The Kuyper Service Award: Honoring the Enrollment Team

This month, the members of the Enrollment Team are the recipients of the Kuyper Service Award, in recognition of their extraordinary efforts in the face of many challenges during the 2021 academic year and months following. Within this office are several talented and dedicated individuals who use their gifts to help prospective students learn about Kuyper College. This includes Ken Capisciolto, Kevin Gilliam, Agnes Russell, and Amy Hills, as well as Ann Essenburg, who joined the Enrollment team more recently. The Kuyper community deeply values all the work that they do. 

The Enrollment Team encompasses the offices of Admissions and Financial Aid. Together, these departments work to guide prospective students through the processes of applying to Kuyper College and sourcing financial aid for their education. Their goal is to make enrollment accessible and smooth to all students, whether they are first time college students, international students, or transferring from a different institution.  “The Financial Aid Office serves all students who need funding for their education. We work closely with the Admissions Department to make sure that students can afford to come to Kuyper and then with the students during the rest of their college years to make sure they can afford to stay,” said Agnes Russell, Director of Financial Aid. 

Over the past two years, the Enrollment team have had to consider and implement new ways to connect with students and their families as the College responded to COVID-19. “We used the opportunity to find ways of connecting with prospective students differently, such as by phone, email, or text. We were still able to give personal attention to each student, taking time to answer their questions and help them in ways a larger school wouldn’t be able to,” Kevin Gilliam, Director of Admissions.    

Recipients of the Kuyper Service Award are chosen for exhibiting the spirit and work of the college’s mission statement, and the members of the Enrollment Team exemplify this in many ways. Amy Hills said, “I serve the Kuyper community by being available to assist whoever walks through our doors or calls on the phone. If I don’t know the answer to their question, I will do whatever I can to find a solution.” Agnes Russell also said, “When you work in a Christian organization, you feel called to what you do. You are preparing the next generation to go out and serve the Kingdom. By helping every student with their financial aid, I get to take part in that.”

At its core, the work of the Enrollment Team is about developing relationships with prospective students as they hear our story and share theirs with us. The Team helps these students begin their journey at Kuyper College and determine how God will shape and mold them. Kevin Gilliam said, “My favorite part of working at Kuyper is seeing the students who come here thrive and graduate with a solid, biblical foundation to serve wherever God has called them.” Agnes Russell said, “I love being with students and helping them as they prepare for the future.  I have told people that I was not called to be in ministry, but I was called to help those who were called to ministry to pay for the training they would need.”