Amy's tenure at Hope began in the International Education Office at the end of 1996, after graduating from Hope. Throughout her time in this office, she's worn a variety of hats: coordinating short-term programs, advising for off-campus study, and recruiting and working with international students. She left Hope twice to pursue further education, but always found her way back to Hope! 

Now, as senior director of the Center for Global Engagement, Amy has the privilege to lead an incredible team of people who have a deep passion for working in the field of global education. They fully lean into Hope's mission statement of preparing students for lives of service and leadership in a global society, and believe that international and TCK students play a vital role in this mission, as does off-campus study, when students step beyond the borders of Hope College to be immersed in new places and cultures. 

Education

• M.A., conflict transformation and peace studies, School for International Training, Vermont, 2007
• Certificate in biblical studies, Torchbearer Bible School, Sweden, 2002
• B.A., German, secondary education, Hope College, 1996

Professional experience 

Amy was elected and served two times on the IES Abroad Academic Council, as well as on their Nomination Committee. She also co-presented several times at the NAFSA V Regional Conference. She has been teaching in the Phelps Scholars program since 2009 and the Senior Seminar program since 2015.  The Senior Seminar course is for returned study abroad students to help them unpack their experience overseas and to help frame it in the context of being a global citizen. Amy also serves as one of the advisors for the global studies major.

Awards and recognition

• Mortar Board Last Lecture Speaker, Hope College, 2018
• Lakeshore ATHENA Award Nominee Finalist, 2016
• Motoichiro Oghimi Global Courage Award, Hope College, 2015
• Professional Development Award, IES Abroad, 2009

Why I love Hope

It's an incredible privilege for Amy to work with Hope students. She loves the global community and counts it as a privilege that Hope gets to be a home away from home for the international and TCK students coming from all parts of the globe. She also loves being a part of the incredible transformation that our off-campus study students experience when they step beyond the borders of Hope College and immerse themselves in new cities and countries. It takes courage and a willingness to step out of one's comfort zone — being a small part of the adventure is a privilege for Amy! Some of her favorite moments have come from conversations during advising sessions, eating meals with international students and traveling on the Explore Michigan program during the international student orientation. We have amazing students at Hope — and Amy loves that the relationships don't end with graduation... we love it when our alumni come back and share their families and lives with us!

Outside the college

Amy is a travel junkie and loves to spend time overseas in new cultures and places.  She's traveled throughout Europe, Central Asia, Asia and Central America. The top five countries on her bucket list currently are Mongolia, Nepal, Bulgaria, Ecuador and Morocco. Some of her favorite activities include kayaking, cross-country skiing, hiking and camping, gardening and "junking" at flea markets. Amy is a huge animal lover and has a house full of them — the more, the merrier!