In the News

Explore Kansas trip to visit Kansas and Nebraska locations

Hesston College alumni and friends are invited to take part in a relaxing day of art, commerce, history, cuisine, architecture, culture and more at the college’s annual Explore Kansas! trip, Saturday, June 2. The 2018 excursion will venture slightly beyond the state lines with stops at destinations in both northern Kansas and southern Nebraska.

With charter bus service by Village Tours, the trip will depart at 6:45 a.m. from the Hesston College Main Street parking lot. Breakfast items will be served upon arrival at the first city destination.

The first destination of the day will be Concordia, Kan., where the group will visit the longest sculpted brick mural in the U.S. at the Cloud County Museum Annex and the National Orphan Train Complex, a 75-year history of the movement that took 250,000 east coast city orphans to rural communities across the country. The group will also see or hear about other National Register of Historic Places in Concordia with history and stories shared by historian John Sharp.

Traveling north, the next destination will be Republic, Kan., at the Pawnee Indian Village Historic Site. The museum tells the story of an original 1700’s earthen village lodge site for the indigenous Central Plains tribe.

The group will cross into Nebraska for lunch at a state fast-food staple, Runza, in Fairbury, which serves the classic cabbage sandwich also commonly known as bierocks.

The third stop of the day will be the National Homestead Monument in Beatrice, Neb., which honors the Homestead Act of 1862 that turned over 270 million acres of land for pioneers to have “a chance.” Spend the afternoon with docent/video presentations, stroll the Freeman Homestead tallgrass prairie and tour the monument and education centers.

The day’s adventures will end with dinner at another famous Nebraska restaurant, Valentino’s, where the group will enjoy an Italian buffet meal and hear the story of how the restaurant chain got its start in 1957.

The cost for the trip is $95 per person. Reservations are encouraged as soon as possible, and no later than Friday, May 25, as space is limited. No refunds will be made past the May 25 cutoff date.

Contact Alumni Relations at 620-327-8147 to reserve a spot.

The staying power of community and connection

It’s not unusual for Hesston College employees to have long tenures. After all, when you find a community that welcomes you, embraces you and supports you so well, it’s easy to love it and you stay where life is good.

At least that’s how Brent Brockmueller ’01 has felt about it for the last 13 years.

What’s unusual about Brockmueller however, who is more commonly known by his nickname “Dogg,” is that he’s devoted 10 and a half of those years as a resident director (RD), a role that typically sees turn over every two to three years as it tends to draw young adults fresh out of college as they transition to “the real world.”

“When I came to Hesston as RD, I envisioned being here a long time – but my definition of ‘a long time’ was like four years,” said Brockmueller. “And that was a long time. As far as I know, in at least the 10 years prior to that, there hadn’t been an RD here that long.”

By way of formal definition, a Hesston College resident director is part of the Student Development team, and along with a team of three other resident directors, they live on campus and oversee student life and housing. They supervise a student staff of resident assistants, assist in maintaining campus lifestyle standards and serve as a role model and mentor for students.

Informally, resident directors are so much more than what their job descriptions state. They are a listening ear when students need advice or to vent. They open their apartments for students to cook, bake, watch movies or just hang out. They provide rides to the airport or appointments. They “rescue” students whose cars have broken down, whether it’s 10 minutes or hours away. Sometimes they have to do the hard things, too, like disciplining students who have violated campus lifestyle standards. They sometimes get woken up in the middle of the night to deal with an issue, turn off a fire alarm or talk with a student. They are always at the ready to help however they can.

From the fun times connecting with students to the not so fun, Brockmueller stuck it out much longer than most because he cares so deeply for the students and enjoys watching their growth and development as they transition into young adulthood.

“I just love this place,” Brockmueller said. “As a whole, our students take care of each other so well. They look out for each other, and that’s always been something I have enjoyed about being here in this role.”

Brockmueller started his journey as RD in August 2005 after completing an undergraduate degree in elementary education from Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.), student teaching and spending a semester as a substitute teacher. As a Hesston graduate, he was sold on what is known as the Hesston Experience – a college experience that is genuinely welcoming, nurturing and supportive – and he wanted to be a part of it again, this time from a staff perspective.

His plan of four years turned into six before Brockmueller decided to give up his post as RD. He had gotten married during fall break of that final year, and decided it was time for him and his new wife, Angie (Martin) ’99 Brockmueller ’13, to move off campus and on to new things.

The Brockmuellers didn’t move far as Angie had decided to start nursing school in Hesston’s program. Shortly after making the decision to end his time as RD, a job opened up at the college for an admissions counselor, and Brockmueller was hired.

After two years in Admissions and with Angie also having finished her nursing degree, the Brockmuellers bid farewell to their years of service to Hesston College and found new jobs in the local area – Angie as an RN with her newly minted nursing license and Brent working in activities at a local retirement community. But it didn’t last.

“After I’d left the college, I would have conversations with Mitch Stutzman ’09, who was the new RD, about RD life,” said Brockmueller. “One time, Angie told me, ‘You know, if you wanted to be an RD again, you could.’ I said I wouldn’t put her through that again, and she said, ‘I don’t mind living in the dorms – it’s not terrible for me.’”

Offhandedly, Brockmueller asked then Vice President of Student Development, Lamar Roth, if he would ever consider rehiring somebody:

“He said, ‘I don’t know, it depends who it is,’” said Brockmueller. “And I was like, ‘Well, it would be me. And it was Angie’s idea.’ I think that spoke the most because, truly, being married in this role is not ideal – not ideal for the RD and not ideal for the students. But Lamar loved the idea of married couples because they could be a model to students of a healthy relationship.”

Coincidentally, after just one semester away from the Hesston College community, a male RD position was vacated in the middle of the year, and Brockmueller was asked to step in to finish out the year.

And when that one semester was up…he stayed for four more years.

“I just knew that if I was going to live around here, then Hesston College is where I want to work,” Brockmueller said.

Now the Brockmuellers are preparing to move away from Kansas, back to Brent’s hometown of Freeman, S.D., where he will take over his family’s farming operation. Angie, who has spent several years working as assistant registrar and interim registrar during times of transition, will continue in her Hesston College role remotely.

The move, Brent says, will be bittersweet.

“Going back to the farm has always been part of my plan, so I’m excited about that, but I’m really going to miss this, too,” he said. “I enjoy getting to know the students. Being an RD at Hesston is different than it is at a lot of other places. Other schools have really pushed for the professionalization of the role – RDs keep office hours and that’s when students can reach them. Here, the culture is for RDs to have their apartment doors open and students just wander in. RDs just wander into mods as well and spend time with the students. So much of what we do is being intentional with our relationships.”

Along with his RD role, Brockmueller has found time through the years to also serve as Campus Activities Board (CAB) director, assistant women’s basketball coach, mod parent (yes, even living in the dorms) and a sponsor for the Bills and Normas.

“Each year I would connect with my RAs (student resident assistants) most because that is who we worked most closely with, so having these other positions gave me opportunities to make connections with some other students as well,” he said.

With as many experiences and situations as he’s seen during his 10 and a half years in the RD apartment, he will be missed as well.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do next year because Dogg has all the wisdom,” said RD Megan Baumgartner ’15. “There’s just these little things that come up that we’ve never seen before, but Dogg has. Or I don’t know what to do with a situation, but Dogg has done it plenty of times. It’s all those little things we didn’t know we didn’t know.”

After being witness to plenty of fun, harmless pranks, watching countless movies and connecting with hundreds of students, the Brockmuellers are working on packing and preparing for their move this summer. Some of the most precious things Brent will take with him are his memories of living with students in the dorms.

“There are times when the RD definitely has to be the bad guy and we have to deal with situations we don’t want to, but there are also times where there’s been some sort of tragedy in a student’s life, and those are terrible, sacred times,” he said. “Just being there, you hope it helps them. Letting them cry or sit quietly. Those are times I’m really going to miss – being depended on by the students. That’s always one thing I’ve enjoyed – people can depend on me if nothing else.”

Music and theatre performances close out year

The Hesston College Performing Arts department will cap off the academic year with a weekend full of music and theatre performances during the college’s Commencement Weekend celebration May 11 to 13. All performances are free and open to the public.

• The Chamber Orchestra will kick off the weekend with the Spring Sophomore Soloists Concert at 7 p.m., Friday, May 11, at Hesston Mennonite Church. The concert will feature five sophomore students chosen by audition – Elizabeth Miller (Archbold, Ohio), marimba; Mackenzie Miller (Lancaster, Pa.), soprano voice; Adrian Rogers (Newton, Kan.), trumpet; Angus Siemens (Newton, Kan.), double bass; and Noah Yoder (Harrisonburg, Va.), baritone voice.
       A free will offering will be collected to help offset concert costs. A reception with cookies and punch will follow in the concert in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center.
       The large orchestra pieces will include the fanfare piece “Celebration and Tribute” by James Swearingen, that features the brass and woodwinds in flourishes and more emotional, subtle solo passages. The orchestra will also perform the rigorous “Capriccio Espagnole by Rimsky-Korsakov, a gypsy dance in five movements which features soloists throughout the orchestra.
       The Hesston College Chamber Orchestra is under the direction of Rebecca Schloneger, and is made up of Hesston Colleges students, recent alumni, community members and hired professionals.
• Noah Yoder will perform the first student recital of the weekend following the Chamber Orchestra concert at 9 p.m., May 11, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater. Yoder is a baritone voice. During his time at Hesston College, he has been a member of the college’s premier choir, Bel Canto Singers, led Campus Worship, performed as part of student music groups of varying styles and is a member of the International Chorale that will depart for a three-week European tour following Commencement.
• Saturday morning will bring another student recital by Anna Breckbill (Kidron, Ohio), a soprano voice, at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 12, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater. Breckbill has been a member of Women’s Chorus is a member of the International Chorale.
• The final student recital for the weekend will feature Mackenzie Miller and Sarah Miller (Freeman, S.D.), both soprano voices, at 1 p.m., May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Both women are two-year members of Bel Canto Singers, members of International Chorale and have had several other solo and group performance opportunities during their time at Hesston.
• The International Chorale will perform a bon voyage concert at 4 p.m., May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church. The International Chorale has formed every other year for thirty years for a three-week European tour. The 2018 choir, under the direction of Dr. Russell Adrian and tour leader Ken Rodgers, will perform eight concerts in four countries – the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France. The program entitled “My Father’s World,” includes a repertoire of both sacred and secular pieces, and celebrates international community.
• Theatre students will be featured in a theatre showcase at 7 p.m., May 12, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater, where a themed collection of scenes and monologues will be performed by the spring semester Acting I and Acting II classes. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and close at 7 p.m.

International Chorale to perform in European venues

Hesston College’s International Chorale will perform eight concerts in four countries during a three-week European tour in May and June. Prior to departing Hesston, the choir will also perform a bon voyage concert at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at Hesston Mennonite church.

For 30 years, the International Chorale has formed every other year to perform in Europe.

The choir, which is under the direction of Dr. Russell Adrian and tour leader Ken Rodgers, has a repertoire that includes both sacred and secular pieces. The program for the 2018 tour is entitled “My Father’s World,” and celebrates international community, which is also an important element of the Hesston College community.

European concert venues include:

• May 17, Doopsgezinde Gemeente, Utrecht, Netherlands
• May 19, Vereenigde Doopsgezinde Gemeente, Haarlem, Netherlands
• May 20, Doopsgezinde Gemeente, Joure, Netherlands
• May 22, St. Franziskus Kirche, Hamburg-Barmbek, Germany
• May 26, St. Augustinus Kirche, Munich, Germany
• May 30, Reformierte Kirchgemeinde Wattenwil-Forst, Wattenwil, Switzerland
• May 31, Eglise Evangélique Mennonite du Petit-Val Evangelische Mennonitengemeinde Kleintal, Moron Switzerland
• June 1, Eglise Evangélique Mennonite de Pfastatt, Mulhouse, France

Aside from performing concerts, the group will also be studying European history and visiting sites significant to national events and the Anabaptist/Mennonite faith tradition.

Commencement Weekend to close out an exciting year

Hesston College will honor the class of 2018 with a variety of events during Commencement Weekend May 11 to 13. See a full schedule of events and information.

The commencement ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 13, in Yost Center. Michelle E. Armster will deliver the commencement address. Armster is the Executive Director for Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Central States. The service will be streamed live online.

Nominated by their fellow classmates as student speakers will be Mackenzie Miller (Lancaster, Pa.) and Jose Lezama Mendosa (Barquisimeto, Venezuela).

Student groups will be recognized with special academic program events during the weekend.

A pinning ceremony for nursing graduates will be at 10 a.m., Saturday, May 12, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. The featured speaker will be Alice Thornton Bell, APRN, MPA, MA, MSN, a nursing leader and senior director at The Advisory Board Company. A class memories media presentation will be shown twice beginning at 9:30 a.m., and a reception will follow the ceremony in the church Community Center. The pinning ceremony will be streamed live online.

Disaster Management students will be recognized for their achievements at 1 p.m., May 12, in the Campus Worship Center in the lower level of Keim Center for Performing Arts Education.

Aviation graduates will be recognized during a 2:30 p.m. reception, May 12, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center. A short program will feature John Reimer, a 1990 Hesston Aviation graduate, who is a demonstration pilot at Textron Aviation in Wichita, Kan. Recognition of graduates, a time for sharing and refreshments will follow.

In addition to recognizing student accomplishments and graduates, the weekend will also include several performances and exhibitions.

• Chamber Orchestra Concert featuring sophomore soloists at 7 p.m., Friday, May 11, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• International Chorale Concert at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Theatre Showcase featuring a themed collection of scenes and monologues performed by the spring semester Acting I and Acting II classes at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 12, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater

Sophomore music students will showcase their talent in recitals throughout the weekend. Performers include:

• Noah Yoder (Harrisonburg, Va.), voice, at 9 p.m., Friday, May 11, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater.
• Anna Breckbill (Kidron, Ohio), voice, at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 12, in the Keim Center Black Box Theater.
• Mackenzie Miller (Lancaster, Pa.), voice, and Sarah Miller (Freeman, S.D.), voice, at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 12, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

Events on Saturday evening, May 12, will be full of celebration and final moments, starting with an informal come-and-go “Go Everywhere” reception for all students, families, faculty and staff will be from 7:45 to 8:45 p.m., in the lower level of Keim Center. Students, parents and faculty/staff are welcome to celebrate the Class of 2018’s time at Hesston and connect with President Joseph Manickam and others.

A final student-led Campus Worship time for all students and guests will be at 8:30 p.m., in the Bontrager Worship Center on the lower level of Keim Center.

The legacy of a teacher: Closing a 50-year career

Dr. Jim Yoder’s legacy at Hesston College could easily be described as a rare and striking occurrence to which 50 years of students, faculty and colleagues were connected. Always hungry for increased knowledge and understanding, Yoder is a lifelong learner, transferring his passion wherever he is. But soon, at the close of the 2017-18 year, Yoder will close out his Hesston College chapter as he retires from teaching and leaving behind the longest teaching legacy to date.

As the son of a college professor, Yoder always knew he wanted to be a teacher. His father, Paton Yoder, was a founding faculty member of Westmont College (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and taught history at four different liberal arts colleges throughout his career.

“I was quite clear I wanted to be a teacher,” Yoder said. “I wanted to be a college teacher like dad. But what I was going to teach didn’t become clear until I was a junior at Goshen.”

Starting as a college freshman at Taylor University (Upland, Ind.), Yoder transferred to Hesston College for his sophomore year as his dad stepped into the role of academic dean. But it was at Goshen (Ind.) College, following completion of his year at Hesston, that Yoder chose from among his interests in the sciences, literature and drama, to pursue his passion for chemistry.

“Chemistry made so much sense,” Yoder said. “I think it was partly because literature was too nebulous for me. I wanted things more crystal, more sorted out.”

The bond was instantaneous, and Yoder dedicated the rest of his life to the sciences, graduating from Goshen College in 1964 to go on to obtain his Ph.D. in organic chemistry with minors in physical chemistry and philosophy of science from Indiana University (Bloomington, Ind.) in 1969.

“I went to school twenty years in a row, from kindergarten to graduate school,” Yoder said.

Then it was straight to Hesston College, where he actually began shortly before completing his doctorate program, and where Yoder has been ever since.

“When it came to Hesston, I found out what a blessing it was to have my weekday community and my Sunday community the same,” Yoder said. “There was a coming homeness when they were the same.”

Yoder began at the college in September 1968 with the start of the 1968-69 year, teaching General Chemistry I and II alongside Organic Chemistry I and II. Later, because of his interest in the universe and cosmos, Yoder launched an astronomy course that scores of Hesston College students – even those who are not science majors – have been through as a general education science option.

In the classroom, a commitment to science alongside faith was always an important topic to Yoder.

“Studying creation is a worship experience, and that’s what we do in chemistry and astronomy and everything else,” Yoder said. “For a Christian, we believe in creation. What is science? The study of creation – it is as important as scripture.”

Sophomore Curtis Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho) appreciates the willingness Yoder has to tackle difficult topics such as this with his students.

“In places where many people see conflict between Biblical teaching and science, Jim sees logical explanation that allows the two to be in agreement,” Oesch said. “He has told me more than once that there doesn’t have to be conflict and it doesn’t have to become a choice whether to believe the Bible or science. The two can coexist and even support each other if you read each one in the appropriate context.”

Throughout his fifty years on faculty, Yoder took several sabbaticals. Under Mennonite Central Committee, Yoder and his family traveled to Swaziland from 1979 to 1981 where Yoder taught at the University of Swaziland. He was then named a Fulbright Scholar in 2007 and returned to Swaziland. He also spent several summers and periods of sabbatical as an adjunct instructor at Bethel College (North Newton, Kan.), Tabor College (Hillsboro, Kan.) and Wichita (Kan.) State University.

But Yoder always returned to his home in Hesston.

“A teacher can only have an impact on a limited number of people no matter where they’re at, a big university or a small one,” Yoder said. “And so, if that’s the goal then it doesn’t matter where you teach.”

Yoder has seen many transitions during his time at Hesston, but the biggest changes? The students and technology.

In 1968, Yoder began teaching with slide-rules, the “old-fashioned calculator,” as Yoder called them, and mimeograph-graded tests. But with the introduction of calculators and advancement of computers, student interactions with science transformed. Yoder has also seen the effects.

“I don’t have to spend so much time in the lab or the classroom on tedium things and the details,” Yoder said. “Now I can focus more on concepts, on the bigger picture.”

As technology has changed, so too have Hesston College students.

“I walk around campus, and I hear the birds, and I see the trees, and I wonder how many students notice birds singing and the trees,” Yoder said. “Students don’t notice those things as much, and they’re not out as much as they used to be.”

While this changes the interaction of students in the classroom, Yoder still finds ways to connect with them in other areas on campus.

“Year after year, the flow of really nice students are gracious, friendly, forgiving people,” he said. “I just wish I could remember more of them.”

Oesch is one of those students fortunate enough to have Dr. Yoder as a teacher in his final year.

“Jim has taught me that the world that we live in is magnificently astounding simply because it works,” Oesch said. “In the classroom setting, Jim always wants to see his students succeed and so challenges them to achieve their full potential. This willingness to sacrifice time to ensure my success has helped me realize my potential and find passion in learning.”

Beyond the classroom, Yoder has had opportunities to maintain his love for theatre from his younger undergraduate days, as he has played a variety of roles in Hesston College Theatre productions, his final role being that of Dr. Stokes, a medical doctor who observes and checks on all contestants, in the college’s spring 2018 production of Hands on a Hardbody.

Perhaps the most meaningful culminating event for Yoder’s last year was leading a group from Hesston College to Shickley, Nebraska on August 21, 2017, for the total solar eclipse. There, in a village of 337, 450 people, including 75 Hesston college math, science, education and music students and about 90 college alumni and friends, joined students, faculty and staff of Shickley Public School and Shickley community members for an eclipse presentation that paired scientific explanation from Yoder with choral pieces by the Hesston College Bel Canto Singers.

“This rare, striking event that we were so fortunate to experience helps us recognize our place in the cosmos and that we are a part of, and connected to, the rest of the solar system, the Milky Way, and the universe,” Yoder said.

The mark Yoder has left at Hesston College that reaches so many from the past, will also continue to live on for future generations through the excellence he established in the chemistry program. But his decision to retire has not come without some hesitation in the last year.

“I get done with class and think, ‘Wow, why am I leaving?’ This is just so good,” Yoder said. “I’ve always preached this to people and myself: when you retire you should have something to retire from and something to retire to. I don’t have either one!”

As he continues to discover what the next chapter holds for him, Yoder notes that the impact of his work is seen best through his students, many who have established notable careers in science-related fields.

“That’s the legacy of a teacher,” Yoder said. “No matter where they are, their students go on and become bigger and better than they are.”

See more of Dr. Yoder’s legacy:

• Final chapel presentation: “Integrating the Rainbow,” April 30, 2018
• Tribute video from retirement celebration

Story by Mackenzie Miller ’18

Golf benefit gives opportunities for community support and mutuality

Hesston College Athletics will host its annual Lark Open Golf Benefit on Saturday, June 2, at the Hesston Golf Course, giving participants a chance to show their support for the local collegiate athletic programs.

Proceeds from the event will benefit Hesston College Athletics for facility improvements, professional development opportunities and other departmental needs.

Teams of four will compete in the benefit, and registration can be found here. Participants are welcome to register a team of four or as individuals to be placed on a team. The cost is $100 per golfer, and includes green fees, a cart, gift bag, raffle tickets and a meal, which will follow the afternoon benefit.

Hole sponsorships are also available for $150 for individuals or $450 for corporate sponsors, which includes a team registration.

Lark Open organizers hope potential participants recognize the mutual benefits of having a college, and thereby, local collegiate sports, in small communities.

“We view ourselves very much as a part of the wider Hesston community,” said Rob Ramseyer, athletic director and vice president of Student Development. “Not every town the size of Hesston could sustain a college, but we have a supportive community that takes an interest in our student-athletes, and we want to make sure that for as much as we hope to have that community support, we’re also giving back.”

Hesston College Athletics has 14 varsity teams – women’s basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball, and men’s baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field. Student-athletes represent 41 percent of the college’s student population, making the athletic program one of the two largest programs for Hesston College.

A code of conduct, known as the Athletic Core Covenants, was adopted by Hesston College Athletics in 2016, outlining expectations of accountability, joy, engagement and community for Hesston College student-athletes, coaches, staff and administration. Lark athletic teams are also expected to perform acts of service in the community and beyond, and in the 2017-18 year have collected items for hygiene kits to be sent to countries in need with relief agency Mennonite Central Committee, hosted Special Olympics coaching clinics for soccer and basketball, completed projects at Rocky Mountain Mennonite Camp in Divide, Colo., and partnered with the Hesston Recreation Commission to operate a spring soccer clinic for area children.

Students recognized for academic and leadership achievements

Hesston College students were recognized for their achievements in academics and leadership at the annual Larkfest Awards ceremony, April 27.

The top award, the Lark of the Year award, went to sophomore Luke Hertzler (Harrisonburg, Va.) for excellence in leadership, academics and service. Students are nominated for Lark of the Year by faculty and the recipient is chosen by the Hesston Experience Team, which is made up of faculty representatives and Student Development staff.

Other award winners include:

• Admissions Unforgettable Host Award for Student Ambassadors recognized as exceptional hosts, freshmen Ivonne Ledesma (Wichita, Kan.) and Arbis Vraja (Lezhe, Albania).
• Admissions Say “Yes” Award for Student Ambassadors recognized as always being willing to help, sophomore Jenna Ratzlaff (North Newton, Kan.) and freshman Chris Lichti (Shickley, Neb.).
• Admissions Best Tour Guide Award for Student Ambassadors recognized for giving outstanding campus tours to prospective students, sophomores Keegan Cook (Whitewater, Kan.) and Emma Eitzen (Lititz, Pa.).
• Admissions Top Notch Award for Student Ambassadors recognized for exceptional overall service to prospective students, sophomore Luke Hertzler (Harrisonburg, Va.) and freshman Armelda Xhari (Lezhe, Albania).
• Behavioral Science Award, sophomores John Ebaugh (Holtwood, Pa.) and Payton Yehnert (Parker, Colo.).
• Bill Mason Business Scholarship recipients to receive a $2,500 scholarship for their sophomore year, Cal Hartley (Benton, Kan.), Laura Huang (Sanming, China), Audrey Kwee (Semarang, Indonesia), Taylor Longenecker (Rockingham, Va.), Sunghyoun Nam (HwaSung-si, South Korea) and Zack Smisor (Valley Center, Kan.).
• Business Award, sophomores Kylie Brenneman (Hesston, Kan.) and Zac Neely (Ada, Okla.).
• Student Development Officer Awards for students who call alumni during Phonathon, freshman Lindsey James (Black Hawk, Colo.) for the most money brought in, and freshman Jola Ceca (Lac, Albania) for the most completed calls.
• Clayton V. Beyler Award for Bible and Ministry students, sophomores Luke Hertzler (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Elizabeth Miller (Archbold, Ohio).
• Daniel Gerber Peace and Service Award, sophomores John Ebaugh (Holtwood, Pa.) and Mackenzie Miller (Lancaster, Pa.).
• Art Award, sophomore Brenna Peters (Hesston, Kan.).
• Music Award, sophomore Sarah Miller (Freeman, S.D.).
• Mariann Martin Theatre Award, sophomore Mariah Trible (Valley Center, Kan.).
• Standing “O” Theatre Award, sophomore Caitlin Waits (Newton, Kan.).
• Peer Educator Award, sophomore Emma Eitzen (Lititz, Pa.).
• Physical Education Award, sophomore Ricardo Pineda Moreno (Ancon, Panama).
• Nursing Award, seniors Crystal Burgess (Los Angeles, Calif.), Brooke Hershberger (Goshen, Ind.) and Taryn Wallace (Hesston, Kan.).
• Science and Math Awards, sophomores Levi Litwiller (Hopedale, Ill.) and Curtis Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho).
• Yoder/Zaid Scholarship, awarded to chemistry students who show promise, freshmen Sam Hunsberger (Hesston, Kan.) and Kaylen Lassley (Salina, Kan.).
• Leadership Program Award to students who completed the college’s new leadership program, sophomores Keegan Cook (Whitewater, Kan.), John Ebaugh (Holtwood, Pa.), Sarah Miller (Freeman, S.D.), Jaelyn Rufenacht (Pettisville, Ohio) and Kyle Stucky (Moundridge, Kan.).
• Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, given to graduating international students with a 4.0 GPA, sophomore Gaitan Lleshi (Lezhe, Albania).
• Resident Assistants of the Year, sophomores John Ebaugh (Holtwood, Pa.) and Sadie Winter (Newton, Kan.).

Bridging divides and discovering purpose through universal language

While many students rely on textbooks as a key tool for learning, Hesston College sophomore Aya Iseki (Tokyo, Japan) prefers to look to the sky.

Only sixteen years old when she first arrived at Hesston College, Iseki knew she had to continue her studies in science and math in the United States. This was the way to get to space. That, and the fact that Iseki had just passed Japan’s government-issued exam to skip high school, but was still too young to attend college in her home country.

“I realized I wanted to go to space when I was a junior high student,” Iseki said. “And I decided to come to the United States to learn about it. If I went to high school in Japan, many teachers would say you don’t need to understand it, just memorize it. I don’t like [learning] that way.”

While not all schools in Japan are the same, Iseki notes that general education in her junior high school was slower than average. Her school emphasized life skills such as sewing, cooking and self-management.

But now at Hesston, Iseki finds the Kansas sky to be the best classroom for her career passions.

“When I was in Tokyo, I could only see a few stars and the moon,” Iseki said. “Tokyo is too bright and there are too many buildings. This is my first time to see the horizon in my daily life. I can see beautiful skies at night.”

Iseki may be an especially young student at Hesston College, but among her seventeen college credits, which include Physics I and II, Calculus I and II, Astronomy and Introduction to Computers, Iseki has straight A’s.

“I don’t understand everything in class,” Iseki said. “But it is not because of my age, but because of my English skills.”

The universal nature of science and math is one reason Iseki excels in those areas here in the United States.

“Science classes are different,” Iseki said. “I usually use numbers and function equations for physics and math, so that is not language. I can understand them without English.”

“Learning for Aya means imagining the physical concepts in her mind, and she easily draws pictures of these phenomena,” physics and engineering professor Joel Krehbiel said. “One of Aya’s best qualities is that she is self-motivated. While grades are important to her, it is more important that she understands the concepts. She doesn’t compare herself to others; rather she always seeks to improve her own knowledge.”

Iseki’s dream is to one day go to space, though she has yet to choose which path she will take to get there. When she makes that decision, she knows it is one she will make for herself.

“If I talked about my dream to my parents, friends or teachers, they will respond with their opinion or what they think,” Iseki said. “But I want to think by myself, only me. I know my determination won’t waver if someone gives me advice. My dream is ‘my space.’”

Though her composed demeanor and mature mind would hint otherwise, Iseki is still only seventeen years old. Thousands of miles away from her home country of Japan, Iseki faces challenges like anyone else her age.

Iseki notes that the English language as well as social expectations, such as making friends, are the hardest aspects of being an international student. But that hasn’t stopped her from experiencing college to the fullest. Iseki is taking as many STEM courses – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – as she can fit in, and is a tutor for physics. Over spring break, she did service with Mennonite Disaster Service in Texas.

All these activities, as Iseki said, help her find a healthy balance.

With only one more semester to go at Hesston, Iseki plans to return to Japan for a period of time after graduation to discern which path of study she will choose next. But Iseki knows for sure that she will return to the United States.

In the meantime, Iseki is a diligent student. Her face lit up as she discussed the quantum mechanics unit she is currently studying that closely ties into her interest with space and astronomy.

“I am a curious person, and when I was a child, I liked to consider why and what,” Iseki said. “There are a lot of mysteries in the universe, and I want to know about that. It is different to see and feel by myself than to read books or watch it on TV. I want to see and know by myself.”

Krehbiel notes that her strong organizational, relational, and mathematical skills will equip her well for whatever life brings her. And right now that passion is physics and mathematics.

“For curious souls like me, the universe is filled with wonders that stimulate my curiosity,” she said. “Every time I know something new about the universe, I am amazed to find the existence of an unknown world. It attracts me. I wish to study the universe seriously.”

by Mackenzie Miller ’18