When Robyn (Page) Woods-DeWitt ’06 came to Kalamazoo College, she was interested in both French and teaching. She ultimately ended up marrying her two interests into plans to teach French.
Robyn also ended up marrying Mike Woods-DeWitt ’06, whom she met in the cafeteria during their first year at K and started dating in their second year.
Today, the couple lives in Des Moines, Iowa. Mike works in analytics and supply chain for CommonSpirit Healthcare, and Robyn works part-time as a shift lead at a bowling center and is primary caregiver for their 7-year-old son.
As a student at K, Robyn studied abroad for nine months in Clermont-Ferrand, France, and completed her Senior Integrated Project (SIP) translating a novel from French into English for Professor Emerita Kathy Smith. Other influential professors in the French department included Jan Solberg and Henry Cohen. Robyn also had a work-study job that involved working with students at a nearby elementary school.
Like many students, Mike started at K with no clear direction. After a study abroad experience in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was exposed to agricultural economics, and a SIP in the religion department with the late Professor Emeritus Waldemar Schmeichel, he graduated with a dual major in economics and religion.
Mike was a founding member of the short-lived Kalamazoo College Mud & Mayhem Society as well as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. In addition to Schmeichel, Mike found mentors in Religion Professor Emerita Carol Anderson and Economics Professor Emeritus Ahmed Hussen.
They both remember sledding down the quad on lunch trays, watching senior streak day, and the surprise elation of the Day of Gracious Living. These days, they honor their experiences by giving to K on the Day of Gracious Giving.
The two have established a scholarship in Mike’s mother’s name, and in addition to making regular contributions to that scholarship, they have long been generous donors to their respective departments as well as to the Kalamazoo College Fund.
“K has meant a lot to both of us, and the College Fund is the easiest way to support the College,” Mike said. “I hope our giving allows more people, and people from a more diverse background, to experience K. I think so highly of my time at K that I really want it to be available to anyone who wants that experience.”
For Robyn, the scholarships she received at K motivate her desire to give back.
“I like knowing that if we give the College money, then they’ll have more money to give to scholarships,” Robyn said. “For me, that’s a big deal. We also want to support the College as a whole, whatever the College needs, and we know that need changes.”
“The general fund is a great way to give back and share that K experience with others,” Mike said. “K is a really special place to me, to us, and giving to the Kalamazoo College Fund is a way to ensure that it can be a special place for others and for many years to come.”
