Your Impact
YOU MAKE AN IMPACT
Thank you for being part of the Aquinas community.
Because of you, Aquinas students have the opportunity to access a life-changing education and thrive throughout their college journey and beyond. Your generosity does more than provide scholarships, programs, and resources. You open doors, remove barriers, and change lives. Every gift makes a meaningful difference, and our students know it.
Below, you'll find stories shared by our students and alumni themselves— powerful reminders of the impact you've made and the lives you've helped shape through your support.
Building Career Ready Skills
In January of 2026, rising senior Michelle VanWeelde used the skills she learned at Aquinas to secure a marketing internship with Kent Companies. Click here to read her reflections on the importance of feedback, mentorship, and planting your own tree as a young professional.
In his own words
“There were many opportunities for people to give up on me. And yet, nobody did… When I struggled, people invested in me. When I disappointed people, they challenged me. When I doubted myself, they believed in me. And when I considered walking away, they pulled me a little bit closer.”
-- Alexander Rodriguez, '26
Watch all of Alex's speech below, or click here to read the full text
2025-26 Donor Impact Report
Fall 2026 issue features a year of blessings, news of a campus arboretum, and highlights of how donors help improve our student experience. See the full issue.
Donor Impact Report 2024-25
Fall 2025 issue features a celebration of our Dominican heritage, our largest incoming class since 2018, and the incredible impact of your generosity. See the full issue
More Stories with Impact
Bug Brains and Domino Genes: Ariana Esquivel-Landero on Her Van Andel Research Internship
Fruit flies are generally not harmful to human health. They do not bite or sting, but they can certainly act as a nuisance. Most people try to eliminate these pests, but one Aquinas student has spent her summer breeding new populations of them. Her name is Ariana Esquivel-Landero, a biology major, and...
Aquinas College Named a Top 20 College in the Midwest
The annual U.S. News Best Colleges rankings were released today, and Aquinas is again celebrated for its excellence.
A Flute, a Coin Flip, and a PhD: The Making of Svetlana (Djirackor) Uchendu '20
Svetlana Djirackor never set foot on Aquinas College's campus before she enrolled. She chose it from a website, beautiful forested sights unseen, and built a life there that took her from Kenya to a PhD studying ovarian cancer.
University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) Nursing Program at Aquinas Celebrates 100% NCLEX Pass Rate for the Second Consecutive Year
The future is bright for the 2026 graduates of the University of Detroit Mercy Nursing (UDM) program at Aquinas College. This past spring, 100% of these graduates passed the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) on their first attempt. This standardized test is required in the United States...
Big Dreams to Breakthroughs: Aquinas Saints Tackle Cancer Research and New Chemical Reactions
Having secured funding from a Mohler-Thompson Summer Research Grant, these Saints are spending the summer working on two projects— one in leukemia chemotherapeutics and the other in developing a new chemical reaction using visible light. Dr. Anthony Allen is lending his expertise and guidance as their...
Want to learn more?
Catherine Hutchins, Director of Annual Giving & Stewardship
Email: hutchinsc@aquinas.edu
Phone: (616) 632-2820