Giving to Carthage

Student Voices

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"The J-Term trip to Nicaragua opened my eyes to how much of the world lives. I left feeling fortunate to have learned as much as I did and determined to use my experience to bring about positive change to the world."

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Adam Van Huis, '12, from Winneconne, Wis., is majoring in biology with minors in chemistry and Spanish.

"My favorite memories have come from being a student athlete. It is very cool to be around teammates who put so much effort into school and then give everything they have left to their sport. We are, after all, student athletes and that's the beauty of Division III." more

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The most special thing to me about Carthage is the community of people and their stories. While at Carthage, I have developed countless relationships with fellow students, professors, alumni, and staff that I would not have otherwise. I am truly blessed to be a part of such a diverse community of people.”

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Sarah Goldsworthy, ’12, from Roscoe, Ill., is a broad-field social science major. She is involved in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She plans to find a career in museum research or alumni relations upon graduation in May.

Throughout her time as a student, Sarah has worked in the Office of College Relations. She has helped host events and has seen the importance of fundraising for the College. “By investing in students, you are not only investing in what they will gain during their time at Carthage, but also in their future,” she said. “College is such an influential time in a student’s life, and it is so encouraging to have the support of alumni. When alumni support the college, they show students that they care and believe in Carthage.”

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“Carthage has been more than a home to me for the past three years. I was amazed by how friendly and inviting the students, faculty, and staff were to me when I first got here; and they continue to be so. Through Carthage, I gained various skills such as leadership, responsibility, self-confidence, teamwork, in addition to a great education. Carthage provides an enjoyable and valuable community life that is impossible to find anywhere else, and that’s special.”

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Nidal Alkafarna, ’12 is a biology major and international student from Gaza, Palestine. He participates in the International Friendship Society, Beta Beta Beta honorary biology fraternity, and Delta Upsilon International Fraternity. After Carthage, he plans to attend graduate school to study Physiology and Biophysics, or Molecular Biology.

“To an alumnus contemplating making a gift to Carthage, I would say that it is definitely worth it,” shared Alkafarna. “Carthage students are strongly connected to the alumni and always appreciate their contributions to the college; those can be seen in the modern buildings and structures on campus. Also, alumni receive a personalized thank-you letter from a current student every year they make a gift!”

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John describes his Carthage experience as this: “In one word: amazing. Because of Carthage, I have been able to do things that I could not have done at many other schools. Last October I went to Kitt Peak National Observatory with a physics professor who had observation time on one of the telescopes there. At most schools, only seniors would have the chance to have that kind of experience, but at Carthage, these experiences are open to anybody. I have even been able to go to professors' offices with questions completely not relating to my classes and learn about what is interesting to me, not just what is being taught that day.”

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John Robinson, ’13, is a double-major in physics and math from Kenosha, Wisconsin. At Carthage, he participates in the Society of Physics Students, Math Club and Delta Upsilon International Fraternity. After Carthage, he plans to attend graduate school to study physics.

John understands and appreciates the financial support from alumni and friends of the College. “At the risk of sounding cliché, the students of today are the leaders of tomorrow. If investments in today's students stop, the future will lose doctors, lawyers, teachers, politicians, scientists.... All those occupations that depend on previous knowledge will start to wither and die. Without people maintaining and cultivating the knowledge that humanity has gained over the past several thousand years, that knowledge will vanish and technologically we will be sent back hundreds, if not thousands, of years.”