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Student takes art to new depths

msk23@calvin.edu — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 20:14:29 +0000

Student takes art to new depths msk23@calvin.edu Mon, 11/17/2025 - 15:14

When Elizabeth Ayers ’27 was finishing up high school, she couldn’t figure out where to go to college. So, she turned to the internet for help.

“I searched for colleges with good art programs and colleges with good business programs,” said Ayers. That’s when a school popped up 2,200 miles west of her hometown of Reedley, California. “I had never heard of Calvin. I was like, ‘wow, this is small, how did I find this?’”

She may never figure out “how” she found it, but it wouldn’t take her long to discover “why.”

Ayers began Calvin as a double major in art and business, but soon decided to focus in on art. “I didn’t come with a clear plan of what I wanted to do after college, but I came in knowing I loved to paint,” said Ayers.

Starting small

It's a love that started eight years ago when she decided to try her hand at painting a tiny 3”x3” canvas. “I ended up falling in love with painting. The more I do it, the more I love it.”

That love would grow and expand greatly at Calvin.

“I do still love to paint, but Calvin has given me more mediums to work on from ceramics to drawing to sewing,” said Ayers. “Calvin’s opened a lot more doors to try a lot of different things rather than what I am comfortable in.”

A year ago, an email from the head of the art department allowed her to take her artistic ability to even greater depths.

Accepting a challenge

“The assignment was to paint a landscape for something for Kent Ratajeski, the director of the Dice Mineralogical Museum,” recalls Ayers.

When she started to understand the scope of the project it was both exciting and intimidating.

“It was much larger than anything I had done before,” said Ayers.

The assignment was to create a backdrop for a display of a fossil octopus that depicts the oceanscape in the Lebanese Sea where it would have lived so that someone coming to see it could immerse themselves in an environment way before their time.

“When this project was presented to me, I knew it would be an oceanscape, so I know how to do that,” said Ayers. “But they wanted prehistoric fish swimming around which presents a challenge of ‘how do I paint something that doesn’t exist anymore?’ and so that led me to go back and forth with Kent and with the Dice Museum resident archaeologist.”

Showing off her work

Now, almost a year after the project was first assigned and with well over one hundred hours committed to it, Ayers is bringing a fossil octopus to life in the Dice Museum.

“It is so cool,” said Ayers of now seeing the approximately 3' x 4' landscape she painted affixed to the back of the fossil display. “Kent seemed really excited and I’m excited for everyone else to see it too. To have a hand painted landscape be part of the display allows you to connect more with the piece, it helps the fossils come alive a little bit more.”

The exhibit is now on display in the Dice Mineralogical Museum on the ��Ƶ campus.

Mon, 11/17/2025 - 12:00

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Elizabeth Ayers '27 created an approxmiately 3' x 4' backdrop for a display of a fossil octopus that depicts the oceanscape in the Lebanese Sea where it would have lived so that someone coming to see it could immerse themselves in an environment way before their time.

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Beyond the Classroom: Picture-Perfect Summer

msk23@calvin.edu — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:52:48 +0000

Beyond the Classroom: Picture-Perfect Summer msk23@calvin.edu Wed, 08/27/2025 - 08:52

When summer hits, professors practice what they preach—leaning into areas of interest that oftentimes go beyond their immediate field of study.

This summer, Otto Selles, professor of French, featured his best black and white photography prints at Lowell Arts. They are still on display through October 4. He is also hosting solo exhibitions at Monroe Community Church (October – December 2025) and Church of the Servant (January – February 2026).

“I decided to feature my best black and white prints at Lowell Arts (13 pieces) and color prints at Art Prize (7 pieces), with everything coming together at the solo exhibitions (25-40 pieces total). Over the summer, I did as much portrait and event photography as I could to help cover printing and framing costs,” said Selles.

How did this opportunity come about?

While the Center Art Gallery exhibition was running, I looked for other opportunities to show my work. I learned that Lowell Arts has regular juried exhibition calls. I applied last March to its “Solo Seven” show and heard in April that my proposal had been accepted. For ArtPrize, I signed on through its somewhat complicated online system and made connections with Monroe’s CC, which agreed to host my work for ArtPrize and afterwards. During ArtPrize I will be one of many contributors at Monroe CC: my co-worker Christine Vermeer (Art and Design/ Arts Collective) will also have a piece there.

What was your favorite aspect of the experience?

The opening reception for the Solo Seven exhibition at Lowell Arts (August 3, 2025) was a great event. I am grateful to family and friends who came to show their support. I enjoyed talking with visitors from the Lowell community, the staff at Lowell Arts, and the other artists. I got to answer questions about my work and learned what visitors found most interesting.

How did you develop this interest outside of Calvin?

In high school, I became interested in photography, taking pictures for the yearbook and learning how to use a darkroom. Over the years, I always took pictures of family and while traveling. My skills only really developed, however, by taking many, many pictures to promote our semester in France program. The real push to become a better photographer came in 2018 when a friend asked me to take senior portraits of her daughter. I took the plunge and bought my first professional-level camera and lens. Finally, at the start of the pandemic, I decided to use the confinement to see how far I could take my photography. I continued to upgrade my equipment, set up a website, and offered portrait sessions. I bought manuals and watched countless YouTube videos by favorite photographers. At the same time, I took my camera along during family walks in Kent County’s parks, which gave me the idea of developing a landscape project. I chose to focus on Roselle Park (Ada, MI) as it is only a dozen minutes form my home.

Any way to apply what you are learning through engaging in photography outside of Calvin to your role as a professor?

As I am self-taught as a photographer, I see more clearly how I need to promote as a professor the importance of curiosity and independent learning. That may seem ironic as I am paid to teach in the classroom. However, given the constant change in today’s workplace, students need to be able adapt to new situations. As independent learners, they will be able to build on their Calvin education and pivot to new opportunities. In that context, I always recommend that students have a side interest that gives them a break from their studies and may lead to new opportunities, as I am discovering late in my own career.

Wed, 08/27/2025 - 12:00

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Summer Faculty Adventures: Exploring Passions Beyond the Classroom

msk23@calvin.edu — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 12:42:08 +0000

Summer Faculty Adventures: Exploring Passions Beyond the Classroom msk23@calvin.edu Wed, 08/27/2025 - 08:42

When summer hits, professors practice what they preach—leaning into areas of interest that oftentimes go beyond their immediate field of study.

This summer, a French professor put his photography on wide display, the director of student success traversed El Cap in Yosemite in one day, and a nursing lecturer was on set of a groundbreaking TV series. As they head back to campus and the classroom for the fall semester, we asked them to recap their summer adventures.

Kyle Heys – Epic Climb on El Capitan

Ashley Woldman – On Set of The Chosen

Otto Selles – Picture-Perfect Summer

Wed, 08/27/2025 - 12:00

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A Path to Speech Therapy

lbl3@calvin.edu — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 16:17:09 +0000

A Path to Speech Therapy lbl3@calvin.edu Wed, 04/30/2025 - 12:17

When Samantha Vasquez graduated from college, she had a degree in Philosophy and was planning on law school. However, serendipity landed her in the field of remedial literacy intervention, where she worked for five years, developing a passion for the language aspects of literacy. Working collaboratively with speech pathologists and observing their interdisciplinary practice helped her decide that speech pathology was the right career for her.

When COVID-19 hit, her path shifted. With a child in kindergarten, Samantha opted to stay home to facilitate her daughter's schooling. And soon after, she gave birth to a son, adding to her family.

Returning to School

As life got back to normal, Vasquez decided to return to school to pursue speech pathology, where she could grow her skills and increase her scope of practice. Samantha discovered Calvin's Certificate in Speech and Hearing Foundations (CSHF) program, which provided the six undergraduate courses she needed to apply for a master's degree in speech pathology. With coursework online, the program fit into her busy life.

Transitioning to the Master's Program

After completing the CSHF, Samantha was accepted into Calvin's Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology.

As for the transition into the master's program, Samantha shared, "It has been seamless. The familiarity with the professors, knowing the rigor of the programs, and how well I was prepared for graduate coursework all contributed."

Samantha is thriving in master's program. "My experience has been amazing! The care and consideration poured into the courses to include up-to-date evidence-based practice, neurodiversity affirming and whole-person care, and the overall rigor of the programs has thoroughly prepared me to begin my externships. I feel confident in my clinical skills and have felt well-supported throughout the entire program. Every instructor truly wants us to succeed."

She is also benefiting from close mentorship through an assistantship with Dr. Brian Kreisman. "I have been working with Dr. Brian since I was in the certificate program when I was taking his courses in audiology and aural rehabilitation. I did a project for aural rehabilitation that we took to MSHA in 2024 as a poster presentation. After, I applied to be his graduate assistant when I was admitted to the master’s program. Now we are working together on a couple of research projects, he is my advisor for my master’s thesis, and I assist with grading and providing feedback to his students in the certificate courses."

Balancing School with Life Commitments

With a husband and two young children, Samantha has a lot to balance. How does she do it? "I treat school as my full-time job; I have set hours that I view myself as on the clock and off the clock. Working from home forces me to separate the two intentionally. My children are my number one priority, so I appreciate the flexibility that being a distance education student allows."

Inspiring the Next Generation

While it's not easy to manage school and family life, Samantha knows that her kids will benefit from watching her work. "I aim to set a good example as a role model for my children to balance work and life, but I also really enjoy the work I am doing. They see that I am passionate about learning and achieving my goals, and that I am in school to help people."

Study Speech Pathology at Calvin

While many undergraduate students start in a speech pathology program as freshmen, other adults come to the career later in life. Calvin's online Certificate in Speech and Hearing Foundations is designed to prepare those with a bachelor's degree in another field to be ready to apply for graduate programs in speech-language pathology.

Calvin offers our own Master of Arts in Speech-Language Pathology with two modes - on-campus and online. Students who successfully complete the CSHF program are guaranteed admittance to Calvin's distance education master's program.

Wed, 04/30/2025 - 12:00

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