Ryan Struyk

Some of my most valuable learning at Calvin happened outside the classroom. Whether planning worship services at midnight in the chapel basement as a worship apprentice, or debating proposals for a new college program as a student senator, or interviewing President Le Roy for that hard-hitting front page story as the editor of Chimes, these formative leadership experiences across campus continue to make a difference in my life today.

What was the best part of being in the political science department?

My favorite part of the political science department was participating in the semester in Washington my senior year. I landed an internship on the Capitol Hill team for ABC News, an experience that opened doors for me to cover politics on a national stage during the 2016 presidential election. Plus, I learned a lot about professional strategies and life on the east coast that helped me break into the political journalism world and settle in here long term.

What was your interaction with professors like in the political science department?

Faculty members in Calvin's political science department were always willing to go the extra mile to help me formulate my thoughts, including on my research project linking time allocation in gubernatorial debate to state-by-state unemployment rates, or on understanding the complicated history of evangelical involvement in partisan politics. These interactions continue today: I still keep in touch with my professors from here in Washington and I’m still learning from them even beyond the campus and classroom.

What’s one thing you would want to tell someone starting their journey at Calvin?

Some of my most valuable learning at Calvin happened outside the classroom. Whether planning worship services at midnight in the chapel basement as a worship apprentice, or debating proposals for a new college program as a student senator, or interviewing President Le Roy for that hard-hitting front page story as the editor of Chimes, these formative leadership experiences across campus continue to make a difference in my life today.

What about Calvin specifically prepared you for where you’re at now?

I bring my Calvin education into the office with me every day as a producer for State of the Union with Jake Tapper at CNN in Washington. My job is to ask tough questions, hold power to account and be a voice for the voiceless. Classes in domestic politics and international relations, complemented by a broad foundation in the liberal arts, have prepared me to carry out that mission. Calvin's dedication to critical thinking and willingness to grapple with complexity makes its education go above and beyond — and open doors to changing the world.

 Describe Calvin in three words or less: Learning life’s liturgies.