Classrooms may have been quiet on campus last week during spring break, but learning continued around the world. Specifically, experiential learning and alumni networking as part of a series of events in Japan.
On March 24, Hideo Yamazaki ’76, Alumni Association Board of Directors member, worked with staff and volunteers to host 76 guests at a Hope College Tokyo regional event. The outreach is part of a continued tradition of building community in Japan, with four major events in the last few years. At the events, former Japanese exchange students are welcomed into the Hope community with the presentation of an Alumni Association certificate. Twenty joined the ranks at this particular event.
Also present at the event were parents, friends and students, including the Baker Scholars. Led by professor Steve VanderVeen, the Baker Scholars connected with a variety of companies, including Amway Japan, during a nine day visit in the country. These relationships have been a continuing tradition as well, with multiple student groups connecting with alumni at the company through the years.
“Their engagement and questions showed that they were truly the best of the best – not only at Hope, but among U.S. college students. Thank you for sending them our way.” -An Amway Japan executive following the student visit.
If you are interested in learning more about recent international alumni connections, please contact Jim Van Heest, Senior Regional Development Director.
Cheers to international travel and experiential learning!
Our recent alumni are changing the world and we are dedicated to celebrating these rising stars and emerging leaders. Help us find them by nominating a Hope graduate within the past ten years for the inaugural Hope College 10 Under 10 Awards. This program will honor young alumni who exemplify what it means to be anchored in Hope. They will be presented at a special event open to all during Homecoming & Family Weekend on October 19, 2018.
Use the following criteria to nominate a 2008-2017 Hope graduate deserving of this recognition. Nominations made through April 13 will be considered for 2018. The nomination form will remain open to collect submissions for subsequent annual awards. All nominations are anonymous and we will send you a Hope College t-shirt if your nominee is selected (and the form is super short)!
10 Under 10 Award Criteria
Emerging leader making significant contributions by living out their calling
Engaged in the local or global community through professional and/or volunteer involvement
Serves as an outstanding young role model for current and future students and alumni by showcasing the attributes of a graduate anchored in Hope:
Using their education to think about important issues with wisdom & clarity
Communicating effectively to bridge boundaries that divide human communities
Acting as an agent of hope who lives faithfully into their vocation
Making a difference
A member of the Hope College Alumni Association within 10 years of graduation
Note: All Hope graduates and those who have earned 45 credits or more are automatically members of the Alumni Association
Although he’s had songs featured on other soundtracks, singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens ’98 had never written specifically for film before being asked to contribute work for Call Me by Your Name.
The result has earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Mystery of Love,” which he will also be performing during the 90th Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday, March 4.
“Mystery of Love” is one of three songs that Stevens has in Call Me by Your Name. The others are “Visions of Gideon,” which he also wrote for the film, and a remix of “Futile Devices,” which is from his 2010 album The Age of Adz.
Through the years, his work has been featured in multiple films and television series, including Little Miss Sunshine, Veronica Mars, Demolition, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The O.C., Nurse Jackie, iZombie and This Is Us.
Among the articles about “Mystery of Love’s” nomination is a Feb. 20 question-and-answer interview by Variety in which Stevens reflects on providing music for Call Me by Your Name. Here, also, is a link to a feature published in News from Hope College earlier in his career, in April 2006 (back cover, page 20), that includes reflections on his time at the college.
I’m incredibly honored that so many people appreciate and receive what I’m doing . . . but I also acknowledge that they are being moved not by me, but by my music. That’s what’s exciting about it – that it really has nothing to do with me.” -Sufjan Stevens ’98 in NfHC 2006
A total of five songs have been nominated for the best original song Oscar, and all will be featured during the ceremony. The other four are “Remember Me,” from Coco, which will be performed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Natalia LaFourcade and Miguel; “Mighty River,” from Mudbound, which will be performed by Mary J. Blige; “Stand Up for Something,” from Marshall, which will be performed by Common and Andra Day; and “This is Me,” from The Greatest Showman, which will be performed by Keala Settle.
Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 90th Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, March 4. The Oscars will also be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Gratitude, is it your attitude? This February, Hope students put gratitude into practice during the first ever Hope Gratitude Project hosted by the annual giving team.
“We are always looking for ways to educate students and get them involved; expressing gratitude for scholarship gifts really seemed to fit.”
The Hope Gratitude Project was a month-long student-focused event intended to encourage thankfulness throughout the Hope Community. The team provided calendars to students which contained one gratitude action per day and encouraged them to lead a full and grateful life. From positive personal activities such as “Complaint free day!” and “List ways you’ve impressed yourself” to interpersonal thankfulness like “Thank a professor who challenged you” and interactive events in the Bultman Student Center. The campus was brighter in a traditionally gloomy winter month.
Through two events, students came together to write over 150 personal thank you notes to donors. One student exclaimed,
“This is so great! I’ve always wanted to express how thankful I am to people that give!” – Annie ‘20
The Hope Gratitude Project challenged us to balance academics, faith, family, and gratefulness (among a long list of other commitments). Being grateful to ourselves and others takes a small amount of time each day, and can have such a positive impact on daily life. A simple smile or encouragement to a friend can make a big difference in our lives, and other’s lives.
Being grateful doesn’t have to stop now that February is over. Keep it going, and find a way each day to complete a simple act of gratitude!
By Peace Corps Today, the Peace Corps announced that Hope College ranked No. 22 among small schools on the agency’s 2018 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. There are 10 Hope alumni currently volunteering worldwide.
This is the first year since 2009 that Hope College has appeared in the rankings.
“Peace Corps service is a profound expression of the idealism and civic engagement that colleges and universities across the country inspire in their alumni,” said Acting Peace Corps Director Sheila Crowley. “As Peace Corps Volunteers, recent college and university graduates foster capacity and self-reliance at the grassroots level, making an impact in communities around the world. When they return to the United States, they have new, highly sought-after skills and an enterprising spirit that further leverages their education and strengthens their communities back home.”
Alumni from more than 3,000 colleges and universities nationwide have served in the Peace Corps since the agency’s founding in 1961. Since 1961, 198 Hope alumni have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers. In 2017, the state of Michigan ranked No. 9 among states with the highest number of Peace Corps volunteers with 266 volunteers currently serving worldwide.
One Hope alumna currently making a difference is Big Rapids, Michigan native Lindsey Hall. After earning her bachelor’s degree in political science and international studies at Hope College in 2007 and a master’s from the University of Colorado Denver in 2011, Hall began service as an education volunteer in Uganda.
“The guidance and support I received from my professors at Hope was the best preparation for the Peace Corps,” said Hall. “I always felt cared about, supported, inspired, and challenged to see myself as a capable, articulate, and dedicated individual who was needed in the global community.”
As an education volunteer, Hall has worked in various positions during nearly four years of service including as a literacy specialist, teacher trainer and a Peace Corps volunteer leader. She currently works with the “Save the Children” program as an education support specialist.
“I remember my freshman year, the focus was on discussion of vocation and how vocation was where your personal passions and aspirations joined with the world’s pressing needs,” said Hall. “This really impacted me and inspired me to ensure that whatever work I do needs to be rooted in meeting the needs of our world.”
In Uganda, Hall has supported literacy efforts at the primary school level, and facilitated professional development sessions to teach effective education methods and ways to create safe, friendly learning environments for children. She has also provided technical support for Uganda’s “Primary Literacy Project,” trained local women on menstrual health and re-usable menstrual materials, and worked with “Save the Children” in response to the South Sudanese and Democratic Republic of Congo refugee crisis.
“My professor and mentor, Dr. Jane Dickie, inspired me to pursue education as a career pathway to promoting a better world,” said Hall. “My professor, Dr. Boyd Wilson, inspired me to celebrate and reflect upon the diversity that exists in the world. My mentor, Dr. Rebecca Cordova, inspired me to pursue inquiry and sharing my ideas with others. My parents inspired me to pursue my passions wherever they might lead me and know that I’d be supported in my choices along the way.”
After she completes her Peace Corps service, Hall plans to pursue a second master’s degree or a doctorate in education.
“I am very interested in the effects of migration on education,” Hall said. “I am interested in English-language acquisition as a social justice issue, because it enables globally underserved populations to access social and political structures and pursue future opportunities within structures of power.”
The Peace Corps ranks its top volunteer-producing colleges and universities annually according to the size of the student body. Below find the top five schools in each category and the number of alumni currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. View the complete 2018 rankings of the top 25 schools in each category here and find an interactive map that shows where alumni from each college and university are serving here.
LARGE COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES – TOTAL VOLUNTEERS:
More than 15,000 Undergraduates
University of Wisconsin-Madison – 85
University of Washington – 74
University of Minnesota – 72
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill – 70
University of Florida – 68
MEDIUM COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES – TOTAL VOLUNTEERS:
Between 5,000 and 15,000 undergraduates
George Washington University – 50
American University – 49
College of William and Mary – 35
University of Montana – 34
Tulane University – 33
SMALL COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES – TOTAL VOLUNTEERS:
Fewer than 5,000 undergraduates
1. St. Mary’s College of Maryland – 17
2. Macalester College – 15
2. St. Lawrence University – 15
4. University of Redlands – 14
4. University of Mary Washington – 14.
4. Evergreen State College – 14
4. Hobart and William Smith Colleges – 14
4. Whitworth University – 14
4. Spelman College – 14
10. Willamette University – 13
10. Denison University – 13
10. Agnes Scott College – 13
13. Carleton College – 12
13. Bucknell University – 12
13. Eckerd College – 12
GRADUATE SCHOOLS – TOTAL VOLUNTEERS:
1. Tulane University – 27
2. American University – 19
3. University of South Florida – 16
4. George Washington University – 15
5. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor – 14
5. Columbia University – 14
5. University of Denver – 14
HISTORICAL, SINCE 1961 – TOTAL VOLUNTEERS:
University of California, Berkeley 3,671
University of Wisconsin–Madison 3,279
University of Washington 3,027
University of Michigan 2,720
University of Colorado Boulder 2,504
*Rankings are calculated based on fiscal year 2017 data as of September 30, 2017, as self-reported by Peace Corps volunteers.
About the Peace Corps: The Peace Corps sends Americans with a passion for service abroad on behalf of the United States to work with communities and create lasting change. Volunteers develop sustainable solutions to address challenges in education, health, community economic development, agriculture, environment and youth development. Through their Peace Corps experience, Volunteers gain a unique cultural understanding and a life-long commitment to service that positions them to succeed in today’s global economy. Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 230,000 Americans of all ages have served in 141 countries worldwide. For more information, visit peacecorps.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Greetings from the Office of Campus Safety! Since joining Hope College as Director of Campus Safety in 2016, I have been impressed by the caliber and commitment of the students we serve — your daughters and sons. I feel blessed to work in a safe and compassionate community, where students and employees genuinely care for one another.
This sense of community is one of the things I value most about my work here at Hope. In fact, service to the community has always been an important part of my job. In 2015, I retired from the Grand Rapids Police Department after 33 years in law enforcement. Today, I lead a team dedicated to the Hope community — staffed 24 hours a day, with officers and dispatchers always ready to serve. Given our responsibility to protect the campus, we are called to engage all members of the community — students, employees, families, special guests and visitors — and we’ve made it a priority to do that every day.
Parents and family members often ask me what they can do to make sure their student is safe on campus. Thanks for asking! Holland is a safe place, but even a well-earned sense of safety can sometimes lull us into complacency. I encourage you to talk to your students about their safety on and off campus, every chance you get. Not sure how to start the conversation? Consider asking your student these questions:
Do you know the Campus Safety officer assigned to your residence hall? This year, every Campus Safety officer has been assigned a residence hall on campus. If your student lives on campus, they have regular access to a Campus Safety team member who is readily available to assist, support and answer questions. (And if your student lives off campus, they, too, can always rely on Campus Safety as a resource.)
Have you noticed the blue-light safety phones on campus?Do you know when and how to use them?In the fall, Campus Safety began adding more blue-light phones throughout campus. At these phones, anyone can call for emergency services with the push of a button. Encourage your student to take note of the blue-light safety phone locations, and remind them that they can use the phones for any kind of incident, even for something like car trouble.
Do you know what to do if you experience, or if you know someone who has experienced, sexual assault or harassment? These are difficult things to talk about. Thank you for your willingness to have the hard conversations — family support is critical for the success of students while in college, especially when the student experiences challenges. Students who have experienced assault or harassment have options, which include filing an online report or contacting Campus Safety (616.395.7770 / pubsafe@hope.edu) or the Office of Title IX (616.395.6816 / dorer@hope.edu). To review all the options with your student, see the list on the Title IX website.
Have you updated your emergency contact information? Hope keeps your student’s contact information on file so that, in the event of an emergency, we can reach them. Your student can update their information by going to plus.hope.edu, clicking on “Personal Information” and then clicking on “Update Emergency Contacts.”
Do you really need a car on campus? Though many students like having a car at Hope, they do not need one to get around the campus and the city of Holland. So, what do you do if you need a ride from one place to another on campus? There is a free shuttle service on campus during evening hours. And, after the shuttle ends its service for the night, our officers are available to provide escorts for students with safety-based concerns. Students can call Campus Safety 616.395.7770 for this service, keeping in mind that the wait time is dependent on officer availability. The college also offers a variety of off-campus transportation services for students, including rides to field placements and internships.
Is your bike registered? A bike is a great mode of transportation (plus, parking is much easier!) The City of Holland requires that all bicycles used on campus be registered. Your student can register their bike online and pick up the registration in the Campus Safety office.
Do you know what do you do if you see suspicious behavior on campus?If you see something, say something. Students shouldn’t hesitate to contact Campus Safety at 616.395.7770 or 911 if they observe something suspicious.
Do you have questions for Campus Safety? Please contact us at 616.395.7770 or pubsafe@hope.edu. We appreciate your ongoing interest and support.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Hertel
Director of Campus Safety
Before we hear Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth announce the starting line ups for Super Bowl LII, before the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots make their opening drives, before Justin Timberlake performs at half-time and before we tune in for 30-second commercials worth over $5 million each, Perry Paganelli ’80 will be somewhere in the depths of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis lacing up his black turf shoes and putting on his zebra-striped #46 uniform.
Back Judge Perry Paganelli ’80 #46 follows the action in the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers against the New York Jets at Heinz Field on October 9, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Pereira/Getty Images)
Perhaps at this moment he will be thinking about how far he has come from history and education classes, baseball practices and football games on the campus of Hope College. Either way, it won’t be the first time he’s prepared to officiate football’s biggest game. In fact, making calls on the NFL’s biggest stage is a family affair.
In 2007, Perry officiated with his younger brother, Carl, in Super Bowl XLI in Miami, when Tony Dungy’s Colts beat Lovie Smith’s Bears for the Lombardi Trophy. It was the first time in NFL history that two brothers had been assigned to officiate a Super Bowl game. Yet a third brother, Dino, also officiates in the NFL. Paganelli’s father, Carl Sr., also had a distinguished football officiating career and has trained more than 30 current NFL officials.
Perry Paganelli ’80 pictured in his junior class photo from the 1979 Milestone yearbook. (Photo by Hope College Milestone)
At Hope, Perry played football and baseball for the Flying Dutchmen while preparing for a career as a teacher. During his senior season, he led the football team in pass interceptions and achieved All-MIAA honors as a designated hitter in baseball. As an alumnus and varsity letter winner with a career in professional sports, he is one of Hope’s notable H-Club members.
The Paganellis started their collegiate officiating careers in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), of which Hope College is a member. Perry, who resides in the Grand Rapids area and had a teaching and coaching career at Rogers High School, has been an NFL official for 19 seasons. Super Bowl Sunday will be his 300th career game.
Perry Paganelli ’80 poses with the 1979 Hope College Flying Dutchmen baseball team in the back row, fourth from the right. (Photo by Hope College Milestone)
Tune in to see this impressive Hope graduate in action on February 4, 2018 on NBC at 6:30 pm ET.
You can also read about another alumnus making calls under pressure in the big leagues. MLB umpire DJ Reyburn ’99 was featured in the April 2017 issue of News from Hope College.
Jalaa’ Abdelwahab ’97 during a return visit to Hope College.
Each step of Jalaa’ Abdelwahab’s journey in life has uniquely prepared him for this next one. . . eradicating polio.
Growing up in Ramallah, Palestine, he remembers being influenced by witnessing the public health hazards created by nearby Israeli settlements and within Palestinian refugee camps. He attended classes in secret as occupation forces denied young adults like him the right to an education. After he finished high school, he secured a scholarship to Hope College.
At first he wanted to be a doctor. Influenced by his upbringing, he had a deep desire to promote equality in society. However, early in his studies he realized that he wanted to find solutions for large-scale health problems, rather than work with just one patient at a time.
Jalaa’ credits his professors for helping him nurture diverse interests – from biology to painting and poetry to acting. He also grew from his involvement in activities like a semester abroad in Australia, the Model Arab League, the International Relations Club, and serving as a resident assistant. Each new endeavor gave him an opportunity to hear the stories of students from different backgrounds and to share his experiences with them.
“Hope College helped me develop a comprehensive package for life. It helped me develop very strong academic discipline, but it also gave me room to build and express social and artistic skills.”
Jalaa’ graduated from Hope with a degree in biology and biochemistry in 1997. Passionate about establishing communities founded on principles of equality and health, he pursued his Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan. He then joined the Public Health Prevention Service fellowship program working with the Center for Disease Control and UNICEF and became involved in eradicating polio and measles, starting first at the WHO African Regional Office in Harare, Zimbabwe. He also worked for two years with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on epidemiological investigations of tuberculosis in the city. Upon completing his fellowship in 2003, he joined CDC as a Public Health Advisor in the Polio Eradication Branch providing technical support to Egypt and India.
Jalaa’ Abdelwahab ’97 inspects a vaccine with national staff in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. (Photo by IES Abroad)
But it was on a field assignment with the polio eradication program in South Sudan during the civil war that he discovered his calling. In an interview with IES Abroad, he shared, “that experience was beyond anything I could describe. I realized how noble and simple the goal for polio eradication is: once eradication is achieved, every single person will live without the threat of death or disability from polio. It is the definition of equity—something I have always dreamed of seeing and experiencing growing up in Palestine. I felt committed and inspired, and I embarked on a journey to fight this disease in all corners of our planet.”
A child receives a polio immunization in Northern India. (Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux)
Today, he coordinates with UNICEF, WHO, CDC, Rotary International, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work closely with country offices, regional offices and government counterparts to implement strategies to stop poliovirus transmission in the most complex settings around the world. They conduct mass vaccination campaigns during short periods of time to vaccinate every single child with two drops of polio vaccine in an effort to wipe out the virus once and for all.
They are getting close. In the past 20 years, the number of cases has fallen by more than 99 percent. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio each year, affecting 125 countries. In 2017 there were only 16 cases in two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Jalaa’ recently discussed this as a panelist at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health and was featured in an article on polio eradication in TIME Magazine.
Jalaa’ has several scientific publications to his name, including on tuberculosis and polio as well as published poetry. In the midst of working to eradicate diseases around the world, he has stayed actively connected to his alma mater. In 2005, he delivered the annual A. J. Muste Memorial Lecture and sat down with Hope students to discuss their vocational goals. Jalaa’ returned to campus to speak at the college’s Critical Issues Symposium in 2008. In 2010, he returned again to connect with students and community members as a recipient of the Young Alumni Award.
“The best feeling is when you reach a child who hasn’t been vaccinated. You know that this beautiful human being in front of you deserves this protection just as much as any other child in the world. Once we realize we’re living in a global village and we should all be treated as equal, we all benefit.”
Jalaa Abdelwahab ’97 was drawn to a career in global public health because of the opportunity it offered to make a difference. He is pictured with a child in Merka, Somalia in 2006.
Thanks to the incredible dedication of influential figures such as Jalaa’ Abdelwahab, estimates indicate that not a single person may suffer from polio in 2018 and the years to follow.
Anna Gibbs ’20 and Scott Travis ’06 contributed to this post with information from earlier work by News from Hope Collegeand IES Abroad.
Every fall, the Hope College community welcomes a new class of students to campus. These students will experience the power of a Hope education.
They will thrive in small classes, where one-on-one collaboration with professors is the norm. They will experience a uniquely vibrant Christian character, with many opportunities to explore their faith. They will participate in one or more of the 1,800+ internship opportunities and 300+ study-abroad opportunities in more than 60 countries. They will mature as leaders, guided by staff who care about their personal, professional and spiritual development. And, they will begin their career or enroll in graduate school soon after graduation, ready to lead and shape their communities.
Together, our faculty and staff support the mission of Hope College — to educate students for lives of leadership and service in a global society through academic and co-curricular programs of recognized excellence in the liberal arts and in the context of the historic Christian faith. Donors bring this mission to life for countless accomplished students, making a Hope education accessible for many who might otherwise deem it impossible. Ninety percent of Hope students receive financial aid based on need or merit, and about 750 students benefit specifically from donor-endowed scholarships.
“Hope is a place that opens doors, offers a multitude of opportunities and connects students to people who sincerely want to help,” said Meghan Lau ’15 at Hope’s annual Scholarship Luncheon.”
“Each story of every scholarship, every donor and every recipient is unique.”
Your gift to Hope makes a significant and positive impact on the students of today and tomorrow. Visit hope.edu/give for more details on supporting student scholarships.
Ask Alexis-Simone Rivers who influenced her most during college, and she’s quick to recognize two people: her mother, and her scholarship donor, Mrs. Libby Hillegonds.
Alexis-Simone Rivers and Mrs. Libby Hillegonds.
As a shy freshman, Alexis-Simone had mapped out her future around the certainty of a nursing career. During her first year at Hope, which was a period of discernment, she realized that nursing was not, in fact, her calling. Suddenly having to rethink her vocation, Alexis-Simone was disheartened. But, knowing she was supported by the William Hillegonds Scholarship — and encouraged by her mother — Alexis-Simone found heart, persevered and even chose to study abroad the spring of her sophomore year.
“Being in Argentina was my most challenging semester,” she says. Challenging, and life-changing. Alexis-Simone returned to campus with a new sense of purpose and identity. She switched her major to business and marketing, and leapt into leadership positions. She served as the Advising and Transition Orientation director, a program coordinator and mentor for the GROW Peer Mentoring Program, a core member of the Student Activities Committee, and the president of two student organizations.
Alexis-Simone Rivers ’16 receiving her diploma at commencement.
When Alexis-Simone received her diploma in May 2016, she was a different person.
“I’ve learned not to lose sight of my goals and ambitions,” she says, “and to remember I am a child of God.”
Your gift to Hope makes a significant and positive impact on the students of today and tomorrow. Visit hope.edu/give for more details on supporting student scholarships.
