Faculty and staff members talking in the Kletz before the start of the school year.Students doing homework in the KletzKletz sign lit up in DeWitt
The lower level of DeWitt is being transformed to house an innovative and collaborative space that will house the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement, The Boerigter Center for Calling and Career, and The Center for Leadership. The future is bright for that space and we are looking forward to all the opportunities it will provide students and alumni alike!
But while we are excited about the future, we know that The Kletz’s history is full of special memories for our alumni. Curly fries, open mic nights, Hope-themed lattes, tuna melts, late-night study sessions…the list goes on. Some of you may have gone on a date with your future spouse in those purple booths. Or maybe you worked at Cool Beans. Or watched the final episode of “Friends” with your own friends on the clunky big screen. Or perhaps you lost your frisbee on the top of the glass ceiling while playing disc golf outside. Did you have your CD signed by Dee-1 after his SAC Series performance? So much life was lived under that glass!
So, if you still crave the quesadillas or if you lost your Kletz cup three moves ago, we have an opportunity for you to own a small piece of the magic that was The Kletz. Before construction began, we saved the iconic furniture and fixtures to offer to you! Take a look at our Kletz “Garage” Sale at hope.edu/kletzsale – maybe a purple booth is exactly what your basement is missing! All funds will go toward creating an Alumni Lounge within the renovated space, which will continue the legacy of the Kletz being a space for meaningful connection.
Note: the sale ends at 5:00 pm on Friday, August 19, 2022.
Every year, the Holland Bowl Mill creates beautiful wooden bowls that are used as our physical awards for the 10 Under 10 award recipients. Below the recipient’s name and graduation year, the bowl states that they are “an agent of Hope living faithfully into their vocation.” While this year’s recipients’ vocations range from social work to art education to medicine, they have all used their unique talents and passions and their Hope educations to impact their local and global communities.
The 10 Under 10 Awards are designed to highlight our young alumni and demonstrate the amazing things they are able to accomplish in the short amount of time since their graduation. The 10 alumni who are honored with this award represent the many, many more graduates who are serving as amazing role models for current Hope students.
We are so proud of the 2022 cohort and look forward to celebrating them during One Big Weekend at the 10 Under 10 Soirée on October 21, 2022. It will be a special evening to highlight their accomplishments and celebrate their contributions.
We are delighted to announce that the 2022 recipients are:
Sara Duhr ’12 Bazydlo | Licensed Clinical Social Worker at John D. Dingell VA Medical Center Eden Collins ’12 | Assistant Professor of Art at Stephen F. Austin State University Joshua Cooper ’17 | Voter Protection Director – Democratic Party of Illinois 2022 Coordinated Campaign Allix Hutchison ’17 | First Grade Teacher at Hudsonville Public Schools Alecia Ivery ’13| Midwest Lead Consultant & National Trainer at The Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport Nicholas Leonard ’12 | Art and Design Education Visiting Lecturer at Northern Illinois University Isabel Morris ’15 | Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at New Mexico Tech Samantha Poon ’14 | Attorney, Department of Homeland Security Marco Tori ’12 | Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / LCDR, United States Public Health Service Alexandra Vroom ’19 | Registered Nurse at Trinity Health – St Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor
After a short break, a successful DiscoverWork cycle happened this past spring!
Unlike an internship, DiscoverWork opportunities are short-term, unpaid opportunities to meet with and shadow a professional to gain a first-hand perspective of his or her day-to-day work life. This job shadowing experience allows undergraduates to explore different industries as well as gain a better understanding of the connections between academics and the world of work. Shadow experiences can span from a few hours to a few days and can be in person or virtual.
Students and hosts who have participated in the past have overwhelmingly expressed how valuable the experience was for them.
MEET JOHN AND KAYLA
Kayla Carpenter ’24 and Dr. John Donkersloot ’11
One match this past spring was Dr. John Donkersloot ’11 (pictured on the right), Trauma Surgery Fellow at Hurley Medical Center, and Kayla Carpenter ’24 (left), a current Hope student.
John’s reflections on the DiscoverWork program: “Going through the DiscoverWork program with Kayla was an incredibly rich and rewarding experience. The various hurdles of medical school, residency, and afterward are things I wished I knew while studying for Organic Chemistry, and sharing these experiences with someone in the midst of premedical studies was very satisfying. The connections made by DiscoverWork were very meaningful, and I look forward to continuing to invest in mentoring Hope College students through the program for years to come!”
Kayla also had positive reviews about her experience: “Getting connected with Dr. Donkersloot through the DiscoverWork program is an experience for which I’m immensely grateful. Not only was I given the unique opportunity to shadow Dr. Donkersloot in the Intensive Care Unit at Hurley Medical Center and see a robot surgery, leg amputation, and several other procedures, but I also got a glimpse into his life as a physician outside of the hospital. Seeing where Dr. Donkersloot is today and knowing that not too long ago, he was in the same classrooms and labs that I’m currently in was an encouraging experience. His advice and insights into the medical field gave me more confidence not only in what I’m doing at Hope but also in the simple fact that I am at Hope and getting exceptional preparation for a future in medicine.”
MEET ROB, MARKETEA and JAZMIN
Jazmin Martinez ’23, Rob Bradford ’02 and Marketea Abbott ’22
Another match this past spring was Rob Bradford ’02 (center), Head of the Middle School at Sheridan School, and Hope students Marketea Abbott ’22 (right) and Jazmin Martinez ’23 (left).
Rob’s reflections: “The DiscoverWork Program is an absolute delight. I had the opportunity to host two Hope College students this year and it was the perfect choice. Marketea and Jazmin were stellar students who fully integrated themselves into our family as well as into my school. They asked tough questions, challenged my professional thinking, and brought joy to our week. We loved having them with us and we love hosting Hope students!!”
Marketea’s reflections: “While at Sheridan School, I was able to learn about both the benefits and drawbacks of independent schools. Rob and his coworkers were so open, honest and genuine when connecting with me. I will always love the time spent with the Bradford family! From Sheridan School to the Bradford home: I laughed, learned and truly enjoyed myself.”
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN BEING A DISCOVERWORK HOST?
Hosts have an opportunity to:
Make a positive and lasting impact on the career exploration process for an undergraduate student(s)
Aid in informing students about the helpful and required skills needed to enter the workforce
Develop personal connections with current students in a coaching/mentoring capacity
Have a chance to meet potential new talent for future summer interns or full-time employees
Increase the exposure of your company and career field/industry
Hope Forward is a creative new approach to funding a college education, so what could be more appropriate than finding a creative way of helping make the initiative a reality?
Dan ’09 and Kara Dornbusch ’12 Guy, owners of the Espresso Bay coffee shop in downtown Traverse City, Michigan, have done just that by creating the “Hope Forward Blend.”
“We were in Holland and had the chance to meet with President Scogin in his office,” Dan Guy recalled. “We wanted a way to get involved and help support it. The best way we could do that was to do another type of coffee. All the proceeds from the sales go to the Hope Forward fund.”
“It’s actually my favorite blend of beans, a medium roast,” he said.
An example of the familiar maxim to think globally and act locally, Hope Forward is addressing the national higher education crisis — the problem of ever-increasing tuition that creates barriers to access and forces graduates to chase income to pay off student-loan debt rather than pursue impact — by seeking to fully fund Hope students’ tuition up-front. It’s a generosity-based model that will ask graduates to voluntarily provide financial support to the college to provide for future students the same gift of a transformative education that they received because of others. To get there, Hope is engaged in a major effort to increase the endowment to meet the initial cost, with subsequent support meeting future need.
“Hope’s a really special place for both of us,” Dan said. “We really had a positive experience there. It’s just some little way that we can stay connected and help support the future generations hoping to go and get a good Christian education.”
It was easy for the Guys to choose to become part of the effort. At the most fundamental level, they owe their relationship to Hope: They met in the summer of 2008 during one of the regional picnics organized by the college for incoming students as Kara was about to begin her freshman year. More, though, they appreciate the education that they received and want to provide the same for future generations.
Espresso Bay is a family business. Kara’s parents started it in 2003 and ran it for a number of years before passing the reins to Kara and Dan in 2013. Dan, who was in marketing with another company following graduation, now manages the shop full-time, with Kara additionally continuing in her career as a nurse-practitioner.
“You get to meet a lot of fun people,” Dan said. “We get visitors from all over the world, especially in the summer. It’s fun.”
Kara Dornbusch ’12 Guy (left) and Dan Guy ’09 (right) with President Matthew A. Scogin ’02 at Espresso Bay in Traverse City, Michigan, with the Hope Forward blend.
Becoming among those visitors is one way to experience the “Hope Forward Blend” (Espresso Bay is located at 202 E. Front Street in Traverse City, at the intersection with Cass Street near Clinch Park Beach and the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay), but it’s not the only way. The shop also includes the blend among the variety of coffees that customers may order through its website at espressobay.com and have shipped to them.
In addition to transforming the future for Hope students through Hope Forward, the college is taking the lead in fostering a larger conversation in higher education about helping students and society by transforming the tuition-driven business model. In the same way, Dan and Kara Guy hope that other alumni and friends of the college might find their own unique ways to support Hope Forward.
“We’re hoping that other alumni might see this article and say, ‘Hey — I can do something little to make a difference’ with the products that they make,” Dan said. “If we all do a little bit to add to the fund, we’ll get to the goal eventually.”
President Matt Scogin, Douglas Ruch, Shonn Colbrunn and Sarah Kolean from Hope College gathered to celebrate the generous lead gift from Don and Jodi Heeringa, making the Future of Work project possible. This new space will have a transformational impact for all Hope College students and alumni as we renovate the DeWitt Center for the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career, Alumni and Family Engagement, and Center for Leadership teams.
Thank you to Bill and Sue Bundy for supporting Hope College and launching the idea with the Heeringas. Thank you to recent alumni Megan McCarthy, Nathan Willit and Mary Kamara-Hagemeyer for their wonderful testimonials on the impact this gift will have on future students.
Remember the Kletz in the lower level of DeWitt? It’s moved to the Bultman Student Center. Now, we have a vision to transform that space and create a place for students to connect with alumni, employers, coaches and mentors as they prepare for The Future of Work. This space will be staffed in collaboration with the Boerigter Center for Calling and Career, the Office of Alumni and Family Engagement, and the Center for Leadership.
We’ve already raised over 80% of the funds needed to make this happen. We need your help crossing the finish line in order to begin construction later this summer!
Specifically, this project will:
Create a welcoming home, adjacent to the bookstore, for alumni and families to return for lifelong learning opportunities.
Provide a collaborative environment for student projects that tackle real-world challenges with alumni, families and employers.
Host interviews with recruiters from top organizations as well as networking events, panels and presentations showcasing alumni career paths.
Build spaces that integrate technology and prepare students for The Future of Work…a future of transformation, innovation and creativity!
Recognition Opportunities:
This 9,000 square foot renovation will have a variety of spaces regularly used by Hope students, alumni, and other members of the Hope community. If you or your company are interested in naming opportunities for any of these spaces, please contact Shonn Colbrunn at colbrunn@hope.edu or 616.395.7950.
Allison Utting ’18 Burkhardt, who teaches United States history at West Middle School in the Byron Center Public Schools, has been named the state of Michigan’s recipient of a 2022 James Madison Graduate Fellowship by the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation.
Allison Utting ’18 Burkhardt
Recognized as one of America’s most prestigious awards in constitutional history and government for secondary teachers, James Madison Fellowships support the graduate study of American history by aspiring and experienced secondary school teachers of American history, American government and civics. The foundation offers only one fellowship per state per year.
“I became aware of the James Madison Fellowship during my freshman year at Hope,” Burkhardt said. “Being selected as a 2022 fellow is an incredible honor, and I am excited for the opportunity to deepen my own understanding of our nation’s founding and continue to share my passion and knowledge of the U.S. Constitution with my students in the classroom.”
Named in honor of the fourth president of the United States, the fellowships are intended to recognize promising and distinguished teachers, to strengthen their knowledge of the origins and development of American constitutional government, and thus to expose secondary school students to accurate knowledge of the nation’s constitutional heritage.
The fellowships fund up to $24,000 towards a master’s degree to individuals desiring to become outstanding educators of the American Constitution. As part of the program, each fellow also attends a four-week summer institute on the Constitution held in Washington, D.C. Taught by constitutional scholars and running June 11-July 8 this year, the course focuses on the principles, framing, ratification and implementation of constitutional government in the United States.
Burkhardt is pursuing a Master of Arts degree with a specialization in teaching American history and government through Ashland University. She anticipates graduating this coming December.
Burkhardt majored in secondary education with a focus in history at Hope. While at the college, she interned at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum and later co-authored the book Making Music: Hope College’s Department of Music, A History with Dr. Marc Baer, who is retired from Hope as professor emeritus of history, interim dean for arts and humanities, and interim chair of the Department of Music.
Additional information about the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation may be found at www.jamesmadison.gov.
Thanks for joining us for Alumni Weekend 2022. It was so great to see you! We had the chance to celebrate reunions and connections for the Fifty Year Circle and the Classes of 1970, 1971, 1972, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1990, 1991 and 1992. Here’s a link for more photos.
Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Tim Brown ’73 with his family.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards for 2020 and 2021 were presented to Dr. Elton Bruins ’50, Craig Morford ’81, Dr. Deborah Heydenburg ’87 Fuller and Lara Plewka ’98 MacGregor. Jalaa’ Abdelwahab ’97 accepted his award virtually from Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. James Bultman ’63, Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Rev. Dr. Tim Brown ’73, President Matthew A. Scogin ’02 and Rev. Dr. Trygve Johnson at the 2022 Annual Alumni Banquet.
Learn more about the Distinguished Alumni Awards and make a nomination at hope.edu/alumni/awards.
Join us for Day of Giving 2022, beginning at midnight on Thursday, February 24 and running through noon on Friday, February 25. It’s 36 hours to #Give2Hope.
By giving to what you love on Day of Giving at Hope College, you can support the areas that impacted you the most: the departments, programs and causes you care most about. This is how change happens for Hope students today!
This year, scholarships are still our greatest need, but regardless of where you give or how much you give, your support will all make a difference in the lives of students — ultimately changing everything!
So what are you waiting for? Help change something, today! Go to hope.edu/Give2Hope to learn more and make your gift.
There’s still time to sign up to be an Ambassador for Day of Giving! Learn more.
Emery Max graduated from Hope College in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science and psychology. After Hope College he went to Michigan State University. He earned his master’s degree in 2014 and then his doctorate in 2017. During his time at Michigan State University, he worked as a graduate guest researcher and lecturer, presented research findings at multiple international conferences, developed and taught a number of upper-level undergraduate courses, provided technical training for other instructors, and served as a guidance committee member for several graduate students. Max also authored several peer-reviewed publications and textbook chapters on exercise psychology, motivation, and group dynamics. Additionally, he served as project manager in the Exergames Research Laboratory on a grant funded by National Institutes of Health. After graduate school, Max founded Paragon Fitwear, which is an e-commerce brand specializing in fitness apparel designed for women in and out of the gym. This brand is fully owned by Hope graduates and has original apparel design, development, production, marketing and worldwide distribution. They are a carbon-neutral brand and pledge to give 1% of profits to good causes as part of the Better World Pledge. Emery Max is setting the standard for quality, affordable and ethical women’s activewear. We are proud of his efforts and the work he is doing to make changes in the world.
Hope College is proud to honor Emery Max ’12 with the 2021 10 Under 10 Award. The “10 Under 10 Awards” honors emerging leaders who are making significant contributions by living out their callings; engaged in the local and global community through professional and/or volunteer involvement; and use their education to think about important issues with wisdom and clarity, communicate effectively to bridge boundaries that divide human communities and act as agents of hope living faithfully into their vocations. Designed for alumni who are within 10 years of graduation, they are presented by the Hope College Alumni Association. Make a nomination today!
