Current Mentors
Cassie Demlow is a senior majoring in Environmental Health and Conservation and minoring in Chemistry and Geography. She participated in FYRES her freshman year, and has since done research on streambank stability, teaching chemistry to non-STEM majors, heavy metal accumulation in plants, and soil contamination in rain gardens. Some of her academic interests include promoting sustainable practices, environmental protection, and plant identification. She plays the French Horn in band and helps lead Calvin’s chapter of the Food Recovery Network. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor recreation and crafting.
Ruth Diepstra is a Junior with Environmental Science and Psychology majors and a Geology minor. She is from Grand Rapids but loves traveling up north, especially in the fall. She took FYRES her freshman year and is excited to mentor this year and deepen her knowledge of the sandy environment. She doesn't know where she wants to be after college but is excited to travel around the world. In her free time, she enjoys photography, art through a variety of mediums, and exploring places she's never been.
Jordan Fridsma (she/they) is a former FYRES student and a Geography major with minors in Urban Studies and Environmental Studies. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, she loves learning about the Great Lakes watershed and discussing human-environment interactions throughout the world and history (and also the natural history of chinchillas). On campus, you can usually find them outside hammocking with friends, dumpster diving, starting a new hobby, working on an art project, taking pictures of bugs, or working on a puzzle in the GEO department.
Robert Joo is a sophomore majoring in Geography. He is from Yongin, South Korea, but was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is also a missionary kid from Nairobi, Kenya and Kyiv, Ukraine. He has a huge passion for learning and experiencing new things, especially when it comes to different countries, cultures, and languages around the world. Furthermore, he enjoys learning more about God’s beautiful creation around the Earth. During his free time, he loves to solve puzzles, listen to a variety of music, and hang out with people.
Zachary Lindemulder is a junior majoring in Geography and minoring in Data Science and Urban Studies focusing on the built environment. He is from Santa Clara, California, part of the San Fransisco Bay Area, and has always loved going to nearby state and national parks. He took the FYRES class during his freshman year and is back for his second year as a mentor. He is excited to learn even more about the unique and ever-changing environment that the Lake Michigan dunes are part of.
Victoria Nation is a biology major from Lombard, Illinois. Victoria is a sophomore who took FYRES as a freshman and spent her summer working two jobs. After Calvin she would like to get her masters in prosthetics and orthotics. In her free time she loves drawing, binging shows, and hanging out with friends.