Miriam

HOMETOWN: Grand Rapids, Mich.
MAJOR: biology, with a concentration in ecology
CAREER GOAL: Miriam wants to get a masters in ecology and work with the Peace Corp doing restoration ecology outside the United States
FAV GR COFFEE SHOP: MadCap Coffee

Miriam was always a little bit green.

“Growing up, my mom and dad took us out into nature a lot, and I really loved that.”

So it makes sense that Miriam is a biology major, concentrating in ecology.

But it wasn’t always that way. In fact, until her junior year at Calvin, she was set on becoming a physical therapist.

Then she got a life-changing job offer.

“Help me care for the plants in Calvin’s greenhouses, ” said Dave Warners, professor of biology.

The plants (with some help from Professor Warners) changed Miriam’s life.

“Watching them go through their biological processes helps me to think through things in my life. Being around plants makes me grow.”

How has Miriam grown at Calvin? She’s been challenged to consider how environmental stewardship impacts things like food production and global hunger, and she’s been pushed to take initiative in courses where she designs real plans to get government grants for projects.

In other words, Miriam has gone beyond green to embrace a vision for how to care for God’s creation so that all
living things can flourish.