The Great Cloud of Witnesses: Campus Ministries at Hope

Campus Ministries is one of my favorite places on Hope’s campus.  It perches on a hill near the edge of the Pine Grove.  In just the past year, it has held memories of early morning study sessions, nights reading by the fire, and days on the porch playing card games with friends.  Memories of meeting …

My Best Advice to an Incoming Freshman from a Hope College Senior

From a Hope College Senior writing to an incoming Freshman, this is my best advice for you:  Fight the urge to compare yourself to other freshmen. Every upperclassman I know can recall a moment when they called their mom on the phone and said or felt some version of, “It just feels like everyone else …

The Reality of Campus Visits

I love Anchor Days–the sea of visiting students who can’t quite figure out the least awkward way to hold their bright orange folders and the parents buzzing with excitement, pride, and nostalgia, all while simultaneously feeling directionally challenged and overstimulated. I love visit days, not just because of the extra energy at chapel or the …

Transformed by Hope College

What does it mean to be ‘Transformed by Hope’? Being ‘Transformed by Hope’ is the idea that Hope itself can bring profound changes to an individual’s life and worldview. I find this definition to be very fitting for my time here at Hope College. When a student is transformed by Hope, they experience a shift in …

Living Away From Home

In my four years at Hope, I have met only a handful of people that are more obsessed with their hometown than I am. I’ve been more and more aware lately of how early in my first conversation with someone I tell them, “I’m from Petoskey!” The love I have for the little laketown I …

From Lagos, Nigeria, to Holland, Michigan

One of my biggest concerns when moving to the United States for college had to do with living in Holland, Michigan. As an individual from the largest city in Africa with over 20 million people, I was a bit worried about the change of pace and context that I would encounter during college. This difference, …

From Cleaning to Presenting: My Hope College Research Experience

Before coming to Hope, I had the realization that it was going to be hard to be able to gain a lot of experience in research within the Biology field. As an international student from the Philippines, I barely had any research experience and I was not able to either shadow or intern within other …

Dear Parent of an Incoming Freshman

Dear Parent of an Incoming Freshman,  Whether you’re on your tenth college visit or you’re on your very first one, I’m confident you’re rolling through a number of emotions–the excitement for your son or daughter to undertake new adventures of their own, a slight awkwardness realizing that you feel older than you hoped to feel …

Transformed By Hope

As I approach my last semester at Hope College, I have spent more and more time thinking about my experiences at Hope, what I’ve learned in my classes, and what I’ve learned about life. The other day I was at chapel and the speaker said, “Guys, I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but college …

Student Life Experiences

An Outpouring of Life Hope has an overflow of opportunities for students to get involved on campus. The Student Life office at Hope College continually provides opportunities for students to grow and have fun. Centered at the Bultman Student Center (BSC), the Student Life office at Hope College is an inviting space where individuals can …