10 Under Ten

Before the “Hope in the [Real] World Panel”, an engaging conversation about life after Hope for current students, I always ask the recipients of the 10 Under 10 Awards, who serve as the featured panelists, to gather inside Graves Hall. This year, as I welcomed designers, doctors and researchers into the space, I noticed a distinct buzz of energy. There were many hugs, handshakes and “how have you been?”s. A therapist chatted with a voice actor while a lead recruiter caught up with an acclaimed artist and teacher. Some of the recipients had crossed paths during their student experiences, while most were interacting for the first time. They were eager to learn from each other and genuinely excited to share in this experience.

Later, during some down time between their photoshoot and their award celebration, the recipients sat around a table just chatting. There were no egos, no bragging, no comparisons. They were thrilled to both share and glean wisdom and stories they acquired since their graduation from Hope, as they’ve gone into the world and lived faithfully into their varied vocations.

This cohort of recipients absolutely embodied the purpose of the 10 Under 10 Awards. The awards were created to highlight and celebrate agents of Hope, who delight in learning, seek deep understanding, and respond to the needs they see in the world. They are emerging leaders who in many ways are just getting started. They represent thousands of our young alumni who are impacting their own corners of the world in significant ways by utilizing the skills and knowledge they acquired during their time at Hope.

In keeping with the spirit of the panel, we asked each of them for reflections on their time at Hope or advice that they’d like to share with students who are preparing for their own lives after graduation.

We want to honor more alumni like these! To nominate a recent graduate (2014-2023) for a 10 Under 10 Award, visit hope.edu/alumni/awards.