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Trinity athletes, along with a contingent of the student body, gathered in the DeVos Athletics Center on April 25 for the annual Awards Night. The evening’s program was a celebration of the year, a reflection on its accomplishments, and time to honor individuals from Athletics and Student Life with annual special awards.

The Athletics Department’s highest honors are career awards given to a female and male athlete who exhibit exemplary play on the athletic field, high achievement in the classroom, and leadership in campus activities. This year the Liz Metcalfe Award was given to Elly Brummel ’18 of Hudsonville, Michigan and the Keith Albers Award was represented to Kris Kirchhoff ’18 of Frankfort, Illinois.

Brummel is a four-year starter and two-year captain as defender on the women’s soccer team.  She was an integral factor in the success of the program that made four national tournament appearances, including a NCCAA national title and a NAIA Opening Round appearance, in her four years.  In her career she was a part of 41 defensive shut-outs, which accounts for 45 percent of the games she played in. She also scored five goals and had five assists.

Brummel earned CCAC All-Conference honors twice, NCCAA All-Region honors three times, and USC All-Region honors this season. In addition she was NAIA All-America Honorable Mention this past year and NCCAA All-America in 2017 and 2018. Brummel was also named to the 2018 NCCAA Nationals All-Tournament Team.

“Elly is authentic, steadfast, trustworthy, bold yet loving, and sacrificial,” said women’s soccer coach Josh Lenarz. “She faithfully led by example on and off the field and is guided in all aspects of her life by her personal relationship with Christ. She has had a profound and lasting impact on our program.”

Kirchhoff is a three-year starting midfielder on the men’s soccer team after transferring to Trinity. Over the past three seasons he has been a steady competitor and leader for the team and provided stability and direction for the program. As a midfielder, he helped direct play on the field and also recorded three goals and had three assists in his career.

Kirchhoff, as a sport and exercise studies major, earned CCAC Scholar-Athlete in 2017 and 2018. He completed his studies in the fall semester and graduated in December.  Kirchhoff was a team captain, a member of ALPS, and also active as a coach for Trinity’s youth soccer program.

“We are grateful for Kris’ impact on our program, on the field, in the classroom, and as an incredible leader,” said Eric Sally, head men’s soccer coach. “Kris’ growth in our program exemplifies the very best of who we are and what we strive to be!”

For their outstanding individual accomplishment for the 2018-19 season, women’s soccer player Jessica Bianchi ’19 of Elmhurst, Illinois, was the Female Athlete of the Year and baseball player Chris Baker ’19 of South Holland, Illinois, was the Male Athlete of the Year.

Bianchi is a stand-out on the soccer team and led the team to a NCCAA National Championship title. For the year she recorded 36 goals and 10 assists and led the team and the conference in those categories. She also ranked in the top five in the NAIA in goals, points, and shots. In addition she scored seven game winning goals, had four hat tricks, and set a school season record with 102 shots on goal.

The other nominees for the Female Athlete of the Year Award were Madelyn Clausen ’21 (track and field), Megan DeWeerd ’19 (cross country/track and field), and Kacie Stoll ’19 (volleyball).

Baker is the starting center fielder on the baseball team. In the ongoing season, he is a leader with a .371 batting average and a .573 slugging percentage. He ranks in the top two on the team with 55 hits of which 18 are multiple-base hits. He also ranks in the top five in the conference in batting average, hits, runs, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. In addition he leads the team with 12 stolen bases. Post-season honors for baseball are yet to be determined.

Other nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year Award were Caleb DeWeerd ’21 (cross country/track and field), Ben Boers ’21 (soccer), Steven Massey ‘19 (golf), and Jake Ostema ’21 (volleyball).

Recognizing a member of the Trinity community who has made a significant contribution to the athletics department, the Rich Kooy Award was presented to Pete Vega, senior graphic designer. Pete has been instrumental in athletics through his work in designing the new Troll logo and athletics brand.  This past year he has diligently, meticulously, and cooperatively worked on the athletics brand and a graphics catalogue for each sport.

“We are extremely thankful for the work that Pete has done and for the excitement he has created with the new branding look,” commented Amy Strong, Sports Information Director.  “We are also grateful for the way Pete goes about his work as he is gracious to listen, open to ideas, and always willing to help with projects and come up with new ideas.”

The Healthy Troll Challenge was created by the Exercise Science Club – a group of exercise science majors with hopes to help create healthier lives for all of our fellow classmates, faculty, and staff at Trinity.

As part of the Healthy Troll Challenge, we created workouts and short, informative presentations for those who chose to take an active role. The workouts consisted of exercises such as full body strength trainings, yoga, and high-intensity interval trainings. We utilized the spaces offered to us in the weight and cardio room in the DeVos Athletic and Recreation Center, as well as Trinity’s resource lab.

Prizes were offered each month, based off a point system. Points could be earned by eating healthy meals, people working out on their own, doing the twice-weekly workouts with other participants, attending our short presentations, and more!

The Exercise Science Club has been extremely grateful to have been able to better the lives of those who chose to take part in the Healthy Troll Challenge this year, and we would like to see even more participants next year! To learn more, visit our Facebook page or Instagram page.

 Have a great and healthy summer!

-Ava Gomez ‘20

Prof. Kara E. Wolff, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Department Chair, and Director of the Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology, has been named Trinity’s 2019-20 Professor of the Year.

“I was pretty shocked, and it’s very exciting,” said Wolff. “I work with so many really fantastic faculty members, and I’ve learned so much from them.”

As 2019-20 Professor of the Year, Wolff will be honored at the May 4 commencement and offer the message at Trinity’s 61st Annual Convocation this fall.

Among those who nominated her, Wolff was lauded for her teaching, scholarship, and mentorship. Several nominators cited her exceptional ability to address often-challenging topics such as race, gender, and sexuality in a hospitable, Christian way.

Wolff said her work is part of a collaborative effort, for which she is grateful. “I don’t do this by myself. We succeed together. And I’m grateful for my students, who are willing to take on topics that are difficult and messy,” she said.

Wolff joined Trinity in 2012 and teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology and counseling psychology. Her research interests include race and racism, issues of gender and sexuality, clinical supervision, colorblind ideology, and identity.

Trinity Christian College is pleased to announce that our 2019 Commencement speaker will be Dr. Christina Ritsema, Ph.D., professor at Colorado State University. The College’s graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 4 at 10 a.m.

Ritsema will be speaking on the topic of “Celebrating Work:  Past and Future.” She is a clinical professor at Colorado State University, where she teaches both undergraduate and MBA graduate students and serves as CPA advisor and as a Daniel Fund Ethics Fellow.  In 2018, Ritsema was awarded an Adaptive courseware grant to integrate active learning strategies into the classroom.  She earned her Ph.D. in Accounting and her Master of Accountancy from the University of Arkansas and her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Miami University. She has also taught at the University of Northern Colorado, St. Norbert College (WI), and Hope College (MI). Earlier in her career, she worked as an auditor with Arthur Andersen.

Trinity will rejoice with our graduates and their families and friends throughout the weekend of May 3-4.  From the Honors Ceremony to the Seniors Picnic, there are activities happening all over campus. Check out the graduation page for more information about all these events!

The gift of scholarships can make all the difference for Trinity students, both during their time at the College and into the future. “After my husband Norm passed away, someone suggested a scholarship as a lasting remembrance of him and all the work he did at Trinity,” said Hilda Ozinga. “I’m really proud of this nursing scholarship.”

Currently, there are four Ozinga scholarship recipients enrolled in Trinity’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program: Amanda Jackson, Sarah Boeringa, Abigail Kleyn, and Katelyn Geerlings.

In a recent meeting with Sarah, Katelyn, and Amanda, they expressed their thanks to Hilda. “I’m very appreciative of the scholarship,” said Sarah, a junior. According to Katelyn, a freshman, scholarships are one of the reasons she came to Trinity.

Amanda Jackson a senior, said, “The scholarships I have received through Trinity have lightened my payment load in the present and the future, since I won’t have as many loans to pay.”

“I’m very appreciative of the scholarship,” said Sara, a junior. According to Katelyn, a freshman, scholarships are one of reasons she came to Trinity.

The Norman Ozinga Nursing Scholarship, which Hilda created  in 1982, has done more than provide financial assistance to dozens of nursing students over the years. Her personal involvement with recipients includes hand-written notes, meeting with their families, helping them find jobs and, of course, homemade cookies.

Hilda commented, “I’m here for these students…I go to the pinning ceremony every year. It’s a real accomplishment for these students.”

From beginning basketball players to high-school-level softball pitchers, Trinity Summer Sports Camps have something for athletes of all types and experience levels! Camps are led by the College’s coaching staff at the state-of-the-art sports facilities at Trinity Christian College.

Trolls Sports Camps provide opportunities for athletes of all ages to develop their skills in a fun, sportsmanlike environment. In addition to fundamental instruction, campers will be exposed to sport specific strategies and will have the chance to meet new people. Trinity’s Athletics Department is committed to challenging athletes and promote individual improvement that will eventually lead to athletic success.

Sports camps, which are held throughout June and July, include:

–Baseball

–Boys’ Basketball

–Girls’ Basketball

–Co-Ed Soccer

–Softball

–Co-Ed Track & Field

–Co-Ed Volleyball

To learn more, visit https://www.trollssportscamps.com/

With topics ranging from “Calvin and Old Testament Metaphors” to “Who were the Israelites in the Netherlandish Reformation?” as well as a banquet, organ recital, and much more, Trinity welcomed the 2019 Calvin Studies Society Colloquium to campus from April 11-13.

The Trinity community was deeply involved in the symposium. Professor of Theology Yudha Thianto, Ph.D., serves as vice president and program chair for the Calvin Studies Society. Dr. Michael Vander Weele, Professor of English, spoke on the topic, “What Can Literary Studies Learn from Calvin’s Reading of Deuteronomy?” and Professor of Philosophy Aron Reppmann chaired one of the sessions. Assistant Professor of History Kyle Dieleman, Ph.D., and his students helped to provide hospitality to the 60 attendees.

The colloquium brought together scholars from across the country, including attendees form Duke, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Calvin Seminary, University of St. Andrew, and University of Chicago.

Vander Weele expressed his appreciation for the work that Thianto and others on campus invested in making the event such a success. “This was an extraordinary feat. Yudha expanded the kind of Christian learning community we can be,” he said. “It was an awesome gift of time, vision, and energy!”

Click here to learn more about the Calvin Studies Society.

As part of its Mozart celebration, “From Wit to Wonder,” the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes Robert Chen, acclaimed violinist and Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The evening showcases the range of Mozart’s melodic gifts conducted by Maestro Stilian Kirov. The concert begins at 7:30 pm on April 27 at Trinity’s Ozinga Chapel Auditorium.

This all-Mozart performance features some of Mozart’s most famous and beloved works, including: Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, k. 492,  Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major (“Turkish”), k. 219, and Symphony No. 41 in C Major (“Jupiter”), k. 551.

Guests will also have an opportunity to attend a free pre-concert lecture from 6:25 pm until 6:50 pm featuring Robert and moderated by IPO Assistant Concertmaster, Elizabeth Huffman.

“Mozart’s genius music is quite immortal,” said Kirov. “His works are quite extraordinary and timeless. You never get tired of Mozart. A major part of IPO’s programming concept is diversity, and as we have a substantial amount of American music, early and late romantics, Slavic and Russian composers, we thought that an all-Mozart program would be a nice musical gift to our audiences.”

Guest artist Robert Chen is generously sponsored by Four Seasons Heating and Cooling in loving memory of Jozef Maka.

Concert single tickets start at $27 in advance. Student tickets are $10, and group tickets are available with a minimum of seven patrons. Ticketing fees may apply.

To order, or for more information, visit ipomusic.org or call 708.481.7774.  IPO Ozinga Chapel box office opens one hour before the performance on concert night.

Everyone has a calling from God. And for Kevin Walker ’05, business is his calling.

“You have to recognize what that calling is and how you can impact the world for Christ,” Walker, owner of several El Famous Burrito restaurants, told the audience at a TBN Speaker Series event on April 10.

Walker learned at a young age that he enjoyed the world of business, when he found $20 on the sidewalk. He continued to work throughout high school at jobs such as piano tuning. At Trinity, he majored in business, then went on to work in the insurance industry and for Corporate Chaplains of America before entering the restaurant industry. “But I came to realize that being in business wasn’t just about how much money I could get,” he said. “And I want to challenge the thought process that business isn’t a calling.”

Walker pointed out that most people spend 40 or more hours a week at work, but only an hour a week in church—if they go at all. That leaves many opportunities to practice one’s faith in the business environment. “People who may never get inside a church, you may see every day. You can be a light to those people.”

Walker discussed the set of principles that drive his business’s goals and purposes:

1. Do the right thing
2. Give
3. Be a light
4. Do ministry

“God has given each of us a calling,” he said. “The question is, how are you utilizing your calling?”

The Speaker Series, presented by Trinity Business Network (TBN) in collaboration with Fusion 59, is focused on entrepreneurship and innovation for students, alumni, and friends of the College. The series focuses on Trinity alumni and friends who have flourishing companies and exhibit the entrepreneurial spirit woven into much of our business curriculum.

April 9 was a beautiful day for the 20^th Annual OPUS celebration! The College also welcomed incoming freshmen and their parents as part of  the Third Annual Admitted Students Day.

As part of the rich tradition of OPUS, the day was filled with Christian scholarship, presentations, and performances. There were also games, a dunk tank, chalk drawings, snacks, and much more.

Congratulations to this year’s winners!

Awards in Art & Design

Graphic Design:

• 1^st Place– Yolanda Sinaga: “Vaporfly 4% Infographic”
• 2^nd Place – Mariah Nelesen: “Unroll”
• 3^rd Place –  John Michael Jones: “Gene’s Refried Beans”

Printmaking/Photography:

• 1^st Place – Claire Sukamto: “Facelift”
• 2^nd Place – Jacob Boglio: “Doy Dags”
• 3^rd Place – Emilianna Sweeting: “Faded”

Sculpture/3D:

• 1^st Place – Deborah Fry: “Untitled”
• 2^nd Place – Deborah Fry: “Jumble”
• 3^rd Place – Dainius Soliunas: “Ever-Shifting Sun”

Drawing/Painting/Mixed Media:

• 1^st Place – Alexandria Johnson: “My Safe Space, Untitled Inner Feelings, Untitled black & white, A Rainstorm”
• 2^nd Place – Samantha Willis: “Normal vs Mental, Still Life”
• 3^rd Place – Anne James: “Bart Simpson”
• Honorable Mention – Rachel Bast: “Disappointed”
• Honorable Mention – Gabrielle Lenting: “Headache”
• Honorable Mention – Jacob Boglio: “Expanse”
• Honorable Mention – Gabrielle Lenting: “Color Theory”

BEST IN SHOW  (Printmaking/Photography)

Claire Sukamto: “Incognito”

Awards in Literary Arts

Fiction:

• 1^st Place – Leah Taylor
• 2^nd Place – Leah Taylor
• 3^rd Place – Emily Homman
• Honorable Mention – Shinhye Hwang

Non-Fiction:

• 1^st Place – Deborah Fry

Poetry:

• 1^st Place – Leah Taylor
• 2^nd Place – Jessica Pilota

Awards in Music

Instrumental:

• 1^st Place — Ranita Luhur, piano: “Selling Sundry Goods”
• 2^nd Place — Jonathan Rietveld, trumpet: “Fantasie Brillante”
• 3^rd Place — Emily Homman, bassoon: Sonata in F minor, movement 1

Vocal:

• 1^st Place — Morgan Limback: “Stars and the Moon”
• 2^nd Place — Aaron De Boer: “Love Leads to Battle”
• 3^rd Place (tie) — Benjamin Friesen: “Extraordinary” and Ryan Van Gilst: “Lost in the Wilderness

Presentation Showdown Award (Best Presentation)

• 1^st Place — Abigail Lammers, Casey Wiegers: “Tiny Killers on Campus: Viruses in Local Waterways”
• 2^nd Place — Abigail Lammers, Amber Shoberg, Andrew Kowitz: “Writing in the Language of God: Editing Genomes at Trinity”

Runners up:

• Abigail Lammers: “From Predators to Prey: Shark Misconceptions, Threats, and Conservation Efforts”
• Nicole Syverson: “Therapeutic Communication”
• Peyton Carroll: “Creating a Wellness Program”

Golden Troll (department with highest proportion of presentations, both at OPUS and off-campus: Biology Department