Aquinas Fund - Phone Center Campaign

Our Phone Center students enthusiastically assist alumni with contact information updates, employment changes, relationship up-dates (births, deaths, etc.), as well as other news and information. This information is confidential and used solely by the College. It is never sold. In turn, student callers eagerly share Aquinas news, upcoming campus events, and facilitate any questions you or other alumni might have.

The students who staff the Phone Center are bright, dynamic leaders and scholarship recipients. Each student has a commitment to the quality education they are receiving at Aquinas. They also are grateful for the financial assistance they receive. As students, they are already giving back to the College through their dedicated service at the Phone Center. >Click here to enlarge the photo.

Name: Michelle Eck

Hometown: Crystal Lake, Illinois

Major: Undecided

Activities / Hobbies: Soccer, reading, running and scrap-booking

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative: This is my first year being a Student Advancement Representative and I am very excited to begin. I hope that I can help out current students with scholarships because I received a scholarship here at Aquinas. It is important to pay it forward and help out not only current students but prospective as well.

The best thing about Aquinas College:: I love being a part of a team and playing soccer for Aquinas college. It is very important to me and without my teammates and the friends I have made college wouldn't be the same. AQ is a great school and I truly consider everyone here to be my family. It can't get much better than that!

What you would love to do after college: After I graduate I would like to join the Peace Corps and work in Africa. Once my 2 years of volunteer service is up my hopes is to be a police officer in Michigan or back home in Illinois.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: Thank you for your contribution to Aquinas and AQFund. Many students wouldn't be able to go here without your help. You truly make a difference to the students who attend Aquinas. So from the bottom of my heart I thank you again and appreciate your willingness to pay it forward.

Name: Jacob VandenHombergh

Hometown: Kalamazoo, Mich.

Major: Philosophy/Psychology

Activities / Hobbies: I enjoy writing, reading, and discussion with friends.

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:

Being a student advancement representative means providing myself and my peers with the funding we need to continue our college education.

The best thing about Aquinas College: The opportunities which have presented themselves to me here have been substantial and truly appreciated.

What you would love to do after college: Go to graduate school, and then someday teach philosophy/push for its implementation in lower level education.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: Every gift, even a penny, matters to us. You are enabling us to continue the noble art of education, and that means more than the world to all of us here at the Aquinas Fund.

Name: Lyneesa Tate         

Hometown: Chicago

Major: Pre-Law/English: Minor: Political Science
Activities / Hobbies: Basketball, debating, watching reality shows, hanging with friends around campus

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative: I get to meet some interesting people on the phone and off.  It’s a great way to network and most importantly it’s a great way to give back and help other students.

The best thing about Aquinas College: The small class sizes for me because I came from a really small high school, so the transition to a bigger school would have been a distraction for me.  The teachers get to know ME as me and not a number. =)

What you would love to do after college: I want to attend law school but I just haven’t really chosen where. I would like to return to Chicago but it’s still up in the air but law school is definitely in my future.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: I just want to personally say thank you, because if it wasn’t for your support, I more than likely wouldn’t have attended college. So your generosity helped me live out a dream of mine. Hopefully, you understand just how much that means to me. Please continue and help students just like me in the future.

Name: Eric Bloomberg

Hometown:  Howell MI      

Major: Dual Major: Business administration with a concentration in Marketing and Economics  
Activities / Hobbies:  Fly Fishing, law, history, politics, business, lacrosse, and debating.

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:  Because when I speak directly to those who commit to the Aquinas Fund I speak to those who help me attend Aquinas.   

The best thing about Aquinas College: Everything. Aquinas is a great school and I have made one of the best decisions of my life by attending here.  

What you would love to do after college: I am still considering possible options in law, business and teaching.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: Thank you. Without individuals like you, I would never be able to attend this great institution. So the message is of thanks and gratitude.

Name:  Nicole Crafts

Hometown:  Paw Paw, MI

Major:  Spanish and Sustainable Business

Activities / Hobbies:  Secretary of the Spanish Club, Student Volunteer at Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, Costa Rica International Program 2011 participant / running, biking, hiking, and camping

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative: 

The Aquinas Fund is a very important resource for students at Aquinas, and I want to help to continue to make scholarships available to all of the hard-working individuals. 

The best thing about Aquinas College:

Aquinas is a small, friendly community with a great atmosphere and beautiful campus.

What you would love to do after college: I hope to travel, and to work for an international business involved in sustainability and environmental protection. 

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund:  As one of the many students who benefits from the Aquinas Fund, I greatly appreciate all the support from Alumni, parents, and friends who contribute to the Aquinas Fund and make it possible for so many students to attend Aquinas College.

Name: Eleanor Krzyzaniak

Hometown: Waterford, MI

Major: Visual Art Education / Studio Art

Activities / Hobbies: Ceramics

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:  I enjoy working for a wonderful cause and helping to benefit current and future students through scholarships

The best thing about Aquinas College: The best thing about Aquinas College: Aquinas creates a community and personal atmosphere which many other schools lack. Whether a student is 15 minutes, or states away from home they instantly feel welcomed and are able to grow and learn through prayer, academics, and the relationships they develop here.

What you would love to do after college: I plan to pursue a career within art education and obtain my master’s degree in Art Therapy.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: Thank you for your support and contribution; a college education is an extremely important yet expensive necessity to compete within today’s society and thanks to you, students like me are able to attend Aquinas College.

Name:  Ana Cujar

Hometown:  Troy, MI

Major: Sustainable Business and Environmental Studies
Activities / Hobbies:  I enjoy camping, reading non-fiction, listening to NPR, taking my dog on walks, and swimming in Lake Michigan.

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative: I like giving back to my peers and my AQ Community;   there’s no better way than supporting the Aquinas Fund.

The best thing about Aquinas College:  The trees! If only we could climb them…

What you would love to do after college:  I plan on doing a year of service with The Abundant Table Farm Project in California and then traveling to Patagonia and possibly New Zeeland!

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: 

Thank you so much for supporting Aquinas College!  

Name: Yasmeen Ahmed

Hometown: Wyoming, MI.                

Major:  International Business

Activities / Hobbies:  Writing, reading, painting.

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:  I get to talk to people about my school, I have an opportunity to connect with people who have been in my place, and it’s good experience for my future.

The best thing about Aquinas College:  The opportunities that are offered to us, the small size of the school, and the quality education I’m receiving.

What you would love to do after college: I would love to travel, work for a non-profit organization, and become a writer.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: I want to personally thank everyone that has supported me through giving to the Aquinas Fund. I have been dreaming about attending college since I was very young, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without the scholarship and financial aid I have received. I hope everyone understands how much this means to me, and how much this is benefiting me.

Name: Suzanne Click

Hometown: Princeton, Ill.

Activities / Hobbies: Watching movies, hanging out with friends, working out

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:  I get to speak with the people that are the reason why I can attend Aquinas.

The best thing about Aquinas College: The family-like atmosphere.

What you would love to do after college: Attend grad school or work for AmeriCorps.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: Thank you so much for your support!

Name: Louis Allen

Hometown: Yorkville, IL

Major: Psychology

Activities / Hobbies: Acting, Singing, and Fishing

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative:

I get to give back to a school that gives me so much.

The best thing about Aquinas College: It just feels like home.

What you would love to do after college:  I would love to become a therapist.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund:  Aquinas College is a family. Just because you may have moved on, doesn’t mean you’re not family. Come back and visit!

Name: Jessica Brandreth

Hometown: Sterling Heights, Mich.

Major: Professional Accountancy

Activities / Hobbies: Reading, watching movies, swimming, sailing, and dancing

Why you like being a Student Advancement Representative Manager: I like being a Student Advancement Representative because if it weren’t for students working for the phone center in the past, then I probably would not be attending Aquinas.  Also, I love working for a great cause, and what could be better than trying to help provide an education to perspective students?

The best thing about Aquinas College: The best thing about Aquinas College is the opportunities available to students. Whether it is studying abroad, service learning trips, or even internships, Aquinas truly provides its students with any opportunity they can think of.

What you would love to do after college: I would love to travel the world. Traveling is one of the things I love to do most, next to baking. Another thing I would love to do is eventually open my own bakery, after being a successful CPA for a while.

A message to Alumni, parents, and friends who support your scholarships through the Aquinas Fund: I greatly appreciate the support you provide to the Aquinas Fund. If it weren’t for people like you, most of the people I know at Aquinas would not have been able to attend.