萝莉社

Kahlil O. Crawford, G鈥�19, MBA

“Earning my MBA at 萝莉社 gave me a full understanding of how business operates. Previously, I would have business experiences with little or no awareness of their mechanics. However, that changed significantly while learning from Dr. Kasthuri Henry. She invested her personal time in identifying my passions and honing my interests. Her humanitarian approach to accounting gave me a holistic appreciation for business management that I otherwise would not have had. In Dr. Henry鈥檚 accounting class, I gained a better understanding of the processes behind financial transactions, how they fit into the larger structure of budgeting, and how that ultimately drives capitalism.

Due to my North Park experience, I now enter business situations with a fully informed awareness of their value and overall significance to the greater good. Therefore, I unequivocally declare that North Park’s School of Business & Nonprofit Management (SBNM) is one of the business world’s best-kept secrets because our community:

• Embodies humble excellence & strives toward it daily.
• Values & prioritizes the development of human character.
• Provides a well-balanced intellectual calm in the eye of today鈥檚 ideological storms.
• Pragmatically integrates the tenets of The Gospel into our collective vision & values.
• Has an unparalleled commitment to urban education in the City of Chicago & beyond.“
  

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Ashley Rewolinski, C鈥�14, Music in Violin Performance

“The School of Music at 萝莉社 provided me with endless opportunities to not only grow as a musician, but as a leader. As a violinist and arts administrator, I look back at my time at North Park with so much gratitude for my experiences that are extremely rare for an undergraduate music major. I performed a hidden gem of the violin repertoire and my personal favorite violin concerto, Louis Spohr’s Violin Concerto no.8, with the University Orchestra during my sophomore year. Taking music compositions in the later part of my undergraduate studies helped me reach my creative potential and learn so much about myself as a musician. I will never forget performing my own compositions during my senior recital. Those pieces were so distinctively me, and I love sharing them in my professional life to this day.

“My very first solo performance as a North Parker was just one month into my first semester! It was a chamber music concert off campus, and I was one of the soloists in Vivaldi’s Concerto for Three Violins where I would be performing with my violin professor. An hour before the concert started, I was the first to arrive at the venue and received a frantic call from my violin professor who had lost his sheet music for the concert. I quickly acquired music from our pianist and created parts for my professor to use. It was a true sheet music emergency! Back in 2010, a career as an Orchestra Librarian wasn’t even on my radar; now that I work full time as an Orchestra Librarian for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, I look back on that moment proudly saying that is where it all began!“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Lenore Johnson Larson, A鈥�46

“My parents were Swedish immigrants and enrolled me in North Park Academy my junior year, hoping to instill a connection to our heritage. It was quite different then鈥攚e had chapel every morning, attended classes in Old Main, and we weren鈥檛 allowed to cross the street on school days. Girls were just starting to wear slacks; we were quite rebellious, changing into jeans before going to watch a game.

It was at a basketball game that I first saw my husband, Norman Eugene Larson. He was tall and stood out to me from across the gym. Our first date was a hayride party sponsored by North Park Covenant Church, and he asked me to go steady by giving me his class ring, which I wore around my neck. Norm graduated a year before me, but only lived two blocks away while attending Northwestern University, so we continued going to North Park sporting events and youth activities at church. Norm went on to become an M.D. and I finished nursing school, but I kept that connection to our heritage, staying involved at church and serving as a volunteer and Chairman of the Board for the Swedish American Museum.

After Norm passed in 1995, I established the Dr. Norman E. and Lenore J. Larson Scholarship in his honor. My only stipulation was that the scholarship support students going into medicine. I鈥檝e collected many memories of our time at North Park in my scrapbook, which always brings a smile as I think about North Park鈥檚 campus today and the one I stepped foot on just 75 years ago.“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Hailey Bianco, C鈥�23, Advertising and Art, Volleyball

“Mental health was not openly discussed among my volleyball team, and I wanted to help make it less taboo. I decided to start the North Park chapter of The Hidden Opponent because I saw a need for community. We started our chapter with about 25 student-athletes. This past season I heard more open conversations about internal struggles that we as athletes have been facing, especially during COVID. It has been very motivating to me to see so many student-athletes come forward who are eager to be involved.

“This past season I was facing a lot of personal struggles on top of the pandemic, which made giving my all to the team very difficult. From the beginning Coach Sopocy was supportive of me and my needs, making sure I knew that my well-being came before volleyball. I ended up deciding to take a step back from the sport, and the support I鈥檝e received has helped me take control and take care of my mental health rather than pushing it to the side. During this difficult time, I became more involved in University Ministries and built a close relationship with Pastor T. He provided me a safe space to talk openly and drew me closer to God. My faith was the most important thing that got me through this past year. Learning to slow down and be still led to me developing a deep sense of gratitude and helped me rest my mind.“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Britta Mitchell, Asst. Director of Graduate Admission, School of Education, C鈥�06, G鈥�21

“One of the most vivid memories from my time as an undergraduate was the opportunity to take a summer study abroad class with Professors Mirza, McDonald, and Vic. I love science but was intimidated to take college level biology and physics. The class focused on the biology and physics of Iceland. We spent six weeks in the classroom and twelve amazing days in Iceland. From the solar eclipse to the fish hatcheries, the genetics lab, and the amazing waterfalls, I could not have asked for a better international experience nor better teachers. It was one of many opportunities at North Park to explore the world and become part of a global community.

“Being a part of the North Park community is being connected to the past and present. I am a fifth generation North Parker on my mother’s side. I am half Swedish, a part of the Covenant denomination, and a North Park staff member. I have been part of this campus since my birth and have been given the opportunity to grow here. It was during my undergraduate program that I found my voice and began to speak out against the injustice I saw in the world. At that time North Park was seeking to address diversity in a real way鈥攃hallenging us to think globally and examine our place in this world. When I returned five years ago, the student population had changed. The community was vibrant with diversity, and there was a growing population of first-generation students. It made me think of my great-great grandfather who came to this country as an immigrant and studied to become a pastor at North Park Seminary. He was separated from his family and had to learn a new language. Over the last 130 years, the campus has grown, many people have passed through the doors, and we are still a beacon for those that are new to this country. We know what it means to be the immigrant and the legacy. We stand in the past and the present, with the constant goal to serve the students of this institution. We prepare them to go out and serve their communities as global citizens, challenge social norms, and love as Christ loves us. That is what the North Park community means to me.“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Michael M. Kazanjian, C鈥�66, Philosophy

“North Park had just become a four-year college when I applied. I had never heard of philosophy, but I took a class with Dr. Paul Sebestyen. 萝莉社 three days before my final exam, I bumped into Dr. Sebestyen in Wallgren Library, and we started talking. Our conversation lasted almost three hours. We were discussing his class, and I felt pretty confident answering the questions he was throwing at me. When we both had to go, I said, ‘I鈥檒l see you in three days for my final.’ ‘Mr. Kazanjian,’ he said, ‘you have been discussing our course with me for three hours. You just did the final.’ Later on, when I was in grad school, I realized what he had done was what phenomenologists would call ‘reintroducing testing into study,’ meaning that you don’t study for a test; your study and participation are the test.

“When I first took Dr. Sebestyen鈥檚 class, I thought he knew everything about everything. In the context of philosophy, he taught us about time, space, curves鈥攈e was teaching us the basics of calculus. I had a very hard time with mathematics in high school, but Dr. Sebestyen actually made it kind of fun. We learned that mathematics and philosophy have a lot in common. In many ways Dr. Sebestyen inspired the thinking of my book, Unified Philosophy: Interdisciplinary Metaphysics, Ethics, and Liberal Arts. He was far ahead of his time, and academia can still learn from him.“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Kathleen Flores, C鈥�22, Nursing

“Attending North Park in the heart of Chicago has provided me with many opportunities to engage with my community as well as explore and be immersed in the culture of the city. One of the most memorable of these opportunities was through a Catalyst event for my Immigrant Identities class. We visited the Global Gardens Refugee Training Farm in Albany Park, which provides refugees with access to fresh fruits and vegetables and opportunities to engage in their community. Through storytelling and conversation, the individuals and families involved with Global Gardens shared with us about their cultures, identities, and experiences living in Chicago, as well as ways that we as a community can support refugees who have recently arrived in the U.S.

“I was able to learn more about current immigration issues as well as engage in cultural events and service/advocacy programs for immigrants and refugees in the Albany Park community. As a future nurse, I will work with patients of different cultures and ethnicities, so by learning more about the people in my community and engaging in programs such as Global Gardens, I hope to gain a better understanding of others and provide the best care for my patients.“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at

Beth (Anderson) Hjelm, C鈥�77, Physical Education

“The fabric of North Park is the connections and friendships interwoven throughout our lives. My husband John Hjelm and his father, Rev. Bob Hjelm, both taught at North Park. While I was a first-generation North Parker, our daughters were the fourth generation in my husband’s family. I hope their children will continue the legacy.

“Several professors had a great impact on my teaching career and life. Ted Hedstrand’s camping class in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Canada pushed me physically as I’d never canoed and camped in such a remote area before. Watching Ted catch our dinner and canoe for hours without ever tiring, was inspirational. He had such an easy-going personality and his love for that place was evident. Strong friendships were formed among the students as we spent each night talking around the campfire. This was also where I first met John, although our relationship didn’t develop until after we’d both graduated.

“Trudy Zemelis was instrumental in getting me an interview for my first teaching job, while Inez Olander taught me the importance of preparation and to always have a PLAN B! I was fortunate that Inez remained a friend for many years following graduation. She encouraged me to further my education and inspired me to find ways to improve my teaching methods.

“Perhaps most importantly, I’ve been lucky to maintain close friendships with three women鈥擲haron Hanstad Anderson, Kerstin Swanson Hilton, and Ruth Jensen Zschoche. We met in Ohlson House in September of 1973. The fact that we continue to be involved in each other’s lives despite living in three different time zones is a testament to how important those friendships are to us. We’ve traveled together, attended reunions, and now meet virtually every couple of weeks to catch up. What a gift they’ve been in my life!“

We’re celebrating 130 years of North Park community. You’re invited to share your own story at