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A weekend full of celebratory events culminated in the April 30 commencement ceremony of the 182 undergraduate and 19 Master of Arts graduates of Trinity’s class of 2016.

Dr. Laura Zumdahl ’02, president and CEO of New Moms, Inc., and a member of Trinity’s Board of Trustees, gave the commencement address “For the Glory of God.”

Robert Buikema, chair of the Board of Trustees, provided the commencement greeting to graduates, their family and friends, faculty, and staff. Latishia M. Elliott offered the invocation.

Four professors received emeritus status:

• Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo, professor of psychology
• Prof. Bruce Leep, assistant professor of English
• Dr. Pete Post ’74, associate professor of education
• Dr. Louis Sytsma, professor of chemistry

Interim provost Sharon Robbert, Ph.D., presented the graduates, and Pres. Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D., conferred degrees. Robbert oversaw the hooding of Master of Arts candidates and presented diplomas.

Dr. John Sebestyen, associate professor of communication arts, was honored as professor of the year.

Rev. Robert Huisman ’87 gave the benediction.

About Laura Zumdahl ’02

Zumdahl, Ph.D., is the president and CEO of New Moms, Inc., a nonprofit organization serving homeless and at-risk adolescent parents and their children in Chicago. She has served in various leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. Zumdahl earned a B.A. in sociology from Trinity; an M.A. in social work from the University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration; and a Ph.D. in leadership from Cardinal Stritch University.

Other Commencement Weekend Events

Celebratory events also took place on Friday, April 29, including the Honors Convocation, the Baccalaureate Barbecue, and the Baccalaureate Service.

Trinity opened its doors to the younger generation recently, welcoming the 25^th annual Young Authors Festival to campus. Elementary and middle school students from 12 neighboring Christian schools joined Trinity staff and students to celebrate scholarship, literature, and creativity.

Meeting in the Ozinga Chapel, Vinnie Adams ’10 began the day with song and dance. Soon after, the young authors were divided into different groups led by Trinity students.

Multiple activities occurred throughout the day. Those included a performance by Trinity’s own performance group TrinProv, which acted out stories written by the young authors. Refreshments were provided outside in the Commons during a break. Children shared stories they had written and illustrated while sipping juice boxes and snacking on fruit cups. Following a campus tour, they participated in a writer’s workshop and wrote new stories together.

In the Black Box Theatre, illustrator E.B. Lewis spoke to the young authors, encouraging them to continue their education and passions. A watercolor painter for more than 70 picture books and winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award, he provided insight and advice. “This is what I was born to do,” Lewis said. To find what they were born to do, he advised attendees, “You have to love the process.”

The festival was co-chaired by Prof. Kelly Lenarz ’99, assistant professor of education; Dr. Bill Boerman-Cornell, associate professor of education; and Jasmine Morris, administrative assistant of Trinity’s English Department.

–By Rachel Townsend ’16

To celebrate religious expression in literature, Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English, and five English students from Trinity made their way to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing. Through April 14-16, they went to lectures, workshops, readings, concerts, and plays that spoke on issues of faith, ethics, and justice. Guest speakers, including Zadie Smith, Luci Shaw, and James Schaap, spoke of the importance of storytelling in today’s fallen world.

Crystal Linzy ’17, Kailah Price ’19, Hannah Bresser ’19, Kezia Stephanie ’17, and Molly Hofman ’19 represented the first students from Trinity’s English Department to attend the festival. The group committed to read one book from a recommended list before the festival and visit the keynote addresses and at least eight sessions during the festival. After the festival, they all wrote a reflection paper on their experience, sharing what they learned with writing advisors and English professors Dr. Erick Sierra, associate professor of English, and Dr. Mark Jones, professor of English.

This learning experience not only brought faith and literature together, but also Trinity’s English staff and students, strengthening their community.

Since its creation in 1990, the Festival of Faith and Writing has united those who believe in faithful writing, individuals who combine their love of God, and literature. Now celebrating its 25^th anniversary, around 2,000 readers, students, and teachers attend the annual event

Students in Trinity’s business department recently shared pizza and fellowship while celebrating philanthropic and academic success in an event that encompassed the Entrepreneurship Club and the Future Founders Foundation (FFF).

As part of the Entrepreneurship Club’s inaugural Empowerment Fund work, Katie Vree ’17 was presented with a check that will allow her to purchase a standing wheelchair. The check was the culmination of a year’s worth of efforts by the Entrepreneurship Club, Nursing Student Organization, and dedicated faculty to help Vree, who was paralyzed with a virus in high school. The presentation evoked tears in several people who were there.

“God is at work here,” said Dan, Vree’s father. “I’m so grateful for the community at Trinity.”

The evening also included an awards presentation of FFF honorees. “This is a tangible way to recognize the work done by the students at Trinity,” said Ethan Adams, coordinator, startups for Future Founders. Adams and Katie Sowa, senior director, startups, for Future Founders, handed out awards for five different levels of achievement: platinum, gold, silver, blue, and white.

Winners from Trinity were:

• Anthony Dykstra, ’18 Platinum
• Dyvon Melling, ’17 Platinum
• Ryan Hesslau, ’18 Gold
• Tanner VanMaanen, ’18 Gold
• Tyler Schneider ’18, Gold
• Jordan VanderKamp, ’19 Silver
• Casey Huisenga, ’18 Silver
• Azariah Pargulski, ’18 Blue
• Craig Vandergalien, ’17 Blue
• Keegan VanMaanen, ’16 White
• Zack Austell, ’18 White
• Cynthia Gliwa, ’17 White
• Sarah Kooiman, ’17 White
• Jared Mulder, ’17 White
• Katlen Siwinski, ’17 White

In addition, Dykstra was given the Outstanding Entrepreneurial Leadership Award.

After dinner, students had the opportunity to spend time with departing faculty members Dr. Rick Hamilton and Prof. Kyle J. Harkema, assistant professors of business, who shared their passion for the field.

The spring edition of TRINITY magazine will be in mailboxes soon, but you can read the wonderful stories about Trinity alumni and students in Chicago Connections —online now.

In this issue, discover…

• Celebrating Rigorous Academics through high rankings – 100% and #1 in Illinois in many areas
• Chicago Connections: just a few of the Trinity students and alumni engaged in Chicago in internships and positions
• Kuecker returns to Trinity as Provost
• Riddering named as VP for Enrollment
• Trinity is a Family Affair for the Rodriguezes
• Athletic news
• and so much more …

Recently Justin Vander Waal ’16 was named winner of Trinity’s 2015-16 Student Association Service Award. The annual award is given by the Student Association to a Trinity student who has shown exceptional leadership skills, clearly desires the best for the College and her students, whose impact has been felt across campus, and whose presence will be missed upon graduation.

“I’m extremely honored to be even considered for the award,” said Vander Waal, a graphic design major from Oostburg, Wis.

When Vander Waal was nominated during a Student Association meeting, everyone had something positive to say about the impact he has had at Trinity, said Casey Huisenga ’18. “His light for Christ shone through his work and attitude, embodying everything that the service award stands for.”

According to Halie Wisse ’16, Student Association president, Vander Waal willingly served with a joyful spirit in his many activities, including working with Trinity’s AV department, as part of Outcry, and behind the scenes at many events.

Vander Waal’s name will be added to the Service Award plaque that hangs in the Molenhouse Student Center.

During the final chapel of the 2015-16 school year, Trinity introduced a new tradition of recognizing our seniors from all programs and sending them forth from our community. Each senior was presented with a medallion.

This new tradition allows us to bless, congratulate, and celebrate the class of 2016, before commencement on April 30.

-By Rachel Townsend ’16

One novel. Three different disciplinary perspectives. On April 14, Trinity hosted a colloquium on Ralph Ellison’s groundbreaking 1952 book Invisible Man. The storyfollows one African American man as he faces racial tensions, journeying through an era of hatred and confusion, a time of invisibility. By exploring the novel and its themes through history, literature, and music, the Ellison Colloquium offered students and faculty the chance to not only speak on these subjects, but to show their interdisciplinary power.

Hosted by Dr. Bob Rice, professor emeritus of history, the colloquium included presentations by Dr. David Brodnax Sr., professor of history, Dr. Mark Jones, professor of English, and Dr. Mark Peters, professor of music. Their presentations were followed by a Q & A session, where faculty and students were encouraged to probe the material further.

“Invisible Man is one of the most important novels in 20^th century America for several reasons,” said Brodnax. “It explored the idea of identity at the crossroads of the 20^th century, a time when Americans had just come out of WWII and the Depression and were also entering the Cold War and Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, questions of individual and national identity are timeless, and so the book is as well. Also, for a country that had yet to reckon its original sins of slavery and racism, the novel explores these issues. At the same time, because America still has not fully addressed these problems, and in fact because some people and institutions in America continue to make them worse, the book is timeless.”

In between each presentation, there were interludes of dramatic readings and musical performances inspired by the novel. Students participated, including  Fred Walls ’16, who read a segment from the book’s Jim Trueblood episode, Dyvon Melling ’16, who performed a segment from the funeral oration, and Kylla Pate ’17, who read an original poem. Faculty also took part, with Jones and Dr. Aron Reppmann, professor of philosophy, performing the song “Come Back, Baby.” Brodnax, Jones, and Peters ended the event with a performance of “Black and Blue.”

The colloquium was sponsored by a generous grant from Trinity’s Faculty Development Office, Brodnax said.   View the photo gallery for a look at the event.

As the school year comes to an end, the Athletics Department held its annual Athletics Award Night. The program involved a review of the highlights of the sports season, a video capturing the action from the year, and reflections by three senior athletes, and the awards ceremony.

The Liz Metcalfe Memorial Award and Keith Albers Memorial Awards, the department’s highest honors, are career awards given to a female and male athlete who exhibit exemplary play on the athletic field, high achievement in the classroom, and leadership in campus activities. This year’s recipients were women’s basketball player Allie Paluchniak ’16 of Oostburg, Wisconsin, and cross country and track runner Michael Potter ’16 of Kentwood, Michigan.

Paluchniak, a three-year player and starter on the women’s basketball team, is a team leader on and off the court. For her career she averaged 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists and ranks first in the Trinity records book with a 79.7 free throw percentage.  She earned 2014-15 NCCAA North Central All-Region Honorable Mention honors and for the past two years has received scholar-athlete recognition as an exercise science major.

Potter is a four-year member of the cross country and track and field teams.  On the cross country course he ranks seventh overall in Trinity’s record book with a career best time of 26:14 in the 8K race. As a track distance runner he ranks in the top ten in five indoor and four outdoor records. This year he has qualified for the marathon at the NAIA National Championship.  He earned 2015 CCAC All-Conference honors and, as an accounting major, is a scholar-athlete.

For their outstanding individual accomplishment for the year, cross country and track runner Ashley Jourdan ‘17of Wyoming, Michigan, and baseball player Zack Jones ’17 of Norridge, Illinois, were named the Athletes of the Year.

Jourdan is a NAIA All-American in cross country and indoor track and has already qualified in the 1500 meter for the NAIA national outdoor meet in late May.  For the cross country season, she led the team, tied the school 5K record at 18:09, took second in the conference, was a national qualifier, and finished 29^th at the NAIA national meet. In the indoor track season she set the school record in the mile at 5:02.75 and took fourth place at the NAIA indoor championships.

Jones is the starting catcher and a closing pitcher for the baseball team that has set school record for season wins. In the ongoing season he is a team leader with an above .400 batting average. He ranks in the top five in the conference in batting, hit, RBI, and walk averages and leads the CCAC with nine saves as a reliever.  The baseball post-season awards are yet to be determined.

Recognizing a member of the Trinity community who has made a significant contribution to the athletics department, the Rich Kooy Award was presented to Brittany Lee, athletics department member.  Lee not only functions as an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team, but in the past couple of years has enriched the athletics department with the formation of the Athletics Leadership Program for Students (ALPS) and by serving as a Performance Enhancement Coach.