Calvin News

This summer, we are following grads from the Class of 2015 as they continue their journeys around the corner and across the globe. James Lamine graduated from Calvin in three years and is working as a software engineer at Indeed in Austin, Texas.

• Name: James Lamine
• Class: 2015
• Hometown: Dexter, Mich.
• Major(s): computer science
• Next step: software engineer at Indeed

What's fun about your workplace?

Indeed is really quite amazing, they treat their employees ridiculously well. Day-to-day the best part is probably the free catered breakfast and lunch, although at this point I'm starting to take it for granted. Last week I had duck, steak, lamb, fried chicken, and I think there was lobster in the ravioli.

We have a bunch of fun company events as well, all on company time. For example, we rented a barge for a boat party last Friday, and this Friday there's a company picnic at a ranch.

What class at Calvin had the greatest impact on you overall? 

I went on a five week interim trip with the German department, and it was a really great experience. By staying with four different host families, I really became immersed in the culture and was forced to use and improve my German.

Beyond the trip itself, I became more comfortable with international travel. This led to my last-minute decision to visit my sister in China a few months later over spring break, which was also a fun adventure.

What's one thing that surprised you at Calvin?

I think there's this myth of the stereotypical Calvin student who is Dutch and tall and loves Jesus. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I encountered people from many walks of life with different backgrounds, interests and beliefs.

What do you miss most about Calvin?

One of the nice things about living on a college campus is that it's easy to meet people and find things to do. Three years gave me ample time to get to know many great people, and it's hard to go from seeing them every day to not at all.

What would you want to tell a new student?

There are steps you can take now which can trivially increase your lifetime earnings by a million dollars, or multiply the number of lives you save by a factor of one hundred. Don't be average. Find out what those things are.