM 11: 00AM

CLASS

WORK MEETING

BREAKFAST

HOMEWORK

HOMEWORK/ NAP LUNCH

HOMEWORK

12: 00PM LUNCH

CLASS

LUNCH

CLASS

“Understanding and Enjoying Music” Omelette bar

CLASS

1: 00PM CLASS

CLASS

2: 00PM 3: 00PM 4: 00PM

HOMEWORK

COFFEE & SUPER SMASH BROTHERS

HOMEWORK

DINNER

HOMEWORK

WORK

HOMEWORK

VARIOUS FRIDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES

LATE LUNCH

LATE LUNCH HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS

5: 00PM

HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS

We always hit up the salad and sandwich bar in Uppercrust. We play on an old-school N-64.

6: 00PM 7: 00PM 8: 00PM 9: 00PM

LACROSSE PRACTICE

HOMEWORK

Student calling in admissions We usually go to Applebee’s for halfoff appetizers and then find a campus event.

10: 00PM 11: 00PM 12: 00PM

FLOOR SOCCER GAME

On the Commons lawn under the stars

1: 00AM 2: 00AM

TIP

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

IMMERS BY MYRNA ANDERSON

Mark Jakcsy and Kishore Kumar at Intense Synergies

Gray Moser and Brad Wassink with the team at Olive Technology

Early in his internship at Sri Lakshmikantha Spinners Ltd. in Hyderabad, India, Calvin senior James VanDenBerg toured the operation, including a partially built expansion. There he saw eight women filling gaps in the foundation from a nearby dirt pile. The workers were carrying the dirt on plates balanced on their heads, though an unused wheelbarrow stood nearby. James mentioned the scenario to the owner of the mill, his boss. “Why couldn’t that job be done by one person using the wheelbarrow?” he asked. The owner answered, “If I train one person to do that job, then seven people are out of work.” James, an accounting major, pointed out that American businesses put a premium on maximizing productivity, but his boss was unmoved. “He said, ‘That would never work in India,’” recounted James to Calvin business professor Leonard Van Drunen.

Justin Lambers, Kari Witte, Brad TenHarmsel and Gray Moser in Hyderabad

Ross Rysenga and Matt Mays at Sholay Online

Leonard Van Drunen and Usha Divakaran, a Calvin parent

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Watch a video vimeo.com/37680955

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Calvin students at the Taj Mahal

INTERNING IN INDIA James was enrolled in “Business as Mission in India,” a January interim course that placed 13 Calvin students in two-week internships in Hyderabad. The students— majors in business, accounting, political science, Spanish and English— interned with website developers, software companies, a human resources company, a real estate developer, a cotton spinning mill and a counseling service. Professor Van Drunen wanted to give Calvin students an inside look at how business operates in an emerging economy. His vision for the interim course took shape at a conference hosted by nonprofit Partners Worldwide, where he met four Christian business owners from Hyderabad who were strong advocates for business as mission (BAM), the notion that business can be used not simply as a profit generator, but also as a ministry.

“

The internship was not just to give students exposure to Indian business culture, but also to give them an idea of how Christians use business as a ministry. —Professor Van Drunen

”

Partnering with the business owners he met at the conference, Professor Van Drunen placed Calvin interns in companies owned by Business Seva members, a 60-strong

INDIA

ION INTO network of Christian businesspeople in Hyderabad. (Seva is Hindi for “serve.”) A few were placed in other Christian-owned companies, and two interned in a Hindu-owned company.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS Van Drunen confessed that he was uneasy as the students faced their first day in a strange workplace. Yet, the vans returned to the Hotel Minerva Grand with students who were enthusiastic about their work experiences and their new colleagues. Van Drunen told them, “Guys, I am so proud of you. We could have come to the swimming pool and dipped our toe in the shallow end ... but no, you guys walked around to the deep end, walked around to the high dive and dove in.” For the next two weeks, the students worked at least sixhour days, and when the workday ended, they explored Hyderabad. On the job, they faced the challenges of doing business in India: corruption, limited education, an untrained labor force, lack of infrastructure and other issues.

WITNESSING A DIFFERENCE Most of the business owners who worked with the Calvin students describe themselves as either born-again or recommitted Christians. And their faith was evident in very practical ways in their day-to-day operations: using their profits to support full-time ministers in Africa, paying for the education of their workers and their workers’ children, offering free counseling services. After working at real estate developer Aliens Space Station, sophomore accounting major Jon Spoelhof observed in the interim blog: “The one thing that stands out the most about this place is how PUMPED people are about the Lord.” Professor Van Drunen was gratified to see the students contributing in the short time they were in Hyderabad. “The internship was not just to give students exposure to Indian business culture, but also to give them an idea of how Christians use business as a ministry.” Used with permission by News & Stories www.calvin.edu/news

OTHER BUSINESS INTERIMS Business and Engineering in China

Leadership in Kenya

Business and Culture in Brazil Indonesian Intersections: Business, Education and Culture

Gluing together model airplanes as a child, Ben Beezhold had no idea that his future held working on one of the world’s truely “model” airplanes. Still, his love of airplanes led him on a path to Boeing, where, as an intern and now as a full-time employee, he’s worked on the awardwinning 787 Dreamliner. The summer before his senior year, Ben was a stress engineer intern at Boeing’s Long Beach, Calif., location. In this position, he worked with a team of engineers designing hardware to secure interior commodities installed in the 787 Dreamliner, awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy for greatest achievement in aeronautics. His days were filled performing complex stress analysis on the various pieces to ensure the parts met all Boeing and FAA requirements.

IT ALL BEGINS AT CALVIN Ben started preparing for his dream internship in the classroom at Calvin. In his mechanical engineering courses and senior capstone class, Ben’s profs told personal stories from their industry experiences, which, he said, is very helpful in preparing students for careers.

One of the coolest parts of his internship was working with students from other schools. “I was with students from several prestigious California universities and felt well-prepared to jump in and help the team. Calvin engineering profs hammer the fundamentals into you so you know them instinctively; this makes you really stand out.”

ENGINEERING+CREATIVITY= A JOB OFFER Through his internship as a stress analyst, Ben discovered that he wanted to be more involved in the up-front design instead of detailed analysis. This would allow him to make better use of his creative skills. Following his successful internship and recent graduation, Boeing hired Ben as a full-time design engineer where he now works in the company’s product development area. For Ben, his internship was the perfect transition from student to full-time professional.

BEN BEEZHOLD ’12 MAJOR: mechanical engineering HOMETOWN: Seattle, Wash. POST-GRAD PLANS: structural design engineer for Boeing’s commercial airplanes

FROM MODEL PLANES

DREAM

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“

WHY CALVIN? Knowing the science and fundamentals behind how things actually work is one whole aspect of preparation. The other side is Calvin’s liberal arts—being really comfortable with doing verbal communication and speeches, and using my writing skills.

”

I really liked the idea of a liberal arts college: expanding from purely technical curricula to one that included courses like philosophy, English and even music.

WHY ENGINEERING AT CALVIN? I attended Fridays at Calvin my junior year of high school and can still remember gazing at the engineering building with a sense of awe. Here was a place dedicated to the engineering department, complete with state-of- the-art labs, classrooms and workspaces. I hoped to someday be a part of that community.

GETTING READY FOR THE REAL JOB I want to personally thank Professor Nielsen for his mentoring in this area. His frequent anecdotes provided students with insight into the workplace and emphasized the importance of honesty, humility and integrity.

WHY A GUY FROM SEATTLE LOVES GR Grand Rapids has without a doubt become one of my favorite cities. I especially enjoyed the thriving music and art culture. Annual events like ArtPrize created a lot of great discussion about artforms. It’s a dynamic city that offers many unique experiences—an especially great place to live as a student.

TO THE

MLINER BY SAMANTHA VANDERBERG

R A L U P O P T

MOESNT PICKS: STUD

AFTER HOUR S ACTIV ITIES

IDAYS R F K C U $1 B BREAK V I U Q E HOUSE T S H A S I F F K E A BRE EE AT TH F F O C E D FAIR TRA ADING N E R E RUNS S E E P R U DORM L SDAY S R U H T Y THIRST AZING G R A T S TORY OBSERVA CFAC E H T T A VIES L TRAYS L A H FREE MO G N DININ O G N I SLEDD

“Breakfast equiv is a great study break. Every night I meet my friends at Johnny’s to grab a bagel and talk about our days.”

WEB EXCLUSIVE Watch a video of a dorm serenade and find out more about these popular afterhours activities at www.calvin.edu/verge

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“Serenading is a classic Calvin tradition. It’s a normal occurrence to see Calvin men in suits with their guitars serenading the girls’ dorms.” “Buck Fridays gives you all of Grand Rapids for $1. Rosa Parks ice-skating is the certified best.”

THERE’S 4 YEARS’ WORTH OF

CITY HERE

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

WISCONSIN

OHIO ILLINOIS

INDIANA

1 6 2 3 4 5 6 5 7 8 9 10

Ice skate or swing dance at Rosa Parks Circle.

Share a mound of sweet potato fries at the Electric Cheetah. Enjoy art at Calvin’s downtown (106) Gallery.

Take in fireworks at Celebration on the Grand and enjoy an empanada at the nearby Hispanic Festival. Browse trendy consignment shops in East Hills. Bike around Reeds Lake (just north of campus), and enjoy ice cream at Jersey Junction afterward. Visit the sculptures downtown that Grand Rapids’ folk call “The Calder” and “The Tire Swing.” Savor the taste of locally roasted espresso in Eastown’s The Sparrows. Stroll through the Tropical Conservatory at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Tour Frank Lloyd Wright’s Meyer May House or the Heritage Hills Historic District. WEB EXCLUSIVE

www.calvin.edu/go/gr 11

! Y A W R U O COMING Y 2

stephaniedeweerdcalvin

mattcambridgecalvin nicolekinneycalvin

karenjeftscalvin

meganswierengacalvin

acalvin

m paulbyls kellypowerscalvin

paulmcmorr owcalvin

12 vin

nunananyomical

audreywaldroncalvin

markasmacalvin

barttoccicalvin

MEET YOUR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR 1. STEPHANIE DEWEERD High Schools: Unity Christian, Kalamazoo Christian, Western Michigan Christian States: CA 2. NICOLE KINNEY High Schools: Holland Christian States: AZ, CO, MN, OH, WI 3. MATT CAMBRIDGE High Schools: NorthPointe, Potters House States: PA, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH,VT, ME 4. KAREN JEFTS International Admissions: Canada 5. KELLY POWERS High Schools: Grand Rapids Christian 6. PAUL BYLSMA High Schools: Calvin Christian MI Counties: Allegan,VanBuren, Cass, Berrien States: WA, OR, NV, UT, SD, IA, IN, KY, TN, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC

7. MEGAN SWIERENGA Transfer Students 8. PAUL MCMORROW High Schools: South Christian MI Counties: Northern MI States: ID, MT, WY, ND, NE, KS, OK, NM, TX, MO, AR, LA, WV,VA, FL 9. BART TOCCI Athletic Coordinator 10. AUDREY WALDRON MI Counties: Ottawa County, central and eastern MI 11. NUNANA NYOMI International Admissions: non-Canadian and international students 12. MARK ASMA States: IL

12 VERGE

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Watch at www.calvin.edu/verge

RE-IGKNIGHT BY JORIE ANTUMA

IGNITING A SHIFT OF FOCUS Yoofi Otabil calls it “preparation meeting opportunity.” Becky Kim credits it as “God’s plan.” The Calvin community knows it as “Re-igKnight.” This monthly worship service is the result of months of prayer and the unified vision of several student leaders. “We were praying for a long time for God to show us the thing that He wanted to get done on campus,” said Yoofi, a junior engineering major at Calvin. “We just have a passion for seeing God’s kingdom manifested on campus.” While Yoofi and his friends were praying for guidance, Becky, a business and social work major, was also trying to discern God’s next step for her. “A lot of the time, people try to fit God into their plans, but really, we should be trying to fit into God’s plan,” she said.

And that’s exactly what she told one of Yoofi’s friends, Nana Owusu-Achau, when he approached her about running together for Calvin’s student senate. Upon winning the majority vote in the spring elections, Nana and Becky began to visualize a senate project that was unlike any in its past. Student senators initiate projects that better serve their classmates or support local or global causes. This project would challenge Calvin students to look inward—and upward. “Calvin is really good at doing external work, but we wanted [student senate] to reconsider the internal workings of our own faith and our relationship with God,” Becky explained. Re-igKnight was launched. The worship service—which typically lasts two hours—has grown in size, in location and in community since its autumn beginning. Several seminary students caught wind of the gathering and began attending, bringing seminary president Jul Medenblik on occasion. Organized in three teams—worship team, dance team and prayer team—the students who lead the worship are from all class levels, a dozen countries and a variety of denominational backgrounds.

Nana

Becky

10 VERGE 14

S FRIDAY AT N CALVI

1 2 3 DON’T HAVE INSTAGRAM? The app is free to download on iTunes or Google Play.

FOLLOW ALONG BY SEARCHING FOR THE TAG #calvinvisit WITHIN INSTAGRAM. ALSO SEE #calvincollege

4 5

INSTAGRAM PHOTO CONTEST

Take a photo of your visit to Calvin using Instagram. Upload it to Instagram with hashtag #calvinvisit between October 1 and November 30. VERGE’s editorial staff will select 10 finalists based on creativity and quality of image. The finalists will be featured on Calvin’s Admissions Facebook page for a public vote. The winner with the most “likes” will receive a $25 amazon.com gift card. THE SMALL PRINT: If you are selected as a finalist, we will contact you through Instagram by commenting on your photo. Multiple submissions are allowed.

PROFESSOR JASON VANHORN

GIS

A NEW KIND OF MAPPING 16 VERGE

BY ALLISON GRAFF Two words: zombie apocalypse. Two more words: Calvin College. No, you can’t major in zombies here, and no, you probably won’t be talking about them in class unless the television show, The Walking Dead, is a topic of discussion in a media criticism course. And you probably won’t witness a zombie apocalypse on campus unless your dorm chooses that theme for Chaos Day. So what do zombies have to do with Calvin? You probably won’t believe us when we tell you, but here it is: A zombie apocalypse was the topic of one student’s digital mapping project in a course called “Introduction to Geographic Information Systems.” The student used public data on proximity to food and water in Grand Rapids to map out where you should hide in the event of a zombie apocalypse.

EMMA DEVRIES ’12

NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S MAP

MAPPING YOUR PASSION

Zombie safeness zones? Seriously? But what if “zombie apocalypse” is a metaphor for something real, say a catastrophic blizzard or influenza epidemic? Then a map that showed you the best sources for food and water in Grand Rapids could be a very helpful thing.

So what do Calvin students map in their GIS courses?

And that’s the power of GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, best known to you as the system that runs your family’s GPS device and Google maps. But it’s also so much more.

But the point is, in this course, you can map things relevant to your studies or things that generally rock your world. That’s exactly what GIS professor Jason VanHorn wants you to do:

GIS is a way to visualize complex information on a digital map. This isn’t your grandma’s old, crumpled-up map of Florida in her Buick’s glove compartment.

“What do you pound the table over? What are you passionate about? Map that,” he says.

Instead, it’s an interactive map on National Geographic’s website showing you the best adventure locations in the United States, or a New York Times map you can use to see your county’s unemployment rate. It could also be a digital atlas in a place where there are very few maps—developing countries like Niger, Nepal and Madagascar.

Many GIS projects have serious topics: things like Liberian refugee distribution, ash fallout from Mount St. Helens or ideal locations for a new construction business.

Students map things like trail conditions in their favorite hiking locations, optimal bike routes to an off-campus internship and even longboarding routes near Calvin’s campus. Some projects have a theme of service or justice: routes to improve the efficiency of recycling vehicles, or access to healthy food. Still more projects have travel motifs inspired by Calvin’s study-abroad programs: tourist sites in Jordan, a guidebook to Budapest, Hungary, or transit routes in Seoul, South Korea.

WHY G.I.S. SHOULD BE G.A.S. So why is this GIS stuff such a big deal? After all, look at Calvin’s academic program list and you won’t find it there. In fact, you won’t find it until you dig into the list of geography courses.

urban density, the number of LEED-certified buildings in them, or anything else you can dream up. “It really should be called ‘Geographic Analysis Systems,’ but you can guess why they decided not to call it that,” quipped VanHorn.

It’s a big deal for two reasons: GIS jobs are expected to increase between 10 and 20 percent in the next 10 years, making it one of CNN Money’s top 100 jobs in America. And second, GIS skills are desirable in almost any field. Are you going into public health? Imagine being able to map potential outbreak rates for a communicable disease in your area. Going into business? Map premium real estate locations for your future company and include it in your business plan. English major? Map urban literacy rates as a way to determine where you should volunteer your time helping kids with their reading skills. According to Professor VanHorn, GIS is more than just a technical career option. It’s a whole new way to communicate. “It’s about so much more than information. It’s about communication—visual communication.” GIS graduate Emma DeVries ’12 agrees:

“

It’s a way I can express myself—a mix of art and science.You need the technological skills to do it, but you also get to do design, which is the part I love.You can tell a story, communicate some sort of message.

”

How is GIS any different from cartography or just making maps? “The power of GIS is in its ability to analyze space. It goes beyond just representing information and making a map out of it,” said VanHorn. Basically, you’re not just plotting out the locations of Grand Rapids, Chicago and Detroit on a map. You’re using a powerful system called ArcGIS to crunch numbers and come up with solutions to a problem, like travel time between cities,

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GIS students work on sub-national atlases like this one for developing countries such as Eritrea, Ethiopia and Nepal. Explore the atlases at gis.calvin.edu.

PROPELLER HATS NOT REQUIRED When you hear that GIS entails crunching numbers and using specialized software, you’re likely to think you need to be a nerd to take GIS courses. Not so, says Emma. “You don’t have to be a computer whiz to do it if you are committed to learning it. And when you finish your first map, it’s so rewarding. A lot of people think maps are cool, but you made this one! It’s awesome,” she said. And VanHorn is there to walk you through the mapmaking process. “I work very hard to make GIS accessible, especially for people who are not necessarily computer people but need basic knowledge of GIS for their career.” In the course of two GIS classes (an intro and advanced course), you’ll go from knowing nothing about GIS to being able to create an interactive map (called a “mashup”) that you can post on the Web or integrate with Google maps. If it’s something that could be useful to a government agency or organization, you could get service-learning credit on your transcript for submitting the map to them.

GIS IN THE REAL WORLD According to Prof. VanHorn, nearly all GIS projects in his classes have some sort of service component. Each semester, students work together to create digital atlases for developing countries such as Madagascar, Niger, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Nepal. Another lab involves doing 3D modeling of changes to sand dunes on the west Michigan shoreline. Advanced GIS students might also work with him on a cutting-edge research project: mapping vulnerabilities to terrorism. So whether you’re mapping HIV rates in Niger, long-range missile trajectories or, yes, zombie apocalypses, you are likely doing good. And doing good for others, in this case, is also good for you and your future career. One geology grad, Jim Kuipers ’11, demonstrated an ability to think spatially in his first job as an exploration geologist in Nunavut, Canada, and was promoted to a senior analyst within just months. Now he’s headed to the Northwest Territories to discover and map precious metals. Another grad, Abbie Belford ’11, used her knowledge of GIS in part to gain a spot in the top graduate program for urban planning at the University of Illinois.

A WORLD OF OPPORTUNITIES Emma DeVries ’12 hasn’t been bored at Calvin. See the things she’s been involved in:

› › ›

McGregor Summer Research: Assisted Professor Jason VanHorn on a GIS project, mapping terrorism in Madrid. Teacher assistant: Traveled with professors VanHorn and Johnathan Bascom to help teach GIS to geography professors in Ethiopia. Lab assistant: Got paid to teach other students how to use GIS software.

The question is, what will you map, and where will your map take you?

SHOULD YOU TAKE GIS? TOP JOBS

GIS is one of CNN Money’s top 100 jobs in America.

GEOCACHING AT CALVIN

Visit Calvin this fall and you may be able to participate in the second annual geocaching tournament on campus.

You can use GIS in any career, especially in international relations, engineering, public health, international development studies and environmental science.

Prof. Jason VanHorn could easily be a computer geek, caught up in the fast-paced world of digital mapping and making six figures. But he’s not, and he doesn’t. He teaches at Calvin because of the way he’s able to talk about faith in the classroom. And also because of the quality of students he teaches. “I’ve never worked with students who care so deeply about people and place. They care about creation, they care about those who don’t have a voice,” he said.

A PROFESSOR WITH REAL PEOPLE SKILLS Emma DeVries spent three years as Prof.VanHorn’s student, first in GIS courses, then as his research/lab assistant, and finally as his assistant on a trip to Ethiopia. “He’s basically ruined me for all professors and bosses. He’s just so nice and supportive. And encouraging—that’s the number one word I would use to describe him,” she said.

AN EXPERT IN HIS FIELD According to Emma, he’s more than just a nice prof. He knows his stuff, too. “He’s very brilliant. He’s not the type to drop names, but his PhD advisor [at The Ohio State University] is probably the most well-known geographer in the country.”

PROFESSOR JASON VANHORN EDUCATION: PhD, The Ohio State University, geography TEACHES: geography and GIS COOL FACT: worked with Campus Crusade for Christ for six years before going to grad school RESEARCH INTEREST: mapping terrorism

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At Calvin, the nicest professors can be the most challenging ones too, and Prof.Van Horn is no different. He has high expectations of his students and pushes them to create maps that show sophisticated data analysis in a visually compelling way. But again, as is typical at Calvin, the nicest, most challenging professors also work very hard to make learning accessible to students. “His care and his expertise come together in the fact that he writes his own labs and updates them every semester. Many GIS professors would simply use labs created by GIS companies, but he uses his abilities to be on the cutting edge of the technology and bring us to the cutting edge as well,” said Emma.

Emma DeVries ’12 loves maps so much, her four years at Calvin have been filled with them. As a triple-major in Spanish, environmental studies and geography, she’s been able to use maps to illustrate many of her passions. “I thought it was awesome to integrate my other studies into mapping. ...You can tell a story, communicate some sort of message; for me, it was about social justice and environmental issues.” Emma also loves the creative side of GIS mapping. In order to communicate information clearly, a map has to be designed in a visually compelling way. “You need the technological skills to do [GIS], but you also get to do design,” she said. And the moment you finish your first map, says Emma, it’s a huge rush. It might just make you want to print it out and send it to your mom so she can put it on the fridge.

EMMA DEVRIES ’12 HOMETOWN: Ithaca, N.Y., and Grand Rapids, Mich. MAJORS: Spanish, environmental studies and geography CAREER PLANS: seminary and doctoral studies in geography WHAT SHE LOVES ABOUT GIS (geographic information systems): the ability to visualize important social and environmental issues on a map

TREE MAPPING GIS and biology students collaborated to map the more than 4,000 trees on Calvin’s campus. Explore the interactive map at calvin.edu/go/treemap.

RIRE NAKPODIA ’93 MAJOR: art HOMETOWN: Lagos, Nigeria CURRENT WORK: retail designer for Aéropostale Take a look at your jeans for a second. Where did you buy them? Hollister? American Eagle? Target? What made you buy them there? These are questions Rire Nakpodia ’93 thinks about every single day of his work life as a retail designer for the popular clothing brand Aéropostale. “Brands are living, organic things,” he says. “People feel a brand is either who they are or who they aspire to be. That image doesn’t just happen; it’s created, designed.” Though Rire currently works presenting Aéropostale online, previously he worked for New York & Co. doing all aspects of retail design—store windows, websites, print ads, packaging, logos and label design. He appreciates being able to draw people to a clothing brand that fits real people. For his success in the New York fashion world, he credits his art professors at Calvin for giving him a great foundation. “Calvin has the best art teachers. I’ve been to art school here in New York, and I’ve had great professors here, but I really ran into the best art professors for me at Calvin… . All my professors were not only great teachers and mentors, they became good friends.”

22 VERGE

English major to fashion professional in NYC— how does that even happen? It did for Brooke, who describes her Calvin education as “eclectic.” The Calvin classroom was a safe environment in which to think new thoughts, explore unimagined places and ultimately, form a lifelong approach to the world. “Professors were a sounding board for what my friends and I were unearthing about the arts, philosophy and religion,” she said. Now that Brooke’s found her way into fashion in the big city, she misses what happened in her classes at Calvin. “Calvin’s classrooms are intimate, relationally engaged and always delightfully challenging!”

BROOKE KNOPKA LAGRAND ’04 MAJOR: English HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Mich. CURRENT WORK: patternmaker at rag & bone

ANNOUNCING A NEW MAJOR IN

PUBLIC HEALTH def.

Public health professionals work to protect the health of populations,

or which can be as small as a local neighborhood

as large as an entire country

MAJOR IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND FIND YOURSELF IN ONE OF THESE CAREERS PUBLIC HEALTH LAWYER

HEALTH INFORMATICS

HEALTH EDUCATOR

› Minor in political science or

upper-level courses › Take in mathematics and computer

› Take classes in health

communications

› Internship in Washington, D.C.

science

EPIDEMIOLOGIST

MEDICAL SOCIAL WORKER

› Take courses in microbiology,

› Research global health in places

biochemistry and global positioning systems

› Partner with SafeWater

Ghana to bring clean water to people at risk

like Honduras or Ghana

› Learn how extreme poverty relates to well-being

behavior, ethics, economics and management

FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTALIST

› Minor in environmental

studies or political science

› Internship at a local

environmental organization

THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING. FIND MORE IDEAS HERE WWW.CALVIN.EDU/GO/PUBLIC-HEALTH 23

MEET THE ATHLETE FAVORITE MEMORIES?

One favorite memory I have with the team occurred this past fall when we were playing Texas-Tyler in the Elite Eight. We came back from being a goal down with less than five minutes left in the game and had leaders, such as senior Tyler Vegter, take the game to a whole new level for the team. Then, Trevor Bushhouse scored the first goal of his collegiate career, winning the game in overtime for the team and our school. It was pretty amazing.

MILES ’12 VARSITY SOCCER

My favorite tradition is how we prayed after every practice and game. This kept our focus on God, from whom we receive the gift to play our beloved sport.

WHY DIVISION III?

Division III soccer is, or at least should be, a completely selfless sport. There are neither financial incentives nor any reason for individual goals. No one remembers individual players in Division III soccer; people remember great teams.

ADVICE TO INCOMING SOCCER PLAYERS: My advice is pretty simple: work selflessly.

2011 Third Team National Soccer Coaches Association All-American 2011 Second Team Capital One Academic All-American 2010 & 2011 Third Team D3soccer.com All-American 2010 & 2011 First Team All-MIAA men’s soccer 2011 First Team All-Region 2010 Second Team All-Region

Calvin’s men’s and women’s soccer programs are two of the conference’s best. The men’s team leads the league with 22 MIAA titles and 11 NCAA tournament appearances, while the women’s team has never had a losing season and boasts six of its own MIAA championships since 2005.

IN THE NCAA FOR ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS 24 VERGE

NCAA DIII VARSITY SPORTS

LACROSSE After 25 years of club sport status, the Calvin men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are looking at their first spring season as varsity athletes. Calvin’s lacrosse teams have captured several conference titles and made two national tournament appearances in their years on the field. Former Calvin lacrosse players Joel INTERESTED Kamstra and Blake IN VARSITY Boehm have been CALVIN LACROSSE? named head coaches Visit www.calvin.edu/sports for the men’s and and contact Coach Kamstra or Coach Boehm women’s teams, for recruitment info. respectively.

A LITTLE MORE ACTION, A LITTLE LESS COMMITMENT? Check out these club sports and student organizations:

› Calvin Rugby Union: www.calvinrugby.blog.com › Calvin men’s volleyball: find Calvin Men’s Volleyball on Facebook › Calvin ultimate Frisbee: find Calvin Ultimate on Facebook

aerobics backpacking badminton basketball bowling camping canoeing cycling dodgeball floor hockey football golf indoor soccer kayaking

mountain biking Pilates ping-pong rock climbing sailing sand volleyball skiing snowboarding softball tennis ultimate Frisbee volleyball yoga 25

› › ›

TAYLOR-MARY’S TIPS FOR FINANCIAL SUCCESS AT CALVIN: Fill out the supplemental financial aid form. “It’s an incredible thing that Calvin has—for the college to know what each person’s family situation is and to actually care. I didn’t find that in any other school that I applied to.”

TAYLOR-MARY SMITH ’13 MAJOR: religion HOMETOWN: Virginia Beach,Va. ON-CAMPUS JOB: admissions student caller

Look for an on-campus job. “I can’t imagine having a better boss in my life.” Don’t be afraid of student loans. “I didn’t realize that taking out loans made people so nervous. I think that it’s 100 percent worth your while to at least try. You’ll be fine. You can’t be stupid with your money, but you can do it.”

FINANCIAL AID

BY BETH HEINEN BELL

Taylor-Mary Smith didn’t plan to attend Calvin. A spur-of-the-moment visit and some personal touches from the admissions department changed that. “I thought I wanted a big school, but I would get postcards from people doing Young Life at Calvin or a phone call from students wanting to know how my school year was going— I thought it was really cool that they cared enough to call. After my visit, I just knew I wanted to go here.” But one thing she hadn’t considered was Calvin’s tuition costs. “It’s just my mom and me,” she says matter-of-factly. “My mom always told me that I could go anywhere for college and we would make it work. But financial aid did play a huge part in me coming to Calvin. I remember getting the email that said how much assistance I would get, and I called my mom and we just cried. It was like, this is where I’m supposed to be.” Taylor-Mary works hard to make sure she can afford to complete her degree here. Between classes, Bible studies and

26 VERGE

volunteering as a Young Lives teen mom mentor, she has a job on campus, making calls to high school students—the same kind of calls that impressed her about Calvin. She checks in regularly with the financial aid office, making sure her scholarship information is up to date. Her mom contributes where she can. And, realistically, “I have a lot of loans,” she says. The Calvin education, she says, makes it all worth it. “My professors are brilliant, and they care about me, the person—not just on an academic level. You’re asked hard questions here and you learn about life and about what it’s like to be a part of a community. This place has shaped me in ways that I never would have imagined.” While she’ll leave Calvin with debt, Taylor-Mary’s financial savvy and work ethic are paying off, literally. She has already begun paying some of her student loans, thanks to the savings from her job and the financial aid she receives. “There have been things that I haven’t been able to do [because of finances], but there has never been a day that I haven’t thought that it was worth it. If you really, really want to be here, Calvin really, really wants you here.”

APPLY

APPLY FOR ADMISSION

› › › ›

WHAT WE NEED:

Your completed application form www.calvin.edu/apply - the easiest way to apply Your high school transcript Print a form online and give it to your school.

An academic recommendation Email a recommendation link to a teacher, counselor or pastor. ACT or SAT scores

International applicants may have different requirements, so please check www.calvin.edu/international. In case you’re wondering, interviews are not required, but we’d love to meet you during your campus visit!

WHEN YOU SHOULD APPLY: Calvin will waive the $35 fee for applications received by these dates: December 1—U.S. citizens January 1—Canadian and international citizens Applications are still welcome after the dates above and are considered on a rolling basis. International applications will be considered until April 1.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

Calvin’s mission is to shape hearts and minds for Christian living and learning, equipping students to follow and further the ways of God on earth. We examine tough issues and big ideas; we wrestle with difficult questions and understand that answers can be complex. We believe that God wants us to be actively engaged in every aspect of culture and every corner of creation, renewing His world. If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, we hope that you’ll apply.

PROFILE OF NEW CALVIN STUDENTS (2011) (middle 50%)

GPA 3.7 (4.0 scale) ACT 27 SAT 1200 46:54 male/female ratio For up-to-date facts, visit www.calvin.edu/go/facts

ADMISSIONS DECISIONS

Once we’ve received all of your application materials, please allow two weeks for an admissions decision. In some cases this may take a bit longer, but feel free to call if you’re wondering about the status of your application.Your admissions decision will come via email and regular mail.

SCHOLARSHIPS

General academic scholarships: Once you’re admitted, you will be automatically considered for Calvin’s general academic scholarships, which range from $1,000-$15,000. Scholarship announcements are typically sent three weeks after admission. www.calvin.edu/go/scholarships (Don’t forget to apply for need-based financial aid, too.) Additional scholarships: Explore other scholarships available to new students at www.calvin.edu/go/scholarshipsearch

31 27

VISIT + CONCERT Calvin’s got some great concerts lined up this fall, from well-known pop and indie music stars to groups that could be the next big thing. Don’t miss these class acts—schedule a Calvin visit for the day of or the day after the concert, and you can get free tickets for you and another guest. Tickets are limited to the first 10 visit registrants. Enter TICKETS PLEASE in the comments box on the AnyDay Visit registration form.

WWW.CALVIN.EDU/VISIT

UPCOMING SHOWS MEWITHOUTYOU INGRID MICHAELSON REGINA SPEKTOR THE MOUNTAIN GOATS TINARIWEN FUN.

REGINA SPEKTOR This singer-songwriter with amazing piano skills is perhaps best known for the way she brings together folk, blues, Jewish, Russian and classical music into a listenable pop music style distinctive to her alone. She’ll play Calvin’s Hoogenboom Center for the first time on October 15 as part of Calvin’s Homecoming and Presidential Inauguration week.

28 VERGE

WWW.CALVIN.EDU/SAO

9/29 10/1 10/15 10/22 10/26 11/14

Lupe Fiasco Sufjan Stevens

The Civil Wars April 8, 2011

Over the Rhine Death Cab for Cutie Fleet Foxes My Brightest Diamond Anathallo David Bazan The Mountain Goats Broken Social Scene The Decemberists Cornel West Andrew Bird Emmylou Harris The Head and the Heart Patty Griffin Gillian Welch Welcome Wagon Wilco Anberlin Joanna Newsom Explosions in the Sky Grizzly Bear Derek Webb Ratatat Switchfoot Sigur Rós Jon Foreman K’NAAN Jars of Clay Cut Copy

You care about pop culture. So do we. Should you reject popular culture or embrace it? Consider Calvin’s alternative: holy worldliness. Using the lens of our Christian faith, we help students engage with popular culture to discern its positives and negatives—to be in the world, but not of it. It’s a bold path, but we accept the challenge. Join the conversation. www.calvin.edu/go/culture

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

facebook.com/calvincollege facebook.com/calvinadmissions

DEBORAH LEW ’00

MAJOR AT CALVIN theatre and English

AFTER CALVIN

WEB EXCLUSIVE Watch Deborah perform at Calvin Theatre Company’s 75th anniversary celebration www.calvin.edu/verge

Actor South Pacific (Broadway, 2008) Beauty and the Beast (Broadway, 2006) Candide (New York City Opera, 2005) Cupid and Psyche (off-Broadway, 2003)

Can a liberal arts education really get you to Broadway? For Deborah Lew ’00—a New Yorkbased actor who played Belle in a Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, among other roles—it did. Deborah didn’t just study how to act and sing well at Calvin, she studied theatre history and set design along with great literature, theology and science.

“

“Getting a whole education in the liberal arts gives you a step up in your career. Especially as a performer, I have so much more I can bring into the characters I play.”

Getting a whole education in the liberal arts gives you a step up in your career. Especially as a performer, I have so much more I can bring into the characters I play.

”

Outside the classroom at Calvin, she immersed herself in theatre-related activities, like studying abroad in London and performing with the Calvin Theatre Company. “I remember working on shows in the Lab Theater until late into the night and going to class and then going back to the theatre again to work on a performance. Theatre at Calvin was definitely like a family.”