This past Friday, Chris Jones, the Hypnotist who was a contestant on America’s Got Talent, performed for Hope College in the Maas Auditorium. It was absolutely insane and I, along with the rest of the audience, enjoyed every second of it. Although I didn’t get hypnotized (I tried) many others did, suddenly dropping their heads at the sound of his voice. It was difficult to believe than any part of it was scripted since students I knew kept eerily blank facial expressions throughout the entire event, completely unaffected by the uproarious laughter around them.

The Highlights:

1. Hypnotistland: Strapped to their seats by their arms and screaming for their lives, we watched as those who were hypnotize convulse in their chairs, believing they were being thrown around by an awesome rollercoaster. At one point, Chris Jones suggested that the seatbelt broke so they held onto each other for dear life.
2. Thriller Night: The Hypnotist made them believe they were zombies… and released them out into the audience to hunt for a meal. One of the supposed zombies decided that a friend to my right had the most delicious brains.
3. Dancing in the Moonlight: After the zombies found their meal and had a little nibble, they were hypnotized into believing their meal was in fact their prom date. Slow dancing ensued.
4. It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s: Mashed potato gal (she shoots mashed potatos from her hands). Buns (she can only heal baby bunnies). Fisherman (he catches fish). Gene man (he alters people’s genes, not their jeans). Kip (he can jump, for good or evil). One thing we realized is that people can be really creative under hypnosis. Chris Jones prompted them to pick an unconventional superhero name who had an unconventional power and save people who were “in danger” in the audience.
5. Professor X: A superpower they all had in common later that night was mind reading. They picked another partner from the audience and told the rest of us what his or her happy and naughty thoughts were. My favorite naughty thought was throwing grass at prospective students (only at Hope, kids).

One of my favorite parts was that at the end of the show the Hypnotist led his victims to believe that they had been at a Drake concert the entire time. Additionally, none of them could pronounce or remember their names for the rest of the night.

While hypnotism shows are loads of fun, Chris Jones wants to also use his talent to help others overcome their stutters, decrease the pain for a soon-to-be mother giving birth, increase the energy and confidence in everyday people, and so on. I pray for the Hypnotist’s success in his endeavors and hope he comes back to perform for us again!

During my time at North Allegheny’s Ingomar Middle School in Mccandless, Pennsylvania, every single year the 8th grade chorus would sing a rendition of “Seasons of Love” from the musical Rent. The idea was that the lyrics of the song, reflecting on what “measures a year”, (in the song, love is deemed the only proper measurement), could sum up our time as the top dogs of the middle school. Why this thought came to my mind today, I have no idea. However it got me thinking, what exactly have I done in the past 525,600 minutes?

A year ago today, January 22, 2015, was a very hectic day in the life of Steve Binnig. It was a Tuesday, and at that time everyone would say the “club was going up” in reference to the ILOVEMAKONNEN song. It’s crazy how terrible the taste in music was a year ago. Anyways, the next day, the 23rd, I was leaving for my second trip to Cap Haitien, Haiti. I should have been concerned that I had a grand total of zero items packed, but that was not on the forefront of my mind. However, what was really on my brain was a question I planned to ask that night. A very important question might I add. We’ll get to that later.

Moving along, the Haiti trip was awesome. That week completely recharged my spiritual batteries, and reignited my passion for missions, and Haiti.

After Haiti came a dance.

Then there was this awful time where an oral surgeon removed all of the wisdom from my mouth, a week that I am definitely happy is in the past. A few short weeks after that: another dance. Senior Prom this time, made me feel old.

Up next came the end of my club soccer career. The last time I would play alongside some of the best athletes I have ever known. Throughout the years, 15 collegiate soccer players were on that team. 10 of those 15 are currently or soon will be playing at a Division I school.

Quickly to follow was senior banquet, then graduation, a graduation party for myself, a beach trip, some more graduation parties, and then some really tough goodbyes. Goodbyes to friends, family, and home. It all came and went so quickly that I felt like I didn’t even have time to experience it.

Since this is my first blog specifically directed at high school seniors, I decided I’d try my best to relate to them. I know what it’s like being the second semester senior… maybe Mom even lets you sleep through first period every other day! What a privilege. None the less, enjoy every second of it, because before you know it, it’s over. Next thing you know, maybe you’ll be here, at Hope College. The funny thing is, not that much really changes. For example…

Less than four months from today, I’m leading a trip of Hope Students to Haiti. It’s wild to me that I get to share something I love so deeply with people I love equally as deeply.

I also found another team, the only difference is these guys like to wear orange.

The craziest part is, I still find my self getting asked to dances

My point is pretty cliche. A lot can change in a year. If I’ve learned one thing its that the best things tend to stick around. So Abby, thanks for answering yes to that “very important” question I asked you a year ago.

 So it goes, the lyrics to 525,600 minutes are somewhat accurate. I haven’t been measuring the past year in cups of coffee, sunsets, laughter, and no, not even strife. But rather, when I look back on the last year I think of my love for the God I get to humbly serve everyday, my love for a small island-nation and its people, my love for a game, and my love for a girl. It’s been a good year.

Next year, you could be here.

With love,

Steve

One thing that I love about college is that I have so many things at my disposal right now that might never be provided again. With one phone call, my driveway gets plowed, and I do not even have to pay for it. A visit to the library allows me to use an HTML-writing program on the computers there when classes are in session in the computer science labs. That way, I do not have to take up precious space on my overloaded laptop in order to use the program. There are so many services and offices on this campus that I am sure I still do not know what all of them do, or even that they exist, but here are a few that I visit or make use of most often!

Campus Ministries

My roommate, Allix, and I with Paul, one of Hope’s chaplains. He loves pizza.

Trgyve (Dean of the Chapel) and I after last semester’s Lessons and Carols service!

My friend and fellow singer, Maddie, and I with Bruce, the chaplain of worship at Hope!

Campus Ministries is full of wonderful people who have helped to make my experience at Hope so great, and they have helped shape me into a person that is friendlier, more positive, and most of all, more invested in my faith. Campus Ministries is in charge of Chapel and Gathering services, so the worship team that I am on runs through them. They send out several immersion trips every spring break that give people awesome experiences in new communities. They also host Men’s and Women’s Nights Out every semester, and they put together a whole bunch of Bible studies that I have had the privilege to take part in. All the chaplains are also always available for coffee, pizza, or a chat. I have loved getting to know them all throughout my time at Hope!

Health Center

The Health Center is super great because it is right on campus, and if you are sick, they can help! I cannot count how many times I have gone there throughout my time at Hope. They can provide you with medicine and give you advice on how to recover from whatever you are dealing with, or if they think you need to see another doctor or a specialist, they are great about making referrals to nearby physicians.

Print and Mail Services

I love Print and Mail services for many, many reasons. The print services are super inexpensive and they’re really nice. Last year I purchased a big poster of a photo I had taken. I think it cost me about five dollars, and it looked like a really high-quality print, especially for that price. Mail services is great because it prevents me from having to walk or drive to the post office, which isn’t really all that much further away, but it is nice to have something right on campus. Sometimes people will leave cardboard boxes there for free so you don’t even have to buy one to ship a package. Mail services will also sell you stamps, help you pay for postage on whatever you are mailing, and best of all, it’s the place where you pick up the packages you’ve received in the mail.

Klooster Center for Excellence in Writing

The Klooster Center is great because it offers (free!) services in editing, proofreading, outlining, and developing papers. I took a really long paper there for a class last semester, and even though we didn’t have time to go through the whole thing, I told my assigned writing assistant which parts of the paper I was concerned about, and she helped me to make them stronger. She also helped me to feel a lot more confident about parts of the paper that were already good, even though I wasn’t sure about them yet. Additionally, when you go to the Klooster Center, they send the professor of your class an email saying that you used their service. That way, your professor knows that you have been taking advantage of every opportunity to write the best paper you can.

Career Development Center

I’ve been making appearances at the Career Development Center quite a bit lately, because I learned that they have drop-in hours during the afternoon. These are super convenient, because sometimes I don’t know when I’ll be available for a full appointment, so I can just drop by for help whenever I need it and whenever I have time. The CDC has helped me to lay out my four-year plan to make sure I’ll graduate on time, and has helped me to choose a major that will allow me to work in fields that I will enjoy. Lately, I have been asking the employees to help me perfect my resume so that I can send it off in applications for the Chicago Semester program that I am hoping to participate in this fall. They also do headshots for people from time to time, mock interviews, and a ton of networking events!

Library

I also spend a lot of time in Van Wylen Library for obvious reasons. They offer a lot of great services (they house the Klooster Center), like the TechLab, which will assist you with any technological needs you have. They also have a lot of programs preinstalled on the computers there in case you need them for a class but do not have them on your laptop. Of course, they have a ton of really helpful books and research tools, and the people who work there are always willing to assist students with anything they may need!

There are many more offices and services on campus, but these are just a few with which I am the most familiar. Hope offers a lot of really great opportunities to succeed in college and to make the most of your time, and I am really thankful for all of them, such as the things I have mentioned here!

Thanks for reading! Keep up with me on Twitter (@hopekathryn17), Instagram (@kathrynekrieger), Etsy (LakesPointCollective), or send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu.

“For the Lord your God is living among you.
    He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
    With his love, he will calm all your fears.
    He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

—Zephaniah 3:17

The snow is falling down once again on this beautiful snow globe of a campus that I am so happy to call home sweet Hope.

It’s not always pretty and magical and happy. College is hard, life is scary, and you are surrounded by people trying and succeeding to figure stuff out while you are trying to decide if it’s fine if you wait until tomorrow to make time to shower even though that’s what you told yourself last night. At least that seems to be my experience more often than I would like to admit.

Last night was one of those late-night-life-talks-instead-of-homework kind of nights. My friend and I talked a lot about life, what we’re doing here, what’s after Hope, how quickly time goes, and so on…

So, today I was thinking about what brought me here and what I found.

There was one main thing that brought me to Hope:

The odd peace I felt with my decision because I knew this was where God was       leading me to spend the next four years.

I am awful with overthinking and making decisions – especially big ones – but choosing where to go to college was one of the easiest things I have ever decided.

Once I got to Hope again and again I began to see why God wanted me here. The list I wrote out in the picture above is just a start. Everything from relationships I have formed, to the progress I have made toward figuring out where I am headed, and the little everyday things of life at Hope have made this new chapter so much more than I anticipated.

But the biggest thing is being a part of the people of Hope.

I go to a college that was founded on hope in God, a place where its people live out his love and seek his will. Hope is a place that I am surrounded by people of Christian faith that inspires me, as well as peers of different faiths and beliefs that challenge me to think and grow. And this facet of my Hope experience is one of the coolest things to me.

As a prospective student, you are thinking about a lot when it comes to choosing a college. It’s not just the name (even though I first researched Hope because I thought the name was cute) or the place. It’s more about what’s in the name. What kind of experience can you find within the college of your choice? Because that is what will make the biggest impact on you as you grow and figure out who you are. And I pray that all of you will find your perfect college experience, wherever that may be.

Thanks for reading!
-Erin

If you have any questions at all feel free to email me at erin.hoolahan@hope.edu