Hope College Student-Alumni Leadership Council

“Why I Give” - Ryan McCall

“I was an avid member of the Campus Ministries worship team as a drummer, a resident assistant for Residential Life, and a semi-athletic member of multiple intramural teams, including basketball, soccer, and softball.   I want Hope students in the future to have these same great experiences, so my involvement in all of these activities definitely influenced why I gave back to Hope College.

My time at Hope College has formed me into a well-rounded and holistic person who is better prepared to relate to people in a personal and professional way.  The people and resources at Hope College have helped me develop into a better Christ-follower and develop me into a mature worker ready for a professional career.

I think that I have had a wonderful experience at Hope College, and someone who was a student before me gave back to Hope College so that I could have a life-changing experience.  I want to do that same thing for a future Hope College student (or my brother who is a potential Hope student).”

Don’t forget to donate and share “Why You Give”!  Thanks Ryan!

Student-Alumni Leadership Council!

Have you been looking for more ways to be involved?

Have you been looking for leadership opportunities?

Submit your application for the Student-Alumni Leadership Council before midnight on April 11 by clicking here!

The Student-Alumni Leadership Council could be exactly what you’re looking for! SALC is an organization comprised of students under direction of both the Alumni Association and Student Development. The main goals of SALC are to strengthen relationships between alumni and students and help create a smoother transition from student to alumni. This is done by organizing several events and hosting various activities for both alumni and students to be involved with. Students benefit from valuable leadership experience, unique networking opportunities and professional development training.

Events and programming that SALC is responsible for include: Homecoming, Family Weekend, Senior Class Gift, Alumni Weekend, and Senior Weekend. Not only is it an incredible experience, but it is also a ton of fun getting to know the other people on the council and alumni.

To submit your application to be considered for membership, click here. Feel free to contact Katie Garrett (katherine.garrett@hope.edu) or Andrew Haggerty (andrew.haggerty@hope.edu) for more information. Applications are due by April 10. If you have questions or interest, plan to attend the recruitment event on Tuesday, April 3^rd at 6pm in the Herrick Room. Current advisors and committee members will be there to answer questions about SALC.

“Why I Give” - Lily Poon

Lily Poon gives back because her Hope story isn’t over when she graduates. Many of her friends will still be students and she wants to make sure their experiences are as equally great as hers. Lily plans to keep in touch with many friends and stay up to date with what they’re doing. Lily is a leader of HAPA and wants to see her legacy continued. The Hope Fund helps support that so thanks for giving Lily!

And the winners are…

Thanks so much to everyone that made a donation to the Senior Class Gift during senior days! To date, there have been 129 donations made totaling $1,250! That’s almost 19% of the class. We’re off to a great start. Congratulations to the following winners:

Hope Sweatshirt Blankets
Paige Holthof
Ashley Drew
Kurt Burmeister
Erica Long
Erin McIntrye
Jacqueline Canonaco

Alumni License Plate Covers
Bonnie Greenberg Jansma
Evan Beals
Ryan Tussey
Edith Leon

Alumni Mugs
Christina Vincent
Stephanie Skaff
Everetta Cole
Anne Jamieson

It’s Senior Days!

Which means it’s time for you to pick up your cap & gown, your graduation announcements, give to the Senior Class Gift, and so much more. On February 29th  and March 1st from 10 am - 5 pm, there will be tables set up in the lobby of Dewitt for Seniors to come and explore some of the information necessary for graduation.

If you donate to the Senior Class Gift during Senior Days, you will be entered to win one of MANY great prizes, including sweatshirt blankets, Hope gear, and so much more. You will want to be there, don’t miss it!

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.