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Grounded in a general liberal arts education, Hope College offers specialized study in more than 90 majors, minors and pre-professional programs.
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Flourishing programs in 90+ disciplines. A vibrant Christian mission. $50 million in new campus construction. Championship athletics. 94% placement within 6 months of graduation. There亚洲色吧檚 never been a better time to consider Hope College.
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As a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division III associations, Hope College sponsors 22 varsity sports for men and women. The college is home to the 2022 NCAA Division III National Championship women亚洲色吧檚 basketball team.

Like many immigrants in the 19th century, young Japanese embarked on a long and unknown journey to the United States hopeful for a better future.

Ryoza Tsugawa, Kumaji Kimura, and Motoichiro Ohgimi were the first to arrive in Holland, Michigan, invited by the generosity and forward vision of President Philip Phelps.

While Kimura and Ohgimi are appropriately referred to as the first international graduates of Hope College, it is important to recognize that Ryoza Tsugawa was the first Japanese student to study English at the preparatory school of Hope College in 1869.

Kumaji Kimura and Motoichiro Ohgimi spoke introductory English at best as they made their way from Yokohama Harbor to San Francisco and New York City before arriving at President Phelps's home in Van Vleck Hall in 1871. Their journey is a testament of courage and resilience as they traveled to the United States in search of new opportunities, encountering hospitality and hope, and developing a deep commitment to the Christian faith along the way.

Articles

亚洲色吧�Reminiscences of Early Japanese Students at Hope College,亚洲色吧� by Frances Phelps
亚洲色吧�Someone in the Darkness Singing: Anthony Walvoord, a Wisconsin Missionary to Japan,亚洲色吧� by Lane Earns, The Wisconsin Magazine of History, Vol. 74, No. 2 (Winter, 1990亚洲色吧�1991)
亚洲色吧�Hope and Japan: Early Ties,亚洲色吧� by Neal Sobania 亚洲色吧�68, News from Hope College, December 1998
亚洲色吧�Flourishing at Fifty: Hope and Meiji Gakuin celebrate their first half century,亚洲色吧� by Greg Olgers 亚洲色吧�87, News from Hope College, December 2015
亚洲色吧�A Guide to the Early Japanese Students at Hope College,亚洲色吧� by J. Douglas Braat, May 1972, annotated May 2024
"Hope's First International Graduates: Class of 1879," by Douglas Braat, Archives and Special Collections Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 2 (Summer 2024)
"Hope's First International Graduates: Class of 1879," by Douglas Braat, Archives and Special Collections Quarterly, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Fall 2024)

The Hope College Archives and Special Collections has several collections on the early Japanese students, missionaries in Japan, books, and many photographs. The Archives are open to the public, and inquiries are welcome.

Hope CollegeCenter for Global Engagement

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