Hi everyone!
My name is Kathryn and I am one of the two freshman student bloggers for Hope. I am so excited that you’re here reading this and I hope you’ll continue to journey with me through this blog as I experience my first year of college. First, I just want to share a little bit about me through the standard questions we all get asked constantly throughout the first few weeks of school. I figured it might be beneficial to actually know a few things about this stranger whose life you’re reading about!
Name: Kathryn Krieger
Hometown and high school: Princeton, Illinois (a town of just under 8,000 people located about two hours west of Chicago!). I went to Princeton High School, where my graduating class was around 150.
Major: Vocal Music Education, and I just turned in my form to officially declare this as my major last night! I am so excited!
Residence Hall: Dykstra! And since this is another constant accompaniment to that question, I love it! My cluster is so great!
Things I am (or hope to be) involved in: I am currently in college chorus (a large choir that does not require an audition), Collegium Musicum (a small auditioned choir), and a women’s Bible study. I also did Time to Serve and volunteered at Van Raalte Farms in Holland, I am training as a Young Life leader, I’m on the blogging team of course, and I am also interested in getting involved in Nykerk and Dance Marathon! I am also taking voice and piano lessons. Hope offers so many great opportunities to get involved in different ways than I was in high school and I think that’s so awesome!
Random fact about me: I had two knee surgeries on the same day my junior year of high school.
And, the best question of all, Why Hope?
Why Hope? Why NOT Hope? Honestly, there were no other schools I visited or considered that even compared to all the things I felt that Hope had to offer. Hope seemed like it fixed all the problems I had seen at other schools I looked at. There is really nothing I would change about it! But, here is an actual list of reasons I loved Hope as a prospective student, and love it even more now that I’m here:
- HOLLAND. I live in pretty much the cutest town ever, you guys. And all the awesome little stores are a two-minute walk away. I love it! Plus, let’s be honest, everyone. There’s a beach here.
- Chapel. I looked at a lot of small Christian schools throughout the Midwest, and many of them require students to attend chapel, and sometimes it seems like many of the students there don’t like going. At Hope, it’s the complete opposite. Chapel attendance is not required, but it’s still super full at every service. I love Hope’s chapel. I haven’t been disappointed with it once, and I don’t expect to be!
- The music program. Hope has a great music program where I know I’m going to grow and improve as a musician and future teacher, but it isn’t a program that has ever seemed to me to be extremely competitive between the individual students. Instead, it’s a supportive and loving community of friends who want the best for each other, and who all just happen to be musicians, too.
- The education program! Hope has one of the top-ranked education programs in the state of Michigan.
- The loving Christian atmosphere that still encourages you to make your own decisions. A good portion of Hope students, like myself, probably grew up in Christian families that went to church every week, so being a Christian for some can become something they have just always done. At Hope, they give you every opportunity you could want to grow, serve, and learn about Christ, while at the same time not requiring anything of you. This makes your faith entirely your own. Going to church and chapel and worshipping God in other ways becomes something you do because you want to, not because you have to. I love that about Hope! It encourages you to take responsibility and ownership of your faith while still nurturing your growth as much as possible. I think they’ve found the perfect balance!
- The people. Everyone at Hope is so friendly, loving, and intentional, and I think you can feel that as soon as you step on campus.
- I just knew. I officially visited Hope for the first time during my junior year of high school. It was the first college I really visited. Within the first twenty minutes of my visit, I knew I was coming to college here. I haven’t regretted that decision for a second!
What do you love about Hope? Leave me a comment, send me an email at kathryn.krieger@hope.edu, or tweet (and follow) me on Twitter, @hopekathryn17! Also, let me know if you have any questions or anything you really want to know about Hope!
Thanks for reading! I am so excited to have you all along on this ride with me!