Profiles - Students

Liz Senefeld Art and English, Class of 2006 Plover, Wisconsin More Student Profiles

The art of writing

Like many college students, Liz Senefeld has spent her undergrad years figuring out what to do with her life. After four years at Calvin, the senior art and English major knows she has found her calling: to write and illustrate children's books.

A long-time artist, Senefeld's dreamy and often fanciful artwork lends itself naturally to a genre that relies heavily on pictures.

"In children's books, illustrations are as important as the words, if not more so," she says. "The written story is one story and the images don't just retell it - they tell a story of their own."

Already an art major, Senefeld found that English courses were also relevant to her career goal. A class on children's literature taught by Calvin professor and Newbery Award-winner Gary Schmidt revealed the world of crafting and publishing books; an African-American lit class introduced her to the work of Ezra Jack Keats, whose work Senefeld now cites as a major influence.

"Those classes made me realize that books are important," Senefeld says. "And it made me think that maybe I'd want to write children's books too." She eventually added an English major.

Though Senefeld's path has been guided by her talents (she was a recipient of two named scholarships in art, as well as the Minaar Award for Writing), she is also driven by her passion for service.

While at Calvin, Senefeld volunteered at a children's library in Grand Rapids, working with Hispanic children; she also spent a January interim serving with a missionary in Haiti where, in addition to teaching and hard labor, she created illustrations for a Creole translation of the Bible for children.

Senefeld found she was particularly drawn to working with - and for - underrepresented populations; a notion that shapes the kind of stories she wants to tell.

"I think it's important for kids to see characters in books who look and live like they do," she says. "These are kids who don't normally have people writing for them."

After graduation Senefeld hopes to land a job at a publishing house. As student manager of Calvin's Rhetoric Center, where she's worked for three years editing student papers, Senefeld has proven gifted in the technical as well as creative aspects of writing.

"It's something I'm skilled in and enjoy," she says. "And it's a good stepping stone into the process of making books."

Senefeld believes her time at Calvin has been more than tests, papers, and art projects; it has helped her find and refine her vocation.

"Calvin is a place where you take what you've learned and take it out into the community," she says. "You learn where your heart is tender; you learn your calling."

A recent assignment to write an artist statement was no exception.

"It made me dig deeper," she says. "I realized why I want to do this: to inspire hope and foster dreams."