Ana VanLonkhuyzen

Ana VanLonkhuyzen '16 found time to grow her faith, her friendships and her family while at Calvin—and now she’s carrying all she learned on campus to a preschool in China.

Current role: Preschool teacher at Transformation Academy in China

How did Calvin’s education program prepare you for working as a teacher?
Teaching is not about the teacher, but rather it is about each and every individual student. Every student is uniquely talented and gifted. Every student ought to be treated with honor and respect as the child of the One True God that they are. I know that because that is how I was treated as a student at Calvin College. I am now taking that love and respect to children in China because I was taught to embrace challenge, to keep my eyes fixed on my Savior, and to serve without fear.

What sets Calvin’s education program apart from others? How did Calvin equip you in ways other programs may not have?
I cannot imagine receiving my education from any other institution. Each one of my education professors personally got to know me and my story. They were my mentors, and they taught me how to teach through example. My classmates and I learned through practical teaching experience in a wide variety of classrooms and school settings. I received the best education degree along with references and connections to hundreds of amazing schools throughout the world. Calvin College prepared me to be a lifelong learner in a challenging, encouraging, supportive and close-knit Christian environment.

What’s one thing you would want to tell someone starting their journey at Calvin?
I remember when I drove up to Calvin for the first time and parked next to the dorm where I would live for two years. I was prepared for the workload. I was prepared for late nights and little sleep. What I wasn’t prepared for was the fact that this place would very soon become more than a college; it would become my home. These people who greeted me immediately upon my arrival would be so much more than my suitemates and classmates; they would become my family. We would grow up together through service in the community, laugh together during floor meetings, cry together that one time we tried P90X, worship together in LOFT, stalk together when our friends went on their first “Calvin walk,” carol together at Christmas, mourn together as we contemplated our broken world, and embrace when we finally graduated to find our own way in the world. These people will forever be my family no matter where God takes us in life.

How has your faith grown at Calvin?
I grew up in Christian schools all of my life, but I was not expecting the way that my faith would grow and my everyday Christian life would be transformed at Calvin College. My friends challenged me to critically analyze the world around me through a faith and social justice perspective. My professors challenged me to be an active advocate in my school systems as I prayed for our school leaders and showed Christ’s love through example. I learned about the power of prayer through 24/7 prayer tents, Bible studies, Prayer Servants and Equip Your Prayer Life. I learned to live out my faith in a way that ushered others into the presence of God.