Finding Community and Calling

On the final day of ceramics class at Dordt, students sit down to a meal unlike any other. The plates, bowls, and mugs on the table aren’t store-bought. They are made by the students themselves over the course of the semester.

For Sonya Hansum, that final captured one of the many things she loves about Dordt: a shared love of learning in community. “The final is called ‘Come to the Table,’ and we all make food and share a meal together using the plates, bowls, mugs, and many other things that we made,” she says. “It truly is a celebration of the learning that we have done.”

Hansum arrived at Dordt without a clearly defined career path. She initially pursued graphic design, but early classroom experiences shifted her direction. “The first class that I ever attended at Dordt was Drawing I, and in that class is where I learned that I was capable of making art,” she says. “It was the first time that I had ever picked up charcoal and really ever drawn anything to that scale. From knowing almost nothing about drawing to the work that I was able to create, I realized that people are able to learn if they have someone to teach them.”

That idea, along with encouragement from her community, led her to explore education. After taking Education 101 and working a summer at Inspiration Hills, a Christian camp and retreat center in Inwood, Iowa, Hansum realized her calling to study art education.

Finding community at Dordt allowed Hansum to stretch and grow in meaningful ways—from discovering her calling in art education to strengthening her skills as a musician in the Dordt Wind Symphony—all while developing deep relationships along the way.

As a member of Dordt’s Wind Symphony, Hansum was able to participate in two tours: one through the Midwest and, most recently, one to Washington D.C. where the ensemble was able to perform alongside the Quantico Marine Band. “It was a great bonding experience with fellow band members,” says Hansum. “It was also really encouraging to be able to learn from someone who plays the flute professionally.”

Hansum’s experience at Dordt was also shaped by the friendships she built through everyday life on campus. Living with roommates she met early in college, those relationships became a constant source of support and joy. “My roommates have been a huge blessing throughout my time at Dordt, and without them, the Dordt experience would not have been the same,” she says. “I will cherish the deep friendship and bonds that we have forever.”

In addition to friendships, Hansum also found encouragement from her professors, who played a key role in her growth as both a student and future educator. It was both the small things—like a high five or fist bump in the hallway—and the intentional time they took to engage with students both in and outside of classes. “Overall, my experience with professors has been super impactful, seeing how much they truly do care about all of their students,” she says.

As an art student, Hansum was required to create and present a senior art exhibit as the culmination of her studies. Her exhibit, “His Workmanship,” developed from a central question that guided both her faith and artistic process: “What does it mean for God to shape me?”

Rooted in her personal experience and her understanding of Scripture, Hansum turned to the imagery of trees as the foundation for her work. “Tree imagery is used in the Bible, and there are a lot of parallels between the life of a tree and a Christian’s walk with Christ,” she says. In her exhibit, many of the pieces feature close, partial views of trees, a choice meant to reflect limited human perspective. “This shows how we cannot see the whole picture that God is working on, but we know the One who does,” she says.

The trees depicted in her work come from meaningful places in her life, including Dordt’s campus, her family farm near Platte, South Dakota, Inspiration Hills, and her own imagination.

For Hansum, the meaning behind the exhibit is also deeply connected to how her faith has been shaped throughout her time in college. “I would say that when my faith has grown the most is over the summers because it is challenged, stretched, and strengthened,” she says. “Then I would say that my time at Dordt has supported my faith and helped solidify my faith so that I could go into those summers of working at camp to be able to share Christ with so many campers.”

While Hansum still has a semester of student teaching left, she looks forward to continuing the work of sharing her faith and creativity with others at Inspiration Hills as a program associate this fall. As she moves into a new season, Hansum is grateful for the way Dordt allowed her to discover and develop her gifts, friendships, and sense of calling.