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In the early 2000s, the Ultimate Frisbee team got its start playing on the Hump behind Old Main.
The Lost Boys, 15 years later
CHICAGO (July 9, 2015) — In the spring of 2001, a group of 萝莉社 students would gather a few times per week on the Hump. That’s what the rolling green space behind Old Main is called. It has served many purposes over the years, including for these students as a makeshift Ultimate Frisbee field, with bushes and trees acting as end zones and out-of-bounds markers. The games were casual, something to do after class and to meet people.
That year, one of the team members got in touch with a rival college west of Chicago and asked if they wanted to come to North Park for a formal game.
“I remember them showing up with jerseys and cleats and thinking, ‘This is the sport I want to play,’” says Luke Johnson, who was a junior at the time. “At that point I went from a casual observer and casual player to spearheading a movement that year that we needed to form a club.”
The ragtag group of guys lost the match that day, but that summer Johnson, along with fellow student Jeff Keyser, approached the University’s about turning their casual group into a formal school club. They eventually got their own set of jerseys and over the last decade have risen to become a regional power in the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. “I can tell you we haven’t lost to that team very often since that day on the Hump,” Johnson adds.
The Lost Boys, originally known as Extend, has three goals: brotherhood, fun times, and winning games. “The idea behind Extend was to use Ultimate Frisbee as a platform to talk about Jesus,” says Johnson. “Even though it’s not called that anymore, it instilled a value set that still exists today.”
Since the formal inception of Division-III Nationals in 2010, the North Park team has made it there every year except one, finishing as high as third. That is made even more impressive by the fact that only one team per year from the region earns a bid to nationals. At one point, the team was ranked as the 38th best collegiate Ultimate team, which includes teams from Division-I and Division-II universities.
And although leery of the name change at first, Johnson came to appreciate its purpose. “When they changed the name to Lost Boys I think it really captured well the spirit of the team,” he says. “There is this group of guys that really don’t belong in the sport. They are not the jocks or have much experience at all, but here they are competing at the highest level.”
Case in point, by 2009 the club had improved and was competing regularly with teams across all college divisions. Johnson tells the story of a young student at North Park, who was not particularly athletic, still working on his English, and trying to find his community on campus. One day that student was walking by the Hump and spotted the group of guys running around throwing a Frisbee. He asked them what they were doing, and quickly earned an invitation to play.
“He fell in love with the spirit of the team and the friends,” says Johnson. “He came to every tournament, played maybe two-to-three points in a whole weekend, but he’d warm up, be in huddles, and he didn’t care. I’m happy to be a part of a club that can have a guy like that on the team. That’s what makes this team so special.”
More than Frisbee
The Lost Boys is ultimately about something more than an official 175-gram disc and formal jerseys. Johnson knows this firsthand, as his journey with the club ventured far beyond his days as an undergraduate.
The team's original name, Extend, instilled the values of brotherhood and character that persist today.
After graduating from North Park in 2003 with a double major in and Johnson moved to Oregon to serve in a church. By 2009, he was thinking about graduate education, and pursuing a master of divinity through
“It might sound silly, but a huge factor in considering North Park Theological for seminary was knowing that I could come back and play college Ultimate,” Johnson says.
His eligibility had not expired—in college Ultimate the five-year clock starts ticking once you play your first game—so he decided to move back. And that decision paid off in more ways than one. At his first tournament in St. Louis he met a North Park undergraduate student, Kelly, who was an Ultimate standout in her own right and still the only female to ever play for the Lost Boys. She also starred for Allihopa, North Park’s women’s Ultimate Frisbee team.
It turned out a few years later the two would get married, and Kelly would go on to play for the , a women’s professional Ultimate Frisbee team in Seattle, where she would help them to win the 2014 World Championship in Lecco, Italy.
What’s more, Luke Johnson turned his love for Ultimate Frisbee, born out of the Lost Boys, into a partnership with the . Johnson’s company, , works on video production for the men’s professional Ultimate Frisbee league, which has seen an incredible amount of expansion in recent years.
The North Park Women’s Ultimate Team, Allihopa, is a group of dedicated ladies who love to play Frisbee and love the Ultimate community of friends and fun. Allihopa formed as a club sport in the spring of 2003.
The fundamentals of Frisbee
On a warm sunny day in late June, a current member of the team, Adam McDowell, and coach and former player, Cameron Hodgkinson met us on the field at nearby Von Steuben High School to toss around a Frisbee. McDowell, sporting his Lost Boys jersey, was taking a break from a summer physics course on campus, while Hodgkinson, a 2011 alum, stopped over on his lunch break wearing work pants and black leather dress shoes.
At its most basic form, the point of Ultimate Frisbee is to pass the disc from one end of the field to the other without dropping it. It’s free flowing, relying on the integrity of the players, with no referees.
“The game itself fits right into the spirit of the Lost Boys, and becomes a perfect avenue for players to fully embody what it means to play with character,” says Luke Johnson.
There are two main positions, McDowell and Hodgkinson explained, cutters and handlers. They can be thought of as wide receivers and quarterbacks. , including some complicated ones like the hammer and the chicken wing. But the two basics are the forehand and the backhand.
“Other teams try to get fancy with their throws and it can look nice, but we rely on fundamentals,” Hodgkinson says.
Each fall, the Lost Boys bring in fresh recruits with little experience for basic training. The first thing is to teach them how to throw, and players line up across from one another for a simple game of catch. It can get tedious, but after the fundamentals, they then move on to the team’s signature on-field strategies.
On offense, a team usually plays what’s called a horizontal stack or a vertical stack, basically how they line up on the field and where the players run. The Lost Boys prefer the horizontal stack, though they will switch it up, and prefer deep throws to a collection of short ones. The team is mainly known for its defense, and its execution of a zone. Most teams play man-to-man. It’s simpler and requires less strategy. But the Lost Boys practice the zone, and take advantage of the windy conditions of the Great Lakes region. They count on the other team’s inability to successfully complete a series of passes, and more often than not, it works.
Yet despite all of the strategy, and practicing, and game plans, for Hodgkinson, like Johnson and everyone else who came before, the Lost Boys is about more than winning.
“Since we are not a varsity sport we don’t make any cuts,” he says. ”It doesn’t matter if you’re in shape, whether you were a star athlete in high school. We could care less if we win or lose. Obviously we want to win, but we just want to be with our friends.”
It’s a spirit born out of the North Park experience. “You are becoming an adult, figuring out life, and just spending so much time together,” Johnson adds. “That brotherhood is a natural thing.”
Setting the mark
“When they changed the name to Lost Boys I think it really captured well the spirit of the team,” Johnson says. “There is this group of guys that really don’t belong in the sport. They are not the jocks or have much experience at all, but here they are competing at the highest level.”
In April 2014, the Lost Boys suffered a shocking defeat in the quarterfinals of the Great Lakes Regional to Indiana Wesleyan. It meant the first time the team wouldn’t get the one and only bid to nationals for D-III since its officially inception in 2010.
This past April, the team had an opportunity to earn back its place as the premier D-III Ultimate Frisbee power in the region with a return matchup against Indiana Wesleyan in Rockford. That Indiana Wesleyan team happened to feature the D-III national player of the year, yet the Lost Boys started fast and won 14-11, securing its place at Nationals.
They returned a few weeks later to Rockford for the national tournament, and would exceed expectations, finishing in a tie for 11th. After the tournament, the team posted on its :
“Thanks and good luck to all of our seniors. It was a pleasure playing with you guys for the past 4 years! The team will take some time off and enjoy the summer, but are already gearing up for a trip to North Carolina next May for Nationals.”
On 萝莉社’s campus, you’ll still see a fair amount of Frisbees flung around the Hump, whether it’s a small game of Ultimate or a group of freshmen learning about the infamous secret disc golf course. The team now plays at a larger park down the street on Foster Avenue. In the fall, they will put up posters and recruit new students to join them for practice a few times per week. Nationals is the expectation now, and probably will be for some time. There is no shortage of belief. It’s a far cry from that day in 2001.
Still, the spirit of the club remains the same. “It’s the community that keeps me around,” says Hodgkinson. “I want to be a part of continuing this tradition however I can.”
The last game of the day for the North Park Lost Boys was a tough one. There was one player though who stood out for the boys from Chicago. Check out his highlights and final words of the day to his teammates.
Andrea Mitchell Receives Fulbright to Teach in Latvia
“No matter where I am, whether that’s getting the opportunity to teach in Latvia or after the Fulbright, North Park has given me tools to meet people where they’re at,” said Andrea Mitchell, 2015 alumna and the University’s 18th Fulbright recipient in the last seven years.
CHICAGO (June 24, 2015) — A third 萝莉社 graduate from the 2015 class has received a Fulbright award, bringing the University’s total to . Andrea Mitchell, an from Austin, Texas, will travel to Latvia this fall to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in either a university setting or as part of the community with younger students.
“No matter where I am, whether that’s getting the opportunity to teach in Latvia or after the Fulbright, North Park has given me tools to meet people where they’re at, to care for the 'whole person,' Mitchell said. “That is a life of significance and service, and it’s an honor to have been given much to serve with.”
While at North Park, Mitchell worked in the admissions office and in the . Her elementary education focus was in music, and she also earned a minor in and an .
“It’s the people who have most shaped me at North Park,” Mitchell added. “Yes, I got an education. But I also was challenged to be a young adult who follows and seeks after Christ with all that I have.”
After serving in Latvia, Mitchell plans to return to Chicago to teach at the elementary or middle school level.
“Andrea's wit, intelligence, and depth of analysis will enable her to be a very effective English teaching assistant in Latvia,” said , professor of education at North Park. “She has greatly researched into the customs, language, and life of the country. It has been said that a powerful teacher displays several of the same characteristics of a great actor or actress. Andrea's zeal makes her do just this. She will mesmerize her students while teaching them about our language and country.”
Earlier this spring, Natalie Wilson and Kate Asnicar were awarded Fulbright awards for English Teaching Assistantships in Ecuador and Malaysia, respectively. .
The Fulbright Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
Nonprofit Management Awards Announced at Axelson Center Symposium
Nick Tasler, internationally acclaimed author, delivered the day's keynote, which included an illustrative round of Jenga to introduce the strategy behind decision-making.
Honorees include Accion Chicago, Intonation Music Workshop, and Teen Living Programs
CHICAGO (June 24, 2015) —The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management announced the winners Monday of its and its as part of the .
The 2015 Alford-Axelson Award, given for exemplary nonprofit management practices, was presented to Accion Chicago, with an honorable mention awarded to Teen Living Programs. The 2015 Excellent Emerging Organization Award, presented to an up-and-coming Chicago-area nonprofit, was given to Intonation Music Workshop.
The awards were part of the one-day conference dedicated to bringing nonprofit professionals together to discuss management topics that affect all types of organizations. The event included a series of workshops, in addition to a keynote address by , internationally acclaimed author of Why Quitters Win and The Impulse Factor. In his talk, “Everyday Decisiveness: Decision-Making for Organizational Excellence,” sponsored by BMO Harris Bank, Tasler urged the audience to “be deciders” and to “change the world one decision at a time.”
Award winners for 2015 announced at Monday's event were (left) , Alford-Axelson Award winner, which believes in fair and equal access to economic resources so that entrepreneurs can achieve their full financial potential; and (center) , Excellent Emerging Organization Award honoree, empowering children to become rock stars on every stage of life through innovative music education. (right), earning honorable mention for the Alford-Axelson Award, offers comprehensive, year-round services specifically for youth who are homeless, which includes emergency needs and housing to education, job readiness, and whole health services.
The awards were presented during the luncheon portion of the event. This year’s Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence winner, , helps entrepreneurs in underserved groups achieve financial security, grow their businesses, create jobs, and stabilize their communities. Since 1994, Accion has made nearly 3,800 small business loans in Illinois and Northwest Indiana totaling $30 million. Accion Chicago believes in fair and equal access to economic resources so that entrepreneurs can achieve their full financial potential.
As part of the Symposium, a number organizations participated in the "Make Your Pitch" contest, sponsored by Urban Partnership Bank. , an off-campus program with 40 years of experience providing students the opportunity to live, learn, and work in Chicago, took home the $1,000 prize.
“We accept this award on behalf of the people we serve,” said Betsy Neely Sikma, director of development and communications at Accion Chicago. “Thank you for letting us be a part of this nonprofit community,” she added, before imploring the audience to “transform the small business economy together.”
The Alford-Axelson award honors and continues the legacies of Nils G. Axelson, a devoted community healthcare leader and visionary, and Jimmie R. Alford, a leading contemporary thinker and practitioner in the nonprofit arena.
, the 2015 Excellent Emerging Organization Award winner, empowers children to become rock stars on every stage of life through innovative music education. Intonation works with youth ages 6-17 in Chicago to channel their love of music into a valuable skill set and an opportunity to express their creativity. From 2013 through 2014, Intonation served almost 700 students, comprising 51 pop bands across 12 city sites.
“To think the founder began this organization not long ago with his own instruments out of the back of a van,” said Development and Resource Manager Kevin Claxton. He went on to thank Intonation’s partners, in addition to the Chicago nonprofit community that continues to support their work.
Intonation received a $2,500 cash prize, sponsored by , a commemorative award, and a capacity-building package that will support improvement of services and efficiency.
For more information about the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management, please visit
The 16th annual Axelson Center Symposium welcomed hundreds of area leaders to collaborate on ways to create organizational excellence.
Take a look at the collection below for some of the images and conversation that took place.
In Search of Genius encourages kids from underserved communities to discover new life skills and sparks a sustained interest in science.
North Park hosts In Search of Genius science competition for third consecutive year
CHICAGO (June 18, 2015) — Summer months can be a little quieter on the 萝莉社 campus. That was not the case on Tuesday when hundreds of area elementary school kids filled the gymnasium for the (ISOG) Inter-School Science Competition.
For the third consecutive year, North Park hosted the event, which has students participate in a series of hands-on science challenges related to the environment, electricity, and physics. Founding Director of ISOG, Gary Walanka, rallied the kids at the start of the day by asking them, “Did you bring your genius?” The students responded with a resounding yes that echoed through the gymnasium. This is the sixth competition in all for the organization, which Walanka has described as “a unique, living example of how to involve several generations, including the youngest at a key age, with STEM.”
The competition is the culmination of ISOG’s educational program, which provides critical enrichment education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields to elementary students in Chicagoland’s most underserved communities. ISOG encourages students to discover new life skills and sparks sustained interest in these critical fields through a 20-week, hands-on program delivered by young, successful mentors and role models.
“You all have schools that you go to every day to learn,” 萝莉社 President David Parkyn said as he welcomed the students. “I'm happy because today you get to visit my school. Learning is about discovering something you never knew before, and that is the most exciting thing you can do in life.”
Near the end of the day, one student from each school received the Perplexus Award, acknowledging their persistence to succeed even when faced with the difficulties and challenges of STEM learning.
Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board, has been on hand the last several years for the event. “We’re proud of you,” she told students at the start of the competition. “You’ve worked hard all year long, and that makes all of you winners today.”
President David Parkyn got to meet one of the event's other celebrity guests, R2-D2.
Hibbard Elementary, a neighborhood school just down the block from 萝莉社, took home the prize for the physics challenge.
Sharon Irving earns automatic trip to live rounds in New York City
CHICAGO (June 10, 2015) 鈥� Sharon Irving, a 2008 萝莉社 graduate, dazzled the judges and audiences last night on America鈥檚 Got Talent. Her rendition of 鈥淭ake Me to Church鈥� by Hozier led to a standing ovation and an immediate invitation to the live performances at Radio City Music Hall in New York City later this summer.
Irving was a major while at North Park and led worship for . Now 29, she recently left a position at Willow Creek Community Church to . She grew up singing in church, inspired by her grandfather who was a Baptist preacher.
鈥淪ometimes people have a gift where we can move our hearts, and you moved every heart in this room,鈥� America鈥檚 Got Talent Judge Howie Mandel told Irving on stage. 鈥淚 think you moved every heart in America.鈥�
Nick Tasler, author and CEO of Decision Pulse, says growing up in an impulsive family shaped how he makes decisions today. “I don’t put as much pressure on myself to make a decision that other people see as risky. It’s probably not going to go as sour as you might think it would.”
A conversation with Axelson Center Symposium keynote Nick Tasler
CHICAGO (June 8, 2015) — , author and CEO of Decision Pulse, says the challenges organizations face are not between right versus wrong decisions, but right versus right decisions.
“The real challenges are those when you have three or four different possibilities, four different big goals you could pursue this year, and you can make a case for why all of them are somehow going to move you forward,” Tasler says. “The difference between excellent organizations, excellent teams, and mediocre ones, is the mediocre ones try and do all those things all at once all year long.”
At this year’s , June 22 in downtown Chicago, Tasler will explore this and other ideas in his keynote presentation, “Everyday Decisiveness: Decision-Making for Organizational Excellence.”
The Symposium, hosted by 萝莉社’s , brings together nonprofit professionals from across the sector to discuss management issues that affect all types of organizations.
Tasler is an industrial psychologist and author of two books, , and most recently, . In addition to consulting and speaking, he also writes for Harvard Business Review, Psychology Today, and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, among others.
North Park recently spoke with Tasler about his research and what he is looking forward to at this year’s Symposium.
North Park: The Impulse Factor discusses how some people have impulsive tendencies and how that can influence decision-making. You describe yourself as an impulsive and instinctive decision maker. Was that always the case and does that ever get you into trouble?
Nick Tasler: On the one hand I’ve always been a little bit more on the impulsive side. When I feel something is the right course of action I just kind of go with it. I tend to be pretty intuitive with my decision-making, but over the years I’ve realized the limitations of my impulsivity. I guess what that means is that I know the areas where I can be more instinctive and be okay but I also know the areas where I really need someone else’s guidance. I’m as impulsive now as I’ve ever been but I think what’s changed is I’ve gotten smarter about how I use it.
NP: Most of the people you work with are at an advanced level in their career. Is impulse as valuable for different levels throughout an organization, for instance when you’re working your way up and don’t have as much influence?
NT: Impulsivity is kind of high risk, high reward in a lot of ways. Particularly earlier in your career where you don’t have as much experience. Your impulsivity isn’t quite sharp or as finely tuned so it’s a little bit more dangerous to use your intuition in a space where you don’t have much actual experience. The other part about it is that there’s a career risk and there’s a social risk. I had one guy at a big health insurance company say that the risks for his career are just higher than the rewards made possible by taking a risk with his organization.
NP: Did you coach him away from that?
NT: I kind of said you’re putting parameters on your risk taking. Because the other extreme of this is you’re so afraid to take a risk that you reach a career plateau. You never trust your intuition and you need all the facts every time you make a decision. Which in most cases is just impossible. What ends up happening is you become known in the organization as a person who gets things done but nobody ever really sees you as the kind of person who can be a leader, a person who can actually step up and say “This is what I think we should do” and rally people around you. There’s never enough information, never enough facts, never enough people who have given input, and so you end up never making a decision. And that’s just as much career suicide as being too impulsive.
NP: You say some of these instinctive and impulsive behaviors stem from being part of an impulsive family. Is there a story that shines light on your family and upbringing?
NT: Well, there are many of them. The best example is that before I graduated high school, we had lived in 18 different houses and 11 different towns. We were not a military family, my parents just wanted to move, and they wanted to do something different. This is where it gets into the nature/nurture thing, so possibly I have a genetic disposition to be impulsive. I grew up in a household that was full of impulsive behavior and realized that it really wasn’t as dangerous as people thought. I’ve carried that into my approach to decision-making. People tend to think that when they make a decision it’s going to be the final judgment and that the world is going to stop turning. If it goes wrong their whole life is over and everything they know will have changed. What I learned from my childhood is that decisions are all just a bunch of mini-experiments. You make one, some of them work out, some of them don’t, and nothing really changes as dramatically as you think it was going to. I don’t put as much pressure on myself to make a decision that other people see as risky. It’s probably not going to go as sour as you might think it would.
This year's Axelson Center Symposium for Nonprofit Professionals and Volunteers will take place on Monday, June 22, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Registration is available through June 17.
NP: In your most recent book, Why Quitters Win, there’s this concept of right versus right decisions. What do you mean by that, and how is it different from right versus wrong decisions?
NT: Typically when people think of decisions, they think of them as right versus wrong. But when we look at the vast majority of decisions we have to make either personally or professionally, it’s rarely the right versus wrong decisions that trip us up. For instance, one of the things we are talking about at the Symposium is this notion of being excellent, or deciding to be excellent. The difference between excellence for most people and most organizations and most careers is not a matter of cutting out bad things. The challenges, the real challenges, are those when you have three or four different possibilities, four different big goals you could pursue this year, and then you can make a case why all of them are somehow going to move you forward. The difference between excellent organizations, excellent teams, and mediocre ones, is the mediocre ones try and do all those things all at once all year long. The really excellent ones separate themselves by making a choice about which of these value added things, which of these “good things,” is going to actually provide the biggest lever to create the most change. This is instead of cutting ourselves off at the knees and trying to spread our resources, our time, our energy, our people, and our creativity evenly across all of the things we could do.
NP: In some way you serve as a leader of other leaders. Do you view everyone in an organization as some kind of leader or is there a difference in leading individuals on a team versus leading other leaders?
NT: There is a difference in that some people have more formal authority than others. When they make a call everyone has to go along with it, or at least those others don’t have as much authority to push back. With that being said there still are people at every level of an organization whose judgment is needed, who have the ability to make a decision and can actually influence people. And maybe it’s not a decision that’s necessarily carried out but you bring input to that decision, rather than going along with what everybody else is saying. And there is, getting back to the first part of our conversation, of course a risk that goes along with that. In my mind, I think a leader is someone who is accountable for the uncertainty and ambiguity in an organization and can stand behind a direction to move in.
NP: You’re giving the keynote at this year’s Axelson Center Symposium. What are you looking forward to?
NT: One thing I’m definitely looking forward to is the kind of audience who’s going to be there. It draws on all these people who serve in an organization with some kind of social mission. I find working with those kinds of audiences to be very personally rewarding. I like working with for-profit corporations too, but I also find that there’s something inspiring about people who have given over their everyday existence, their vocation, to advancing a social cause.
With that, a lot of the work I do is with large corporations and so I like getting the diversity perspective from different-sized organizations. This can sometimes include smaller staffs and smaller budgets. The issues can be different, but sometimes the same. I like to cross-reference the issues they’re facing with the issues the big corporate clients are facing and pull out major themes. This is where the researcher in me gets excited.
Registration for the Symposium is open until 5:00 pm on June 17. Review the entire event program and register at .
萝莉社 the Axelson Center
The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at 萝莉社 is the source for informative and engaging nonprofit professional development in the Chicago region. Through regular workshops, a BootCamp for new nonprofit CEOs, customized trainings and the , the Axelson Center delivers a superior educational experience for nonprofit managers, leaders and frontline staff, covering a vast array of topics from program evaluation to strategic planning, and communications to financial management. The valuable information presented through these programs enhances the impact of both the nonprofit sector and its professional staff. Visit for more information, including a full schedule of upcoming events.
North Park Welcomes International Studies Honors Society to Campus
Sigma Iota Rho, headquartered at the University of Pennsylvania, seeks to promote and reward scholarship and service among students and practitioners of international studies, international affairs, and global studies and to foster integrity and creative performance in the conduct of world affairs.
Students from around the country and world expected to attend Sigma Iota Rho conference
CHICAGO (May 29, 2015) — This weekend, 萝莉社 will host the inaugural student research conference for the national honors society for international studies, . The student-run conference will include undergraduate research presentations, career and graduate school workshops, and peer-networking opportunities for students in various disciplines, including international and global studies, international relations, and international business. Participants from Chicago, the United States, and from around the world will have the opportunity to present their work and engage with scholars and practitioners in the field.
Garrett Warren, senior major from 萝莉社, who is serving as the lead planner for the conference, says it is an opportunity to open the horizons of what international studies can be. “We’ll be able to hear what other people are doing, which includes their goals and aspirations. It’s a chance to open a broader dialogue.”
The event will also feature a keynote speech from Emily Berman, deputy director of strategic partnerships and global affairs, in the , City of Chicago. Pamela Bozeman-Evans, senior director of will also speak to aspiring leaders about opportunities available to them.
“Sigma Iota Rho's mission is to promote the study of international affairs on campus and in the community,” said , national director and president of Sigma Iota Rho and co-director of the international relations program at the University of Pennsylvania. This conference allows students to “further develop their research and presentation skills and to consider international careers of some kind.”
A number of North Park students will participate in various ways throughout the conference, including as volunteers. North Park currently offers undergraduate programs in and that provide intercultural learning opportunities that can broaden worldviews and prepare students to lead in a global economy.
Warren, whose position as lead planner is part of an internship with North Park’s , says he became interested in international studies after a study abroad experience in Hyderabad, India. “International studies and travel will hopefully be a part of what I do after I graduate in December. They are tied to my interests in cross-cultural communication and creating a world that is able to share what is good in the world, the values we have in common.”
University Awards Degrees to 502 Students at Spring Commencement Ceremonies
Students celebrate after the Spring Commencement ceremony at 萝莉社 on Saturday.
Nyvall Medallion presented to alum Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús
CHICAGO (May 11, 2015) — 萝莉社 culminated the 2014–2015 academic year last weekend by awarding degrees to 502 students, including 320 bachelor’s degrees.
Three commencement ceremonies were held Saturday, May 9, for students from all and programs, including . Combined with the held last December, degrees were presented to 756 萝莉社 graduates this academic year.
The weekend began with a baccalaureate service for all graduates, their families, and friends Friday, May 9, at Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago. “We make a bold claim at North Park: that you will find your future here,” said University President in remarks to graduating students. “To find your future, you depend on the center—a center that draws you in, to love God, and a center that sends you out, to love your neighbor. God’s promise to you, tonight on the eve of your graduation from North Park, is sure. Go then, into your future, where God will bless you and where you in turn will be a blessing to many.”
“God is shaping your life for significance and service”
At its undergraduate commencement Saturday morning, the University presented its David Nyvall Medallion to Rev. Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús, senior pastor of , Chicago. Named for the first president of 萝莉社, the medallion is presented for distinguished service to the people of Chicago.
De Jesús, who earned a in 2006 from the Seminary, was appointed senior pastor of New Life Covenant in 2000. Since then the church has grown from a weekly attendance of 120 to 17,000, with more than 135 ministries reaching the most disenfranchised. In 2013, De Jesús was named one of TIME’s in the world and recognizing his leadership and influence.
Rev. Wilfredo “Choco” De Jesús challenged graduates to care for the poor, follow their callings, and choose to do what is right, even if it's not the easy option.
“There are three things that have guided me in my life that I hope will be of inspiration to you today,” De Jesús told graduating students. “One, care for the poor, the marginalized, the less fortunate. Do God’s work and let God take care of you. Two, understand the difference between passion and calling. When times get tough, it will be the calling upon your life that will get you through those hard times. Third, what’s helped me through all my life is courage. Being raised in Humboldt Park, you need courage. Have faith that God will get you through. Never operate in fear—fear is the absence of faith.”
Citing the example of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., De Jesús closed by saying, “There comes a time, students, when we must take a position that is neither safe, political, nor popular. But it’s right. And God is with you. God is shaping your life for significance and service.”
The Ahnfeldt Medallion, given to the senior with the highest grade point average, was presented to Katelynn Laures, Rochester, Minn., bachelor of arts in . North Park's winners Natalie Wilson, Shoreview, Minn., bachelor of arts in and , and Kate Asnicar, Olathe, Kan., bachelor of arts in , were also recognized.
Twenty-seven students from the North Park College (now University), Academy, and Seminary classes of 1965 marched in gold caps and gowns and were recognized for celebrating the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
“You will be remembered by how many lives you touched”
Four graduates addressed the afternoon commencement ceremony for , the , and the , sharing the ways in which their North Park education shaped their lives and careers. Olumide Oluwole, Chicago, a graduate with a , shared his story of turning adversity into triumph. “When I was asked to speak today, I said, ‘Why me?’” Oluwole said. This wasn’t the first time Oluwole had asked himself this question throughout his life, though the motivations behind why he has done so have shifted.
“When I went to school in Nigeria in a building with no air conditioning, I also wondered, Why me?” Oluwole continued. “When my sister said, ‘I can see potential in you; I just need to change your environment,’ I wondered, Why me? When, through her help, I then had the opportunity to come to America, and ultimately to North Park, I wondered, Why me?”
Oluwole called on his fellow graduates to use their education to make a difference in their communities. “People are looking to us,” he said. “You will be remembered by how many lives you touched and saved. I want to challenge you that we have what it takes.”
North Park Theological Seminary graduates process through the center of campus toward their ceremony in Anderson Chapel on Saturday evening.
“God has uniquely placed you in a wonderful position”
Dean of North Park Theological Seminary presided at the Seminary commencement, which honored 30 graduates. The Ahnfeldt Medallion was presented to the graduates with the highest grade point averages, Kathryn Isaza, Chicago, , and Chris Hoskins, Omaha, . In addition, academic awards were presented to several students.
An honorary doctor of divinity was conferred to Rev. Debbie Blue, executive minister of the ministries of the Evangelical Covenant Church. “Debbie is a prophetic voice,” said Kersten. “We are honored to present this award to someone who’s served with such distinction, joy, and grace among us.”’
Blue, who received a master of arts in Christian education from the Seminary in 1996, told graduating students that she was reminded of the gospel song “My Tribute” as she accepted her award. “I am humbled and honored. ‘How can I say thanks for all the things you have done for me?’ For this recognition today, I have you to thank for your partnership in the gospel and recognition of me. But this is God’s.”
Rev. Dr. D. Darrell Griffin, pastor of , Chicago, delivered the commencement address, in which he called upon graduating students to not miss the opportunities God may be presenting to them. “Just because you don’t know what you’re supposed to do doesn’t mean you don’t have an assignment,” Griffin said. “God has uniquely placed you in a wonderful position to help usher in a new direction of ministry. Our churches need us.”
Griffin, who received a from the Seminary in 2006, emphasized the lessons found in the service’s Old Testament reading, Genesis 9:18–28. “God was calling on Noah to build a brave new world of justice, love, and peace,” Griffin said. “God was depending on Noah to do this. But Noah could not see God’s will, because there he was, intoxicated. We’re missing opportunities because some of us are intoxicated. Not with wine, but with wrong attitude, with preoccupation with self, with tradition, with success, with narrowness of vision.”
“Look at the favor that God has had upon your life,” said Griffin. “He has a purpose for our lives. He is getting ready to give somebody in here an assignment beyond their wildest dreams. But God is short on people who are alert enough to carry out the task.”
Natalie Wilson, who majored in elementary education and Spanish, will begin an assignment as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Ecuador this fall.
Wilson and Asnicar to teach in Ecuador and Malaysia, respectively
CHICAGO (May 6, 2015) — 萝莉社 continued its record of Fulbright success this spring, when the awarded overseas teaching opportunities to two University students. Seniors Natalie Wilson and Kate Asnicar were awarded English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) in Ecuador and Malaysia, respectively.
Combined with previous awards, 14 North Park students and three faculty members in the past seven years have earned Fulbright grants. Last academic year, the University was among the , according to a list announced by the U.S. Department of State.
A double-major in and , Wilson will graduate this week with an endorsement in . Beginning this September, she will serve as an ETA for a 10-month placement in Ecuador. Although the specifics of her grant haven’t yet been announced, Wilson expects to be teaching English and U.S. culture to students at the university level.
“I have had so many opportunities to learn about and experience an array of cultures through coursework, clinical experiences, and activities at North Park,” Wilson says. “Both the School of Education and the Spanish department have really prepared me to teach in a foreign country and culture.”
A native of Shoreview, Minn., Wilson has combined her love of teaching and engaging other cultures throughout her time at North Park. She served as an Urban Outreach site leader for the tutoring program at nearby Peterson Elementary School, taught adult ESL summer courses through nonprofit organization , and studied abroad in Ecuador last year. “I was in Cuenca, Ecuador, for eight weeks with a small group of students,” Wilson says. “Throughout that experience, I lived with a host family, took Spanish courses at the university, and traveled around Ecuador and Peru.”
, professor of Spanish and Fulbright Program associate, attests to Wilson’s skills and character. “Natalie will excel in her year as an English Teaching Assistant in Ecuador,” says Parkyn. “After studying abroad in the country, she is anxious to share her language and culture with Ecuadorian students. I am confident she is chock-full of ideas to share with students about life as an American.”
When Wilson completes her program, she will move back to Chicago, where she hopes to continue teaching. “I have been able to apply what I’ve learned in my education courses to my clinical teaching experiences at Chicago-area schools,” she says. “When I return to the United States, I plan to look for a teaching position in Chicago Public Schools at the elementary level.”
Kate Asnicar, who studied history and global studies, will begin an assignment as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Malaysia next January.
“A thoughtful and engaging ambassador”
Asnicar will graduate this week with a bachelor of arts in and a minor in . In January 2016, she will travel to Malaysia to serve as an ETA through next November. “Although most of the details are still to come, I know that I will be placed in a primary school, secondary school, or university to help students improve their English skills as well as share cultural experiences and practices,” Asnicar says.
Like Wilson, Asnicar’s experience studying abroad helped her determine her plans following graduation. “The opportunities provided to me through studying abroad in Turkey last year, as well as the support and guidance from the faculty, have shaped the path I'm about to embark on,” says Asnicar. “I’m thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to see the world and cannot wait to get there.”
While at North Park, Asnicar, of Olathe, Kan., has worked in the , served as a worship leader, and sung as a member of the Touring Ensemble. “There are so many decisions to wonder about, but coming to North Park and fulfilling my degree here is, without a doubt, the best decision I have made in my adult life,” she says. “I feel that even after I leave, I’ll stay in contact with faculty I’ve grown close to, and will continue to be supported in all of my future endeavors.”
, professor of history, agrees. “Kate will be a wonderful mentor for her students in Malaysia. She has a curiosity and sensitivity toward other cultures that will serve her well,” Rabe says. “She will be a thoughtful and engaging ambassador of America for her students.”
Although she’s unsure of what her precise next steps will be following her Fulbright experience, “graduate school is definitely on the horizon,” Asnicar says. “But I see myself seeking out more opportunities to work and live abroad before making any decisions.”
The Fulbright Program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
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