Q&A with Entrada grad Ivy Park
For the past six years, Ivy Park ’30 has lived in Tunisia as a missionary kid. Originally from California, she had never been to Michigan but applied to Calvin because of the many experiences and opportunities she didn’t want to miss out on.
Knowing she could gain college experience and earn a scholarship at the same time, she decided to push through her discomfort with the unknown and enroll in the Entrada Scholars Program. She says the experience gave her confidence as she begins her first year at Calvin.
Before coming to Entrada …
Calvin University was like an enigma to me. I wondered if I’d be able to find my classes, whether I could find my people, and was concerned about what to expect from my professors.
After completing Entrada …
I feel much more confident about attending Calvin University. I familiarized myself with most of the campus, I made friends that now hang out, and I got accustomed to the workload.
What was your greatest takeaway?
Making meaningful connections before college is important. It’s my first time in Michigan and I don’t have any connections around here; no friends or families are nearby. So, making friends before college gave me some confidence knowing that I’ll still have some people to hang out with.
What would you have felt like if you hadn’t gone through Entrada?
I would have felt very lost and anxious in college. Additionally, I would have been locked in my room, busy studying and mapping out the campus, and I’d have no time to socialize.
How did going through Entrada confirm Calvin is the right decision?
Seeing how much time and effort the faculty in general makes to help your experience better made me fall in love with Calvin.
Anything else you’d want to add?
Entrada is an important opportunity for incoming freshman students. If you want to meet people from different backgrounds who share the same story or a different story as you this is a place you want to be in. I recently found out that one of my roommates living next door is an MK (missionary kid). We both lived abroad during similar times, and it turns out she also wanted to be a secondary educator like me. So, in Entrada, you meet people, you share your story, and you connect. That’s what it is.
