Terry Katsma (’80) was born in Oostburg, Wisconsin, graduated from Sheboygan County Christian High School, and studied Business Administration at Dordt. Fifteen years later, Devin LeMahieu (’95) followed in Katsma’s footsteps, though LeMahieu studied political science at Dordt. In 2014, both men entered the Wisconsin State Legislature for the first time. “In March of 2014, my State Representative called me …
Jane Wolterstorff
Jane Wolterstorff (’82) has worked and learned in the social work profession since she graduated from Dordt. That summer, just as she had previous years, she headed to Michigan to work at a youth camp. She’s been working in her major field ever since she marched down the center aisle of the B.J. Haan Auditorium in 1982. Jane doesn’t remember …
Aaron Van Beek
Aaron Van Beek (’18) has always appreciated those who serve in the military. As a child, he spent every Memorial Day either riding a decorated bicycle or marching with the Boy Scouts in the local parade. Military service also runs in his family: three great-grandfathers served in World War II, one grandfather was a Vietnam war veteran, and a sister …
Hockey Sticks and a Few Jelly Beans
If you follow hockey at Dordt and wonder how it began, you might start with the consistory of an Edmonton, Alberta, church. The preacher, Reverend John Piersma, was a big-time hockey fan who found a way to speed skate through consistory meetings so he and those elders similarly inclined could sprint over to the arena and catch the third period …
Showing the Love of Jesus through Adoption
“My Dordt education shaped my thinking about my calling to ensure that all children are loved, supported, and have the opportunity to learn,” says Liz (Friesema, ’05) Hoek. “At the time, I thought I was only preparing for my vocation, but God was shaping my heart to work for Christ-centered renewal in my home as well.” Now, years later, Hoek …
Looking the World Back to Grace: The Art of Sara de Waal
A year before she finished her Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Sara de Waal (’14) looked at a task that seemed both gigantic and impossible: to finish her degree, she needed to write a book. Eventually, she did just that, and successfully. One story from that book, “Cecilia and Richard,” recently won a …
Providence in Loss: Remembering Seth Vande Kamp
Donald Roth is an associate professor of criminal justice at Dordt University and is the brother-in-law of Seth Vande Kamp, who was killed in a helicopter crash at Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in November 2020. When someone is taken from us in the prime of their life, part of our grief comes from the painful dissonance we feel between the tremendous …
Booming in Ag
Dr. Chris Boomsma serves as the director of education at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America—or the “Tri-Societies.” “In my current role, I lead a team tasked with taking the work performed by agronomy, crop, and soil scientists and effectively and innovatively delivering it to in-field practitioners and leaders so …
The Reluctant Politician
The mayor’s office, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is not at all palatial. It’s in the southwest corner of an ordinary yellow-brick building, downtown. True, you don’t just walk in; there’s an official-looking character at the door to admit you after you state your purpose; but once inside, if you were expecting “swanky” or “splurgy,” don’t. However, the place has the …
Farmer Joe the Illustrator
If he didn’t know the unique hazards of that particular day on the farm calendar, he should have. It was the day of sorting cattle, and any farm kid should know that the worst days of the year to screw up are those days. But screw up he did. Big time. He drove the pickup smack into the side of …