Kuyper Celebrates December Graduates

On a cold, crisp morning in early December, the mood inside the Vos Chapel on the campus of Kuyper College was warm and inviting.

Kuyper President Patti Harris welcomed attendees of the day’s special service with a smile, saying, “Welcome to the last chapel of the semester; it’s a special one because we are celebrating our December graduates.”

Though all graduates are invited to participate in Commencement in the spring, taking time to recognize and honor those who finish their studies in the winter is an important Kuyper tradition. This year, there were six such students to celebrate: Zuriel Janksy, Meika DeVries, Emily Koetje, Trevor Huisingh, Allesha Cooper, and Kaeden Costen.

“There’s always a melancholy element to this, because we’ve been so glad to have you here, but now you’re leaving, and we’ll miss you,” President Harris told the group.

She then invited them to reflect on their time at Kuyper, asking them to consider the ways their education shaped them as an artist might consider qualities to represent in a portrait.

“I want you to think, not just about what you have learned but about who you are, having been at Kuyper College,” she said. “You will carry that portrait forward, not only to represent yourself well, but also to represent Kuyper College well. Well done.”

Following President Harris’ address, Data Specialist Katy Jorritsma conferred the degrees before Academic Dean Tim Detwiler offered a special prayer for the graduates.

“As they move from the halls of this institution, we ask that You would bless their lives, God, and make their futures reflect your light as they seek first your kingdom and your righteousness,” he prayed.

President Harris then returned to the microphone to give a final charge to the graduates, saying, “We hope that you will live faithfully for Jesus Christ in God’s good world, because that is the end goal of education at Kuyper College.”