Hope College Student-Alumni Leadership Council

Congratulations Marc Tori!

After contributing his Senior Gift, Marc Tori was the lucky winner of this authentic Hope College Diploma Frame (worth $140)!

You may be wondering why Marc gives…

“I give because I want to see future Hope students grow here as much as I have.” - Marc Tori, Class of 2012

Why do you give?  Let us know! Keep checking the blog for updates as will be having more give-a-ways as the semester continues! And don’t forget that Senior Days are just around the corner on February 29 and March 1 - another perfect opportunity to share Why You Give!

“Why I Give”

By now you’ve heard about the Senior Class Gift Campaign and are probably wondering why it makes sense to give back to Hope. We hope to help you come to understand that giving financially to Hope is so much more than a donation of money…it’s seizing the opportunity to participate in something that is much greater than us, and much greater than the four years that we have spent here.

Over the next few months, as commencement draws closer, we will feature your classmates and the reasons why they have chosen to give.

Make your donation now…and let us know…why do you give? 

SENIORS - 100 Days!!

Introducing…the Student-Alumni Leadership Council! by Katie Garrett ‘12

A recent venture that Hope College has stepped into is the Student Alumni Leadership Council (SALC).  This council, based off of what many colleges label the ‘student-ambassador’ program, has been in full existence for about one year.  The group is meant to bridge the relationship between students and alumni.  A group of about twenty students were accepted to be a part of this council and have helped out already with several different events. Some of these events have been The Greater Hope Campaign kick-off dinner, Homecoming, Family Weekend, The Last Hurrah (Graduation event for seniors), various community events, and more. This committee is the perfect connection point because it takes current students and allows them to meet and establish an alumni relation before they graduate. This will promote a heavier involvement with alumni events, when students become alumni, which in turn creates a stronger Hope College community.

The group has been an immediate success in the life of the campus, and among Alumni events. Alumni enjoy meeting and connecting with current students, and students enjoy meeting with Alumni to discuss life at Hope and the way it has evolved throughout the years.  Through SALC, Alumni and current students have been able to connect. Both students and Alumni have commented on how much they have enjoyed the opportunity to connect and meet. 

Last year, I was asked to be a part of this group, and specifically serve on the sub-committee that focused on parent involvement for graduation weekend. I immediately loved serving on the group. The people that are involved with SALC are people that I truly enjoy working with; they’re hard-working, fun, creative people.  They are great at planning events, and making existing events better. This year, we had to have an almost entirely new SALC group, because many of the members last year graduated. However, everyone that has been involved has surpassed any of my expectations. We have had an incredible amount of fun getting to know one another, and spending time with current students and alumni. I have had wonderful conversations with people who have graduated from Hope ten, twenty, even fifty years ago, and still continue to come back to Hope and get involved in what is currently happening on campus. I love listening to their stories, and why Hope was important to them. It’s an incredible privilege talking to the people who have come before me, and to hear how what they are doing is personally impacting my life at Hope. This is why I am a part of SALC.

Senior Spotlight #7 - Jamie Poppema

What I love about Hope College is the all-encompassing experience and the many opportunities to grow as a person. I not only received an excellent education, but also a chance to develop my character, push my limits, strengthen my faith, travel around the world, create lasting and meaningful friendships, interact with administrative staff and faculty and gain valuable job skills.

My areas of study have given me a global perspective in life and an increasing passion for international work. I have been blessed with so many opportunities to go beyond the familiar and embrace fully the beauty and creativity of the world. I am most thankful for the chance I had to study abroad for a year in France, where I was able to step out of my comfort zone and experience a new lifestyle, culture, and worldview. It tested me culturally and academically, but also spiritually: I grew stronger both as a person and in my faith. I also had the opportunity to travel again on a spring break immersion trip to Miami, Florida, where we immersed ourselves in a neighborhood called Little Haiti. We were surrounded by Haitian languages, history, culture, and artwork while we learned about and engaged in community development. The point of that trip was more to learn than to do, in order that we might better serve later.

That is what Hope has done for me: allowed me to learn about myself and the world, and then prepared me actually to go out and be a part of it. I give back to Hope because I know the experiences students have here will forever impact and change their lives, encouraging them to go above and beyond. I give back to Hope not only as a huge thank you, but also to continue giving these opportunities to future students.   

Senior Spotlight #6 - Mary Cantor

Whenever people ask me why I chose to come to Hope, I tell them, “You know, I don’t really think I chose Hope.  I think Hope chose me.” I love this place for so many reasons, none of which I anticipated prior to setting foot on campus as a freshman.  Now a senior, I am involved in exciting activities on campus that keep me energized (and keep my planner full), I have received unrelenting support from the faculty and staff, and time and time again, I have found myself surrounded by an incredible network of friends.  The experience of these past four years is one that I never could have planned for myself.

            Giving back to Hope is my way of acknowledging the connection I have not only to the Hope community of today, but also to the Hope communities that came before me and will come after me.  It is my thank you to Hope College for the part it has played in the creation of the person I became during my time here. If it is even possible to say a sufficient thank you for such a gift, I choose to do so by serving Hope with talents and strengths that were cultivated in this very soil—by being the best person of Hope that I can be.

29 Things to Do Before You Graduate

All right seniors, April 29 is your last day of class at Hope. What are the 29 most important things that you should do before commencement? We’ve started the list, and need you to finish it. Leave a comment with your additions.

1. Take a nap and/or study in the Pine Grove (if it ever gets warm again!)
2. Pull an all nighter at Martha Miller
3. Eat in Phelps
4. Revisit your freshman dorm
5. Go to chapel
6. Make a late night run to Good Time Donuts
7. Spend some time at the beach

Senior Spotlight #5 - Kristen Vet

Studying at Hope College is the best choice I made in my academic career. I have learned so much about myself here and I would never choose another place if I had to go back.

While at Hope I have participated in Nykerk, Delta Phi Sorority, Dance Marathon, Relay for Life and so many other outstanding opportunities that this school offers its students. I am a relatively shy person and having all of these activites to participate in has allowed me to meet people that I would not otherwise have met.

Greek Life is a huge reason why I chose to give back to Hope College. The school has been so supportive of our program and it has allowed so many men and women to find a home away from home. I know that without Greek Life my experience at Hope would not be the same and I am eternally grateful for the experience I was given.

I have worked for the Hope Fund as a caller for the past two years and in this time I have been able to hear tons of stories about alumni experiences and why they chose Hope. There has been everything from Pull to the Anchor to Greek Life and Varsity Athletics. All of these gifts that Hope gives to its students make a difference in their lives. Hearing how much they enjoyed themselves makes me love Hope even more. I chose to give back because I will soon be an alum that has had such a great time and I want to show how much they gave to me!

As I now walk through campus I think about every moment that has formed my undergraduate career and I am blessed. It is a beautiful place to go to school and has so much to offer every student that attends. I give back because Hope has given me so much.

Senior Spotlight #4 - Mallory Fox

As the last few months of my time as a student at Hope are coming to an end, I can do nothing but think back to the very first moment when I decided to come to Hope.  That visitation day, I was walking over the railroads tracks next to the Physical Plant heading toward DeVos Fieldhouse to meet with my potential Women’s Soccer Coach.  As I crossed over the tracks I can remember a feeling of, “this is where you belong”, and from that moment on, I decided that I would call Hope my home for the next four years of my life. 

Looking back, little did I know that Hope would have such a tremendous impact on my life, and although in a few months I will no longer be able to call Hope my “current home”, I will forever hold a spot in my heart that considers Hope my home.  The students, faculty and people of the Holland area are what make Hope the extraordinary place it is.  Each person I have met over the years has influenced my life in one way or another, and I know I would not have had the same experience at any other college or university.  Without Hope, I would not be the person I am today.  I give back to Hope because Hope taught me who I am, what I want to become and gave me the education and life skills necessary to accomplish my dreams.

Senior Spotlight #3 - Clare McCullough

As a Hope Fund Phonathon caller, it’s part of my job to keep in touch with alumni and hear details about their time at Hope. My friends always say that they wouldn’t want my job because calling people I don’t know must be hard. I must say that because we all have Hope College in common, there is usually quite a lot to talk about.  Throughout my four years I have had the opportunity to share how long standing traditions such as the Pull and Nykerk have transformed, hear stories about Hope graduates falling in love and getting married and learn that apparently Graves Hall has served as almost every possible type of academic building imaginable. One of my favorite questions to ask alumni is, “What brought you to Hope?” I’m always curious to hear their answers, and turns out they often shoot the question right back at me.

My response to them includes something about wanting a small school with a Christian environment that had strong science programs. I share that what sealed the deal was my visit to campus where people were so eager to help that it seemed right. At this point, I knew it was meant to be. I’ve learned a lot about both my field of study and myself through classes I’ve taken. I’ve participated in clubs and activities very unique to Hope and have met a lot of people that have greatly impacted my formation as a person intellectually, socially and spiritually. I am giving back because I know that my rewarding experience has impacted me greatly and I want to ensure that others students can benefit from what Hope has to offer.