Category: Stories In Focus

This past summer, two teams of four Houghton students served on Summer Ministry Team, Houghton’s outreach program aimed at middle and high school students. From mid-June to mid-August, the Summer Ministry Teams visited various camps throughout the Northeast, although they also traveled as far as Michigan and Maryland. While their primary goal was to connect with campers and share the message of the Gospel, they often coordinated camp events and represented Houghton College. This involved handing out free T-shirts to campers and speaking with them about their own Houghton experience.

“I did not realize what I was getting myself into,” admits Theresa Patnala ’19, who represented Team Gold. As a native of India who grew up working with children of lower castes, Patnala was eager to participate in a ministry opportunity in the States as well. However, what began as simply a summer job ended as a life-changing experience. Patnala recalls times of spiritual exhaustion as she encountered teens with broken lives.  

Chris Henderson ’19, of Team Purple, shares Patnala’s perspective, confessing that “the hardest thing is hearing about all of the terrible things that the kids have to go through. A lot of campers struggled with their home life, their self-image, and a lot of anxiety and depression.” In addition to the spiritual exhaustion, Andrew Sherman ’19, of Team Gold, adds that the SMT was also physically exhausting because “you’re never alone.” Between traveling on days off and constantly working with the campers, SMT often felt like a “24/7 job.”

Despite the physical, spiritual, and emotional demands of SMT, however, Patnala, Henderson, and Sherman all express deep appreciation for having participated, especially in describing how it helped them to grow. Henderson reflects, “On SMT I feel like God reopened my eyes to His goodness and his power to transform the lives of His people. I saw a lot of things left at the altar this summer, and I had a lot of talks with my campers where they opened up for the first time about something, or they decided not to let their past define them anymore. That was moving for me.” Consequently, these emotional and heartbreaking conversations with campers created “a new reliance on God” in Henderson. All SMT members agree that the spiritual growth far outweighed the constant exhaustion.

Patnala’s growth during SMT involved leaving her comfort zone by sharing her testimony that she had rarely told prior to SMT. In addition, she was anxious that her being a person of color would hinder her from connecting with campers. However, when God “broke down walls,” her “personality just came out” because “sharing your testimony brings so much healing.” Although she realized that “we are not the fixers of the world,” there is great value in crying with and praying over campers in order to comfort them.

Sherman shared that there were many “times where I felt like God was affirming me” because God was “preparing me for leadership” and “spiritual disciplines” such as early morning prayer.  Sherman was very intentional about “doing the things that I’m recommending other people to do,” stressing the importance of practicing what one preaches.  

All three SMT members affirm Houghton College for having given them the opportunity to represent both Jesus Christ and Houghton College. Sherman appreciates that “Houghton has a really good vision for how we can be preparing people to bring Christ into the world,” adding that Houghton’s positive feedback from camp management makes him proud to be a Houghton student.  Henderson agrees, saying, “If anyone ever gets the chance to be a part of it, they should absolutely jump at the chance.”

Being the first to go to college in your family and graduate with a degree is a huge accomplishment whether it happened generations ago, or it is happening a few weeks from now. Every year, Houghton’s graduating class is mixed with students who are following in the footsteps of family members that have graduated before them and first-generation graduates.

Ryan Spear, director of admission, said, “This past fall, approximately 35 out of 247 incoming first-year students were first-generation, meaning their parents had not received a college degree.”

Jazmine Nova ’17 is a first-generation graduate pursuing a bachelor of arts degree in biology with minors in public health and psychology. “It’s a lot of pressure,” Nova said. “It’s a lot to be proud of, but it’s also a lot of pressure. College is very different experience as a first-generation graduate, especially when you realize there are a lot of students who have had their parents graduate from college. For example, a lot of Houghton students have parents, aunts and uncles who all went to Houghton.”

Since first-generation graduates are the first in their family to pave the way with a college degree, their experience can look different from students who are not first-generation. “Anecdotally, we sometimes find that incoming students who are first-generation do not have some of the benefits of coming from a ‘college-going culture’ in their home,” Spear stated. “This can influence small things such as understanding the basics of the application process to the challenges of the complexity of applying for financial aid.”

Nova’s experience has been one of continual discovery. “A lot of it I have had to figure out on my own,” she said. “A lot of it I’m still trying to figure out on my own.”

Spear continued, “However, first-generation students can also be among the most resourceful,” he said. “They often realize the importance of college and have a firm commitment to succeeding.”

Danielle Eaton ’17 is also a first-generation graduate pursuing a bachelor of arts in communication and writing. “While my parents and family are really proud of me, and I’m proud of myself for accomplishing this, there’s an enormous amount of pressure that comes with being a first generation graduate,” Eaton said. “The fear of disappointing those who’ve invested in me financially and emotionally to help me earn this degree is what has left me stressed, sleep deprived, and anxious.”

Like Nova, Eaton has experienced the strain of being a first-generation graduate. “In a way, that’s pushed me to be the best I can be, but sometimes I think it’s pushed me to try to extend myself beyond what I’m capable of,” she said. “I’m never going to be an A student, and for a while I really struggled with thinking I was disappointing those people who were invested in my success.” She continued, “Now, I know that as long as I’m pushing myself to be the best I can be, and I’m happy with the work I’m doing at the end of the day, that’s what matters.”

Nova has also reaped the benefits of a first-generation graduate. “Being a first-generation graduate gives you your own sense of freedom. It gives you a sense of independence,” she said. “You have to build your own paths and figure out how you’re gonna get there.”

As May 13, 2017 quickly approaches, whether you are a first-generation graduate or following in the footsteps of those who have gone before you, the college is proud celebrate this major accomplishment. “As a whole, I’d say that first generation students are much like the rest of the incoming student population, highly capable students seeking the kind of liberal-arts education that Houghton is known for,” Spear said.

The Greatbatch School of Music was recently gifted with a new piano. New to the college, at least. A beautiful 1883 Steinway Piano was donated to the college by Florence Bush, an idea suggested to Bush by a friend, mentee, and Houghton graduate, Linda Palmer ’81. According to a recent Houghton press release, Florence, known as “Flossy” to friends and family, was “searching for a new residence for her beloved ‘baby.’” She had one condition when searching for a new home for her piano though, “that her square Steinway box piano be aptly cared for yet ‘stay alive’ and not be relegated to a storeroom or back corner.” Palmer suggested she donate the piano to Houghton’s Greatbatch School of Music, a top-notch program. What makes the piano even more special to Houghton is the sharing of birth years: both the college and the piano were founded in 1883.

The piano was purchased by Bush’s great-grandparents, and had been in her family for 130 years. Bush has used the piano all her life, from practicing singing and playing when she was a girl, to sharing with her own family, for 88 years. Bush was always interested in music, and her piano was a huge part of her life. She also has a connection to Houghton through William Newbrough, professor of piano and Distinguished Steinway Artist, who helped to donation become a reality.

According to Armenio Suzano, dean and director of the Greatbatch School of Music, the piano “serves as both a reminder and a signal to all of us. A reminder that we live in a continuum and that history is made everyday, though our actions, our choices, and the contributions we make to the community around us.” He continued, “It is also a signal to alert all of us of the important role Houghton College and the Greatbatch School of Music play in the future of music education in western New York and around the country.”

Emma Donmoyer ’19, a music major, is very excited about the addition of the Steinway piano at Houghton. “The piano is in good condition for its age,” she said. “While it’s past the point of being in perfect tune, it’s still very playable and has a nice touch.” Donmoyer also expressed her love of old pianos, and said, “Every piano has a story, and playing on older instruments reminds me of the wonderful and rich musical history I am blessed to be a part of. I’m very glad we’re able to have this beautiful old piano alongside new ones.”

The addition of this historical piano maintains the importance of classical music and tradition at Houghton. The Houghton press release also stated, “As the college embraces music industry and worship arts while maintaining its existing classical approach, a new type of student emerges: one well-versed in both traditional and modern methods and who is innovative, passionate and unafraid to adapt to whatever life brings.”

Bush was “delighted to find such a fitting home,” and she will be happy to know that the piano is in good care and will be well played for many years to come.

Thank goodness for the reassuring embrace of summer movies. Sure, we complain out in the open about the lack of originality in Hollywood, the market saturation of subpar adaptations and uninspired sequels, but does that really stop us from seeing them anyway? Deep down we’re all hypocrites, and so without shame I am proud to present my list of the eleven films I cannot wait to see from now until August. Why eleven? Because it’s prime, just like my taste in movies.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – The sequel to one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe can’t come soon enough. Anything with Chris Pratt is worth watching anyway. You’re gonna see it anyway so what else is there left to say?
2. Alien: Covenant – What better way to fill the obligatory big-budget summer horror movie void than with another prequel to the iconic sci-fi franchise? Who knows how it fits into the continuity of the other films in the series but with Ridley Scott back in the director’s chair we can only hope for more of the claustrophobic body-horror greatness its brought us over the decades.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – This is the latest entry to a hulking franchise whose best days were over long before 2017, or even 2007… But am I excited for a new Pirates movie with Johnny Depp back in the role that defined the actor for a generation of new fans? I mean yeah, I guess… You are too, right? Javier Bardem’s gonna be in it so that’s… something…
4. Captain Underpants – The iconic Dav Pilkey comic/kids book series touched the soul and laugh boxes of prepubescent schoolchildren the nation over, so of course I’m looking forward to its animated debut on the big screen. With Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, and a supporting cast of famous funnymen and funnywomen, expectations are high, even if the trailer didn’t make it look that great.
5. Wonder Woman –After some seriously underwhelming additions to the DCEU like last year’s Suicide Squad and Batman v. Superman, Wonder Woman looks like it may actually be a decent watch. Gal Gadot looks great in the role, the story seems compelling enough, the action looks… action-y, so that’s good. Let’s hope this is the one, DC. *fingers crossed*
6. It Comes at Night – Sort of a wild card, a Jackson Wheeler hot take if you will. A lower budget, but all the same scary looking atmospheric horror flick starring Joel Edgerton and produced by A24, which is one of the hottest indie studios working today. If you’re feelin’ kinda crazy, enjoy a slow burning plot, and want to get spooked, give it a shot.
7. Cars 3 – I know. I know. I know. It’s Cars. I get it. But it’s Pixar. I know Pixar’s been slipping lately and Cars 2 was the universally agreed-upon low point, but the trailer hooked me. Call it Stockholm Syndrome, but I trust the kings and queens of American animation. I’m willing to give it a shot.
8. Baby Driver – Any fan of Edgar Wright, of his work on Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, his tight hilarious dialogue, and frenetic camera work, you will likely be down to see Baby Driver his latest project about a young getaway driver who uses music to set up his unpredictable escape routes. Even if you don’t know the director give the trailer a watch.
9. Spider Man: Homecoming – It’s Spider Man. It’s back with Marvel. All is right with the world.
10. Dunkirk – It’s the guy who made the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Memento, The Prestige… Aren’t you a little interested to see what he does with World War II?
11. The Hitman’s Bodyguard – Ryan Reynolds plays world’s best bodyguard. Samuel L. Jackson plays the world’s best assassin. The former has to protect the latter. Surely, this will be hilarious. The trailer makes me think so, anyway. The number of times the word “m*****f*****” will be said could be legendary.

This year college president, Shirley Mullen, selected John Inazu to speak at Commencement. When choosing a speaker, Mullen values those who have something important to offer the graduates. She looks for someone with an ability to speak eloquently, as well as someone who can extend Houghton’s connections in one way or another, either in connection with the church, the region, or the larger academic world.

Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion and Professor of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis where he teaches criminal law, law and religion, and various First Amendment seminars.

In his Washington University biography, Inazu explained his area of study, “My scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of speech,  assembly, and religion, and related issues of political and legal theory.”

Inazu has written several books on the topic including, Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly, published by Yale University Press in 2012, and Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2016.

Mullen values that Dr. Inazu is “a deeply committed Christian [who has] worked with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship.” She values that he is concerned with how to create a society where people with strongly held differences can live together peaceably without compromising their personal beliefs. “Given today’s increasingly divided political and theological world, this is a high priority.”

Inazu comes from a prestigious academic background, including being named Washington University’s 2014 David M. Becker Professor of the Year, a visiting assistant professor at Duke University School of Law, a Royster Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As well as distinguished legal experience, he clerked for Judge Roger L. Wollman of the U.S Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. According to Houghton’s press release, he also served for four years as an associate general counsel with the Department of the Air Force at the Pentagon.

Mullen sees Inazu as an ideal person, with his extensive legal and religious experience, to speak to graduates on how to navigate today’s divided political and theological world.

“I believe that graduates of Christian colleges like Houghton are ideal agents or catalysts for creating this kind of peaceable society that is also rich in ideas and reflection—as opposed to a society where everyone must think the same thing in order to be able to live together in peace—or live in fear of ideas that are different from one’s own,” said Mullen. “I believe this is the work of being “salt” and “light” as followers of Jesus Christ in our time.” She continued, “In creating this hospitable space for complicated and difficult conversations, we are also creating space for the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of both believers and unbelievers to bring us deeper into the Truth.”

While Mullen recognizes the most important thing about Commencement is the awarding of diplomas and the celebration with families, she added, “We want to offer on that day something of potential value as our graduates think about their future.”

In April, spring begins to feel more real as buds and flowers come out and the air grows warmer. Students spend time on the quad, lying in hammocks or studying together at tables outdoors. Houghton College has planned an Arbor Day Community Festival with many events and activities to facilitate involvement during this season of renewal. Earth Day and Arbor Day invite celebration of the Earth in its springtime beauty, as well as conversations about the environment.

On Monday April 24, Houghton plans to host an Arbor Day chapel on the quad. Sustainability Director, Brian Webb, said this is most likely the first-ever outdoor chapel in Houghton’s history, and if weather permits, the experience will be unique. The speaker will be Ed Brown, an ordained minister and the executive director of an organization called Care of Creation. According to the Care of Creation website, Brown is “a talented writer and public speaker” who has traveled overseas for missions work and to spread his “deep passion for Christian environmental stewardship.” Webb said, “Ed Brown is one of the forefathers of the modern creation care movement.”

According to Webb, the outdoor chapel service is part of a wider revival of the tradition of celebrating Arbor Day in community. Webb said that Houghton had Arbor Day celebrations for decades, though it has now been close to 15 years since this tradition was part of campus life. The Arbor Day Festival on Monday will include between 15 and 20 opportunities to participate in service projects on campus throughout the day. “The basic idea is to give faculty, staff, and students an excuse to be outside and do some hands-on projects around the college,” Webb explained.  He encouraged everyone to participate in projects like “planting pear trees, raking leaves, painting, laying new pathways, and trail maintenance.” He added, “I think that the Arbor Day Festival will be a really cool opportunity to get everyone engaging with one another and get the community more involved.”

The final event of the festival provides another chance to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day outdoors. “We’re ending the day with an outdoor community picnic on the quad to encourage the community to come together,” Webb said. This event will include food, games, and the presentation of the first annual Caretaker of God’s Creation Award. A campus-wide email explained this award “aims to recognize two individuals (one student and one faculty or staff member) who actively incorporate creation care and biblical earth stewardship into both their personal lives and their participation in the Houghton College community.” The outdoor picnic will last from 5:00-6:30 and is free to attend.

Lexi Wilkas ‘19 expressed excitement about the upcoming festival, “I love how there’s a way for everyone on campus and in the community to be involved. It’s both a fun and meaningful way to enjoy the world we live in.” She added, “I’m definitely pumped for the picnic celebration!”

In addition to hosting the Arbor Day Community Festival, Houghton plans to participate in international efforts to be involved with the environment. Eleven Houghton students will attend the People’s Climate March in Washington, D. C. on April 29, according to Daniel Bellerose ‘17. Bellerose attended the People’s Climate March of 2014, which occurred on the eve of the UN Climate Summit. He said, “It was an amazing experience. It was powerful to be marching united with people from different backgrounds.” He also described how individuals from countries made vulnerable by climate change such as the Maldives and Tuvalu marched in a group to increase awareness of their situation. Webb, who helped organize a larger group of about 80 evangelicals who will be present at the march, said, “This is the first time that I know of that such a large group of evangelicals has intentionally marched for climate change.” Houghton students and the other evangelical marchers will participate in the planned march in D.C. along with an estimated half a million people, and will stay afterward to lobby representatives of congress and senate. Bellerose, who helped organize Houghton’s involvement in the 2017 Climate March, said he is looking forward to the march as an energizing event that will “get people excited about these issues again.”