The McPherson College Student Government Association honored campus community members at the Light and Life Awards ceremony on Sunday, April 28, at the McPherson Community Building. The awards recognize excellence outside of the classroom and are awarded to students, advisors, college community members, sports teams, clubs, and organizations.

The following received awards.

• Kenya McCain – Bridge Builder, recognizes a student or group who embraces differences and diversity and works to bridge gaps with different campus factions.
• Gamma Beta Phi and Lucy Bowman – Excellence in Community Service, recognizes a student or group’s earnest willingness to serve others through community service efforts during the academic year.
• Malia Pfeiff – First-Year Student of the Year, reserved for a student who is new to McPherson College (freshman or transfer) and has demonstrated exceptional achievements in their first year. Through their active involvement and leadership potential, they have excelled academically and made meaningful contributions to the campus community.
• The 2023-24 Residence Life Team – Good Neighbor, recognizes a person or group who has demonstrated what it means to be a good neighbor through friendliness, consideration, and respect. Examples are demonstrating excellence when facing ethical dilemmas or difficult decisions, bettering the campus climate, or improving others’ lives through simple acts.
• Mariah Fede – Greatest Leap, reserved for a student or group who has significantly improved since the prior year. Examples include overcoming academic difficulties, increasing group membership, rising above circumstances, or other underdog success stories.
• Vicki Schmidt – Outstanding Advisor, for a club or organization advisor who models the college’s mission of developing whole persons through scholarship, participation, and service and mentors and guides students to lead the campus and become stronger leaders.
• McPherson Education Honors Society – Outstanding Student Group, recognizes a student organization, sports team, or other established group whose members exhibit scholarship, participation, and service; who have positively impacted the community; and who have contributed positively to the campus community throughout the year.
• Tavian Gray – PAWSitive Spirit, recognizes a student who embodies vibrant energy and infectious enthusiasm that define what it means to be a bulldog. Examples are cheering on our teams, being involved in campus activities, having pride for McPherson Bulldogs, and inspiring others to do the same.
• Taylor Star – Rising Star, recognizes a new leader of any academic classification who models scholarship, participation, and service through a willingness to lead and contributions to the campus community.
• Miranda Gaytan – Silent Warrior, recognizes an individual who embodies the essence of resilience, determination, and commitment without seeking the spotlight. This individual consistently demonstrates unwavering strength, quietly overcoming challenges and pushing through college life.
• Kourtnie Rohn – Star of the Show, recognizes a student or group of students who exemplifies excellence, dedication, and exceptional achievement in their role on stage, on the court, on the field, or any aspect on campus.
• Mia Birkes – Student Employee of the Year, honors a student whose outstanding dedication, exemplary work ethic, and crucial contributions have significantly enhanced the operations and atmosphere of our institution.
• Taylor Bohannon – Student Leader of the Year, recognizes an established student leader who has demonstrated excellence in campus leadership, academics, and achievement through multiple involvement or leadership opportunities or significant contributions to the campus community.
• Cooper Koestel and Benny Lopez (Sodexo) – Unsung Hero, individuals receiving this award may not have an official title but have positively influenced some aspect of the campus from behind the scenes with a positive attitude, a willingness to help in whatever capacity necessary, and a commitment to excellence.

An environmental science class inspired McPherson College student Polina Khoroshevskaya to make a global issue relatable to other students and the campus community. Along with the McPherson College International Student Association (ISA), she recently hosted a global coffee tasting event to raise awareness about the global impacts of coffee production and to raise funds for both local and global charities.

“Since I was little, I have always wanted to find ways to help others,” Khoroshevskaya said. “The environmental science class really opened my eyes to the issues surrounding global coffee production and trade.”

Khoroshevskaya is a senior majoring in business administration: finance and accounting and was surprised when she learned that despite coffee’s rank as the second most traded commodity after oil, most of its producers struggle to make a living for their families and farming practices put in place to keep up with demand are destroying critical ecosystems.

“I’m a big coffee person,” she said. “So I started working with my professor (Dustin Wilgers) on an idea for an international coffee tasting event on campus that would engage our students and the community.”

She is president of the McPherson College ISA and thought utilizing the organization and its members to host the event would be a good fit. It was also important to her and the members to purchase the coffee directly from farmers or organizations that give the highest percentage of profits to farmers.

“It was important to us that we used trusted companies that support coffee growers and support how the coffee is produced,” Khoroshevskaya said. “We did a lot of research to find the best places to purchase the coffee we served.”

Coffees from Ethiopia, Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, and Congo, as well as tea from South Africa, were served. ISA members were also on hand to give their opinions on the coffee and talk about their home countries.

“Polina is an ideal McPherson College student,” Dustin Wilgers, associate professor of biology, said. “Her leadership skills were on display as she organized and developed the event very independently. It was fun seeing a student be inspired by a classroom activity enough to share the ideas with others on campus.”

ISA is hoping to host another similar event before the end of the semester and donate funds to Kiva, a small organization that allows people to give microloans to entrepreneurs in other countries to help support their business and get them the funds they need. Members are also considering several local charities to support.