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Since 1989, the Catherine Yonker Award has been given to those who make significant contributions toward Christian racial reconciliation and cross-cultural understanding at the College. Trinity’s Campus Diversity and Unity Committee (CDUC) is pleased to announce that this year’s recipient is Kendra Henry ’23.
Dean of Student Life Kara Van Marion said Henry is always willing to lean into important, hard moments that others might shy away from. “She takes time to consider the ‘status quo’ and assess if/how to respond with justice, humility, and love.”
According to another nomination, “Kendra champions diversity through support, encouragement, and a willingness to educate and be educated. Her passions to support cultural clubs on campus is significant. She brings excitement, passion, and leadership through her involvement.”
For Henry, who is majoring in social work, the award exemplifies her passion for helping people and advocating for others. “It really affirms the work that I’ve been trying to do,” she said. Henry, a member of the Navajo community who grew up in Gallup, N.M., also works to bring attention to Native American issues. “There are not a lot of Native Americans on campus, so I am trying to advocate for that group and break down stereotypes.”
Along with her participation in different clubs on campus, including Trinity’s social work student organization, Henry serves as a resident assistant and works as a student photographer. She is also a Diversity Scholar.
Those who know Henry point to her tireless work on behalf of others as the essence of the Yonker Award. “I am so proud of Kendra’s accomplishments and the influence she has made at Trinity,” said Emanuel Jones ’24. “I have always known her to stand up for what is right and always speak out against what is wrong.”
The Catherine Yonker Award and scholarship is given annually to a member of the Trinity community–faculty, staff, or an entering senior student—in recognition of their positive influence and action toward this goal. In Trinity’s earliest years, Catherine Yonker served as an executive secretary and founding member of the Trinity Women’s Guild. With her husband Jim, they also funded uniforms and equipment for Trinity’s first hockey team.
The dedicated students on Trinity’s SERVE Team, and the staff and professors who work with them, believe in making a difference. Over spring break, the SERVE Team went to Kentucky to help those in Paducah and Mayfield, whose communities were devastated by tornadoes.
And the SERVE Team recently volunteered closer to home, participating in the Annual Love Palos event in our own community of Palos Heights. Dozens of volunteers picked up trash around town and took part in a vast gardening project at Elim Christian Services. “It was a successful day of serving, and giving back to the beloved Palos Heights community!” said Prof. Javonta Howard ’21.
A small town. A sudden disaster. An immediate need for knowledgeable people across a range of professions to come together, formulate a rapid response, and work quickly and calmly to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all the townspeople.
In today’s world, these types of situations are unfortunately common. Being prepared to respond is another story. Recently, more than 60 Trinity undergraduate and graduate students across a range of majors, including nursing, social work, education, and psychology, got to have such an experience when a simulated disaster struck the fictional town of Trollsboro.
The students weren’t told ahead of time what the scenario would look like, so they had to immediately start working together to respond to the crisis and then develop a follow up plan to deal with the repercussions of the disaster one month later.
Said nursing major Kate DeKryger ‘22, “It was interesting to see other disciplines at work in front of us and alongside of us. My biggest takeaway from this experience and the challenges that it brought is that no one discipline or group of people, even expertly trained and skilled individuals, can handle crises alone.”
Each group included at least one student majoring in nursing, education, social work, and psychology. The students experienced working together in an interdisciplinary way. Along with respecting the expertise of others, it was a chance for each one of the student to find their voices and advocate for their own insights and opinions.
For Dr. Deb Majewski, Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling, the simulation fit in perfectly with her graduate-level Counseling 603 Internship II course. “The project offered the students real-world experience in responding to a crisis simulation in conjunction with other disciplines. They were required to collaborate in respectful and deeply caring ways as they considered the needs of the community,” Majewski said.
Majewski’s students found the exercise to be deeply meaningful for them personally. “It built confidence, awareness of their knowledge and natural empathy.”
Listening to the insights and expertise of others is a valuable skill in today’s world, agreed Professor of Education Bill Boerman-Cornell, Ph.D. “Our society needs more practice in hearing what other people have to say.”
According to Dr. Tina Decker, chair of the nursing department, the exercise also gave the students the opportunity to really think about their professional roles. “Students got to act in the role of their profession. They were acting as nurses, teachers, counselors, and social workers, and not as students.”
It was a “disaster” that took a long time to plan. The idea for the interdisciplinary simulation came from a meeting that Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of Field Education Lisa Doot Abinoja attended several years ago, where a professor at another local university described a simulation exercise they had done.
“We are familiar with experiential learning here at Trinity, and I quickly recognized that we could do that here,” she said. Abinoja reached out to her Trinity colleagues in several different departments, who were enthusiastic about the idea. During the spring semester of 2020, Abinoja received a Collaborative Initiative Grant through Trinity’s Provost’s Office for the simulation. “We originally planned to meet first in June 2020 for a Spring 2021 event,” she said. “With COVID, we quickly knew that wouldn’t happen and were able to delay a year.”
During that time, Abinoja, Decker, Majewski, Boerman-Cornell, Dr. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, Director of the Online BSW Program and Associate Professor of Social Work, and Dr. Michael Dieter, Assistant Professor of Education, began doing a great deal of prework. That included adding the simulation exercise to each class’s syllabus with a specific learning outcome. “The main outcome was working in an interdisciplinary way and how students embodied their profession,” said Abinoja. Each professor provided equal weight to the assignment, which helped to ensure success. “For example, we did not want this to be extra credit for one class, while it would make up a third of the grade in another class,” she said.
The experience also allowed professors to work closely with each other in an interdisciplinary manner, said Boerman-Cornell. “It was fun to get to know our colleagues in a different way.”
Learning took place in ways the organizers didn’t anticipate, which added to the richness of the experience. “In a classroom setting, there are things that can’t be replicated in an event like this. Even the challenges we experienced were good for learning,” said Abinoja.
The event went so well that the organizers are looking to make it a regular part of the curriculum. Several participants will also be offering a presentation about the simulation at the International Christian Community of Teacher Educators (ICCTE) Conference at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., in May. For Boerman-Cornell, the outgoing president of ICCTE, the conference will not only allow Trinity professors to share their experience. They will also have the opportunity to learn how other colleges around the country have conducted similar types of simulations and hear some of those best practices.
The theme for this year’s OPUS was “Back to the 2000s.” And as the Trinity community took a blast to the past to celebrate scholarship, the April 20 event also marked a return to fully in-person activities after two years of COVID-related restrictions!
From the traditional opening parade to GRUMPUS, OPUS for graduate students, to the closing Outcry, the day included fascinating presentations, wonderful performances, the friendly competition of the presentation showdown, snacks, a dunk tank to benefit Ukraine, and so much more.
And students were excited to participate! According to Sarah Hoeksema, OPUS Co-Chair and Circulation & Access Librarian, this year’s OPUS featured more than 50 presentations, with 32 presentations participating in the competition. In 2019, the last ‘normal’ OPUS before COVID, there were 38 presentations, with 23 presentations participating in the competition. “We are thrilled with these numbers!” said Hoeksema. Since most of the students on campus had never experienced a traditional OPUS, the OPUS Committee worked with professors to encourage student participation and excitement. “These numbers are certainly a testament to our faculty and their impact on student learning,” she said.
Winners of competitions were also recognized.
Literary Arts Competition
Fiction
1st place: Lauren Cox, “Unknown Answers”
2nd place: Patricia Yang, “Sleeptalking”
3rd place: Patricia Yang, “Co-Host”
Non-Fiction
1st place: Charlotte Hensel, “Sovereignty in Dimensionality”
Poetry
1st place: Njoki Mukuria, “This is Nairobi”
2nd place: Sarah Koese, “The Power of a Hymn”
3rd place: Anthony Reppmann, “Monkey 31”
Music Competition
Instrumental
1st place: Elyssa Peters (viola)
2nd place: Jared Peters (piano)
3rd place: Mateo Arredondo (flute)
Vocal
1st place: Ryan VanGlist
2nd place: Olivia DeJong
3rd place: Miracle Thurman
Ensemble
Sara Roozeboom & Jared Peters
Art & Design Competition
Graphic Design
1st place: 2021 OPUS Festival Design, Ryan Van Gilst
2nd place: Exhausted, Ryan Van Gilst
Printmaking/Photography
1st place: Materiality Studies, Raeann Fopma
2nd place: Glass Looking, MJ Huizenga
3rd place: California Dunes, Aubrie Vredevoogd
Sculpture/3D
1st place: Cigarette Butts, Yuri Coleman
2nd place: The Grind, Izzy Neibert
3rd place: The Nose, Izzy Neibert
Drawing/Painting/Mixed Media
1st place: Hands on Behavior, Cassidy James
2nd place: Uncommon Tropes, Jonah Mudlaff
3rd place: Complementary Sketch, Shannon Simpson
Best in Show
Creative Burnout, Raeann Fopma
Climate Care Competition
Moriah Blan and Leah Lisowski: A BRAZILlian Reasons to Care About the Climate
OPUS Presentation Showdown
1st place: Anthony Reppmann. Called by His Name: Lil Nas X and LGBTQ+ Christianity
2nd place: Arneet Garcha. A Path Towards Sustainability, Boulder Colorado
Honorable Mentions
Alexis Langellier. Poetry for Mathematics Education
Elyssa Peters, Njoki Mukuria, Kaitlynne Laverell. Deeper than the Surface
Ranita Luhur. Paradoxes of wealth and power: a philosophical proposal for healthy economies
This year’s OPUS also featured GRUMPUS, the graduate program OPUS. “We decided to present in a poster format this year, which was very well received by attendees,” said Dr. Deb Majewski, OPUS Co-Chair and Associate Professor of Psychology and Counseling. “They all did Trinity education and counseling programs proud!”
The Trinity Christian College community is grateful to alumni Yvette Madany (’85) and Peter Madany (’82), who generously provided financial support to underwrite expenses for OPUS 2022.
Check out some of the amazing presentations and learn more about the history of OPUS here.
At Trinity, our staff members change lives and the world. Every year, Trinity recognizes one person as Staff Member of the Year.
Which staff member has had a particular impact on you? Staff Council encourages students, alumni, staff, and faculty to submit a nomination for this year’s award. Collaboration on nominations is encouraged! To learn more and submit a nomination, click here.
Nominations are due by Friday, April 22.
Recent award recipients:
2021: Kris Doorn ’89
2020: Diana Pell
2019: Laura Chávez-Dávalos
—By Patricia Yang ’25
Fun cultural music played in the background as an audience looked intently upon a runway set up in the Grand Lobby of the Ozinga Chapel. Eight runway models, eight unique outfits, all representing various cultures from around the world. Yes, that is right—it is a fashion show, hosted by Njoki Mukuria ’25 and Zain Fakhoury ’24, a grand collaborative effort between African Students Union (ASU), International Club, and Asian American Alliance (AAA, or Triple-A)!
“It came from a desire to see and learn about the many different cultures we have here,” said Mukuria, co-president of ASU. “I feel like I don’t know that many, so there was now an opportunity to have that.” Mukuria discussed the idea with Fakhoury, and from there the two worked together to spread the word, collaborate with other cultural clubs, and set up the whole event.
“The process was a mixture of fun and stressful,” shared Mukuria. “It’s a lot of emails, and I’d never been to the other club meetings—but then it grew from there, because then we’d get all these ideas for the event.” As the process panned out, Mukuria and her collaborators had many great plans for the fashion show. Ideas were pitched and sorted, emails and polls were sent out, posters made, and models came to volunteer, both from students and staff.
“It was kind of stressful at first, setting up and practicing half an hour before the event,” said Fakhoury, “but once it got going, it went really well!” Fakhoury’s favorite part was seeing all the different outfits. “I just saw it all come together and thought: this is God’s creation and His diversity that He created for all of us, and we should celebrate this! You could see everyone united and walking down the runway, and think, ‘Wow, this is what God intended for us.’” Mukuria shared her favorite moments as well—“It was right before the show started, and we were rehearsing it when I saw everyone walking down the runway, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful.’”
In the tail end of the fashion show, Mukuria also shared an original poem called This is Nairobi, pulling the audience into her own cultural background. “It was the first time I’ve performed that in front of a crowd,” Mukuria said. “It was nice to share a piece of culture with people other than my family, who don’t know so much my culture and my home.”
The cultural fashion show closed with a final show of all the outfits, including Mukuria and Fakhoury; applause, and joyful celebration for a spectacular end. Friends mingled post-show, and the snacks were being cleaned up. But that is not quite the end for the fashion show. Fakhoury and Mukuria both believe that this event will return again next year. “I feel like this is going to become a tradition with ASU, International Club, and Triple-A,” said Fakhoury. “I’ve heard people from Puerto Rico, Mexico, and a Native American tribe who would like to present their outfits as well!”
Mukuria is especially interested in how the next fashion show may unfold in the next academic year. “We had so many ideas for the show, that we kind of had to cut down on them—like, we wanted art students to come participate and paint stuff, we even wanted a final dress as a mixture of all the cultures. Maybe they can all come in for the next show.” Mukuria also has dreams to add dances into the mix. “We really wanted to add dances this time, but it just wasn’t possible… and I’d really love to host it in the Black Box Theatre because of the setup.” The prospect of playing with the lighting and the artistic atmosphere in the Arts and Communication Center greatly appeals to Mukuria.
“This is an event that I’m hoping to do multiple times,” said Mukuria. “And as we go, we’ll get more ideas to make it more vibrant, using dances, and music, and so on.” Mukuria and Fakhoury would love to have people contribute their ideas for the fashion show. “I want everyone to be a part of this,” Mukuria said.
So, the metaphorical curtain closes on this fashion show experience—but it is not yet the end, for it is likely that next year, the cultural clubs will come together to host yet again another fantastic fashion show run.
— Learn more about ASU through their Instagram @trin_asu, or contact Mukuria at Njoki.Mukuria@trnty.edu.
— Learn more about International Club through their Instagram @tcc_internationalclub, or contact Fakhoury at Zain.Fakhoury@trnty.edu.
— Learn more about Triple-A through their instagram @tcc_aaa21, or contact Karen Jegadish ’23 at Karen.Jegadish@trnty.edu.
Trinity Christian College’s Board of Trustees announced today that President Kurt D. Dykstra has accepted a position to become president and chief executive officer of the Independent Colleges of Indiana, an Indianapolis-based organization representing Indiana’s 29 private, non-profit colleges and universities. Dykstra will assume his new position in July and depart Trinity at the conclusion of the current spring semester.
“Since 2015, President Dykstra has led Trinity during a period of challenge and change,” said Trinity Board of Trustees Chair Cal Tameling ’72. “Despite significant challenges facing private institutions up to and throughout the COVID pandemic, he led Trinity to launch new undergraduate and graduate programs, transformed its core curriculum, increased new student enrollment, and improved campus facilities while advancing Trinity’s mission to provide an outstanding Christ-centered education.
“We are grateful for Kurt and his wife Leah’s service over the past seven years. We wish them success as they leave Trinity and move into new roles of leadership and service.”
Said Dykstra, “It has been an incredible honor to serve Trinity. Trinity’s successes over these years are shared among our outstanding faculty, staff, students, and community. Leah and I leave with terrific memories and deep love for Trinity and its people. We remain Trinity parents and supporters of this outstanding College.”
Trinity’s Board of Trustees also announced that Trinity Provost, Dr. Aaron Kuecker will serve as interim president of the College, effective immediately. Kuecker served as a member of Trinity’s Theology faculty from 2008 to 2013, returning to Trinity in 2016 as its Provost. Kuecker has been instrumental in many of the significant achievements in the life of the College during his tenure as provost, including, sustaining and supporting vibrant and flourishing academic programs, leading Trinity through an innovative transformation of its Foundations General Education Curriculum, and providing vision for Trinity’s transformed approach to its Chicagoland presence through innovation in scheduling, internships, and pricing.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to step into the role of interim president at Trinity,” Kuecker said. “We are on the cusp of an exciting season of transformation energized by our Christ-centered vision of education that will re-shape education at Trinity, realize more fully the power of our partnerships, and extend Christian higher education accessibility to all students.”
“Trinity is blessed with extraordinary leaders like Dr. Kuecker and other members of the executive team who are well equipped with the requisite leadership skills, passion and faithful commitment to lead through this transition and provide forward momentum during this time of transformational work,” said Tameling. “The Board looks forward to Aaron’s leadership in the areas of our current core priorities: the launch of a transformed academic schedule, and network of internships and partnerships for the benefit of our students, a revised economic model that puts Trinity within reach of all students, and the ongoing work of the Board task force on diversity and belonging at Trinity.”
For every incoming class, our Founders’ Scholars stand apart even amongst their exceptional peers. Normally, Trinity designates two incoming freshmen to receive the prestigious, full-tuition Founders’ Scholarships. Yet thanks to the generosity of our donor community, Trinity has been able to designate five Founders for the Class of 2026.
These five students demonstrated outstanding spiritual, academic, and social leadership:
- Carvel Anderson
- Caitlin Haverdink
- Mia Musick
- Grace Steenwyk
- Anika Wicker
Carvel Anderson, a native of Chicago, is a representative in student government at George Washington High School and a member of the Black Student Union. The future elementary education major also served as a Mikva Summer Fellow, where he interned with an elected official. Anderson has also been named a Diversity Scholar with Trinity.
A native of Hudsonville, Mich., where she attends Unity Christian High School, Caitlin Haverdink plans to earn a Bachelor of Social Work degree from Trinity. She has been involved with golf, musical theater, and service projects. Haverdink also participates in the Spiritual Leadership Team at her school and with the praise team and nursey at her church.
Mia Musick, who attends Fisher Junior-Senior High School in Fisher, Ill., is considering majoring in psychology or social work. She is currently involved in student government and the National Honor Society at her high school and also plays the saxophone. One of five girls, she also competes in sports and serves as an FCA group leader. Musick is also a member of the gospel choir and preschool volunteer at her church.
Grace Steenwyk attends Zeeland East High School in Zeeland, Mich., where she plays volleyball and soccer. She plans to continue her volleyball career as a Trinity Troll, as well as to participate in Trinity’s Honors Program. She is currently involved in the National Honor Society and student leadership. Steenwyk plans to major in psychology.
Anika Wicker grew up traveling the world with her parents, Lloyd ’97 and Heidi (Boeck) ’98, as her father serves as a Navy Chaplain. Wicker has participated in the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) for four years and is currently a commanding officer. Wicker, who is planning to major in special education, plays piano and guitar and sings, and advocates against human trafficking through the Dressember Foundation.
Trinity is excited to welcome these newest Founders’ Scholars to campus this fall! Said Professor of Communication Arts and Co-Director of the Honors Program Craig Mattson, Ph.D., “Hearing about our new Founders is electric. I watched these people doing collaborative problem-solving in high-stakes conditions. They are extraordinary.”
For 45 years, the Chicago Semester program has been providing opportunities for students to gain real world experience in an exciting big city. Along with many Trinity students who have taken advantage of everything that the program and the city of Chicago have to offer, several professors from the College will be participating in Chicago Semester’s Summer 2022 Scholar-In-Residence program.
Scholars will spend two weeks living in downtown Chicago with access to the workspaces at 1871, where Chicago Semester’s offices are located and where Trinity is a University Partner.
“The purpose of the Chicago Semester Scholar-In-Residence Program is to build relationships with faculty from our founding institutions by offering opportunities to nurture their research through resources available in Chicago,” said Chicago Semester Executive Director Mackenzi Huyser.
The Scholars-In-Residence professors from Trinity include:
— Bill Boerman-Cornell, Professor of Education
— Kaleb Dean, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design
— Craig Mattson, Professor of Communication Arts
— Ben Snoek, Campus Pastor
— Michael VanderWeele, Professor Emeritus of English
They will join colleagues from Calvin University, Central College, and Hope College.
The mission of Chicago Semester is to provide urban experiential education from a Christian perspective that equips students for integrated personal, professional and public lives. Chicago Semester envisions a just, generous and hospitable world where individuals are invested deeply in place and with each other as they serve joyfully and fearlessly on their vocational journey.
The Sixth Annual Trinity Tuesday officially came to a close with so much to celebrate! Through the support of a record breaking number of 804 donors and gifts, more than $242,000 has been raised ready to impact students on campus today and in the future.
“We are deeply thankful for the prayers, gifts, and encouragement received throughout the day,” said Director of Annual Giving Marissa Kunkel. “Coast to coast, the Trinity community came together to celebrate with us all that God has provided for our students and campus. ”
For this year’s Trinity Tuesday, donors could select the essential and unique programs they wished their dollars to support, including the area of greatest need; leadership scholarships for music, theatre, arts, and campus ministry; Diversity Scholars Program; campus ministries model for Athletics and Residence Life; a state-of-the-art classroom; South Hall refurbishment; and two vans for Athletics transportation and campus events.
“It is through His guiding hands that we were able to celebrate these very special accomplishments together. We thank you for empowering the mission of Trinity to continue to serve and champion our students each day,” she said.