Alumni youth award winners give back

RECIPIENT OF YOUTH ALUMNI AWARD — Josiah Dyks-
tra is one of the two winners of Hope College’s Youth Alumni
Award. He will be delivering an address on “American Self De-
fense in Cyberspace.” (Hope College)

Hope College receives two alumni, Sarah Sanderson Doyle and Josiah Dykstra, as recipients for this year’s Young Alumni Award. This honor recognizes extraordinary achievements for professional endeavor, research, volunteerism and/or involvement within the local or global community made by alumni who have graduated within the past 15 years.

Special consideration will be given for those who demonstrate significant initiative by starting innovative service projects, business or other original enterprises. The winners must have earned at least 45 credit hours in their time at Hope College and have been a member of the Alumni Association for no more than 15 years prior to the current year.

Sarah Sanderson Doyle (’03) is a Rotary International World Peace Fellow studying and researching peace and conflict resolution at International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. A two-time recipient of highly competitive Fulbright Fellowships, Sarah is a teacher, writer, presenter, language learner and travel enthusiast. Doyle spent the past summer interning with the United States Embassy in Maputo, Mozambique, where she learned about visa and consular affairs, American citizen services and public diplomacy in action. She also volunteered during the evenings teaching English at the American Cultural Center, which the embassy runs and supports.

Her research for her M.A. thesis in preparation for graduation in June 2017 concerns using foreign language education as a vehicle for teaching global citizenship.

Josiah Dysktra (’02) works within the Research Directorate of the National Security Agency on innovation, infrastructure and analytics for USCYBERCOM. He recently received a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States on young professionals in this field.

These emerging leaders are educated to think about important issues with clarity and wisdom as they bridge boundaries that divide communities. The two award winners will provide insight about their current projects and share success and leadership tools in Youth Alumni Workshops.

Doyle will present “Life Lessons from Language Learning” on Wednesday, March 1 at 3:30 p.m. Dykstra will present, along with Professor of Political Science Joel Toppen, a timely workshop on “American Self Defense in Cyberspace” on Thursday, March 2 at 3:30 p.m.

Both workshops will be taking place in the Fried-Hemenway Auditorium in the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication. The Young Alumni Workshops are open to all students and members of the community.

Students are also invited to meet Sarah and Josiah at the Young Alumni Award Dinner on Thursday, March 2 at 6 p.m. at the Haworth Inn and Conference Center.

This complimentary event is brought to Hope College by the Alumni Association and the Career Development Center.