In a few short weeks, I will be walking across a stage in my cap and gown, grasping tight my diploma while I smile back to my family, who will be attempting to set aside their differences in order to “make the day about me.” What they won’t realize is that behind my grin is…
When I came to Hope College as a freshman, the topic of the Critical Issues Symposium (CIS) was reconciliation. The summer prior, my mom caught wind of CIS and purchased a copy of the book for the symposium, “Reconciling All Things,” for everyone in our family. Sitting in sessions for CIS that year was my…
I’m leaving Hope in less than a month. I have to keep repeating that to myself. Graduation is a terrifying thing and it’s something I’ve been struggling with since the last day of my junior year. With only a few weeks left, I’ve tried to come to terms, but there’s still some soul searching left…
Growing up, and still today, people often comment on my name, noting it as beautiful and what not. For a long time, I didn’t fully appreciate having a name packed with meaning and depth. As a fourth or fifth grader, I was challenged to think about the importance of a name when reading Joan…