Kuyper Celebrates Annual Honors Convocation
For the last 13 years, Dr. Patricia Harris, President of Kuyper College, has offered the same observation to attendees of the annual Academic Honors Convocation, and for good reason.
“Hands down, this is my favorite event of the year at Kuyper College, and I can say that because it’s my last one,” said Harris, who is set to retire in June, to ripples of laughter from the audience. “It shows something about who we are as a college, our excellence in our learning, the great relationships we’ve built here, and the fact that we’re all pursuing our mission together.”
She added that the Convocation, which spotlights student excellence, tangibly demonstrates Kuyper’s purposeful approach to learning, work and service, as well as the College’s desire to help everyone flourish in the callings God has placed upon their lives.
Students were recognized for their achievements in academics, leadership and service to the Kuyper community with several special awards, each presented by a professor from the relevant field. After a few words honoring the recipients and explaining the award’s qualifications, recipients took the microphone to reflect on their time at Kuyper.
The Association for Biblical Higher Education’s Delta Epsilon Chi Award, presented to Corey Pritchett, was one such honor.
This accolade recognizes students who exemplify leadership ability, intellectual achievement and Christian character. The name of the award, Delta Epsilon Chi, is composed of the first Greek letters of the phrase “Approved in Christ” from 2 Timothy 2:15.
Looking to his seated professors and classmates, he said: “All of y’all have grown me to be who I am right now. I’ve had a crazy amount of support since being here; I’ve had things pulled out of me I didn’t know I had inside of myself.”
Another of the honors conferred was the Business Leadership Award, given to Allesha Cooper and Emily Kootje in recognition of their academic excellence, pattern of innovative thinking and willingness to take intellectual and academic risks.
“I am truly honored and grateful to be receiving this award. When I started my Kuyper journey, I never imagined it would lead me to something like this, but I am forever grateful to God for leading me here, to Kuyper College,” said Cooper.
Several other awards were also presented to outstanding students, including the Zondervan Publishing Award in Bible and Theology, Student Service Award and Interdisciplinary Studies Award.
“After attending my first Honors Convocation three years ago, I wrote down a list of three things that would shape my entire college experience: have fun, put grades first and win the Business Leadership Award,” Kootje said, as laughter echoed from her listeners.
Another important part of the ceremony was the presentation of academic achievement cords, to be worn at Commencement in just a few short weeks, and the recognition of students who made the Dean’s List for the Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 semesters.
In the words of President Harris’ opening prayer, “We acknowledge, Lord God, that You are the giver of every good gift, our learning, our relationships, our experiences, our service, our work and all our accomplishments, so thank You for being such a generous God.”
