Last week Friday, Calvin reached out to high school students interested in majoring in a STEM field through the semiannual Engineering, Computing, or Physics Department Visit Day. The event drew a large crowd of high schoolers and their families. The day was full of events for them, including a panel with current faculty, an overview of the Calvin engineering program, chapel, class visits and campus tours. Michelle Krul, the administrative assistant in the engineering department, described the day as “all hands on deck,” noting that almost all of the engineering faculty played some role in it. In the afternoon, the prospective students got to visit the engineering senior project fair and speak to current students about what to expect from the Calvin engineering program.

Current Calvin seniors Kevin DeBruin and Brant Gates talked about what they hoped the visitors would take away from talking with them. DeBruin talked about the benefits of this visit day compared with the typical Fridays at Calvin program where prospective students interact mostly with current Calvin freshmen. He noted the advantages of getting to meet upperclassmen as well, saying: “[The visiting students] will get an understanding of the whole scope of it. It’s good for them to see the whole process, versus just the freshmen shock [aspect of college].”  Gates pointed out that the students would enjoy seeing the “many different things we do in engineering, referring to the projects that the current students were showcasing.” Calvin faculty were also enthusiastic about the special visit day. Engineering professor Ren Tubergen talked about what he hoped students would take away from it, saying: “I hope they get a better sense of how Calvin’s engineering program aligns with their education aspirations. Hopefully, we do align and they become students. This is an honest pitch … they will succeed here.”