Mike and
Mary Dykema - Holland, MI
Shannon ‘04, Mark ‘07, Stephanie '10
Email: marydykema@sbcblobal.net
"You’ve got such a great
college right in your own backyard, why would you want to attend any
other place’, is what ours kid heard over and over throughout
their college search. It’s true, we live only 10 minutes from
campus but both Shannon and Mark have made Hope their home away from
home.
They’ve both gotten involved in
their areas of interest for extracurricular activities and in doing
so have met some of their closest friends and formed some of their dearest
relationships and not just with other students but with staff and faculty
as well.
But the most endearing advantage of
Hope for us as their parents, is that it is a place that has allowed
and enabled them to become the young man and young woman God has desired
and intended them to be. Their characters have developed more deeply,
they’ve grown in their relationship with each other and in their
relationship with their Lord.
What more can parents ask?"
Keith and
Carole March - West Lafayette, IN
Lauren '06, Claire '08
Email: kmarch@insightbb.com
"Two years ago we loaded a car full of 'vital' college necessities and
pointe shoes and drove north to Holland with our eager freshmen daughter,
Lauren. We thoroughly enjoyed a beautiful orientation weekend at Hope
with hundreds of other expectant parents and students.
President Bultman presented a stirring address. He assured us of two
things: there would be challenging times ahead for the students, and
there would be a caring Hope community to provide support during those
times. He was absolutely right. Lauren's first semester proved to the
toughest. There were emotional and social challenges. She enjoyed the
academic stimulation, but at times questioned whether Hope was the right
place for her.
We encouraged her to discuss her feelings with her professors. The faculty
allowed Lauren to share her dreams and passion and her tearful disappointments.
They encouraged Lauren. They provided her with academic opportunity
and a solid reason to be at Hope. We were pleased with the
outstanding work her instructors were doing in the classroom. More importantly,
we were very pleased with the mentoring role they assumed.
This fall we are loading the car once again with 'vital' college necessities
(which have grown exponentially I might add) for Lauren, and now also
for her younger sister, Claire. We will drive north to Holland with
eager junior and freshmen daughters and set up home in Timmer Cottage
and Voorhees Hall. There will be rigorous work and fresh challenges.
We gladly entrust our daughters to the fine minds and hearts of the
faculty and staff of Hope College. Indeed, they exemplify the essence
of quality education at Hope College."
Chris and
Cindy Short - Evanston, IL
Cletus '04, Chelsea '07
Email: cynthiajshort@yahoo.com
"In very simple truth both Cletus and Chelsea chose Hope College because
it was where God wanted them to be. Our son Cletus graduated this past
spring. I remember so vividly when we came for the senior visit when
Cletus was still in high school. It was a cold and rainy day. Walking
across campus at the end of the day I knew this is where God was saying
where Cletus should go to college. We waited for him to make the decision
without our influence. He prayed, and chose Hope. Hope was Chelsea's
only choice after looking and praying. She only applied to Hope. For
her going to the chapel service when she was at Hope for a visit is
what clinched her decision. Our only regret is that it goes by so quickly.
But... we do have one more daughter. Our journey is not over."
Gail
& Cy Urbancic - Hudson, Ohio
Courtney '09
Email: gurbancic@aol.com
"Having attended a small, Christian school
since Junior High, we were not surprised when our daughter, Courtney,
told us she would only be applying to Christian colleges. We did the
obligatory campus visits, allowing her to "get the feel" of
the schools and make the monumental decision of where to apply. Somehow
I wasn't sensing she had found the "right fit."
Meanwhile, I had purchased a small book
entitled "40 Colleges that Change Kids' Lives" by Loren Pope
and read about this Christian school called Hope College that had not
appeared on our radar. It sounded almost too good to be true, so we
made the 5 1/2 hour drive to Holland, Michigan to check it out.
Impressed by its outstanding academic
reputation, its state-of-the-art facilities, beautiful town and campus,
and warm and friendly faculty, we felt almost certain this was the right
fit.
But it was in Chapel service the next
morning that our minds were made up. At many of the other colleges we
had visited, chapel attendance was required and I had silently watched
ID cards get scanned, followed by many students pulling out laptops,
IPODS, and homework. They were there because they had to be. As I gazed
around Dimnent Chapel that morning, it was standing room only. Everyone
was on their feet, singing their praises to the Lord. No attendance
had been taken; they were there because they truly wanted to be.
Courtney is now a happy sophomore and
we have seen such spiritual growth and maturity in the past year. She
has found her teachers accessible and so willing to help. We are so
pleased she followed her heart to Hope!"
