Kuyper Celebrates Annual Honors Convocation

For Dr. Patricia Harris, President of Kuyper College, the annual Academic Honors Convocation is a most wonderful time of the year.

“Hands down, this is my favorite Kuyper College event of the year,” she told students, faculty, family and friends gathered in the Vos Chapel to celebrate the event. “There is something about this that tangibly shows us who we are: a college pursuing our mission to live purposeful lives of work and service to God and neighbor.”

She added that the Convocation, which spotlights student excellence, tangibly demonstrates Kuyper’s purposeful approach to learning, work and service, as well as the College’s desire to help everyone flourish in the callings God has placed upon their lives.

Students were recognized for their achievements in academics, leadership and service to the Kuyper community with several special awards, each presented by a professor from the relevant field. After a few words honoring the recipients and explaining the award’s qualifications, recipients took the microphone to reflect on their time at Kuyper.

The Association for Biblical Higher Education Society’s Delta Epsilon Chi Award, presented to Jordyn Carlson, was one such honor. 

This accolade recognizes students who exemplify leadership ability, intellectual achievement and Christian character. The name of the award, Delta Epsilon Chi, is composed of the first Greek letters of the phrase “Approved in Christ” from 2 Timothy 2:15.

“When I first came to Kuyper, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I went from struggling in community college to being excited for all my classes here,” she said with a wide smile. “It was the first time that Scripture was truly brought to life.”

Another of the honors conferred was the Interdisciplinary Studies Award, given to Timothy VanderZwaag in recognition of his academic excellence and clear interdisciplinary approach to his capstone project.

“The interdisciplinary program has been an awesome way to pursue my education,” he said. “I think that the Kuyperian idea of sphere sovereignty, that God has ordained all areas of life to operate independently under His rule, is greatly displayed in this program.”

Several other awards were also presented to outstanding students, including the Zondervan Publishing Award in Bible and Theology, Student Service Award and Business Leadership Award.

Another important part of the ceremony was the presentation of academic achievement cords, to be worn at Commencement in just a few short weeks, and the recognition of students who made the Dean’s List for the Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 semesters.

In the words of President Harris’ opening prayer, “We acknowledge that You are the giver of all good gifts, our learning, relationships, experiences, our service, our work and all our accomplishments, so we commit this time to Your honor and glory.”