From the Stands to the Center of the Experience: How Case Medema Found His Calling at Calvin
Case Medema kicking off MidKnight Madness, an annual tradition which happens in the Fall at Calvin
On a given night at Indiana University, more than 300 students might be playing intramural sports. Behind the scenes, making sure every detail runs smoothly, is Case Medema ’24.
He’s coordinating staff schedules, training student leaders, troubleshooting logistics, and shaping experiences for thousands of students each year. It’s meaningful work. But a few years ago, Medema didn’t yet know this was where he was headed.
That clarity began at Calvin University.
A Student with Questions and a Desire for More
Case grew up in Grand Rapids and knew Calvin well. Friends went there. The campus felt familiar. But what drew him in wasn’t comfort; it was possibility.
“I wanted a small Christian experience,” Medema says, “somewhere I could play athletics and grow.”
He arrived at Calvin during COVID, an already disorienting time made harder by empty stands and interrupted routines. He joined the basketball team, expecting that to define his college experience. Instead, it became the moment that changed everything.
After a year and a half, he made a difficult decision to step away from the team. Suddenly, he was asking a new question: If this isn’t how I’m meant to spend my time, then what is?
The Turning Point: When Someone Saw Potential
Just days after stepping away from basketball, Medema found himself in class with Dr. James Timmer, Director of Athletics. After class, Timmer pulled him aside.
He had an idea.
A student-led program called Calvin Game Day, which is focused on fan engagement and campus spirit, had gone dormant during COVID. Timmer wondered if Medema might be the right person to help bring it back.
“It honestly felt surreal,” Medema says. “I was looking for a way to fill my time and suddenly I was being invited to build something.”
That invitation became a defining turning point.
Building Something from the Ground Up
What followed was the opportunity to lead and take ownership over a critical piece of Calvin’s student experience.
As a student leader with Calvin Game Day, Case helped rebuild the program nearly from scratch. He learned how to run meetings, write agendas, communicate professionally, and plan large-scale events like MidKnight Madness. He worked directly with the athletic director, which is an opportunity that’s rare at larger universities.
“No idea ever got shot down,” Medema recalls. “It was always, ‘Let’s see how we can make this work.’ That trust was empowering.”
Mentors Who Shaped the Direction
Timmer wasn’t the only mentor who played a pivotal role. Ryan Rooks, Director of Campus Recreation and Outdoor Programs, also invited Medema into a leadership position within Calvin’s intramural program.
There, Medema helped manage staff, oversee events, and think carefully about how sports could serve the whole student body and not just varsity athletes. He saw firsthand how intramurals created space for students to continue their athletic identity after high school, and it created space for those discovering it for the first time.
“That really stuck with me,” Medema says. “Sport can be a place where people find belonging.”
Under Rooks’ leadership and consistency in meeting together, Medema learned more than operations. He learned how to lead people well.
“He’d ask, ‘What are you getting out of this? What challenges are you facing? How are you growing through them?’” Medema shared. “That intentionality mattered.”
Between these two mentors, Medema saw what it looked like to lead with both excellence and care.
Faith, Vocation, and a Bigger Picture
At Calvin, Medema encountered an idea he didn’t fully grasp at first: vocation.
Through courses that integrated faith and learning, he began to rethink the purpose of work as not just a job, but an opportunity to serve others and reflect God’s care for the world.
Calvin's Sport Management program helped bring this into focus. Sport, Medema realized, is a universal language because it’s something that can connect people across cultures and backgrounds.
“That changed how I see what I do,” he says. “Sport isn’t just competition. It’s community.”
Prepared for What Came Next
By the time graduation approached, Medema had clarity and confidence.
Calvin’s emphasis on writing, presentations, and small, discussion-based classes prepared him well for graduate school. Encouraged by Dr. Timmer, Medema pursued a graduate assistantship in campus recreation at the University of Oklahoma, managing programs while completing his coursework.
“It felt familiar,” he says. “I knew how to manage time, lead people, and communicate clearly because I’d already been doing that at Calvin.”
That preparation paid off.
Impact at Scale
Today, Medema works in intramural sports at Indiana University, which serves more than 7,000 participants each year. He helps oversee student staff, creates championship experiences in iconic venues like Assembly Hall, and supports international students who desire a sense of home through sport.
The scale is different. The purpose is the same.
“At the heart of it,” Medema says, “we’re creating spaces where students feel like they belong.”
What Made Calvin Different
Looking back, Medema sees that Calvin’s greatest gift wasn’t a straight path; rather, it was room to discover.
Small classes led to real relationships. Mentors noticed potential and invited responsibility. Faith wasn’t siloed; it shaped how he understood work, leadership, and people.
“If you’re unsure what you want to do,” Medema says, “Calvin gives you space to try things, grow, and find mentors who walk with you.”
An Invitation Forward
Medema didn’t arrive at Calvin with a five-year plan, but he was open to learning, opportunity, and guidance.
For students wondering who they might become, his story offers a gentle reminder that you don’t need all the answers. You just need a place that sees you, challenges you, and prepares you to serve.
At Calvin, that journey can begin.