Brandy Arnold, an African/African American (AAA) studies alumna, shared with us how the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies impacted her life and career. Arnold serves as the youth and inclusion specialist at the Kids’ Food Basket.

How did your AAA minor help you grow as a person?

I’m biracial with a white mother and a black father and grew up in a predominately white community. I felt disconnected from part of my identity and grew frustrated that I wasn’t learning about it in my community and wasn’t learning my history in school. Once I added African/African American studies as my minor, I was finally getting to see people who looked like me doing great things. In one of my classes, we discussed women in the Civil Rights Movement, and it blew my mind. Black women were really the backbone of the movement. The AAA minor instilled in me such pride in being black and the accomplishments of those who came before me. It gave me confidence in my convictions. It made me want to fight for the rights of African Americans in this country and find a job that would allow me to do that as a career.

What is one Brooks College class that had a major impact on you?
Modern African American Literature—I think it was one of the first classes I had with Dr. Veta Tucker, who was such an inspiration to me in the way she pushed us to dive deeper than face value of whatever we were reading. It was in this class that I realized the power of literary thought and how African-American activists utilized prose to examine society and culture. It was also the class that introduced me to James Baldwin. Reading his piece Letter to My Nephew illuminated so many light bulbs for me. I didn’t know it then, but it has really set me on the path I’m on today, both in my personal life and my career. The Black Arts Movement and Black Feminist Thought classes also had a major impact on shaping my identity in my college years.

What advice would you give to a college student?
Travel and explore! Get out of your bubble. Even if your major doesn’t fall within Brooks College, classes within those programs offer you a great gateway into understanding people, countries, cultures, and identities different than your own. This world is more connected than it has ever been, yet I see so many people content to stick with the familiar. To me, this creates the lack of empathy and the increase in fear we see today. When you remain in your bubble, it is easy to “other” a person whose background is different than your own. It becomes much harder once you spend time in that person’s culture and begin to know them as a friend and equal. One of my biggest regrets from college is not studying abroad. I absolutely love to travel now.

What makes Brooks College unique?
Brooks College contains programs that engage students in some of our most pressing modern-day issues. Graduates are equipped to be the next generation of advocates and problem solvers.
Tell us about your experience finding your minor.
I took an African American literature class to fulfill an English credit and loved the experience so much, I added African/African American studies as my minor.

What makes you proud to be a Brooks College alumna?
I’m convinced that students who graduate from a program within Brooks College are some of the most well-rounded, critical thinkers to graduate from GVSU. Brooks College illustrates the power of a liberal arts education, in which students don’t settle for the easy answer or easy path. 
In fact, we celebrate the complexity. Nothing makes us happier than a good debate! Only by wading through complex connections and causes, while also taking informed action, can we find solutions to today’s problems.

How are you using your AAA minor now in your career field? 
My minor in AAA is helping me break down stereotypes, empower communities, and work for equity in my career. I co-lead equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives at Kids’ Food Basket, ensuring that our internal and external policies and engagement are equitable, while we advocate for the families and students we serve. There are many factors that cause a family to be food insecure. Because of my minor, I better understand these systemic factors and can look at root causes in my work at Kids’ Food Basket. One of my favorite parts of my job is teaching our civic engagement lessons to youth in the community. I love to see light bulbs go off for them the same way they did for me at GVSU once they realize that, yes, they do have the power to change their communities for the better.

On April 24, Brooks College alumni and friends of the college came together to volunteer at the Grand Rapids Kids’ Food Basket.

Brandy Arnold, a Grand Valley alumna who earned a minor in African/African American studies, works as the organization’s youth and inclusion specialist. With Arnold’s assistance, the college was able to set up a time for volunteers to work together during GVSU’s Community Outreach Week (COW). 

The focus of COW is to bring Lakers together around the world to give back to the community. While at the Kids’ Food Basket, volunteers learned about the organization and prepared snack packs that would be handed out to local children at their schools. The event allowed alumni to reconnect with Brooks College, while making a difference in the community. 

Dana Eardley was among the first cohort of six Grand Valley students to participate in the Semester in Detroit (SID) program offered by the University of Michigan that highlights the city’s history, culture, and community activism. (See page 9.)

Eardley, who graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies, said she is applying what she learned during SID to her current role as program coordinator for Local First in Grand Rapids.

“It’s impacted many aspects of my work positively,” Eardley said. “Through that transformative experience, all my interactions with people are rooted in respect. It’s important to listen first and always.”

Eardley’s SID internship was with D-Town Farm, a program of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. She assisted the farm crew with general operations of the seven-acre organic farm and researched the feasibility of food cooperatives.
The cohort of 18 SID participants lived together, took classes together, and served internships with Detroit organizations. It was the aspect of the program Eardley enjoyed most.

“The opportunity for a cohort model is something I wanted,” she said. “It provided a level of vulnerability that you do not get in a classroom. Every student was heard during our class discussions; and, a few hours later, I might be talking with that student in our kitchen.”

“It opened up the opportunity to dig deeper.”

Grand Valley students who want to participate in SID can earn 12-15 credits. There are several needs-based scholarships available to cover the $500 program fee. 

Lisa Garringer, parking services manager, was named the Outstanding Adult Learner by the Grand Rapids Area Higher Education Network (GRAHEN) at its April banquet.

Garringer completed the first year of Grand Valley’s liberal studies accelerated leadership program. It allows participants with earned college credits to complete a bachelor’s degree within 19 months. Garringer said that was the program’s initial appeal, but she soon learned it offered more than timely degree completion.

“I never expected and was completely surprised by the personal, civic, and professional transformation that has taken place since joining the cohort,” she said.

Garringer was part of the team, led by Professor Judy Whipps, that received a Distinguished Engagement Initiative Award at the Civic Engagement Showcase in April for efforts creating a college-going culture among students who live on Grand Rapids’ West Side. She said the revitalization of the city’s neighborhoods has impacted some families with children at Harrison Park Elementary School. 

“Our goal was to create a housing resource kit that  would provide information for emergency housing, residential programs, and human services to people  who didn’t necessarily have access to Internet,” Garringer said. The kits, created in English and Spanish, will eventually be distributed through the West Grand Neighborhood Organization.

Garringer was nominated for the GRAHEN award by Kate VanDerKolk, student services coordinator for the Center for Adult and Continuing Studies and adviser for the accelerated leadership program.

“Lisa stands out among so many talented adult students because she is open to new challenges and is continually learning,” VanDerKolk said.

The GRAHEN is made up of 13 area institutions that offer degree-granting programs for adults.

Jessica Ansara, Middle East studies minor, was the recipient of the United Nations/World Health Organization Internship to Jordan.

Shukri Bana, women, gender, and sexuality studies major, was a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar for Summer 2016 to study abroad in South Africa and is the recipient of the 2017-2018 Fulbright to study abroad in South Africa.

Leah Beaulac, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the recipient of the United Nations/World Health Organization Internship to Jordan.

Christine (Christy) Bectel, Middle East studies minor, was a Boren Scholar for the 2016–2017 school year to study abroad in Jordan.

Travis Brubaker, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the recipient of the Junior Year in Munich (JYM) Alumni/Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität German Academic Exchange Service (LMU DAAD) and Cultural Vistas/Carl Duisberg Stiftung Fellowships.

Blythe Carvajal, East Asian studies minor, was the first GVSU student to receive the American Association of Teachers of Japanese (AATJ) Bridging Scholarship.

Kristen Childs, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a Boren Scholar for the 2016–2017 academic year; she studied abroad in Slovenia and received the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Summer Study Scholarship and DAAD Research Internship in Science and Engineering (RISE) Fellowship.

Spencer Santa Coloma, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a recipient of the 2016–2017 Fulbright to study abroad in Turkey.

Sarah Cullip, Frederik Meijer Honors College student,  was a recipient of the 2017-2018 Fulbright to study abroad  in Germany.

Dallas Davis, liberal studies major, was a Boren Scholar for the 2016–2017 school year to study abroad in Romania.

Erin Donnelly and Marc Lehman received the Wendy J. Wenner Outstanding Liberal Studies Thesis Award for the Fall 2016 semester.

Anessa Fehsenfeld received an Outstanding Student Award for Liberal Studies.  

Cullin Flynn, environmental studies minor, received the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Fellowship.

Kambriana Gates, African-American studies minor, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in South Africa. 

Katie Gipe, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a recipient of the 2017-2018 Fulbright to study abroad  in Spain.

David Gonzalez, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a recipient of the 2016–2017 Fulbright to study abroad in Brazil.

Shelly Greendyk, Middle East studies minor, was a Boren Scholar for the 2017–2018 school year to study abroad  in Jordan.

Haoyu Guo, Chinese studies minor, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in China and received the Freeman ASIA Scholarship to study abroad in China for summer 2017.

Richmond Hahn received the Outstanding Religious Studies Theta Alpha Kappa Undergraduate award for the Winter 2017 term.

Britlynn Hastings, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the recipient of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) and Princeton in Asia Fellow (2016-2018) to study abroad in Osaka Prefecture, Japan.

Roy Herpin, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar for Summer 2016 to study abroad in Tanzania.

Courtney Holland, African/African American studies minor, was the Gilman Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in South Africa.

DeAndreah Hollowell, a women, gender, and sexuality studies major, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the summer of 2016 to study abroad in South Africa.
 
Sultan Hubbard, an African/African American studies minor, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in Summer 2016 to study  abroad in Ghana.

Evan Irvine, East Asian studies minor, received the Freeman ASIA Scholarship to study abroad in Japan in Fall 2016.

Antoinette Jackson, an African/African American studies minor, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the winter of 2017 to study abroad in Ghana. 

Alison Kaboos, East Asian studies minor, received the Freeman ASIA Scholarship to study abroad in Japan for the 2016-2017 school year.

Emily Konen, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar for Summer 2016 to study abroad in Ireland.

Gloria LaCourse received an Outstanding Student Award from the Frederik Meijer Honors College.  

Christopher “Pez” Lopez received the Wendy J. Wenner Outstanding Liberal Studies Thesis Award for the Winter 2017 semester. Lopez also received a Barbara H. Padnos International Scholarship to study for a year in Chile.

Jakia Marie, a liberal studies alumna, published her college student affairs leadership thesis in the Journal of Pan African Studies. The piece is titled, “Racial Identity Development of African American Students in Relation to Black Studies Courses.”

Ariana Martineau, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the recipient of the Holocaust Educational Foundation Fellowship/East European Seminar.

Gloria Mileva, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in Ghana.

Holly Miller, double majoring in Chinese studies and liberal studies, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the summer of 2016 to study abroad in China. 

Marisa Kahnt, a liberal studies major, participated in Grand Valley’s first LeaderShape Institute, which is a national, intensive leadership development program for young adults. Students were nominated by faculty and staff members, then they applied to participate. The institute was organized by the Dean of Students Office.

Amber Modena, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Spring 2017 to study abroad in Spain.

Nhu Nguyen, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar for Summer 2016 to study abroad in Ghana.

Liana Periard, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the recipient of the Holocaust Educational Foundation Fellowship/East European Seminar.

Jaedah Pickens, an African/African American studies minor, was a recipient of the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the summer of 2016 to  
study abroad in Ghana. 

De’Chelle Richards, double majoring in women, gender, and sexuality studies and legal studies, was awarded the Jean Enright Scholarship by the WGS department.

Megan Rodawold, Frederik Meijer Honors College  student, was a recipient of the 2016-2017 Fulbright to study abroad in Czech Republic.

Amber Sackett, Middle East studies minor, was the first GVSU student to be awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar for Summer 2016 to study abroad  in France.

Cameron Saghaeipour, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the first Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar to study abroad in Tajikistan, with Critical Language Enhancement to study Farsi and is the first GVSU student to receive the Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to Tajikistan for study of Farsi through American Councils program in Dushanbe.

Sarah Smith received the Outstanding Religious Studies Senior Thesis award for the Fall 2016 semester.

Anthony Swieringa received an Outstanding Student Award for Religious Studies.  

Travis Taylor, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Spring 2017 to study abroad in Australia.

Brandon Thompson, Middle East studies, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in Oman/UAE.

Mallory van Regenmorter, Frederik Meijer Honors College student, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in Ghana.

Mandy Wallstead, liberal studies major, was the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholar of Summer 2017 to study abroad in Ireland.

Skylar Wolfe, a double major of psychology and women, gender, and sexuality studies, received the Thomas M. Seykora Award for Outstanding Contribution. This award is given to seniors who have made significant and outstanding contributions to the campus community at Grand Valley. Wolfe also received an Outstanding Student Award for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.


Meijer Honors College Awards
The Frederik Meijer Honors College presented students with a number of senior project awards at the April 2017 Meijer Honors College awards ceremony:

• Outstanding Senior Thesis: Andrea Haverdink,“Mandatory Arbitration in Consumer Contracts”
• Outstanding Senior Project: Kortney Ondayko, “Analysis of Grand Valley State University’s Gender Based Violence Prevention Programming”
• Outstanding Creative Achievement: Meghan Forest,“Dancing Skeletons: Variation in European Responses to the Black Death” and Katelin Leahy, “Beyond Concrete Walls”
• Excellence in Collaborative Research: Jacob Lindale, “A Slow Experiment for Ultrafast Detection: Development and Implementation of the Theoretical Framework for Field-correlated Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy,” and Skylar Schoen,
• “Comparison of Three-dimensional Ankle and Foot Kinematics between Leardini and Oxford Multi-Segment Foot Models in the Elderly Population.”
• Outstanding Leadership and Service: Jonathan Cook and Jaclyn Ermoyan, “Design Thinking Toolkit; Design an Experience that Supports Your Mission AND Your Major!”
• Outstanding Civic Engagement Project: Skylar Wolfe, “Part I: Exploring the Mental Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and Questioning University Students. Part II Video: Trans Inclusive Classrooms: A Necessity for Safety and Mental Health.”

Multiple writing consultants from the Fred Meijer Center for Writing and Michigan Authors presented at conferences throughout the academic year. 

 2016 Michigan Writing Centers Association, Macomb Community College (October 22)

• Annabelle Miller, “Beyond Grammar: Rethinking Inclusivity with Multilingual Writers”
• Brienne Forgette, Meghan Forest, and Teresa Williams, “Mother Tongue: Perspectives on Linguistic Discrimination and Inclusion in the Writing Center”
• Steven Karbownik, “Consulting with Paper in Statistics”

 2016 The National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing, Tacoma, Washington (November 4-6)

• Meghan Forest, “What’s My Name Again? Time Management and Role Negotiation in the Center”
• Teresa Williams, “If You Build It, They Will Come: Multimodality in the Writing Center”
• Annabelle Miller, “Beyond Grammar: Rethinking Inclusion with Multilingual Writers”

2017 East Central Writing Centers Association, SW Michigan College, Dowagiac, Michigan (March 24-25)

• Lucas Escalada, Meghan Forest, and Meredith Szerlag, “At Your Service! Customer Service and Writing Center Practice”
• Sam Bloom, “Navigating Disagreement —The Importance of Active Listening in Cases of Contempt”

Two Grand Valley Meijer Honors College students were named Beckman Scholars and each will receive $21,500 grants to conduct 15-month research projects with a faculty member. Kimberly Bottenberg, a biochemistry major, will work with Cynthia Thompson, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, to research how marmoset monkeys in Brazil use scent to communicate information about food resources. Faith Ureel, a biology major, will work with Amy Russell, associate professor of biology, to reconstruct the population demography of European bats to determine if they have experienced an epidemic of a fungal disease similar to one underway in North America.

The Nichols Sustainability Scholarship was created in 2006 to reward students who commit to making a difference when it comes to environmental, social, and fiscal responsibility.

The 2017 recipients are 
•     Cole Thompson, a cell and molecular biology major
•     Katelyn Tomaszewski, a natural resources management major
•     Austin VanDyke, a natural resources management major
•     Kalie Zerbst, a business economics major

The Dave Feenstra Scholarship’s purpose is to honor Feenstra’s legacy by providing financial support for a “lead intern” at the Sustainable Agriculture Project who exemplifies Feenstra’s natural leadership and mentorship skills. Krista Affholter, a natural resources management major and environmental studies minor, was awarded the Dave Feenstra Scholarship for 2017.