When Hannah Jeong thought about going to college, she had pictured a public university where there were lots of people from different countries. So when the opportunity to attend the Entrada Scholars Program came up at a smaller private institution she was less sure she’d get that same experience.
But to her surprise, the community she has experienced the past few weeks at Calvin University went beyond her expectations, allowing her to experience a greater depth of diversity than she thought she’d find in college.
The graduate of Novi High School in Novi, Michigan—about a two-hour drive from campus, is now excited to begin her time at Calvin this fall as she pursues her dream of becoming a teacher and a world traveler.
How has your view of college changed since attending Entrada?
I heard Calvin was a small private school, so I was a little scared about how much diversity I’d find here. But going to Entrada changed my perspective. There are a lot of diverse backgrounds, not just students from many countries, but diversity in how people grew up, so I learned a lot through that. I also wasn’t sure if I was going to go to a Christian college or not. This has opened my eyes. Christian community is so amazing. Everyone connects to one another.
What is your greatest takeaway from this experience?
Solitude. In high school, I was involved in a lot of clubs and activities. I’m a very bubbly outgoing person. Coming here, I had the mindset that I want to be outgoing, but I also want to learn more about myself, so I decided to take more time for myself. I’m a people pleaser. Solitude is great, I’ve learned a lot about myself in practicing that.
I also came in thinking about growing in my faith and my RAs and honestly all the adults and mentors helped me so much in that. They have directly helped me and seeing how they interact with others has helped me grow as a Christian.
Because of Entrada, I feel more confident in …
My faith. The crazy thing is before coming here I was always a lukewarm Christian, have always known God and who He is and how Jesus died for me, but never looked at it as a relationship that I have with God, that my faith is a relationship.
And it’s crazy because I’ve never seen miracles, clear miracles from God until I came to this campus. It’s so, so crazy, seeing a miracle, hearing God’s voice. The first week I was here I heard His voice and He showed me He’s here and He’s working in my life.
How would you have felt had you not had this experience before college?
I think growing up not being surrounded by a lot of people of color like me, not a lot of immigrants, I was always not confident in myself and my roots, not confident in where I came from. And so, I think if I went straight into college, I would have been less confident in who I am and where I’m from. Entrada has shown me how to love my roots and appreciate them. I appreciate that a lot about Entrada, because that is something I’ve struggled with my whole life.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I would definitely encourage someone, if they have the chance, to apply to Entrada. I was unsure of coming at first because it was a one-month camp with schoolwork right after high school. But I’ve learned so much about myself, how I learn, how I grow.
My professor has taught me everyone learns in different ways. There are so many ways to learn, and she also taught me that not every project has to be perfect. Entrada also helps you build the connections and friendships that you have tried to look for your whole life, coming from different backgrounds and cultures. It’s so much easier to relate to other people when surrounded by people who have been through the same struggles as you … It’s such an amazing experience.
