Alumni Association: A Letter to Seniors

Despite the unprecedented circumstances surrounding the final months of your senior year, the Calvin Alumni Association wants you to feel valued and supported. We are eager to welcome you into our community of over 60,000 alumni around the world. We asked Pastor Mary to share her thoughts with you. We hope her words and the accompanying artwork inspire confidence and peace.

Dear Calvin University Seniors,

We know that this is not the way you wanted your Calvin journey to end. So many milestones—that last meet, the final pitch, that senior design presentation, performances, internships, celebrations—have disappeared for you. Your friends are now dispersed across the world, and it happened so fast. You’re grieving. We know.

But we also know you. We know your intelligence, persistence, humor, and grace. We’ve watched you stretch out your arms in these four years at Calvin, embracing new experiences, welcoming adventure. We’ve seen you take risks and try things. We’ve watched you fail and try again. We know you. You’re resilient.

And beyond knowing you, we know our God. This God who cares deeply for you, who knows your grief, who’s built you up, and who has called you to go out into the world at such a time as this. The world needs you, Calvin University Class of 2020. God calls you to use your strength, your wisdom, your authentic selves to go out into a world that is in desperate need of people with grit and compassion, with kindness and intellect, with grace and truth.

We don’t know how 2020 will unfold, what discouragements and delights we may encounter. But we know you. And we know our God. And God is using you to give us joy. Keep it up. Make us proud. You got this. Knights for Life!