Emma Hickey ’26 Serves Joy and Teamwork as a Student-Athlete

Valparaiso University student-athlete Emma Hickey '26 celebrating with her team after a volleyball match.

For junior Emma Hickey ’26, being part of a team is as natural as going in for the dig. Hailing from a long line of family players and coaches, Emma has played volleyball since she was in grade school. Her skill as a libero, love for the sport, and desire to uplift others led Emma […]

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Valpo Football’s Tyler Eberhart ’24, ’25 MBA, is a Beacon of Servant-Leadership

Graduate student-athlete Tyler Eberhart '24, '25 MBA, wearing brown, gold, and white Valpo football gear.

From the very beginning, fifth-year student-athlete Tyler Eberhart ’24, ’25 MBA, brought a big game from his Ohio hometown to Valpo’s campus. His natural calling to leadership has transcended both field and classroom, setting him on a path of servant-leadership that will leave its mark on Valpo’s football program for years to come.  Tyler’s journey […]

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Blooming as a Beacon: Jazzy Soria-Gonzalez’s ’28 “Eventful” First Year

Jazzy Soria Gonzalez '24 smiling at the camera in professional attire.

If you were to ask Jazzy Soria-Gonzalez ’28 to sum up her first year at Valparaiso University in one word, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear her respond with “eventful.” As a freestyle swimmer for the Valpo women’s swim team and a double major in Spanish and marketing, having an eventful first year of college […]

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Pro Golf and Biostatistics: Caleb VanArragon ’23, ’24 M.S., Meets Graduation With Countless Open Doors

Caleb VanArragon ’23, ’24 M.S.

From the natural progression of Caleb VanArragon’s ’23, ’24 M.S., golf career, it would seem like he was born with a golf club in his hand, however, he first picked up the club a little later in life – when he was just three years old. At five years old, he was already entering his […]

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A Beacon’s Reflection | Yingxin (Grace) Zhang ’25

Valparaiso University business student Yingxin (Grace) Zhang ’25 stands in front of the Chapel of the Resurrection, smiling while holding up a medal.

When I first arrived in America, I was a forty-year-old college freshman, a military spouse, and an immigrant from Changchun, China. Adjusting to a new culture wasn’t easy. Not being able to work, I found purpose through volunteer work with the American Red Cross and a local church. Every day, I would ride my bike […]

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Crescendo, Calling, and Country: Harmonizing Leadership and Service with Joy

Matthew Yee '24 performing at the 2023 Homecoming President’s Circle honors breakfast.

With both parents working as music educators, it would seem Matthew Yee’s ’24 musical journey was orchestrated from conception. “I like to say music has been part of my life from day one. It was just part of being at home. And so, playing an instrument or singing was never really a question. It wasn’t […]

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Beauty in Numbers: International Student Discovers the Music in Math

Campus in the fall

At Valparaiso University, Ruyue Yuan has found a connection between math and music that might surprise most people. “They’re both beautiful,” Yuan said. Yuan has been playing the violin since she was 6 years old. She loves music. In fact, she enjoys studying all of the humanities, but she also has a natural gift for […]

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Professor, Biology Club Restore Region’s Rivers

Campus in the fall

Allison Meyer found a muddy shoe. Another student found a garden trowel. Valparaiso University’s biology club members made several unlikely discoveries to expand on classroom knowledge while restoring the region’s rivers this spring. The club was working at the Elkhart Conservation Club property on Cobus Creek, five miles west of Elkhart, Ind., when Meyer found […]

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Meet Kyle

Campus in the fall

Valparaiso University offers programs and facilities often only found at much larger institutions. With all of that come opportunities that are hard to match. Kyle Hansen has taken advantage of those opportunities, as he talks about in his video. Kyle, an engineering major from Rochelle, Ill., not only benefited from one-on-one faculty mentoring in the […]

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Wuerffel, Schuette foster conversation with Welcome Project

Campus in the fall

Ask Liz Wuerffel and Allison Schuette to summarize the Welcome Project  in a brief statement, and they’ll do it in one sentence: How do we live with difference? Of course, the multimedia venture is much more than that. But the statement gets to the heart and soul of the Welcome Project, which is a collection […]

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