Student Profile: Krista Mehari ’09

Krista Mehari values that Hope is a place where students and staff are continually learning and applying the knowledge they gain. Especially through her psychology major, Krista enjoys learning about things that make sense in her everyday life. “Psychology is fascinating to me,” she says. “It explains so much about how people think, act, and feel. It’s very applicable.”

In addition to her studies, Krista has been involved in research outside of the classroom since her first year at Hope. “Almost all the psychology professors are doing research, so it was easy to get involved,” says Krista.

In fact, her recent research with two other Hope students won an award at the Midwestern Psychological Association conference. The research examined variables that might affect chronic disorder and was conducted under the direction of Drs. Patricia Roehling and Lorna Hernandez Jarvis. “To have that experience, and to be able to go into graduate school with having that background is great,” Krista says.

Krista also spent a semester in Ethiopia her sophomore year conducting research on names in the Ethiopian political sphere.

Outside of academics and research, Krista has been involved in the Phelps Scholars Program, a program for first-year students that promotes cultural diversity. Coming from a very diverse high school, Krista found that the Phelps Scholars Program helped smooth the transition to Hope. “People were very open,” she says.

“ They were there because they wanted to learn more and to experience new things, so the attitude was accepting, and it celebrated differences.” She also currently serves as secretary of the Black Student Union, a student-run organization that promotes diversity and equality on Hope’s campus.

One of Krista’s favorite things about Hope is its size. “Hope isn’t too big or too small,” she says. “You can recognize people on campus, but still meet new people all the time.”

One benefit of the size of the college, Krista notes, is that she can get to know her professors. “They’re really accessible,” says Krista. She also feels that her professors do a great job of engaging students, and she likes that they come up with hands-on, active approaches to introducing new subject matter.

Krista especially appreciates the way that the people, friends and professors alike, put their knowledge into practice. “There’s lots of application of learning,” says Krista. “People take what they learn in the classroom and talk about it, discuss it, disagree with it, and want to learn more about it. That’s really exciting for me.”

This profile was written by Danielle K. Johnson, a 2008 Hope College graduate from Kalamazoo, Mich., for the 2008-09 Hope College Catalog.

Hope People - Learn about the experiences of some of the people connected with Hope College.