In the News

From Congo to Hesston College

What do you call someone who speaks seven languages, has lived in three countries and stars for every soccer team he plays on? At Hesston College, they call him Guershon Safari.

This past fall, Safari led the line for the soccer team in a memorable season, winning seven games, more wins than in any of the past 11 seasons.

According to Coach Michael Armstrong, a large part of the team’s success falls on the shoulders of Safari. Safari stands at just 5 foot 9 inches, and Armstrong initially had his doubts as to if Safari would be physically up to the challenge of college soccer. His doubts were soon dispelled.

“When you look at Guershon, you don’t naturally see this prolific soccer player,” said Armstrong. “You don’t see dominant size or physical build at first, but it’s still there. We brought him in because he is quick, has dynamic footwork, great technical ability and he’s a different look up top. We are going to throw him in and he’ll make defenses go ‘Oh, no.’”

And that’s what happened all season long. Safari scored ten goals this season, and according to Armstrong, they were important ones.

“He would score goals at those great moments, when you’re thinking ‘man, we just need a goal.’ Or ‘we need a goal so we can win this game.’ And he would be in the right place at the right time.”

A mechanical engineering major, Safari has kept a 3.6 GPA this year while learning in his seventh language. Other than English, he is fluent in French, Swahili, and four tribal languages from his native Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): Kibeembe, Lingala, Mashi and Kikasai. Safari credits soccer for teaching him so many languages, saying that traveling for games and learning from teammates often got him started with new languages.

Friends say Safari’s love of soccer and life is not hard to see. Armstrong has nothing but praise for Safari’s attitude, and highlighted Safari’s great sportsmanship and mentality as a reason for his success.

“He has this joy of life, and this joy of the game,” he said. “When I worked him out he just loved being with the ball, just being on the field, loved what the game is in its natural state, just the joy of playing. That’s contagious, that mentality of ‘yes, I’m competitive, yes I want to win, but I’m going to enjoy this game because that’s who I am. I enjoy life.’”

But life wasn’t always so enjoyable for Safari. When he was two-years-old, his family was forced to flee the DRC due to the Second Congo War, “the Great War of Africa.” The conflict killed 5.5 million people, making it the deadliest war since World War II. The Safari family were just a few of the two million people displaced by the conflict which spanned eight countries across the continent.

“It was actually because of the war we went to Tanzania, where there was no war or anything like that,” Safari said. “We stayed there; it’s where I grew up. I spent most of my life there, soccer and everything.”

Growing up in Tanzania, soccer was a large part of Safari’s life. He recounted how he changed position several times throughout his young career, playing everywhere on the pitch from goalie to midfielder to forward, where he still plays today. Tanzania was much safer than the DRC, but his family still feared violence and eventually migrated to the United States, settling in Boise, Idaho when Guershon was 17.

Living in the U.S. has not always been easy, though, and Safari says that racism and anti-immigrant sentiment isn’t uncommon in his life today.

“If I go to places where the racial problem is, I might play, but inside I’m so uncomfortable. When I like people and they don’t like me, it’s hard to play together. When I like people and they like me back, I feel really really happy and very comfortable so I can continue to play well.”

Armstrong is sure Safari will continue to succeed on and off the field. He says Safari is gracious even in defeat, recalling a pickup basketball game that Safari took part in.

“Guershon, I don’t know if he’s ever played basketball before,” said Armstrong. “He gets a lot of stuff [movement and positioning], but then when he goes to shoot, oh my. He doesn’t mind. It’s that joy of just being in a group, being with friends. He’s a good kid, a real good kid.”

by Caleb Schrock-Hurst

Performing arts prepares for busy Commencement Weekend

Hesston College Performing Arts will showcase music and theatre students several times during Commencement Weekend May 5 to 8 in a variety of concerts and sophomore recitals. All performances are held on the Hesston College campus, and are free and open to the public.

Sophomore recitals throughout the weekend include:

• Zac Headings (Hutchinson, Kan.) and Elliott Liechty (Harrisonbug, Va.) will perform a vocal recital at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Headings, tenor, and Liechty, bass, are both members of Bel Canto Singers and study voice with Matthew Schloneger. Both men have been part of the cast for Hesston College drama and musical productions. Headings has also been a member of the Chamber Orchestra.
• Mezzo sopranos Casey Perez (Kalona, Iowa) and Meredith Spicher (Belleville, Pa.) will perform a vocal recital at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Perez has been a member of Bel Canto Singers for two years. Spicher was a member of the Hesston College Chorale during her freshman year, and Bel Canto Singers during her sophomore year. She has also been a member of the cast for musical theatre productions of “Little Women” in spring 2015 and “Working” in spring 2016. Perez studies voice with Matthew Schloneger, and Spicher studies with Holly Swartzendruber.
• Eleya Raim (Oxford, Iowa) and Irenea Soetjoadi (Depok, Indonesia) will perform a voice and piano recital at 1 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Raim, soprano, has been a member of Bel Canto Singers for two years, as well as a flautist with the Hesston College Chamber Orchestra and a member of the cast for musical theatre productions of “Little Women” and “Working.” She studies voice with Matthew Schloneger. Soetjoadi studies piano with Patricia Neufeldt.
• Pianists Lydia Holland (Russell, Kan.) and Shelby Miller (Archbold, Ohio) will perform at 2:30 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church. They are students of Patricia Neufeldt.
• Anna Martin (Harleysville, Pa.) and Lorren Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho) will perform a vocal recital at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 7, in the Helmuth Studio Theatre in Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. Martin, alto, and Oesch, soprano, are both members of Bel Canto Singers and study voice with Holly Swartzendruber. Martin has also been in the cast for several Hesston College plays and musicals.
• Caleb Schrock-Hurst and Andry Stutzman, both of Harrisonburg, Va., will perform a voice, cello and piano recital at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite Church. Both men have been members of Bel Canto Singers for two years and study voice with Matthew Schloneger. Schrock-Hurst is also a cello student of Seth Girton. Stutzman is a piano student of Patricia Neufeldt.

A music department showcase highlighting Bel Canto Singers, Chamber Orchestra and sophomore soloists will be at 7 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

The theatre department will also host a showcase at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 7, in the Helmuth Studio Theatre in Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education.

The International Chorale will perform a bon voyage concert at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite Church as a precursor to their European tour May 10 to 31.

Hesston College prepares for Commencement Weekend 2016

Hesston College will celebrate the class of 2016 during Commencement Weekend May 6 to 8.

The commencement ceremony will be at 9 a.m., Sunday, May 8, in Yost Center. Hesston College psychology instructor Kevin Wilder will present the commencement address. The service will be streamed live online.

Wilder has served in various roles at Hesston College since 1998. He currently teaches psychology and Bible and ministry courses and serves as an academic advisor. He previously served as the campus pastor for 10 years.

Selected by their fellow graduates and faculty as student speakers will be graduates Isaiah Crosby (Ponca City, Okla.) and Emily Kauffman (Pettisville, Ohio).

Individual student groups will be recognized in ceremonies during the weekend.

Disaster Management students will be acknowledged for completion of the program at 8:30 a.m., May 7, in the Campus Worship Center in the lower level of Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. Brett Troyer (Lancaster, Pa.), project logistics coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service, a 2006 graduate and first graduate to complete the Disaster Management Program, will be the featured speaker.

A pinning ceremony for nursing graduates will be at 10 a.m., May 7, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Sanctuary. A reception honoring the graduates will follow in the church’s Community Center. Featured speaker will be 2009 alumna Lisa Harrelson, RN, a critical care nurse at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita, Kan., who was named 2015 Kansas Hospital Association Health Care Worker of the Year. The service will be streamed live online.

Aviation and Air Traffic Control graduates will be recognized during a 2:30 p.m. reception, May 7, in the Hesston Mennonite Church Community Center.

Other weekend events include a Music Department Showcase highlighting the Bel Canto Singers, Chamber Orchestra and sophomore soloists at 7 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

The International Chorale will perform its program “Then Sings My Soul,” at 4 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite church, as a precursor to its European tour May 10 to 31.

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

• Zac Headings (Hutchinson, Kan.) and Elliott Leichty (Harrisonburg, Va.), vocal recital at 7 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Casey Perez (Kalona, Iowa) and Meredith Spicher (Belleville, Pa.), vocal recital at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, May 5, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Eleya Raim (Oxford, Iowa) and Irenea Soetjoadi (Depok, Indonesia), vocal and piano recital at 1 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Shelby Miller (Archbold, Ohio) and Lydia Holland (Russell, Kan.), voice and piano recital at 2:30 p.m., Friday, May 6, at Hesston Mennonite Church.
• Anna Martin (Harleysville, Pa.) and Lorren Oesch (Caldwell, Idaho), vocal recital at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 7, in the Helmuth Studio Theatre in Northlawn.
• Caleb Schrock-Hurst (Harrisonburg, Va.) and Andry Stutzman (Harrisonburg, Va.) voice, cello and piano recital at 6:30 p.m., Saturday, May 7, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

An informal come-and-go “Go Everywhere” reception for all students, families, faculty and staff will be from 8 to 9 p.m., Saturday, May 7 in the lower level of the Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. This will also be a time for attendees to offer words of blessing and appreciation for transitioning president Howard Keim, who will conclude 11 and half years of service to the college June 30.

See a full weekend schedule online or call the Special Events Office at 620-327-8109 or toll free at 866-437-7866.

Students serve, celebrate and showcase at Larkfest 2016

Hesston College took a day off from classes April 14, to instead focus on college values of service and student academic and leadership excellence during the annual Larkfest celebration.

The day started with on-campus students doing service projects around the Hesston and Harvey County communities. About 275 students participated in 35 service projects from pulling weeds to reading to elementary students.

Freshman Trevor Oyer (Hubbard, Ore.) said, “Taking a morning to do service is a good example of the importance of service to us and was a good learning experience for everyone.”

Service was followed by the Larkfest awards ceremony where students were recognized for their achievements in academics and leadership. The top award, the Lark of the Year award, went to sophomore Emily Kauffman (Pettisville, Ohio) for excellence in leadership, academics and service. Students are nominated for Lark of the Year by faculty and the recipient is chosen by a faculty vote.

Other award winners include:

• Ambassador of the Year, sophomore Kiara Boettger (Harrisonburg, Va.) and freshman Wyatt Baer (Marshallville, Ohio).
• Behavioral Science Award, sophomore Hannah Hostetter (Harrisonburg, Va.).
• Bill Mason Business Scholarship recipients to receive a $2,500 scholarship for their sophomore year, Cheri Baer (Apple Creek, Ohio), Wyatt Baer (Marshallville, Ohio), ChanHee Hwang (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) and Riley Kingsley (North Newton, Kan.).
• Business Award, sophomores Alaina Beatty (Washington, Iowa), Desiree Corona (Newton, Kan.), Johanna Burkholder (Warden,Wash.), Chinatsu Hanada (Saitama-ken, Japan), Bryce Nitzsche (Lincoln, Neb.), Christy Swartzendruber (Shickley, Neb.) and Rose Yoder (Bellefontaine, Ohio).
• Student Development Officer Awards for students who call alumni during Phonathon, freshman Emily Griffioen (Belmond, Iowa) for the most money brought in, and freshman Cheri Baer (Apple Creek, Ohio) for the most completed calls.
• Education Award, sophomores Catie Kauffman (Goshen, Ind.) and Caroline Riggenbach (Lafayette, Ind.).
• Peer Educator Award, sophomore Nicole de Jesus-Roetlin (Kalona, Iowa).
• Clayton V. Beyler Award for Bible and Ministry students, sophomores Gracie Tijerina (Brownsville, Texas.) and Colton Eby (Fisher, Ill.).
• Daniel Gerber Peace and Service Award, sophomores Emily Kauffman (Pettisville, Ohio) and Caleb Schrock-Hurst (Harrisonburg, Va.).
• Ministry Assistant of the Year, sophomore Molly Bruner (Wauseon, Ohio).
• Ceramics Award, sophomores Miyu Fukuda (Hokkaido, Japan) and Catie Kauffman (Goshen, Ind.).
• Music Award, sophomore Andry Stutzman (Harrisonburg, Va.).
• Mariann Martin Theatre Award, sophomore Emma Roth (Goshen, Ind.).
• Standing “O” Theatre Award, sophomore RaeLee Hightower (Tulsa, Ok.).
• Nursing Award, sophomore Linda Miller (Hutchinson, Kan.).
• Service Leader Awards for students who log a minimum of 60 hours of service learning hours during the year, sophomores Austin Braddock(Baldwin City, Kan.), Jessica Fahrenthold (Solomon, Kan.), Sarah Hoover (Elbing, Kan.) and Emily Kauffman (Pettisville, Ohio).
• Science and Math Award, sophomore Ali Zuercher (Phoenix, Ariz).
• Yoder/Zaid Chemistry Scholarships for students during their sophomore year, freshmen Bailyn Piecewicz (Spokane, Wash.) and Jonah Short-Miller (Bellingham, Wash.).
• Resident Assistants of the Year, sophomores Rachel Shenk (Waynesboro, Va.) and Micah Raber (Millersburg, Ohio).
• Distinguished Faculty Award, Marissa King, education and English faculty member.

During the afternoon, students showcased their academic work. Presentations included music recitals, directing skills at a short film festival, chemistry and physics demonstrations, speeches and more.

by Abby Musser

Music student to perform as vocal soloist with Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra

Hesston College music student Emma Roth has been selected to perform as a soloist with the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra (NMKSO) at the Poised for Pops concert at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 16, at the Newton High School Auditorium.

Roth will sing Broadway selections, including a medley from the Disney musical “Frozen” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s world famous musical “Cats.”

Roth, a sophomore from Goshen, Ind., is a soprano with the Bel Canto Singers, the college’s premier vocal ensemble, and plays violin in the Chamber Orchestra at Hesston College. She has performed lead roles in several Hesston College theatre productions including the musicals “Little Women” and “Working” and the dramas “Our Town” and “These Shining Lives.” Roth studies voice with music faculty member Holly Swartzendruber.

Hesston College music faculty member Matthew Schloneger said Roth was chosen when NMKSO manager Jill Gatz contacted the music department to recommend a student to serve as soloist. The faculty recommended students based on the concert repertoire.

“Gatz came to view a rehearsal of the spring musical (“Working”) and listen to the students perform, and she chose Emma,” said Schloneger. “We are excited that one of our own students will have this opportunity!”

In addition to Roth’s selections, the NMKSO, conducted by Thomas W. Douglas, will perform music from “Chicago,” “Bye Bye Birdie,” “My Fair Lady,” “Star Wars,” and “Best of the Beatles.” The NMKSO Flute section will also perform the “Flute Cocktail.”

The Poised for Pops concert marks the beginning of the Spring into the Arts Festival sponsored by the Newton Area Arts Council.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $12.50 for adults and $6 for students and at the door for $15.00 for adults and $7 for students. Children under 12 are free with an adult. Tickets are available at the Faith and Life Bookstore in Newton and the NMKSO office or online at www.nmkso.org.

Larkfest 2016 to highlight service and student achievement

The community is invited to join Hesston College in taking a day off from classes Thursday, April 14, for the annual Larkfest event which highlights student work and achievements.

David LeVan, business faculty, says, “Larkfest was created to highlight two important values of Hesston College – academic excellence and service to others. On Larkfest, the community comes together to celebrate the best of Hesston College.”

In the morning, every on-campus student will take part in a service project throughout the Hesston community, followed by an awards ceremony in celebration of student academic and extracurricular achievement at 11 a.m., at Hesston Mennonite Church. The afternoon includes student presentations showcasing academic work, beginning at 1 p.m., in Kropf Center, Charles Hall, and Nortlawn Center for Performing arts Education. The public is invited to attend the awards ceremony and presentations.

Music students to be featured in sophomore recitals

The last month of the academic year marks a flurry of sophomore student recitals for Hesston College music students. All recitals are free and open to the public.

Kicking off recital season is Ali Zuercher with a flute recital at noon, Saturday, April 16, at Hesston Mennonite Church on the Hesston College campus.

Zuercher (Phoenix, Ariz.) is a flute student of Kristin Shaffer. She has participated in Chamber Orchestra during both of her years at Hesston, and this spring is a member of the International Chorale that will travel to Europe for three weeks in May.

Erika Byler will be perform her recital as a music theatre cabaret at 7 p.m., Friday, April 22, in the Helmuth Studio Theatre in the Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education.

Byler (Shipshewana, Ind.) has been a member of both casts and crew for Hesston College Theatre productions, including a member of the cast for the spring musical “Working.” She is also an alto in the Bel Canto Singers and a member of Chamber Orchestra, where she plays clarinet and trumpet. Byler studies voice with Holly Swartzendruber and her theatre director is Rachel Jantzi.

Emma Roth (Goshen, Ind.) will be featured in a voice recital at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, April 23, at Hesston Mennonite Church.

Roth is a soprano with the Bel Canto Singers and plays violin in the Chamber Orchestra. She has also performed lead roles in several Hesston College productions, including “Our Town,” “Little Women,” “These Shining Lives,” and “Working.” Roth is a voice student of Holly Swartzendruber.

Beloved instructor named 2016 commencement speaker

One of Hesston College’s own, faculty member Kevin Wilder, will deliver the commencement address during the May 8 ceremony in Yost Center.

Wilder has served in various roles at Hesston College since 1998. He currently teaches psychology and Bible and ministry courses and serves as an academic advisor. He previously served as the campus pastor for 10 years.

Wilder says it’s most energizing for him to see when his students can take material from his courses and apply it to their lives. He loves engaging in activities and discussion with his students and utilizing student’s ideas for assignments and ways to make the courses he teaches better.

“Kevin is recognized as an excellent teacher by his peers, a caring advisor, and a mentor to many students,” said President Howard Keim.

Wilder, who is a doctoral student in marriage and family counseling at Denver (Colo.) Seminary, is also an ordained minister with South Central Mennonite Conference and a student member of The Association of Christian Counselors and American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University (Upland, Ind.) and a master’s degree from Friends University (Wichita, Kan.).

“Kevin is the quintessential relational person and minister,” said Hesston College Bible faculty member Michele Hershberger. “He gets it. He understands how important it is to be with people in an authentic, caring way.”

Other events honoring students and their achievements will take place May 7 during Commencement Weekend.

The Disaster Management Program will honor six graduating students at an 8:30 a.m. recognition in the Campus Worship Center in the lower level of the Northlawn Center for Performing Arts Education. Brett Troyer, a 2006 graduate, and the first graduate to earn a certificate from the program, will be the featured speaker. Troyer is Project Logistics Coordinator for Mennonite Disaster Service, based out of the Bi-national Office in Lititz, Pa.

The featured speaker at Nursing Pinning at 10 a.m., at Hesston Mennonite Church, will be Lisa Harrelson, RN, a 2009 Hesston College Nursing graduate. Harrelson is a critical care nurse at Wesley Medical Center (Wichita, Kan.), and was named the 2015 Kansas Hospital Association Health Care Worker of the Year.

Committee compiles candidate profile for next president

The Hesston College Presidential Search Committee has compiled and released a candidate profile for the college’s next president.

The ideal candidate will be an Anabaptist Christian committed to joining a local Mennonite Church USA congregation upon appointment. He or she will also hold a terminal degree and have leadership experience at a higher education institution.

In addition, the committee is looking for specific strengths, fit and motivation in leadership, fundraising and faith that will help elevate Hesston’s unique position as a two-year private college in higher education.

Some of the president’s responsibilities will include leading efforts for strategic priorities based on the strategic vision over the next few years. The strategic vision states: Create a culture of institutional sustainability, with regard to college and individual growth, that will strengthen Hesston College’s distinctives, broaden our appeal to students, and provide a strong foundation for future growth.

The full profile in a downloadable format can be found at online.

Nominations and/or letters of application with CV or résumé may be submitted to Hesston College Presidential Search Committee at HC_SearchCom@MennoniteEducation.org; or through postal mail to:

Hesston College Search Committee
Mennonite Education Agency
3145 Benham Avenue, Suite #2
Elkhart, IN 46517.

Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Hesston’s current president, Dr. Howard Keim, will end more than 11 years of effective leadership at the college on June 30.