COVID-19 Catch Up
COVID-19 Catch Up
Seniors Show Off Their Designs
By Abby Almodovar
The Buchwald Center is alive with end-of-the-year showcases from our senior graphic design students as they display the projects they have been working to compile throughout the school year. According to these departing designers, it takes a particular work ethic and skill set developed over four years to be able to present their designs with the world.
Sam Henthorn shares that these projects act as a portfolio for each student and show their creative approaches. Henthorn enjoys cartoony designs with bright colors, saying, “I try to put every little ounce of personality into all the different characters I design.” Even fun pieces are subject to criticism, though, and Henthorn emphasized the importance of perseverance and taking criticism constructively—“This is your magnum opus of what you’ve created, and you can’t let anybody tell you otherwise. That is how you’re going to sell your work and get people interested in what you’ve created.”
Marhin Chismar expressed the effort required when pursuing a degree in graphic design to the extent that many people would not expect. “Every single piece of work that you make is going to be on display for the world to see, and you have to be able to defend it,” she explained, “And you have to be able to say, ‘I made this choice on purpose, I put this piece in here on purpose, I created this with intention, and I’m proud to have it in my show.’” Chismar describes her work as refined and elegant, stating, “I believe that creativity does not have to mean disorganization.”
Liz Long encourages, “Advice I’d have for seniors next year is to take a lot of time on your projects. If you need to fix projects, then fix them while you have the time. Be confident in your work, because you’re still learning.” Clark plans to continue learning after graduation, starting out freelance and branching out to discover what her niche is.
The senior exhibition, entitled “Synergy,” will be on display until April 30 with a reception April 25 at 5:30 p.m.
Students and Starting Point: A Growing Connection
By Zoey Hover
Over the past two years, Starting Point Pregnancy and Family Resource Center, a local pregnancy center that affirms life and supports strengthening families, has had an increasing presence on campus, from a free Happy Bean Hour to a glow-in-the-dark 5K fundraiser to a partnership with a CoSMO group called Cougs for KSP. Now, on April 10, the organization brought its annual fundraising banquet to Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Foster Hall.
This event, hosting 240 people, welcomed community members along with MVNU faculty, staff and students alike to learn about their mission to save lives “physically, spiritually and emotionally” and the work God has done in their organization, as well as hear clients’ testimonies about how Starting Point has impacted their lives. As the organization has sought to establish a greater connection with MVNU students, they also began presenting an annual scholarship to one student volunteer during the banquet. This year’s recipient was Rachel Argo, a junior social work major and co-leader of Cougs for KSP.
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“I’m really thankful for the scholarship because it’s such a privilege to work with the organization, and to have them support me and MVNU is a really big honor,” said Argo. She explained that she initially became involved with Starting Point through her social work field placement but loved her experience so much that she wanted to continue working with them. “Their mission to help families holistically just really sticks with me. They don’t focus on just one aspect of a person, but they help people in every way as Christ does.”
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Now, as a co-leader, she encouraged students to join Cougs for KSP on campus or to simply get involved with one of the center’s many volunteer opportunities. “I think that [Starting Point] can be important to everyone in some way, whether it’s the importance of the family unit that they emphasize or whether it’s the importance of the child or just different issues that go into the center.”
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Kyra Ditto, a freshman who volunteered at the banquet after discovering Starting Point through Cougs for KSP, shared her experience with learning more about the organization’s work during the event. “I got to hear some wonderful stories and very impactful testimonies from clients… The one couple talked about how beneficial it was to have the opportunity to go to Starting Point and be able to have the resources needed to not only come together as a family but also have individual parental training. It’s a wonderful ministry, and you can definitely see God’s hand in everything that’s done with their clients.”
She, too, encouraged other students to join Starting Point and said that she plans to keep working with the organization as it continues partnering with Cougs for KSP to offer more student volunteering opportunities and hosting events on campus.
Music with a Mission: MVNU Teams Ready for Summer Outreach
By Isaiah Clark
Two music and ministry teams from Mount Vernon Nazarene University will hit the road this summer, traveling to camps and events to lead worship and build relationships.
Travis Porter, director of campus partnerships and strategic initiatives and music and ministry coordinator, said the teams’ mission goes beyond music.
“Our purpose is not to be rock stars,” Porter said. “It’s to serve, pray for, and support students—to meet them where they are and help them encounter God.”
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Junior worship arts major Elwood Kreider said the opportunity is a full-circle moment. “I grew up attending these camps and remember how impactful they were,” Kreider said, “Now, I get to be on the other side, helping lead worship and connect with campers in a meaningful way.”
Freshman engineering major Joshua Keith said this is a chance to grow personally and spiritually. “I want to learn how I interact with teens my age and deepen my calling,” he said. “It’s a dream to play music all summer and minister to others.”
Returning member Kate Carter, a freshman worship arts major, said the experience is transformative. “There’s nothing like seeing God move through students you’ve never met before,” Carter said. “It shows how faithful He is.”
The teams will begin training in early June and visit more than a dozen camps and events throughout the summer with the goal of ministering to youth, building community and encouraging future worship leaders.
