Category: Stories In Focus

While a bachelor’s degree has become the standard for entry-level positions, more and more undergraduates are extending their education further by entering Masters and Ph.D. programs. Students who choose this route do not find relief from senioritis, nor are they freed from growing student loan debt. Yet for such students the payoff is worth it; namely, specializing in fields they love (and probably a higher salary, too).

Soon to be Houghton graduate Thomas Eckert, a physics major, will enter a Ph.D. program in nuclear physics at the University of Rochester. He will be doing his work at the Laboratory of Laser Energetics. His research at the lab will begin one week after graduation. “I plan on going into experimental nuclear physics, as opposed to a theoretical branch of physics. I went into college planning on getting a degree in industrial design – which is the design of products like iPhones.” According to Eckert, it was his studies in the science honors program that showed him his love of nuclear physics. “Something in my head clicks with nuclear physics. [It] is elegant, there’s an element of unpredictability.”

Benjamin Yuly, a computer science and music composition major, plans to attend the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. to earn his Masters of Music in composition. When asked why he decided to forego a gap year, Yuly smiled and said, “I’m not done learning.” On his computer science degree, Yuly said, “Everyone knows it’s hard to make a living as a musician, and I’ve always been pretty good with computers. I thought ‘might as well’. The broad liberal arts education I’ve gotten here has prepared me for graduate school. It sets me apart from other graduate students.”

The breadth of a liberal arts education offered at Houghton has also served senior Hattie Burgher well. An English and art major, Burgher has been accepted into the New York University Master of Journalism program. Like Yuly, Burgher “wasn’t ready to stop learning.” She noted that her range of involvement at Houghton, especially her role as a reporter and features editor for The Houghton STAR, was well received by NYU. “I have so many different interests, and I hope grad school will help me hone in on what I’m really meant to do” said Burgher. She continued, “I enjoy writing features, and I’m also interested in writing investigative pieces [for a newspaper]. If I were working for a magazine, I’d love to be a photo editor. I don’t really know where I fit best yet, but I’m looking forward to mentors and professors guiding me.”   

By contrast, philosophy and theology major Holly Chaisson is at this point fairly solidified in her future plans: “I will be entering Yale’s MAR (Master of Arts in Religion) program this fall and plan to concentrate in systematic theology.” Speaking to her decision to pursue graduate work Chaisson said, “I am an academic at heart. The study of theology has become part of who I am.” Chaisson added that she was interested in a professorial career, as well as one in academic administration. Yet, in the interest of avoiding “sitting in a library all day,” she said she may also create a career in writing or do nonprofit work.

A pressing question for the evangelical students who largely comprise Houghton college is, “How in the world will I afford another degree?” While not a faith question, the financial issue is pertinent to those who have already shelled out plenty to attend Christian colleges. Biology major Erin Salati, who plans to attend SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, has pondered this extensively. She admits that while earning her Doctorate of Physical Therapy (DPT)  will be “super expensive,” especially in light of the loans she has accumulated to finance her undergraduate degree, she feels called by God to pursue her passion for physical therapy. As the DPT degree is the physical therapy field’s professional standard, Salati feels that completing the degree and following her calling are worth the expense and extra schooling. “I’m hopeful that once I have a job as a physical therapist I’ll be able to pay off my loans quickly.” said Salati. “I am trusting in the Lord when it comes to finances though, because I can’t do this on my own!”

Being a student at Houghton College now means having an opportunity to write and to grow as a communicator using a professional platform.

Ava Bergen ’17 defines the Odyssey as an “online aggregate.” “It is a media platform,” she said, “that takes the voices of millennials and allows [them] to discover and write about what [they] choose to. The Odyssey gives us the ability to put our thoughts out there for the world to see.”

Sami Allen, the original managing editor for Houghton College, works in the Odyssey offices in New York and found Houghton College through the Instagram of Amy Abraham ’18. Allen, impressed with Abraham’s social media skills, contacted Abraham to ask if she would be interested in starting a branch at Houghton College. Abraham jumped at the opportunity and chose to become the social media director. The social media director helps writers boost the publicity of their articles, gives ideas to those who are struggling come up with article topics, and promotes the articles on social media outlets such as Facebook and Instagram.

Bergen was hired as editor-in-chief, a role that entails overseeing a team of about fifteen writers in order to help them grow as writers and communicators. The editor-in-chief is the first person that writers may seek for help or advice in regard to their articles. Bergen explains how the Odyssey is a bottom-up business model opposed to the typical top-down model. This means that the Odyssey’s focus is to encourage millennials to take on more responsibility and to have many opportunities open to them. As a student employee of the Odyssey, you have the option to be a writer in addition to working towards editing positions and dealing with social media promotions. Bergen reports to Houghton’s managing editor over Skype, emails and phone calls. The managing editor works in the Odyssey’s offices and is responsible for going over the weekly reports with the editors-in-chief of different campuses. These reports include the number of people that interacted with the various articles written by the students of Houghton College, and how the college staff can potentially increase these numbers.

The Odyssey hires millennials as writers in order to disband the idea that one needs vast experience to produce good work. The online platform believes that it is important for the voices of young adults to be heard. Houghton College has a team of fifteen writers who are responsible for putting out one article a week on the topic of their choice. This team was hired for an apparent love of writing, an evident desire to communicate, and a responsible work ethic with the self-motivation to consistently write. These writers do not necessarily need to be writing or English majors. According to Bergen, the Odyssey offers a unique opportunity for those who enjoy writing but rarely have a consistent outlet to show it.

“We have a student who is a physics major, which is someone whom you typically do not think of as a writer,” Bergen explained. “This company gives people the chance to try something new and discover a talent of writing that otherwise may not have been pursued.”

Kimberly Logee ‘17, the contributing editor of the Houghton Odyssey, helps aspiring writers better their work by editing articles and giving feedback. Logee gains great satisfaction from the editing process and helping individuals improve their writing. She says that Houghton students that write for the Odyssey are receiving a résumé-building experience, an opportunity to grow as a writer, and a chance to win some extra money if their article is the most shared for that particular week. Bergen also emphasized this opportunity that the Odyssey allows students.

“It is interesting—the power the internet gives to people,” Bergen said. “Millennials can reach a huge audience with the power of words due to the connections of social media. The Odyssey creates an intentional community of people producing excellent work that has the power to connect with and motivate the world.”

Professor of political science, Peter Meilaender, along with a group of 15 students traveled to Vienna, Austria for two weeks over Easter Break. In 2013, he had originally brought students to Vienna through an honors program called Contemporary Contexts that was replaced with the London program. Since then, Meilaender has been eagerly awaiting the chance to return to the beautiful city.

When organizing this trip to Vienna, Meilaender said “There are two ways to organize a trip like this: to travel around a lot in order to see as much as possible in the time available, or to stay in one place and get to know it more intimately.” This trip focused on knowing the city more intimately, focusing in on history from 1880-1920.  Kelley German ’17, attended this trip and said she “wished we [the students on the trip] could have [visited] the neighboring countries around Vienna.  Since it was a two week trip, we really only had enough time to do things in Austria . . . Overall though, I fell in love with Vienna immediately, so I really didn’t mind spending all of my time there.”

On this trip, the group saw a lot of different parts of history and Vienna culture. According to Michael Green ’18, they “covered a lot of ground during this trip and saw a lot of amazing places – all of the major galleries, museums, parks, palaces, theaters, etc.” The students were in Vienna during Holy Week as well, so seeing the Cathedrals and attending a service in the Cathedral of St. Stephen was also a perk of this trip.

A highlight of the trip seemed to be the coffee. Rachel Zimmerman ’18, said that “the coffee was wonderful” and Meilaender noted the group would often stop at “the coffee houses, for which Vienna is famous.”

Besides the coffee, travelling abroad was a growing experience for all. German spoke of the relationships  formed on this trip. “When you go on a trip like this” German said, “when you fly across the world and spend two weeks in a foreign country where you are with people who will sing do-re-me around a fountain in Salzburg and drink tea and cake in the same cafe every day, you get really close.  People that I never saw on campus before, people that aren’t in the same major as me or even the same year as me, I now get to call my new friends.”

Even Meilaender found the dynamic rewarding and said it “is very rewarding to watch the students–especially ones who have not done much traveling before- grow in confidence as they discover that they can make their own way around a major world city in a foreign country.”

Vienna was an amazing city, rich with history and a culture different from our own. If you didn’t get the chance to go this year don’t worry, Meilaender said he is “considering spring of 2018, so students should begin saving their money now.” Green said it best “It was a wonderful opportunity to travel to an amazing city with a fantastic group of people.” Some advice from German before you go, “if you go, get a hot dog.  They are a foot long and they give you a whole loaf of bread!”

For the first time in two years, a Broadway musical is coming to Houghton. In two performances over March 11th and 12th, members of the Houghton Lyric Theatre will present Andrew Lloyd’ Weber’s classic The Phantom of the Opera on the chapel stage. The production features Tim McGowan ’16 in the titular role. Katie Kriedler ’17 and Andrea Crickard ’17 will portray Christine Daaé on Friday and Saturday respectively, while Ian Patrick ‘17 and James Johnson ’18 will likewise share the role of Raoul de Chagny.

Traditionally, the Houghton Lyric Theatre presents a musical or opera every spring. Shows are selected based on current students’ skill sets, and Phantom was chosen as this year’s production both because of its legendary popularity and the current ensemble’s potential. “We have an award-winning ensemble,” said professor Mitchell Hutchings, who is helming the show. “I knew we had a student body that could fill the main roles in Phantom this year.”

The Phantom of the Opera first opened on Broadway in 1988. Featuring a now-iconic score from Andrew Lloyd Weber, the show was an immediate smash hit. Lauded by critics and eagerly devoured by audiences, the show collected an impressive seven awards—including Best Musical—at the 1988 Tonys. Phantom is still running strong after over eleven thousand performances, making it the longest-running show ever to hit Broadway.

Over the years, the saga of the outcast composer who haunts a Parisian opera house and his infatuation with the precocious soprano Christine Daaé has enchanted audiences all over the globe. Phantom’s ubiquity in the theatre world comes with a unique set of challenges for adaptation for the college stage, but matches those challenges with plenty of opportunities for growth. “It’s challenged me vocally and required me to perform at a very high standard,” Johnson shared of his role. “The entire cast is extremely talented and I’ve been inspired by them to work hard.”

Such a large and intricate production provides diverse opportunities for student collaboration. According to Hutchings, about thirty students are registered for the associated course and involved at every level of production, from the principal cast and the technical crew to the chorus and pit orchestra. Hannah Jager ’18, a member of the chorus, said that the experience has been a uniquely rewarding one: “While the number of people who we’re trying to coordinate is intense, it’s been amazing getting to know some many different, talented individuals.”

Starring in a show that has had such an undeniable impact on generations of theatre-goers can be intimidating—but it is a challenge that the current Houghton cast is excited to take on. “I first saw The Phantom of the Opera when I was about twelve,” Crickard shared. “I started listening to the CD and singing the music all the time.” McGowan recounted a similar experience: “When I was a kid I went as the Phantom for Halloween…[the experience] has been very intimidating, but even more exciting!”

Can audiences expect to see the famous opera house set? “Think of it as an elaborately staged concert,” Hutchings explained. Although the show will not feature a full Broadway-style set, it will incorporate the show’s trademark elegant costumes, thrilling staged combat and choreography, and the titular character’s iconic masks. “Musicals encompass so many forms of art in one” said Kriedler. “I believe there really is something for everyone to grab on to and cherish.”

Hutchings is enthused by the high amount of tickets sold so far, and hopes for an even larger turnout. “The energy between a cast and audience is vital to a successful run,” he shared. “A large and energetic audience changes the entire presentation.” For this reason, Houghton Lyric Theater is encouraging students to invite friends and show up to support the cast and crew’s hard work. “People love The Phantom of the Opera,” Hutchings acknowledged, “and we are ready to give it our all.”

The Phantom of the Opera will run on the Wesley Chapel stage on March 11th at 7:30 p.m. and March 12th at 2 p.m. Admission is $15, or $5 for Houghton students. Tickets are available at the door or at houghton.edu/opera.

We’ve all heard a story like this: the star athlete performs a routine drill and, with no warning, suffers a catastrophic injury, permanently sidelining her. What comes next for those who can no longer play the sport they’ve poured their hearts and souls into? For two Houghton students, the answer was simple: coach.

Taylor Button, a fifth year senior, has been a student assistant coach for the women’s basketball team since her sophomore year. Emily Cronin, also a fifth year senior, just began her coaching career as a student assistant for the softball team.

Both basketball players, Button and Cronin suffered their injuries on the court. Cronin, who began playing basketball when she was seven years old, played without incident all through her first year of college. In high school, Cronin dominated. In high school, the power forward put up an average of 25 points per game, while pulling down 12 rebounds per game and dishing out 5 assists per game. When she started college at Cairn University in Philadelphia, Cronin joined the softball team and excelled with a .325 batting average.

In 2013, Cronin transferred to Houghton College. She joined the basketball team and remained healthy during the regular season. Unfortunately, Cronin’s luck ran out during a summer league basketball game, she felt a pop in the arch of her foot. The seemingly harmless pop turned out to be a rare injury; Cronin had torn her plantar fascia tendon lengthwise. After recovering, she proceeded to re-tear the tendon two more times, the final tear occurring last spring during a routine base-sliding drill on the softball diamond.  She was then barred from athletics by her podiatrist. “There was definitely a period of mourning after that”, she said.

The end to Button’s playing days was gradual. Button has suffered nine concussions, suffering her first in the 8th grade. She continued to play basketball and soccer throughout high school, excelling at both. The concussion that ended her career occurred during warm-ups before a basketball game her first year at Houghton. At just 19 years old, Button’s reign as a quick-thinking point guard was over. Remembering her feelings in the days after the incident, Button said, “That was a really difficult time in my life. I really struggled with not knowing my identity without athletics. I didn’t know where to go from there. . . .I found myself at probably the lowest point of my life.”

In the wake of their losses, Button and Cronin found solace in assisting their respective head coaches: Alicia Mucher of women’s basketball and Brianna Allen of softball. “Nothing is the same as playing, but it enables me to stay close to the game”, Cronin said. “It’s a different style of leadership [than playing], and it’s a different way of thinking and strategizing about the game.”

For Button, becoming a student assistant coach was a matter of “accepting what [her] knew reality would look like”. While Button admitted that coaching will never fill the void she feels in not being able to play, it “brings out a whole new level of passion I never knew I had for the game of basketball”, she said. She continued, “I thought being an athlete was the only thing I was good at. But now I realize that I can do more. I can be a good coach if I want to be.”

Cronin has also seen personal development since commencing her coaching career. “I’ve grown in understanding all of the small things that go into coaching a team,” she said, “and I’m learning how important it is for leaders to be intentional with their words and actions.”

Of course, the best people to ask about a coach are her players. Junior student athlete Bailey Shattell is a guard on the women’s basketball team and an outfielder on the softball team (as well as a forward on the women’s soccer team). “It’s awesome that Taylor and Emily can still be a part of [their teams] and share their insights from a coaching perspective now,” she said.

Of Button, Shattell noted her drive to learn. “She is always looking to learn from other coaches and leaders. . . .I think this also speaks volumes about her as a person,” she said. “Taylor is passionate about coaching and the game of basketball”, Shattell continued, “and she knows how to push us as players and still get the best out of us.” 

Shattell encountered Cronin as a coach for the first time over February break, when the softball team travelled to Florida for an intense week of competition. “Emily is willing to do whatever the team needs and is always an encouraging presence on and off the field. She brings a different outlook to the game,” she said. Most importantly, she “makes sure we don’t take our time on the field for granted.”