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Student's Experience Shatters Perception of Calvin University

Tue, Feb 04, 2025

“No one from my high school knew much about Calvin,” said Gabby Halliwill, a first-year student from Charlotte, Michigan. So, she says, with lack of credible information, her classmates started forming opinions, one of which was “it’s [Calvin] super small and narrow-minded.” 

For Halliwill, a first-year student at Calvin University, it didn’t take long for her to realize her classmates’ perceptions of Calvin were off. 

She first realized this during the Entrada Scholars Program, a one-month long academic program that provides racial and ethnic minority juniors and seniors in high school with an opportunity to experience what college life is like. 

“Growing up, I lived in a very small town. So, there were a lot of like-minded people,” said Halliwill. “So, it was very different for me to come to Entrada and see students from all different backgrounds, including international students and people who were also minorities, like me. I had never been exposed to that diverse of a group of people at one time.” 

A Diversity of Perspectives 

As Halliwill made the transition to college, she soon discovered not only a greater diversity of people than she had ever experienced, but also a much greater diversity in thought. 

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Gabby Halliwill, a student at Calvin University with some her fellow students.

“I have lots of different friends from way different backgrounds. Some similar, some not at all, and through conversations and experiences I’ve gained a lot of different perspectives, different viewpoints,” said Halliwill. “Coming to Calvin, I’ve seen the value of incorporating and engaging with people outside of your background and culture.” 

Not only has Halliwill experienced this diversity of perspectives outside of the classroom in informal conversations, but she’s been encouraged to broaden her perspectives inside the classroom as well. 

“A lot of professors are good at providing info from multiple standpoints, not simply a biased one,” said Halliwill. One example she used is her biology professor bringing both science and theology to bear on the subject matter. “They [science and theology] usually correlate, but the professor is very open to conversation not only from the science perspective, but also a religious perspective.” 

An Expanded View of the World 

What Halliwill says she’s gained from not living in an echo chamber of ideas for the past several months is the ability to be empathetic to others and to “not form immediate opinions.” 

She’s also appreciated the large international student community that exists at Calvin, which she says “is a reminder that there’s a lot bigger world out there.” 

In short, Halliwill has discovered that while Calvin may be a relatively small school, it’s opened up her perspectives on the world. 

“Yes, it’s a small school, but there are a lot of different opinions. There are similar people, but a lot of differences people don’t realize as well,” said Halliwill.


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