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The third annual Psychology Alumni Conference held on Saturday, April 10, featured alumna Louella DeVries ’93, president of Olive Branch Counseling Associates in Oak Forest, Illinois, who offered her presentation “Sacred Art and Hearing Voices.”

Including portions of her personal story, she spoke on her switch from a studio art major at Trinity to a psychology major and discussed how art and creativity influence her as a clinician.

“I see psychotherapy as a form of sacred art,” DeVries said in her speech. “Just as no two artworks are the same, so it is with psychotherapy clients and with therapists, too.”

Each client is unique and one-of-a-kind, she said. The therapist’s approach should be unique with each client, just as an artist treats no two artworks the same.

DeVries also incorporated the idea of ‘voices’ into her speech, and how the different voices heard throughout the day impact people.

According to DeVries, many individuals are without a good voice to hear. The negative voices they are hearing end up giving them a poor self image. DeVries works to transform the voices that her clients hear, to help them tune out the negative voices, to listen only to the ones that empower, “only the voices that will enable them to thrive as individuals, enriching their communities and God’s kingdom here on earth.”

DeVries encouraged all psychotherapists, future and current, to be mindful of the voice they leave with each client.

“Be creative, honor the unique features of each client sent your way,” she said. “Remember the importance of the voice that you will leave with your clients each time you speak.”

Other speakers included:
Mary Balfoort ’84, presented “My life’s perspective or where the heck did the last 26 years go?”
Kelly Barnes ’08, presented “Is patriotism always a positive force? Blind patriotism, stereotyping, and the mediating role of threat”
Angela Turano ’08, presented “Teaching with a bachelor’s degree in psychology”
Jeremy Oosterhouse ’05, presented “A market-based approach to social service employment”

“We have tried to do things a little bit differently,” Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said, referring to his position in law enforcement. After 11 years of working in the legislative process, Dart has brought his Christian views and perspective to Cook County, where he implements them daily.  In 2009, Dart was named to TIME magazine’s 100 list of people who “most affect the world.”

Speaking to Trinity students, faculty, and community members, Dart discussed three current issues in law enforcement: home evictions, Internet prostitution, and Burr Oak Cemetery.  His speech showed how he, as a sheriff and Christian, is handling each issue.

Criminal justice major Tom Kakos ’11 of Chicago commented on Dart’s presentation. “His speech had an impact on me because I need to learn what the real world entails and how to deal with people not just on a superficial level, but on a Christian level.”

Dennis Connelly, professor of criminal justice, said Dart illustrates the impact of a Christian in law enforcement. “Dart communicated that the decisions made by criminal justice personnel should take into account how  those involved are affected—the victim, society and the offender,” said Connelly.  “In traditional criminal justice, the offender is the primary focus, but Dart concentrates on addressing the trauma the victim has experienced while still ensuring that offenders are properly punished.”

Home Evictions
After banks and mortgage companies started going after homeowners unable to pay, seizing their homes without warning, Dart stepped in, arguing that innocent people were being left on the streets. Deciding he would not be one to make excuses, he stopped the evictions and mandated that families be given fair warning, allowing time for alternative arrangements to be made.

“I just went ahead and did it,” he said, choosing to leave judges out of the decision. “My terms were simple: you have to let people know ahead of time.”

Internet Prostitution
With Craigslist as a leading source for Internet prostitution, Dart has been working hard to get the owners of the site to eliminate prostitution from the Web.

Despite negative feedback on the sheriff department’s website over the issue, Dart has been able to decrease the level of description in the Craigslist postings.

“The law has not been kind to us as far as stopping this site,” Dart said, but added that he rejoices over the fact that in the past year, the department has relieved more than 10 women from their work on the streets. Dart said he plans to continue the initiative, ultimately reducing prostitution as a whole. 

Burr Oak Cemetery
“I’m hoping to work with families to bring some form of closure,” Dart said, commenting on the aftermath of an elaborate scheme to resell plots in the historic Burr Oak Cemetery.

Understanding the tremendous devastation to the families involved, Dart is working hard to do all he can to correct the issue, bringing some sense of peace back into their lives. Dart is very confident in the case and hopes to bring closure soon.

During spring break, six students traveled to Americus, Georgia, to learn more about the Civil Rights Movement and a community that played an important role in it.

Students spent a week at Koinonia Farm, a Christian farm community founded in 1942 that since its beginnings has challenged racism, militarism, and materialism. Boycotted in the 1950s for its stand against racism, Koinonia has been the birthplace of such organizations as Habitat for Humanity International and Fuller Center for Housing.

Students were accompanied by Anna Rosas ’06, director of community partnerships and service learning; Nikki Bruna, social work project coordinator; and Dr. Mackenzie Huyser ’98, professor of social work.

“After reading about and studying intentional Christian communities, it was wonderful to experience life with members of Koinonia,” said Huyser. “Koinonia has an amazing history, and at times it was overwhelming to think about the Christians who once lived in that community and the Christians who are committed to the community today.”

“The Christ-centered community at Koinonia Farm was palpable, and I fell in love,” said Christine Carter ’12 of Wheaton, Illinois. “I learned a lot about what it means to work hard for the Lord, to patiently bring forth God’s kingdom through the actions of our lives, and to strive for justice always.”

The group worked on the farm, where food is raised not only for the community members, but also to sell locally and through its mail order business.The group also spent time visiting local civil rights museums and enjoyed a Sunday school session led by former President Jimmy Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church.

“The people at Koinonia taught us a lot about sustainable farming, and as someone who grew up in a farming community, I found that particularly interesting,” said Hannah Ruckman ’13 of Peotone, Illinois. “I learned so much about what it means to live in an intentional community.”

One day was spent on a home building site with the Fuller Center, established by the founder of Habitat.
 
“That was one of my favorite parts of the trip, because I was able to meet the person who will be occupying the home some day,” said Melisa Rodriguez ’12 of Villa Park, Illinois.

The spring break service trip, which took place March 15-19 in Dungannon, Virginia, allowed Trinity students to repair homes and repair their personal lives.

The trip, under the direction of student coordinator Katie Matthuis ’12 of Mokena, Illinois, brought 20 Trinity students to a section of rural Virginia to make small repairs on homes whose occupants could not afford the extra costs. Some students said they were grateful to be carrying out a mission they felt was God-inspired, lifting financial burdens from those less fortunate.

“It’s nice to see how thankful these people are,” said Mandy Reddish ’11 of Joliet, Illinois. “We’re leaving a lasting impact on their lives. It might just be cleaning up or straightening up their bathrooms or fixing up something that’s broken in their house.” But Reddish said she was glad to experience the joy and relief felt by the lower-income senior citizens she assisted.

When they weren’t working, some students were busy getting to know their fellow classmates on a deeper, more personal level. One participant reflected on how he knew only three people coming in but was able to establish friendships with most of the 16 students he hardly knew.

Attendees were also encouraged by nightly Bible studies centered on the theme posed by the devotional “The Five Rooms of Your Heart,” which challenged students to think more deeply about their walks with God.

“The students on this trip were challenged through evening Bible studies to view their hearts as a literal home for Jesus,” said Matthuis. “We were asked to go through each ‘room’ with the Lord and let him clean out all the garbage and dirt that has collected there.”

A whitewater-rafting excursion gave a few students the opportunity to show their determination publicly.

“Our river guides were asking us questions, and we were telling them about God and how we were on a mission trip,” said sophomore Josh Pegman of Woodridge, Illinois. “They were shocked that we were on spring break and on a mission trip when we could be in Florida. So maybe we got them thinking.”

Why Virginia? Matthuis said she had been in conversation with a representative of the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and she and Matthuis had been creating a list of 20 possible places on the CRWRC radar as points where student aid would be appreciated.

“Certain places didnt have openings for our select week of spring break, while other locations weren’t as appealing as Virginia,” Matthuis said. “I don’t believe that Service Committee has been to Virginia yet, and after talking to Travis, the executive director at the Dungannon Development Commission’s PROJECT HELP, it seemed like a perfect fit for our group of students.”

Matthuis summarizes the general pulse of the whole week. Not only did we transform the homes of the people living in the area, but we were changed by the homeowners too. There were a lot of little lessons to be learned from these people’s stories and situations.”

Trinity senior Leanne Koetje of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will be moving to Indonesia after graduation to take a full-time teaching position. Koetje spent seven weeks there this spring for her student teaching.

Knowing she wanted to go abroad, Koetje spent time discussing different countries with her education professor Bill Boerman-Cornell. After reading a brochure about Sekolah Pelita Harapan, an international Christian school system in Indonesia, she was immediately impressed. She then made contact with the principal and teachers of the school.

“Things just fell into place,” Koetje said, “and it worked out really well.”

Koetje spent her weeks teaching a second grade class at the Lippo Karawaci campus and fell in love with the school and students. She decided to submit an application in the event any teaching positions would open.  Although Lippo Karawaci didn’t have any positions available, the Sentul City campus did. After visiting the campus and gaining support from her family, Koetje accepted the two-year contract Sentul City offered.

Koetje will return after her graduation from Trinity to co-teach first grade with a national teacher.

“Being a first-time teacher is nerve-racking, let alone moving to a foreign country without my family,” Koetje said, but adding, “being in a Christ-centered environment my first two years will be really good for me.”

Koetje will move into a house provided by the school. With this opportunity, Koetje looks forward to focusing her salary on student loans and Indonesian transportation – a motorcycle. She plans to make the 48-hour trip to her new home the first week of July.

Light sabers, poodle skirts, Egyptians… and Shakespeare?

Trinity students in the Fine Arts in Education course are re-creating Shakespeare in new and unique ways as they team up with honors freshmen English students from Chicago’s Kelly High School. The rehearsed scenes are scheduled to be performed on Trinity’s campus on April 15.

Alumna Theresa Mathew ’06 was interested in finding a way for her Kelly freshmen English class to connect to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She contacted Bill Boerman-Cornell, assistant professor of education, and the two found an innovative way to collaborate.

Trinity and Kelly students teamed up in five separate groups. Working in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre, each group is re-creating a significant scene from Romeo and Juliet in a different time period and setting, such as the 1950s, ancient Egypt, and even the world of Star Wars. The themes are a way for students to connect Shakespeare to a more modern setting, while integrating fun into the academic experience.

Education students gain experience working with high school students, while also providing a positive learning experience for the Kelly students. “The people in this class have a passion for the arts and for students,” said  Erika Huizenga ‘11 of Highland, Indiana.

In their mentorship roles, Trinity students encourage the Kelly students by answering questions, explaining scenes, and getting them excited about Shakespeare explained Jackie Sanchez ’12 of Berwyn, Illinois.

“The time we meet will have an impact and be beneficial,” said David Hoekman ’12 of Caledonia, Michigan. Students are going to take something away from the experience, he explained, whether it is social skills, learning to express themselves, or a better understanding of the arts.

Energized by the project, Trinity students expressed a desire to see this collaboration with high school students not only continue in the future, but spread to other area high schools.

“I’m very excited about it,” Sanchez said. “I think it’s great that we’re working with high school students.”

Boerman-Cornell and Mathew received a grant from the State Farm Fellowship through Campus Compact. The grant provided the funding for the costumes and props as well as a chance for the students to see the Shakespeare production Comedy of Errors at Navy Pier in Chicago.

Three area high school students have been awarded Trinity’s Greater Chicago Christian Leadership Scholarship: Rochelle Burks of Downers Grove; Andrea Walters of Bolingbrook; and Erica-Symone Windham of Robbins.

The four-year renewable grant covers tuition costs and is awarded to students from the Chicago area who are from under-represented populations at Trinity and have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, and Christian commitment.

Rochelle Burks—Downers Grove South High School, Downers Grove, Illinois

Burks plans to major in social work at Trinity and is highly involved at school, at church, and in her community. She is a member of many school organizations, including the marching band, Peer Leaders, National Honor Society, and the Student-Principal Advisory Board. She has served as a junior counselor at Camp Grow Ministries in Wisconsin, where she has participated since 5th grade. She has also traveled to Tennessee for mission trips and participates in her church’s music ministry.

Andrea Walters—Bolingbrook High School, Bolingbrook, Illinois

Walters is a member of the National Honor Society, has been captain of the soccer team for the past three years, and serves as a peer math tutor. She has been a volunteer with The Bridge, a ministry to former inmates, and at the local hospital. She has also traveled on a short-term mission trip to Iowa and is active in her church.

Walters plans to study physical therapy at Trinity.

Erica-Symone Windham—Dwight D. Eisenhower High School, Blue Island, Illinois

An intended nursing major, Windham has already gained knowledge in the healthcare field through an internship with Advocate Christ Medical Center and through the medical scholar program at Christ Universal Temple. At school she has been a member of various clubs and organizations, including student council, junior and varsity cheerleading, and F.A.I.T.H. Bible study group, where she was instrumental in implementing a community outreach project for children at Hope Children’s Hospital.

The three students were surprised at school with the news of their awards. Walters said she was called out of class to come to the counselor’s office for a second interview with Trinity staff. “When my mom walked into the room with congratulation balloons, I broke down in tears,” said Walters, who said she has already given a great deal of thought to playing soccer and working hard in her biology classes.

Last year’s recipients were Sam Lankah ’13 of Warrenville, Illinois, and Brenda Romo ’13 of Chicago.

Every time she and her sister played school as children, Nelvia was always the teacher.

And there must have been some gift even her parents recognized in her because they encouraged her to one day pursue teaching as a vocation. Today, Dr. Nelvia Brady, professor of business and former director of ethnic diversity, is looking back on a lifelong career in education as she prepares to retire from Trinity.

“I knew I was called from the time I was a little girl,” she said, although ‘calling’ for Brady was more defined by Proverbs 3:5-6 than by an understanding of the term.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Those paths have included working as a school counselor; assistant, then associate superintendent for Chicago Public Schools; executive director of the Coleman Fund for Children and Youth; the first African American and only female chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago; and senior vice president of an executive recruiting firm while serving as a visiting professor at Chicago State and the Art Institute of Chicago.

“When I look back, I see patterns in the work I did that I didn’t necessarily set out to do but were directed by God,” said Brady.

One such recurring theme in her work: diversity. As one of 300 minority undergrads out of the 30,000 students attending the University of Illinois in the late 1960s, Brady became active in the interests of students of color. Working in the area of diversity continued into Brady’s professional life, including work on the Chicago Public Schools for Student Desegregation Project in 1980 and later as director of ethnic diversity at Trinity.

In her business communication classes, she integrates discussions about diversity, sharing data about demographics in the context of the Bible’s view of the “demographics” of the great multitude in Revelation. The data shows an increasing number of women and minorities entering the workforce, Brady said. “I teach my students that this is the world they will work in and that they have to be able to communicate within a global context to co-workers, clients, and customers.”

According to Brady, education and diversity have revealed themselves to her throughout her life. “This has been an interesting, painful, and gratifying path, and by being a participant, I feel my presence has made it better,” said Brady. “All my professions have helped develop the attributes you want in a good teacher. A good manager, researcher, colleague, and leader.”

Although plans for retirement include a move for her and her husband Jack to Tennessee, she refers again to that verse in Proverbs, and the fact that God may direct her onto a new path there. “I am still having to trust,” she said.

Dr. Patti Powell, professor of education, has been selected for a Fulbright award to teach at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College in Montego Bay, Jamaica. From January through May 2011, Powell will assist with the development of the college’s new deaf education program. In addition, she will introduce service learning into the curriculum and research how service learning enriches the experience of teachers.

“The idea of service to others is something the Jamaican people live daily,” said Powell. “The concept of service learning—of taking care of your brother—resonates with them even though the term ‘service learning’ is unfamiliar.”

Powell, who is director of the Alexander De Jong Center for Special Education at Trinity, has spent the past nine years leading Interim trips each January to the Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf (CCCD), which is also located in Montego Bay. She serves on its U.S. board of directors. Her efforts to incorporate service learning into the curriculum there have met with success and have served as a testament to CCCD as well as Sam Sharpe’s students and administrators.

In fact, Sam Sharpe student teachers collaborated with Trinity and CCCD students on a community service project to reach out to residents of one of the poorest areas of Montego Bay. Powell hopes to nurture the relationship between CCCD and Sam Sharpe as well as open more doors of collaboration between Sam Sharpe and Trinity.

During her five months in Jamaica, Powell is also looking forward to strengthening her personal ties with friends at CCCD and the local church. “Part of my heart is and always will be in Jamaica, and I am excited about the opportunity to spend more than one week in my ‘home away from home.’”

From the first time she volunteered at CCCD, she said God’s call for her to serve in Jamaica has been clear: “My passion and the world’s great need collided—boom!” she said, referring to her education and experience working with the deaf and being led to a Christian school for the deaf. She explained that CCCD is something of an anomaly, and to her knowledge, no Christian schools for the deaf exist in the United States.

Receiving the Fulbright will give Powell the opportunity to live out her calling to an even greater extent.

“My background and expertise, as well as my familiarity with Jamaica, service-learning, and deaf culture, have prepared me for this next phase in my professional journey, and I am confident my contribution will be of great benefit to Jamaican education and deaf culture in Jamaica,” said Powell. “I eagerly anticipate spending an extended period of time teaching and researching in a country that I love so dearly.”

As a representative of the United States in Jamaica, Powell will help fulfill the principal purpose of the Fulbright Program, which is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and the people of the more than 150 countries that currently participate in the program.

Great food, basketball and prizes, mixed with some friends and a little fun, what’s not to love?

The annual “Hoops Happenin’” event added a little fun to dinner time on March 9. The Pepsi-sponsored event featured basketball contest games with prizes and “game-style” food, including everything from popcorn and candy bars, to pretzels and burgers. Prizes this year included a mountain bike and a variety of Pepsi products.

Creative Dining hosts the event each year, packing the Dining Hall. An undeniable synergy takes over as students come together for fun and a little friendly competition.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” junior Mike Merlino of Holland, Michigan, commented. “I thought the food was really good, and the games were a lot of fun.”

With new and exciting prizes each year Hoops Happenin’ continues to be a crowd-pleaser on campus.