As parents, watching our college-aged children struggle to find friends can be heart-wrenching. We want nothing more than for them to thrive socially, as well as academically. For each of our Hope students, freshman year, first semester was a real struggle. Looking back, that shouldn’t have come as a surprise. During our son’s first year, …
Author Archives: Blogs Administrator
Meet the Knoester Family
Our collective story of Hope is a circuitous one, full of rivalry, partnership and unexpected joy. Where to start? Growing up I (Peter) always had one foot on either side of the Calvin/Hope divide. My parents, Pat and Arie Knoester are both Calvin graduates yet my uncle, Tom Davelaar, has held down the Hope bench in epic …
Meet the Herrman Family
You mean there is a college in the land of salt-free water, blueberries and cherries, long days and beautiful sunsets, endless sand dunes AND with a lack of stifling humidity? Never mind the snowy long winters and that dreaded “drive around the lake,” we want our daughter to go THERE! Hope College, here comes Camille, …
Encouragement from Dr. Ellen
I am a parent of a college student. I want my student to have an exceptional experience that helps him emerge into adulthood. I am guessing you have similar dreams for your Hope student! I offer a few bits of perspective on college student development for you to consider. 1) College students learn and grow …
Family Access Chats | Spring 2022
Thanks for joining us for Family Access Chats this semester. Here are the recordings in case you missed anything. And here are the links that we discussed for your reference: Boerigter Center for Calling and Career: hope.edu/boerigter DiscoverWork: hope.edu/discoverwork The Hope College Connection: connection.hope.edu *Open to alumni, families, students, faculty and staff* Additional resources available to students: Second Seminar …
Fall 2020 Reflections and Questions To Ask Your Student
In writing this blog post, I attempted a variety of introductions that would provide just the right words to reflect on the semester Hope students, parents, staff and faculty have endured this fall. I realized with each attempt, however, that there was no one perfect way to describe a semester that was unlike any other …
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Tips on Talking with Your Student About Returning to Hope’s Campus
Dear Parents and Families, Greetings from the Hope College Parents’ Council! As co-chairs of the council, we are hearing from other parents whose students are experiencing a wide range of emotions as they prepare to return to Hope — excitement, uncertainty, nervousness and everything in between! No matter what the emotion, it’s clear that Hope …
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Hope Families Can Join “The Hope College Connection”
Greetings from our home in Lake Ann, Michigan where we are spending quality time learning and re-learning Spanish with our youngest daughter, Elizabeth. She is finishing up her Hope College senior year at home with us. We have had a lot of fun listening to virtual classes and watching her adapt to this different way …
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Supporting Your Student During COVID-19
You may suddenly find yourself trying to help your student navigate this new normal on the road to their first job or internship. Even though their search might look a little different, there are many ways you can support your student and keep them in the game. Here are some helpful suggestions: First, if your …
Prepare to Pivot
The word “unprecedented” has been used a lot lately to describe not only the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the response from government and business. Businesses and schools have shifted to work at home and online learning in order to maintain social distance. This has several implications for your student preparing for their next steps whether …