Q&A with Kelli VanDyke:

Why did you apply to Mellon Scholars Program?
I wanted to improve my research skills and have a chance to research specific areas of interest of mine more in depth.

What have you found most challenging about it?
As a rigorous program, the Mellon Scholars have high expectations for the students. The expectations at times seemed to be set so high, and I was not always confident that I could accomplish all that Mellon wanted me to. Through those high expectations I was able to surprise myself.

How do you think your experience in the program has contributed to
your experience at Hope College?
The Mellon Scholars Program gave me access to equipment and programs at Hope that I would otherwise not have been introduced to. Also, the connections to other faculty than those associated with my major was often useful for research.

What are your most significant accomplishments as a Mellon Scholar?
Though I was able to create extensive research projects, it was the discipline and research skills that I learned putting the projects together that I found to be the biggest accomplishments. The research projects were just reflections of this growth.

What do you expect to do beyond your time at Hope College?
I have most recently been looking into joining the Peace Corps after I graduate from Hope. Whether or not I join the Peace Corps, I am hoping to attend graduate school in International Education to work in a study abroad office. I see so much value in spending time in another culture over seas, so I hope to be able to help people have that experience.

What advice would you give a student who is considering the program?
Make sure that you are passionate about research. The Mellon Scholar Program is an intensive program and extremely time consuming. Make sure that you will be able to fit it into your schedule. It is rewarding, but demanding.

Kelli VanDyke in Mellon News and Events:

Kelli VanDyke, “‘Songs from the Dark’: The Origins of German Romantic Opera and Its Ties to English Gothicism,” April 13, 2012.
Celebration for Undergraduate Research and Creative Performance

Kelli VanDyke, "From Monster to Mainstream: Removing the Gothic from The Phantom of the Opera and Other 'Monster' Narratives," April 15, 2011.
Eight Mellon Scholars present projects at Celebration for Undergraduate Research.