New Voices Heard at Winter Convocation

The 2022 Winter Convocation held February 18 live in Cox Auditorium (and virtually via Zoom) was a forum that put some new voices in front of the Principia College audience—voices that aren't often heard at formal collegiate events.

For decades, Principia College has been marking the beginning of each semester with a convocation. The format hasn’t changed much in all that time—hymns played on the organ, readings from the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, and a roster of speakers focused on motivating the student body to do great things each semester.

The spring-semester convocation, however, featured four speakers addressing the theme of “I am Principia,” and two of those voices—housekeeping staff member Sarah Foster and Piasa Pub Supervisor Sherry Kinkel—stood out as unconventional. While all the speakers shared meaningful personal stories, Foster and Kinkel stole the show with their heartfelt takes on their journeys to becoming members of the Principia community—working quietly behind the scenes of academia.

Principia College President John Williams (C’76) presided over the event and introduced the guests, but he turned most of the hour-long meeting over to staff and faculty speakers. “Since 2020, I’ve wanted to invite new voices of the Principia community to be heard so that we can learn about people who we might see every day but not really talk to,” President Williams said. “Principia College is the largest community of Christian Scientists working and living together in the world, and we are a multifaceted family.”

In addition to Foster’s and Kinkel’s talks, International Admissions Counselor Nik Peschke (C’18) and Global Studies Chair Sally Steindorf (US’93, C’97) shared stories of how they came to Principia College and discovered their callings as a part of the Principia family. Please visit the Principia College Youtube channel below to watch the convocation.