Senior Patrick Ishimwe, executive officer of nontraditional students, grew up wanting to help people.
Born in Rwanda, moving from there to Congo, to Kenya, and eventually to Togo, where he lived for ten years, Ishimwe grew up in what he described as an “unstable environment.” Yet, he said, “there was always someone to help,” and through that, his family got “all the help we needed.”
Having moved to Buffalo, where he went to City Honors School for two years, Ishimwe eventually arrived at Houghton looking for a Christian environment and a good soccer program. Ishimwe initially did not consider SGA, but during his Sophomore year, a friend, Ben Hardy, convinced him to go to a meeting. Ishimwe was intrigued, and by his Junior year, he ran for the Senate and became part of the SGA. The SGA, he realized, was an opportunity to be a helpful voice on campus.
However, among the changes the 2014-2015 year brought was the elimination of the Senate. Again Ishimwe made the decision to participate in SGA, this time becoming the Executive Officer of Nontraditional Students. In this role, Ishimwe deals with reaching out to the students of Buffalo who do not have the opportunity to go to traditional college.
Placing great value on education, Ishimwe is personally invested in the programs. “Education is just the key to success,” he said. In a recent Facebook post, Ishimwe wrote, “Jesus did not die on the cross just for us to live an average life.” He said, “Education showed me you don’t have to lead that life.” In his SGA position, Ishimwe is able to share this opportunity with students who otherwise would have no access to it. “They’re no different from us,” said Ishimwe, “We’re just fortunate enough to be able to afford to go here.”
Having attended school in Buffalo, Ishimwe has a personal understanding of the purpose and value of the programs for nontraditional students. He discovered that one of the students in the program was a good friend, and was able to see the positive effects. He noticed that his “friends from high school struggle with staying in college and getting a degree.” Ishimwe, in his position, is now able to see the tangible results of the programs.
Ishimwe describes his office as giving Buffalo students in the program “a voice on campus.” He keeps the SGA informed on how the programs are going, but also is responsible for sharing opportunities for involvement with other Houghton students. He and SGA president Katharine Labrecque have formed a committee that will be bringing in lecturers and possibly Buffalo residing Houghton alumni, who will inform Houghton students of opportunities to serve in Buffalo.
Patrick Ishimwe is a political science major, minoring in business and French. His desire to help people, to make a difference, is the root for his ultimate dream of going to law school and working with the United Nations. For now, he speaks for himself and reminds Houghton students, “Buffalo is a mission.” Although there is much to address for the rest of the world, for now “it’s preparation for future experiences.”
The concept of the From Islands to Cathedrals tour is to walk the audience through the entire story of Tenth Avenue North and their music. “Starting real stripped down we will add band members and instruments building bigger and bigger as the story is told,” explained Donehey. Tenth Ave.’s four albums are linear and inform each other in meaningful, philosophical ways. The first album is a call to the Gospel. The next two albums encourage Christians to engage their struggles honestly and courageously and to help each other through life. In Islands, which is a companion of the upcoming full length album, Cathedrals, Tenth Avenue North discusses the ways Christians isolate themselves from community; the last track of the EP, “Just Getting By” speaks about living in an increasingly digitally influenced world. The focus of the music then shifts from isolation to the goodness and importance of being in community with one another. Donehey explained, “Once we become a community we become a place of sanctuary. We no longer have to wait for a sacred space or vocation. We make our vocations sacred. We make every place we walk into sacred because the Spirit of God walks with us wherever we go.” Tenth Avenue North has a distinctly Christ-centered, authentic, uplifting approach to music that a lot of people really enjoy.
While the campus has waited expectantly for this great performance there has been a flood of activity behind the scenes among Houghton College students and faculty working to make the concert possible. Months of planning and detailing involving many offices has lead up to this Saturday’s performance. However, tomorrow the band itself will mainly be supported by Houghton College’s student audio tech team. Professor Jackson who oversees the team said, “Our job as a college and as a tech team is to make the band’s job as easy as possible- that is, to able to minister that night. We are able to do the work of Christ by helping bands like Tenth Avenue North be better musicianaries. I can’t be successful in my job unless the team comes through and the team always comes through.” Concerts like this Saturday’s are not only a chance for the campus to experience meaningful worship, but also an opportunity for many in the student body to serve alongside a successful worship band to achieve a high goal.
RVER, pronounced “river”, stands for Regional Ventures in Economic Revitalization. This board of community members started off as the Houghton Group, but soon expanded out of the college and into the whole of the town. Said Phyllis Gaerte, Chair of the Houghton Group, “Our concerted effort to include our local, county, and state elected officials in our discussions has been instrumental in us getting before the right people that can offer support and help us move forward. We have developed a great working relationship with our county development and planning team. In the past few months, we have had the opportunity to meet with our Congressman, Tom Reed, and Senator, Catherine Young, as well as our county legislators.”
Archie fades into a drum beat that leads in “Ones Who Love You”. This track is the first instance of musical tone following the somber lyrical mood. Slower, Rankin has pulled away from us. She’s distant and beginning to recount her troubles. Her voice is drenched in reverb as she sings, morose yet defiant: “When the wheels come off,/ I’ll be an astronaut./ I won’t be lost in space./ I will be skipping rocks.” She knows that nothing will ever feel perfect, but in accepting that sadness, she finds peace.
Patrick Hager was named head coach for both men’s and women’s cross-country and track and field programs. Hager previously served as graduate-assistant coach at Messiah College for the past two years. Prior to his role at Messiah, Hager worked as the first ever head cross-country coach at Rosemont College for two years.
All the returners are with new players so even [if] they are not playing, they can still be a part of the team,” said junior captain, Bethany Chesebro. The women’s tennis team arrived early before school started for preseason among other fall sports. Iacucci said, “It was easier to have good team chemistry during preseason. We are intentional about the time we spend together.”
t is assumed she will be relating tales from her experience with the U.N.