Archives: News Stories

 

Building the Blocks to a Great Future

As Anna DeBoer ’16 has learned, studying English at Trinity opens up a world of possibilities. DeBoer has found that her studies have been interdisciplinary. “I knew that I wanted to study English, and it’s been a fun process learning how my skills can transfer over into so many other fields,” she said. Her current internship at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce through Chicago Semester exemplifies this interconnectedness.

As a communications and membership intern, DeBoer leverages her education across different areas every day. “But even more than that, it’s been a great way to learn how an actual company operates and how different departments work together to succeed.”

Before her internship at the chamber, DeBoer had several on-campus jobs in the Marketing & Communications Department and the Writing Center. “The student worker positions I had at Trinity have been invaluable to me as I have been looking ahead to my career. Each step requires a little more experience, and those first jobs were great building blocks,” she said.

A recipient of the Mary Beth Bootsma Memorial Scholarship, DeBoer pointed to Dr. Mark Jones’s Shakespeare course as one of her favorites. As she has found out, an English major not only allows her to earn a degree in a field she loves, it can also pay off in the job market. “I would encourage everyone who is thinking about English to go for it,” she said. “It is definitely worth it.”

 

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From Myanmar to Chicago

For some students, Trinity is a short commute from home. For entrepreneurial management major Monica Snyder ’16, the journey has spanned continents. A refugee from Myanmar (formerly Burma), Snyder arrived in the United States in 2008 with her sister. They came to Holland, Mich., where they stayed with an American family and attended Holland Christian High School.

Her high school guidance counselor urged her to consider Trinity, and she was attracted by the size of the school. “I figured I would get to know my professors face-to-face and could grow my faith,” she said.

As she hoped, Trinity’s size has allowed Snyder to get to know her professors and become involved in many activities, including serving on Hall Council, being president of the Asian American Alliance, part of the Multicultural Leadership Team, and a Bridge Assistant.

Snyder has also taken advantage of Trinity’s proximity to Chicago by participating in Chicago Semester. Currently, she is a Human Resources Intern at Easter Seals Inc., a nonprofit, community-based health agency dedicated to helping children and adults with disabilities attain greater independence.

“I love the city in general. I’m working with professionals learning things I can’t learn in a book,” she said.

 

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FINDING GOD’S CALL IN CHICAGO

 

 

Ben Hoekstra ’16 has a few things in common with William Shakespeare. Not only do Hoekstra and the Bard share a birthday (April 23), but Hoekstra is getting an up-close-look at Shakespeare’s work while serving as a marketing intern at Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST), located at Navy Pier in downtown Chicago.

A communications arts major with a minor in history, Hoekstra has had the opportunity to do a range of work at the renowned theater during his internship, such as working with the executive team and directors, writing press releases, interacting with the media such as “Chicago Tribune” theater critic Chris Jones, and helping to plan photo shoots. Another perk of the job—spectacular views of the Chicago skyline from the theater company’s location on Lake Michigan. “With this internship, I’m able to see what parts of marketing I like,” said Hoekstra. “And I can continue to see what the Lord is calling me to do.”

Hoekstra’s internship brings together some of his favorite aspects of life at Trinity. “I love being in the city for my internship. Being close to Chicago is part of why I feel called to Trinity,” he said. Working at CST is also allowing him to explore his spirituality in a more secular atmosphere. “One of the lessons I’m learning is taking how I’ve grown spiritually at Trinity and seeing how that impacts my life. I’m in an environment where not everyone is a Christian.”

Spiritual growth has been a significant part of Hoekstra’s education at Trinity. Along with weekly Bible studies with his roommates, he cited Rev. Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D., chaplain and dean of spiritual formation, as a source of inspiration. He has also been involved as a leader of Sunday Snacks and Prayer Ministry. “Now that I have my internship, I miss going to Chapel,” he said.

Hoekstra believes that God worked through Trinity staff to make his attendance at the College possible. In high school, Hoekstra applied for a Founders’ Scholarship, a renewable, full-tuition award available annually to two incoming freshmen who exhibit stellar academic achievements and leadership. “We were moving when the scholarship was due, and my admissions counselor Dave Hoekman emailed me a reminder. I emailed him back to say there was no way I could get it done in time,” he recalled. “Within 10 minutes, Dave called me back and helped me get an extension. The Lord worked through Dave, and that was a very important thing for me. Trinity really came through.”

 

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Dr. John Sebestyen, associate professor of communication arts and director of theatre, has been named Trinity’s Professor of the Year for 2016-17.

“I am blessed to teach at Trinity, and I am honored by this recognition,” Sebestyen said. “God has used my students and colleagues to enrich my life, and I am grateful to be a member of this loving learning community.”

A member of the Trinity faculty since 2005, Sebestyen has taught classes in acting, directing, foundations of public speaking, oral interpretation, practicum in theatre, principles of theatre, production design, and theatre forum. He has also directed numerous plays at Trinity, including the recent production of “Our Town.”

According to Megan Hanafee-Major ’16, Trinity has many amazing professors. But she cited Sebestyen as the one who has most influenced her. “Dr. John continually places his students first in his classroom, in the theatre productions, and even when he is learning things himself,” she said. “When I learned that he received the honor I was not at all surprised, as I hoped that the selection committee would see the impact he has had on the campus and that he deserves to be honored for it.”

Sebestyen was highly deserving of the honor, agreed Brooke (Wigboldy) Simkins ’14, Trinity’s conference and events manager. “I was blessed to learn and act under John’s direction as a student, and now I am honored to call him a colleague and friend,” Simkins said. “His faithful attentiveness to his students, his passion for the practice of theatre, and his love of Christ shine through in all of his endeavors. He is a wonderful professor, and a great man.”

Sebestyen will be honored during the commencement ceremony on April 30.

 

–By Casey Huisenga ’18 and Rachel Townsend ’16

This year’s annual OPUS festival, a celebration of Christian scholarship, united the campus community on April 12. Throughout the day, students shared their work from the past year. Different perspectives were highlighted, including English, Art, Psychology, and Nursing.

“At OPUS, you can experience what students are up to in disciplines ranging from art to acting, biology to business, mathematics to music, and many more,” said Dr. Mark Jones, professor of English and OPUS chair.

Students were encouraged to share presentations, research papers, artwork, writing samples, and music performances, creative pieces displaying talent and hard work. Specific topics revolved around the sensations of autism, Shakespeare’s minor characters, and women’s health.

The day’s festivities began with the traditional parade and included numerous presentations held around campus. Students and faculty snacked on popcorn and cotton candy, purchased OPUS themed t-shirts, and received tickets for the annual raffle. A full roasted pig and Hawaiian-themed food and dessert were served for dinner in the Dining Hall. To close out the day, winners for the musical, literary, oral, and art competitions were recognized. Students enjoyed choosing raffle prizes, which included Trinity gear, gift cards, $150 tuition exemptions, and much more. Dr. Derrick Hassert, professor of psychology, and his ventriloquist dummy announced the prizes.

OPUS Committee

Prof. John Bakker
Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo
Pierce Cruz ’17
Kacie DeKleine ’18
Prof. Sarah Gouwens
Karyn Jones ’16
Dr. Mark Jones (Chair)
Dr. Deb Majewski
Dr. Jeff Nyhoff
Dr. Mark Peters
Dr. Pete Post
Prof. Janna Schemper
Ellie Sterenberg ’16
Kara Van Marion
Christianna Vandekamp ‘16

 

Communication Arts Oral Interpretation Winners

Original Oratory

1^st — Esther Sullivan
2^nd — Jerry Sanchez
3^rd — Jordan Ghiglia

Dramatic Interpretation

1^st — Esther Sullivan
2^nd — Jerry Sanchez
3^rd — Megan Hanafee-Major & Billy Doyle

Prose Interpretation

1^st — Jerry Sanchez
2^nd — Megan Hanafee-Major
3^rd — Kelsie Thornell

Poetry Interpretation

1^st — Soraya Limon
2^nd — Kylla Pate
3^rd — Esther Sullivan

 

English Literary Competition Winners

Poetry

1^st – Esther Sullivan, “Now I See Dimly”
2^nd – Kylla Pate, “B-Minor”
3^rd – Esther Sullivan, “Child”
Honorable Mention — Cynthia Gliwa

Non-Fiction

1^st – Kristen Speelman, “Finding My Calling”
2^nd – Esther Sullivan, “Philosophy of Literature Position Paper”
3^rd – Kate Meyrick, “What I wrote on wrought-iron bench at the Art Institute of Chicago”
Honorable Mention – Kylla Pate, “Serving Others”
Honorable Mention—Brianna Thier, “Why the Articles of Confederation Failed”

Fiction

1^st — Benjamin Hoekstra, “Rescued from the Prince”
2^nd – Esther Sullivan, “Dawn: A Play in One Act”
3^rd – Benjamin Lashar, “The Brothers’ Heist”

Music Competition Winners

Vocal Ensemble

1st – Lauren Baker, Kari Folkertsma, Cara Horstman

Keyboard Solo

1st – Hyeonji Ko, piano
2nd – Lacey Burie, piano

Instrumental Solo

1st – Ebenezer Munoz, guitar
2nd – Kate Meyrick, flute
3rd – Matthew Meyrick, guitar

Vocal Solo

1st – Danielle Dougherty, soprano, Dr. Lisa Kristina, piano
2nd – Kelsie Thornell, soprano, Candace Peters, piano

 

Art and Design Winners

Graphic Design

1st — Keegan Van Maanen, “Trinopoly”
2nd — Kacie DeKleine, “Next Step”
3rd — Kacie DeKleine, “Yosemite”
Honorable Mention — Cynthia Gliwa, “Taste of Asia”
Honorable Mention — Keegan Van Maanen, “Drone”

Printmaking/Photography

1st — Keegan Van Maanen, “untitled”
2nd — Kacie Pruiksma, “The Everyday”
3rd — Cynthia Gliwa, “Brushin’ Up”

Sculpture/3D

1st — Andrew Holmes, “Lamp”
2nd — Jacob Boglio, “Mediocre rises”
3rd — Leah Smit, “Popped”

Drawing/Painting/Mixed Media

1st — Cynthia Gliwa, “How do you like your oranges?”
2nd — Andrea Sanchez, “Meet the Goesels”
3rd — Eunjee Chang, “#1”
Honorable Mention — Jacob Boglio, “Jacob’s Gesture”
Honorable Mention — Pierce Cruz, “Gonzalez”
Honorable Mention — James DeVries, “Uncertainty”
Honorable Mention — Alex Lauriano, “Someday the Almighty”
Honorable Mention — Marie Sonnenburg, “Lost in Thought”

Best In Show (Drawing/Painting/Mixed Media)

Elizabeth VandeGriend, “Repetition: Fourth Edit”

Trinity Christian College’s newly formed chapter of Phi Alpha, the national honor society for social work, inducted its first members on April 7. Two faculty members and 20 students made up the inaugural class of the Phi Xi Chapter, along with honorary member Dr. Brad Breems, retired professor of sociology.

The purpose of the Phi Alpha Honor Society is to provide a closer bond among students of social work and promote humanitarian goals and ideas. According to the society’s website, Phi Alpha fosters high standards of education for social workers, and its members have attained excellence in scholarship and achievement in social work.

The induction ceremony included candle lighting and the presentation of certificates and honor cords. As Bianca Solis ’17 said during the invitation to candle lighting, “You, as members of the Phi Alpha Honor Society, represent the best and the brightest in the world of social work.”

While not a social worker, Breems was recognized for his contributions in establishing the vision and laying the groundwork for what would become the social work program at Trinity. Breems provided a short history of Trinity’s social work program, beginning with the “Theory of Social Work” class offered during the 1968-69 academic year to the establishment of a sociology program to the social work degree program that exists today. “We have grown through the strength of the faculty and the academic excellence exhibited by today’s inductees,” he said.

This year’s inductees were:

Faculty Members

• Prof. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein
• Prof. Lisa Doot Abinoja

Student Members

• Kayla Bakhshi ’16
• Cassandra Boyd ’16
• Victoria Brady ’16
• Michelle Busscher ’16
• Cendy Delgado ’16
• Miranda Deuter ’16
• Aracely Diaz ’16
• Danielle Dougherty ’16
• Brittany Dykstra ’17
• Nelida Elizondo ’16
• Abigail Gibson ’16
• Sarah Gillespie’17
• Elizabeth Jones ’16
• Sarah Kischkel ’16
• Natalie Lavaretto ’16
• Hannah Limback ’17
• Anneliese Lokken ’16
• Angela Pappas ’16
• Bianca Solis ’17
• Rachel Toren ’16

 

In a ceremony on April 14, Trinity presented the 2015-16 Catherine Yonker Faculty Award and recognized those who have dedicated years of service to the College.

The Catherine Yonker Award is presented annually to one faculty or staff member and two students for contributions toward accomplishing Christian race relations, and cross-cultural understanding within the Trinity community.

Dr. Tiffany King, assistant professor of psychology and director of the Adult Studies psychology program, was presented with the Faculty/Staff Award.  This year’s student recipients are Josiah Rosario ’17 and Karlyn Boens ’19.

Trinity faculty and staff were also honored for years of service to the College. Those being honored include:

Ten Years of Service

• Sandy Aggen ’10, Adult Studies manager of recruitment and retention
• Dr. David Brodnax Sr., professor of history
• Dr. Mandi Maxwell, professor of mathematics
• Dr. Pete Post ’74, associate professor of special education
• Dr. John Sebestyen, associate professor of communication arts and director of theatre
• Dr. Lisa Hensey, Chicago Semester student teaching program director

Fifteen Years of Service

• Dr. Mackenzi Huyser ’98, Chicago Semester executive director

Twenty Years of Service

• Tim Timmons, director of physical plant

Twenty-Five Years of Service

• Dr. David Klanderman, professor of mathematics and department chair

Thirty Years of Service

• Dr. Liz Rudenga (returning from sabbatical Fall 2016)

 

 

–By Rachel Townsend ’16

While Joshua Coldagelli ’17 has always had a passion for sports, a love for writing has recently bloomed as well. He combined both recently with an article published on ReFrame Media’s blog, Think Christian, “The Augustinian joy of the Golden State Warriors.”

Coldagelli heard ReFrame Media’s editor, Trinity alumnus Josh Larsen ‘96, speak at chapel about sports culture with a Christian involvement. After meeting for lunch in the Bootsma Bookstore Café, Coldagelli pitched his article idea to Larsen. After numerous drafts, the article was ready for publication.

For Coldagelli, writing used to be a chore. However, his attitude has changed since arriving at Trinity. After attempting to become “Internet famous” with a Vlog his freshman year that received a grand total of 122 YouTube views, he decided to embark on a slightly different path. As part of a New Year’s resolution to write weekly, he launched a blog, Faith, Flannel, and Practice. “It’s one of the best changes I have ever made in my life,” he said. “It is such a relaxing hour to sit down in my room or at a coffee shop and just process thoughts and things that are going on around me.”

Like most writers, he sometimes loses inspiration. “It is hard to stick to at times,” he said. Rather than chasing a full-time writing career, he is pursuing a career coaching basketball and works as a student assistant for men’s basketball coach Brandon Nicol. “I’ve learned more than I ever thought I could about basketball,” he said. However, he wants to keep writing, even if it is just a hobby.

Coldagelli credited his professors at Trinity for instilling his passion for writing. Undecided about his major when he first came to Trinity, he decided his sophomore year to major in communication arts and minor in English and philosophy. His communication arts professors, including Dr. Craig Mattson and Dr. Bethany Keeley-Jonker, have provided encouragement. He also credited Dr. Erick Sierra, associate professor of English. “He pushed me to think in ways I never had before,” he said.

Now, six-page papers no longer feel strenuous; they simply feel like larger blog posts. As a blogger, Coldagelli must deal with a readership that can change day by day. “I need to remind myself it’s not about the reads and that it is about the writing itself,” he said. It’s also about his faith. “Faith has been everything for me in this, because faith is everything. It might be a smile of a classmate or a chapel message that helps a student grow with God and both can be found at Trinity, both have helped me grow in my faith.”

Coldagelli has some advice for current and future students pursuing writing. “Be willing to ask people about anything and everything. Every big thing that has happened in my life started with an email asking someone for a meeting or advice. Life isn’t going to come to you,” he said. After all, the piece in Think Christian came about because he was willing to reach out Larsen, tailor his drafts, and create an article based on his talent and guided by those at Trinity.

Most important, he advised, “Work for the Lord, and joy will come.”

 

How has culture shaped you? That question was explored through stories, music, dance, cuisine, worship, and more during Trinity’s Celebration of Asia on April 5. The event, which was sponsored by the Asian American Alliance, brought together students, faculty, and staff for dinner, entertainment, and worship.

The evening’s performances spanned centuries of Asian culture, from a traditional Philippine Tinikling dance to a K-Pop song. There were also trivia contests, a Zheng presentation and a Taekwondo demonstration.

Students also took turns reading Galations 3:26-28 in different languages: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

–By Casey Huisenga, ’18

When Ryan Tubbs ’17 was in fifth grade, he asked his father, a 14-year U.S. Army Veteran, some questions about the Battle of Bunker Hill for a homework project. Years later, Tubbs’ abiding interest in the Battle of Bunker Hill inspired him to write a research paper that he presented at the Faith and History Chicagoland Regional Student Conference on April 2.

A history education major, Tubbs wrote “The Battle of Bunker Hill: A British Victory but an American Triumph,” for Dr. John Fry’s History 200 class. Fry, a professor of history, selected that paper to include at the conference. “He was also very influential in helping me prepare for this conference,” Tubbs said.

According to Fry, Tubbs’ paper tackled a tricky question—whether the Battle of Bunker Hill represented a defeat or victory for the American Colonies—and answered it in a convincing way. “The History Department invited Ryan to present his paper because it was the best paper written for a class he took with me last fall,” Fry said. “He did a very good job presenting the paper clearly. Several faculty members from other schools congratulated him afterwards.”

The conference, which was held at Judson University this year, is an annual gathering of student scholars who explore the relationship between Christian faith and history. The purpose of the conference is to give students experience presenting their research to a broader audience, and for students and faculty to get to talk with people from other schools who love and are interested in history, Fry said.