David Hutchful
Major: computer science (and philosophy minor)
Graduation Year: 2002
Grew up in: Accra, Ghana & Harare, Zimbabwe
Parents: My dad had his own management consulting firm and my mom is head of human resources for Standard Chartered Bank, West Africa
What was your high school/secondary school like?
I went to a private international Christian high school operated on the British system. Students were pretty involved in school activities, and even though it was not a boarding school, students belonged to houses and competed in various ways to gain points for their houses. This made the school a fairly competitive place to be in when it came to academics, sports and the arts (drama, music etc).
How did you hear about Calvin College?
Through a couple of Calvin study abroad students.
Out of thousands of schools in the U.S., why Calvin?
1. It is a Christian school
2. The liberal arts core allowed me to explore other areas of studies, particularly, in the arts (history and communications) and in the sciences (biology, economics etc.) that I did not get a chance to fully experience in high school
Basically, everything fell into place so smoothly with Calvin as opposed to the seven other schools, that we all (my parents and I) could certainly see that God wanted me there.
What's the best class you've taken, or the best professor you've had?
This is a tough one to answer; a remarkable percentage of my classes and profs at Calvin were of the highest caliber. I will mention some classes (and profs), which I fondly remember: the honors class in the Classics department (Prof. Bratt), History of Germany (Prof. Diephouse), Religion 101 (Prof. Tommy Thompson), Ethics (Prof. Hare) and Plato and Aristotle (Prof. R. Konyndyk-De Young). I could go on and on.
As you might have noticed, a lot of these classes had little to do with my eventual major, but they did help make me a more rounded student/person and an even stronger student in my major.
What opportunities for spiritual growth did you participate in while at Calvin?
There were a couple dorm activities that I attended, but not regularly. I found the daily Calvin chapel services particularly helpful spiritually. In addition, easy accessibility to the school chaplain and churches in the surrounding area proved critical to my maintaining my faith.
Honestly, although these opportunities are readily available through various programs (campus crusade, LOFT, etc), you'll have to seek them out and, as with all things, set aside time to fully benefit from them. This is not the easiest thing to do (or remember to do) since there will be so many other activities (some beneficial and unavoidable, others not so beneficial and avoidable!) that will consume your time. I found it most helpful to find one spiritual activity (e.g. going to chapel on Tuesdays & Fridays) and trying to stick with that.
What was your most memorable experience at Calvin?
During my second year in the residence halls (Boer-Bennink), all the guys in my dorm (including RA's!) participated in a pre-Chaos Day raid of the other dorms in the dead of night. The benefits of the raid can be debated, but the solidarity and camaraderie that was formed is something I will not forget.
On the project side of things, one of my good friends and I were permitted to have an office (complete with a phone line and tea making equipment) to use for our independent research. Work got done, but most memorable were all the informal gatherings and discussions we had in our "office" with our friends at 4:00 each day.
What are you currently doing?
Finishing off a Masters in Information at the University of Michigan.
How did Calvin College prepare you for your career of choice?
Apart from the computer science education, Calvin provided me with a broad (but deep) academic/spiritual/social background/fundamentals that is allowing me to participate in more than the field I majored in.
The ability to think critically, articulate a thought in a meaningful manner, and act judiciously, while taking into consideration the morals and principles of one's faith is necessary to succeed in any field and Calvin gave me all of this.
What's your advice to future Calvin students?
College, independent of where you go, is what you make it. You will have plenty of opportunities and freedom to try new things and face exciting challenges—socially and academically. My advice would be moderation. Moderation in all you do will allow you to get the best out of this wonderful place.
Having said this be prepared to have your world view changed. Be prepared to be outside your comfort zone. Calvin (and Grand Rapids) have their own unique culture, and to make it a good experience, you need to take the time to understand the culture and engage it. The wonderful thing is Calvin's culture is always changing—the core Christian principles remain, but each new group of students bring their experience to bear in reshaping and enhancing the culture of the school—who you are and what you bring to the school is something Calvin cherishes and nourishes through various programs. You can make a difference at Calvin...if you choose to...and I would say give it a shot!