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Left to right: Bidengy Jean Louis (international business) and Junseo Kweon (computer science) are first-year students at ��Ƶ.

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Q&A with Entrada grad Kwesi Abban

msk23@calvin.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 20:00:38 +0000

Q&A with Entrada grad Kwesi Abban msk23@calvin.edu Thu, 07/31/2025 - 16:00

Kwesi Abban (KG) ’29 is from Germantown, Maryland. When he was choosing a college, he relied on the recommendation of his sister and one of her friends who both had positive experiences at Calvin. He said the fact that the university was Christian-based and strong in computer science were key factors in his decision to enroll.

Incentivized by the possibility of a $4,000 renewable scholarship and the ability to better understand how rigorous college coursework would be, Abban signed up for a preview of college: the Entrada Scholars Program.

What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?

How as a Christian community, most people share similar values.

Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …

I feel more confident in myself and how I will do in college.

How would you have felt had you not had this experience before college?

I would have felt very nervous. Honestly, I thought about this, I tried thinking about what it would have been like if I didn’t do this Entrada thing. I think I would have been very nervous about college, wondering how I am going to do this, where I would need to go if I needed help and all that.

What's your experience with professors been like?

My professor was wonderful. She was always ready to help and would even stay two hours after class. Yesterday, I needed my laptop for the final and I left it in the classroom, and she was still there. She was great.

How have you experienced community?

I like a quiet community and coming to Calvin this is the best place. This is where I fit in because it’s quiet and it’s peaceful. No one is going to judge you or criticize you for anything, they all care about you. When someone is feeling sad or something is going on, you are going to have someone who is going to approach you and talk to you.

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:00

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In 2025, Kwesi Abban begins his studies in computer science at ��Ƶ.

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Q&A with Entrada grad Emma Rodriguez

msk23@calvin.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:57:27 +0000

Q&A with Entrada grad Emma Rodriguez msk23@calvin.edu Thu, 07/31/2025 - 15:57

Emma Rodriguez ’29 is from Bloomingdale, Illinois. While Calvin wasn’t initially on her college wish list, she said “through word of mouth” she was convinced she needed to give it a look. While she didn’t think she’d end up at Calvin, she paid a visit and said she had a gut feeling that “this is it, this is home.”

Craving finding community early on, she enrolled in the Entrada Scholars Program and calls the monthlong college immersion experience a win-win. “I made friends, and I get a renewable scholarship.”

How has your view of college changed since attending Entrada?

I feel like everyone’s first inkling about college is from movies—it all looks so exciting and that’s what I was hoping it would be. My parents said it would be nothing like the movies, that it was going to be super hard, and I’d need to work a lot. Then, when I came here, I discovered that my parents were right, but the movies were also accurate. It can be both. You just have to manage your time well.

I can go to events, make new friends, while still studying and doing well in class. I learned when to say no to things and when it was worth it to say yes. It’s a balance.

What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?

I’m not as alone as I thought I was in my faith. I found it hard to find teens my age who believe the same thing and have the same core values and views in the world. At the end of my senior year of high school I was kind of losing hope. I wondered are there really other people who believe the same things I do?

I found that there are people here that are so full of this fire for God and have such wisdom and are really mature and there are people out there like me who I can relate to and talk to. I couldn’t see it because I was stuck in my own community, but now I’m here and there are people like me all over the place. I’ve heard so many different stories of students from different countries and states, so while it felt like we were alone, when you put us all in this place it becomes much easier to see the bigger picture. We didn’t know who each other was last month, but now we are such a tight-knit group. I now feel hope again for my generation.

Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …

Myself, and my ability to do hard things. And this covers a broad range of things, from asking for help from my peers to not being afraid to dive into something new.

How would you have felt had you not had this experience before college?

I don’t even want to think about it. I would have been so confused.

The program plus the RAs (resident assistants), who have a lot in common as they were in our position just a year or two prior, do a really good job of holding our hands, showing us how to prepare for the fall. The academic coaching is also a good refresher on how to take notes, how to do well in classes. This experience has been an easy win into college and now I’ll come back in a few weeks, with all of this fresh on my mind. It’s nice to have someone help you take that first step into college when you know nothing about it.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I think that they should make expand Entrada and open up more spots for people. I wish that every college student coming to Calvin had this kind of experience. Entrada is more than a class, it’s building a mindset, learning new skills, making all these friends—friendships that are only a few weeks old, but I feel will last a lifetime.

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:00

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Beginning in 2025, Emma Rodriguez is excited to study fine arts and business at ��Ƶ.

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Q&A with Entrada grad Yohana Yigezu

msk23@calvin.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:53:51 +0000

Q&A with Entrada grad Yohana Yigezu msk23@calvin.edu Thu, 07/31/2025 - 15:53

Yohana Yigezu ’29 is from Cairo, Egypt. While she never visited campus before deciding on coming to Calvin, she had plenty of positive feedback from those at her church, who she says, “are almost all alumni from Calvin.”

Her first visit came in July 2025 during the Entrada Scholars Program. She said that one-month college immersion experience gave her time to “not only prepare for college life, but also to experience living in the U.S. for the first time.

How has your view of college changed since attending Entrada?

It’s changed because everyone tells you it’s a lot of work, a lot of time management –But when you experience it, it is different. So, in navigating that you see that ‘oh wow, I need to step up my game for college.’ I was scared to make new friends, take new courses, but I realized it’s not as scary as I thought it would be. In high school you hear people say that no one will help you in college and that you’re on your own, but in the Entrada program I had a lot more support than what I was expecting.

What’s your experience been like with professors?

Coming here and professors saying ‘you can call me by my first name’ or ‘here’s snacks for you to share while we study’ or them opening up office hours to spend time with you wasn’t something I was used to. I grew up in an educational environment with clear lines between teacher and student. But here, I’ve found there to be an element of friendship and care that I really like.

What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?

My greatest takeaway would be “do it scared” – I think there’s so many new things I had to do and learn that I was scared or nervous about, but those 30 seconds of fear before meeting a new person, that 20 minutes of learning a new thing you were scared to admit you didn’t know is not even comparable to what I ended up learning or friendships I ended up making. It was worth it. Putting myself out there, doing it scared, gave me a much greater reward.

Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …

I feel more confident in coming to university and starting in the fall. I think that if I hadn’t done Entrada, had to start all of my classes all at once, to not know where everything is, and to experience living in the U.S. for the first time, that would have been much scarier for me.

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:00

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In 2025, Yohana Yigezu begins her studies in civil engineering at ��Ƶ.

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Q&A with Entrada grad Rayn Rutley

msk23@calvin.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:50:23 +0000

Q&A with Entrada grad Rayn Rutley msk23@calvin.edu Thu, 07/31/2025 - 15:50

Rayn Rutley ’29 is from Fenton, Michigan. When she was a senior in high school, ��Ƶ came on her radar. As she started to dive deeper into her college search, she discovered a sense of community at Calvin and got the sense that the university cared holistically for its students.

So, this summer, she decided to get a taste of the college experience through the Entrada Scholars Program. Not used to being away from home, she wanted to move out of her comfort zone. Her lived experience at Calvin over the past month confirmed that her decision to attend this fall was the right one.

How has your view of college changed since attending Entrada?

I feel like through Entrada it’s taught me the value of having self-discipline, especially with time management and knowing where you should prioritize certain activities vs. yourself. It’s also helped me get a feel for what college is actually going to be like.

What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?

I would say my greatest takeaway was the friends that I made and also the memories I got to create with other people. I also learned how to socialize and put myself out there with people I’m not as comfortable with or know as well.

Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …

Socializing with other people, I also feel more confident in my work ethic and what I need to do to be a good citizen in society and also just being more confident in my foundation in Christ.

How have you grown in your relationship with Christ?

My faith is a big aspect of my life and so I wanted to be able to know that going on into college that God would still be the center of my life, even in my education. And receiving an education with that lens would also help me to surrender my academics and how I do in school to God. I have definitely seen the sense of community that I was looking for here. I think people push you to be better and hold you to a standard of being a Christian and what that actually means and challenge you to know that for yourself.

How would you have felt had you not had this experience before college?

I feel like I would have felt very unprepared, and I would have a lack of understanding of what it means to be independent and to balance your social, academic, and athletic life.

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:00

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Beginning in 2025, Rayn Rutley is excited to begin her studies in exercise science and kinesiology at ��Ƶ.

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Q&A with Entrada grad Landon Dykema

msk23@calvin.edu — Thu, 31 Jul 2025 19:45:17 +0000

Q&A with Entrada grad Landon Dykema msk23@calvin.edu Thu, 07/31/2025 - 15:45

Landon Dykema ’29 is from Hudsonville, Michigan. His dad went to Calvin. His mom went to Hope. Making his college decision process even more complicated is that in his words “both schools have fantastic pre-med programs.” So, he had a tough decision. So, he visited both schools.

And the visit made all the difference. “When I visited Hope, the scenery was nice, but I didn’t feel that family aspect that I did at Calvin.”

This summer, Dykema jumped into the college experience through the Entrada Scholars Program—earning college credits and a renewable $4,000 scholarship in the process.

What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?

I came into this just looking forward to money [scholarship] and class credit, but I made friendships and relationships that I’ll have for the rest of my life. And I know going into this school year I don’t have to be worried about who I’m going to meet. Yes, I’ll meet new people, but I’ll have friends to go to in my first week of school as a rock, and I also grew a lot in my faith throughout Entrada and I’m reading my Bible a lot more, because there’s a drive, everyone here cares so deeply that it makes you want to feel that same feeling. God has really spoken to me through everyone here.

Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …

My ability to spread joy. I think through both meeting new people and learning more about Jesus Christ I saw that there’s a lot of love that goes around and especially in different cultures. Learning about different cultures allows you to grow and kind of express your willingness to learn new things, and I think that joy comes with that because it brings joy spending time with people. Humans like to communicate, we like to spend time with others, and I’ve done a lot of that during my time in Entrada and that’s brought me a lot of joy and I’m better capable of spreading joy to other people now.

How would you have felt had you not had this experience before college?

I would have been terrified because I was already nervous going into Entrada and that’s just a month, so I can’t imagine thinking about a whole year where I’d be jumping right into the deep end. But now I’ve gotten this gradual increase into college where I know what the campus looks like, I know a lot of people, I know kind of how the coursework lines up and different tests, exams, so I feel much more prepared and ready for college now and I’m not anxious or stressed because I’ve learned God will provide and He will straighten my paths even if I’m worried. I’m definitely more confident now.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I think definitely a lot of people, including myself, were kind of wanting it just to be over early on, and as time went by it started moving too quickly. Hold on, hold on, I don’t want to leave yet. It was kind of switch over. I was open to meeting new people, open to new activities. In beginning, I wanted to get home to my family, to my girlfriend, now it’s like ‘wow, this is already over?’ Just take advantage of all the opportunities you get for whole group activities, individual with other people study times, those are times where you grow with people. And if you are just secluding yourself, you won’t get that sense of family that Entrada is.

Thu, 07/31/2025 - 12:00

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In 2025, Landon Dykema will begin studying pre-med and playing volleyball at ��Ƶ.

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Six Tips For Finishing Your College Application

msk23@calvin.edu — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:19:33 +0000

Six Tips For Finishing Your College Application msk23@calvin.edu Mon, 12/16/2024 - 11:19

While many high school seniors have already submitted applications for college admission, there are also a significant number who have started filling one out but haven’t completed it. According to national statistics, the reason someone pushes pause isn’t necessarily or even likely because they don’t aspire to go to college.

Melissa Rousseau, director of admissions at ��Ƶ, offers six common reasons students haven’t yet completed their application and practical steps for helping them get unstuck.

Ready to complete your application? Get started here.

1. I’m waiting to retake my SAT.
If you aren't satisfied with your SAT score and don’t want to wait to retake it before applying, you can check to see if the schools you are considering are test-optional.
At Calvin, we offer a test-optional process so that you can have less barriers to being considered for admission.

2. “I’m stuck on the essay.”
If you’re feeling stuck on your essay, find a favorite teacher or mentor and just talk to them about why you want to go to college. They might help you find what it is that excites you and that could be a great essay topic.
At Calvin, we’re not looking for a novel, just a great insight into who you are and why you’re excited for this next big step.

3. “I am no longer interested in the school that I thought was my top option.”
I'd encourage you to make a list of other colleges/universities you’d consider and apply using the Common App. Even if you haven't visited them yet, it's important to start the process by applying for admission. This provides schools with an opportunity to get to know you while you are getting to know them.
At Calvin, applying is a great step, because as soon as you’re admitted you’ll be invited to engage in many different resources and events that can help you dive deeper into the college experience. You’ll also learn about valuable financial aid options that are only shared with admitted students.

4. “I’m unable to find the extra money for my application fee.”
This isn’t uncommon. But, unfortunately it’s one of the more common reasons people wait to hit “submit.” So, first make sure you haven’t missed the deadline to apply for free. If you have, know that at most schools that app fee can be waived. You just have to ask!
At Calvin, you can apply for free by using the code 1876 (the year we were founded)!

5. “It’s probably too late to apply” or “I don’t understand the deadlines.”
While it’s important to apply sooner than later so that you can get all the information you need to make your college selection and take advantage of additional scholarship opportunities, many schools accept applications on a rolling basis.
At Calvin, when you apply you will have a guide (an admissions counselor) who can help you navigate the entire admissions process so that you understand the necessary deadlines.

6. “I’m undecided on what I want to study.”
You are not alone. In fact, national statistics show that 12-14% of first-year college students are unsure of what they want to study at the time of filling out their application. And that shouldn’t be looked at as a disadvantage. In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80% of college students change their major at least once during their undergraduate career.
At Calvin, we see learning as a journey and process. You’ll have plenty of opportunities through core curriculum courses, academic clubs and activities and internships to explore different fields.
In your first semester, try to take core courses in a few areas that interest you. These courses will help you decide if a specific field is for you.

Still have questions?

Please reach out, we have a team that wants to help you navigate this exciting transition in your life. Call: (800) 688-0122, Text: (616) 202-3256, Email: admissions@calvin.edu

Mon, 12/16/2024 - 12:00

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