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| hope college > admissions > international students |
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What Students Say Chris Sterling  A
Hope College mission trip to Chris Sterling's hometown of Montego Bay,
Jamaica, set his goals in motion."I have basically played soccer all of my life, and I had a full scholarship to the local university," he said. "But I had always wanted to play abroad." Steve Smith, the coach of Hope men's soccer, led the 1998 mission trip that introduced Sterling to the college, and vice versa. "He (Smith) called up my high school and asked to meet some students with good grades who played soccer well," he said. "I guess I played well enough at the game he came to watch, because we kept in contact and now I play for Hope." Sterling, a devoted athlete, has found ways to refine his talents and develop new skills at the college level. "The soccer team here tends to have everyone defend more so as a team," he said. "I play forward, but my team's expectations are more physically demanding, so I joined the track team in an effort to keep in shape all year long." When he isn't socializing with close friends from the soccer team, Sterling values his relationships that have been cultivated through a variety of means, including his fraternity, Alpha Kappa Phi, known as the Promethians on campus. He also appreciates the friendly attitude of people around him. "I met 50 Hope students in Jamaica before even coming here. I knew right away how genuine they were," he said. "And here it is so easy to meet someone new. When you walk outside, people just smile and ask how you are." Sterling has thoughts of being a professional soccer player, but is concentrating first on getting his degree in chemistry, after which he might aspire to be a chemist or a doctor. He feels Hope has lived up to its academic reputation especially through the example set by his professors. "Chemistry profs are good at what they do," he said. They bring out the best in each student mostly through interaction outside of the classroom." Sterling's initial impression of Hope, set by the mission trip four years ago, has come to life in the various experiences he has actively participated in. "I researched the school when I was making the decision to leave Jamaica. It was overwhelming how much Hope offered - academics, athletics, Christianity, plus the students I'd already met," he said. Now I know that it seeks to help widen our capacity for learning in all areas, and that the feeling of warmth on campus literally comes vouluntarily. |
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