by Abigayle Sloan, '07

It’s almost as good as a Grand Valley love story gets. Kenneth (Kent), ’09, and Gina, ’08, (Hinel) Games met on campus during welcome week 2005.

Gina was Kent’s Transitions orientation leader, and the two bonded over Laker football and their fascination with science.

The daughter of a pharmacist, Gina knew early on that she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, and the high-caliber of courses in the sciences at Grand Valley confirmed her decision to pursue her childhood aspirations.

“I saw the importance of the pharmacist in the health care team. I got hooked on science at Grand Valley and wanted to integrate my science education with patient interactions,” she said.

Making academics a priority, Kent and Gina maintained membership with honor societies. “We both believe the education at Grand Valley directly impacted our future success,” Gina said. “It not only laid the groundwork for us to pursue advanced degrees, but also taught us how to be citizens in our ever-changing society.”

After earning bachelor’s degrees in biomedical science (Gina) and athletic training (Kent), the couple moved to Alabama to pursue advanced degrees at Auburn University. While at Auburn, Kent uncovered a love for teaching and research. By 2013, he earned a master’s of education degree in exercise science and a doctoral degree in kinesiology.

Gina received a doctor of pharmacy degree in 2013, the same year the couple got married.

Now settled in Terra Haute, Indiana, the Gameses are developing their careers. Gina is a pharmacist at a local pharmacy and Kent is an assistant professor and director of clinical education for the Athletic Training Program at Indiana State University.

Following the announcement of the P. Douglas Kindschi Hall of Science, the Gameses were drawn toward financially supporting the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences Margin of Excellence Fund. The endowed program was established so that more students will have access to scientific research and other professional development opportunities that can lead to peer-reviewed publishing. The program will enhance the science curriculum and help Grand Valley meet Michigan’s increasing demand for high-quality graduates in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics professions.

Kent and Gina recalled the hands-on experiences they each had while taking science courses at Grand Valley and emphasized the importance of student-centered scientific research.

“Giving back and contributing to the Margin of Excellence Fund was an easy decision. Grand Valley truly is our foundation and much of our ability to be in a position to give back can be directly tied to our experiences on campus,” Kent said. “This was the least we could do for a place which has given us so much.”

The couple’s Grand Valley story is about more than just a romance that started on campus during welcome week; it’s about marrying their love for science and philanthropy to create a promising academic future for generations of Lakers to follow.

“We really hope the students take advantage of the opportunities they have to work with top-notch faculty in a state-of-the-art facility using leading technology to become not only active members of their given career paths, but also leaders and stewards to their professions,” Kent said.

The Alumni Association will recognize Jessica Cruz, ’06, with the Young Alumni Award for her outstanding accomplishments as a professional. The award will be presented at the university’s commencement ceremony on December 12.

Cruz has dedicated her life to advocating for equal access to education. A founder of the Center for Latin@ Studies at Ferris State University, Cruz advances the center’s mission to increase students’ access to higher education.

While at Grand Valley, Cruz was an active member of the Latino Student Union and Amnesty International. She was a tutor and counselor for the TRiO Upward Bound program, and also conducted research on bilingual education through the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

Grand Valley Athletics completed its inaugural “Varsity Athlete Challenge” on June 30.

The challenge was a friendly yearlong competition that encouraged former student athletes of Laker varsity teams to financially contribute to the university.

Of the 3,749 former student athletes, there were 128 first-time donors and 589 total donors (16 percent of all former athletes) who raised nearly $220,000.

The varsity sport with the highest percentage of alumni participation was women’s cross country. That alumnae group was also the team with the largest increase in giving participation over the previous year. Head coach Jerry Baltes and his current team will receive $2,000 in their operating budget for the 2015- 2016 fiscal year.

The second Varsity Athlete Challenge kicked off in July. Gifts given to any fund at the university will count toward participation. Support the challenge at www.gvsu.edu/alumni/varsitychallenge.