Hey all!
Let me introduce myself. My name is Sophie Guetzko, and along with Kathryn Krieger, I’m one of two freshman bloggers for Hope! I’m psyched for all that God has waiting for me here on campus. I’m from Manchester, Iowa, a small town about two hours and fifteen minutes north of Des Moines.
Let me give you a snapshot of my life so far on campus:
Major: Communications
Residence: The first floor of Kollen Hall, the largest co-ed dorm on campus. And yes, I love it! I honestly have to say I don’t think there’s a dorm you wouldn’t want to live in on campus– I haven’t met one person yet who says they don’t love their residence hall.
Activities: I’ve been to two football games, a soccer game, twelve worship services at Dimnent Chapel, which is Hope College’s campus chapel, and too many other activities to count! On Friday night we had a “South Side” dorm-sponsored Block Party, where the dorms of the “South Side” (Kollen, Lichty, Wyckoff, and Scott) all get together for a dance party behind Kollen Hall. My friends and I had a blast dancing and singing along to the music, meeting new people, and, the best part, eating tons of free food! Last weekend two upperclassman cottages hosted a free pancake and waffle party, which was tons of fun too!
I’m involved with Campus Crusaders for Christ, which is similar to a church “youth group,” if you’re familiar with that. We’ve had two meetings, and it’s been awesome so far!
I plan to be involved in Nykerk and Dance Marathon later on this year, and I’m looking forward to getting involved with the Anchor, the school newspaper, as well.
So, the real question: Why did a small town Iowa girl choose Hope College, 6.5 hours away from home?
I visited here with my cousin, Jordan, during the spring of my junior year of high school– she’s a freshman here this year, too! She lives in the Grand Rapids area. It was the first college visit I went on, and I immediately fell in love with the campus. Over the next year, I visited five other colleges and applied to seven, but at the end of my college search, my heart was still at Hope.
Here’s why I love Hope:
- It’s impossible to walk through campus without someone saying “hi” to you, it’s just a fact. Everyone is so friendly and loves to talk!
- Hope is widely known for its academics, which excited me. I knew I would be pushed to my full potential and to greater depths than ever before.
- The Christian community. I’ve only been here three weeks, but the amount of late-night chats I’ve had with other students about our faith have been numerous. And the best part? The worship and religious activities are all optional, so you don’t have to feel obligated to be there at every service (but I have to say, I’m always there!)
Want to keep up with what’s up around campus? Follow me @hopesophie17 on Twitter and Instagram (my Instagram feed is currently empty, but I can promise I’ll be posting soon!) Have any questions? Leave a comment here or send me a note at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu, or feel free to tweet at me.
Can’t wait to keep you updated as my journey continues!