Skylar Bryl BS ’26, a Master of Arts in Athletic Training student, is involved in ,��a��student-led organization��that��empowers its members through hands-on leadership opportunities and intellectual exploration.��Freedom Forum��hosts��various activities and immersive travel experiences that examine how economic freedom��operates��and benefits communities.

Bryl��serves��as the��chief��marketing��officer,��creating social media content��to promote the organization’s events and mission. Although she��did not study business, Bryl strongly believes in��Freedom Forum’s fundamental principles, particularly the freedom of choice in labor. She��stated, “This program opened my eyes to��expanding��my career possibilities��in the future. I discovered my interests extend beyond just athletic training, and it has also provided me with excellent opportunities to build professional leadership skills and network.”

From May 9–18, Bryl and her cohort traveled to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, where they learned about the country’s rich history and its unique journey to reclaiming independence. They also explored Estonia’s e-citizenship program, which allows many services to be completed online, such as starting a business in��fewer than��15 minutes, voting in elections, and��submitting��marriage and divorce applications.

One of Bryl’s favorite moments from the trip was hiking through��the��Viru Bog��in��Lahemaa National Park. She enjoyed learning about Estonian cultural heritage and folklore while experiencing the beautiful natural surroundings.

While Bryl has traveled to various locations��during her time��with Freedom Forum, her time in Estonia stands out as an experience she will carry with her forever.

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Torres reflects on his own immigration and path to citizenship while sharing that, as an Evangelical Covenant Church pastor, he speaks to his congregation about the Biblical command to care for one’s neighbor and how Christians can live that out in today’s world.

Read more at the .

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Born in 1959, Calloway has a high IQ paired with a learning disability, which means she processes information differently from others. Due to inadequate support during her primary schooling, she failed courses and “essentially sat in a dark room” during the day.

At home, academic support was also hard to come by, but thankfully, her grandmother was present to instill confidence and faith in her.

“My grandmother would stand me in front of the mirror and ask God to let me see myself as he sees me,” Calloway said.��“She would talk to me about the Bible,��showing me��verses proving that ‘God doesn’t make junk.'”

This faith��has carried her throughout her entire life.

In adulthood, Calloway joined the United States Army National Guard and later became a youth case manager through agencies that worked at city-, state-, and country-wide levels—all without a high school diploma. “It was the life that God ordained for me,” she said.

Her son followed in her footsteps, attending the United States Military Academy. Shortly after, however, the September 11 attacks occurred, and he was called to active duty. After three tours, he came home in 2009 but unfortunately experienced post-traumatic stress disorder.

Calloway used her God-given gifts to care for her son during this��difficult time.��“God gave me the grace to counsel him,” she said.��“He gave me the strength to help my son navigate this challenge.”

In 2016, Calloway’s mother became ill, and she decided to retire from her case management position to care for her. While doing so, her son became physically sick in 2021. After caring for both him and her mother through 2023, they passed away in the same year.

It was during these challenging years that God guided her to get her degree. Speaking on the emotional caregiving she administered to young adults in her career and family members while experiencing illness, she said, “God called for me to become credentialed to do what He has done for me for others.”

Amidst caregiving and grieving, Calloway earned her high school diploma in 2021, her Associate of Arts from Triton College in 2024, and then felt drawn to attend ������Ƶ for her bachelor’s.��

As with any student, Calloway’s first stop at ������Ƶ was with the Office of Admissions. She described Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions Malcolm Parker MOL ’22, her transfer counselor, as the anchor of her ������Ƶ experience. His servant’s heart, attentiveness, and grounded demeanor supported her not only in her admission experience but throughout her studies at the university.

She said once classes began, she understood why God led her to ������Ƶ. “God’s heart was deposited into the instructors,” she��stated.��“Hannah Barbosa, the counseling psychology program coordinator and academic advisor, was a great blessing��to me, as was Vanessa Serrano,��the accommodations and academic support specialist coordinator.”��

Through these relationships with staff, professors, fellow students, and the��material itself, Calloway felt��God’s presence��at ������Ƶ��every step of the way.��From her “Introduction to the Bible” course to her “Psychobiology” course, she��found the intersection of faith and biology particularly��inspiring, as well as the concepts of��servant leadership and��“seed planting” in spiritual development.

In the fall,��Calloway��will��continue her��education through��������Ƶ��in��the��Master of Arts in��Clinical��Mental Health Counseling��program, which��has recently been��accredited.

As she looks toward her graduate studies, Calloway offered this to fellow ������Ƶers:��“It’s not about the profession; it’s about being a servant for God’s people through your profession.”

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��Stob��graduated from ������Ƶ with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science��and��is the owner of��, a small��business��in Whitefish, Montana,��dedicated to��repairing��all clothing��items,��including knitwear,��technical bags, and��her specialty:��zippers.��

Textile waste is rapidly piling up in landfills,��and��Stob’s��mission through Super Bloom Gear��over the past 10 years has been��to provide��people��with��the��option��to repair��and extend the life of��their items rather than discard them.��If they��aren’t��repairable,��she��makes sure to transition��them��into��something else, hoping to play her part in��reducing��waste.

Read more about Stob and��Super Bloom Gear Repair��at��.

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With the intention of helping women choose an institution that empowers them, the ranking is exclusive to schools that employ 20 or more women in academic roles and have 1,000 or more students. It considers their statistics regarding female leadership, fair pay and policies, women’s safety, and opportunities for students and faculty from diverse backgrounds.

Newsweek Editor-in-Chief Jennifer H. Cunningham remarked, “Earning a place on America’s Best Colleges for Women list reflects an environment that meaningfully supports women’s success.”

about the ranking.

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First-year orientation was the first time Mishra had been abroad or even met students from other countries. “I didn’t expect people to be kind,” he said. “I come from a completely different part of the world, and no one knew me. Yet they were kind. It was very touching.”

������Ƶ’s diversity is part of what drew him in, especially because he noticed it included not only American students but also a vibrant international student community.

In the spring semester of his senior year, as the Student Government Association president, Mishra made giving back to the campus community that has shown him kindness a primary facet of his role. He advocated for the student body and served as a “bridge between the student body and university administration.”

He was active on campus in other capacities as well, serving as the International Club president, which he also founded; the Intercultural Late Night program chair; and a Voyage Activities Board member, a student programming organization that fosters community on campus and connects students to various opportunities to get involved. Mishra was also an active member of University Ministries, including the Urban Outreach team’s Friday Night Street Ministry, which serves Chicago’s unhoused population.

In all these endeavors, Mishra sought to build and strengthen connections, both between himself and others and among different campus organizations. Director of Intercultural Student Affairs Rashad Hanna recognized these efforts, presenting Mishra with the Diversity Award at the NPU Day of Excellence ceremony on April 15. This award honors a senior for outstanding leadership and sustained commitment to advancing ������Ƶ’s intercultural core identity on campus and/or throughout the Chicago community.

When reflecting on his years at NPU, Mishra said, “You’ll find endless people who are looking to support you. And for that, you have to get out of your shell as well.”

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SmartAsset assessed more than 1,000 regionally accredited schools with undergraduate enrollments of 5,000 or fewer students in the United States, focusing on overall affordability, graduation rates, and median earnings of former students 10 years after enrollment. The list included 75 schools in total, and ������Ƶ ranked first among Chicago schools, third among Illinois schools, and 43rd overall.

SmartAsset is a financial technology company that provides free tools and content to help users make informed financial decisions. about the methodology.

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“This ceremony is about celebrating the richness, diversity, and faith that shape ������Ƶ,” President Mary K. Surridge said in her opening remarks. “Here, identity is not formed in isolation, but through the beautiful tapestry of the people and the cultures that God has brought together.”

Before presenting the awards, Director of Intercultural Student Affairs Rashad Hanna acknowledged students’ diligence in the numerous events they facilitated throughout the academic year, emphasizing that all their work “has culminated in this one moment in time for us to celebrate you.”

Below are the 2026 award recipients:

• The Champion of Diversity Award: Counseling Psychology Program Coordinator and Academic Advisor Hannah Barbosa
• Director’s Award: Jenna Jawhar
• Honors Convocation Diversity Award: Shyamkumar Mishra
• Impactful Alumni Award: Odalis Arcadio BA ’20
• Academic RSO of the Year Award: ������Ƶ Club of Engineering
• Intercultural Registered Student Organization (RSO) of the Year Award: East Asian Student Association
• Social RSO of the Year Award: Christian Student Organization

Senior student leaders received hand-stitched graduation stoles, presented by President Surridge and Provost Dr. Francisco X. Gaytán.

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Last year, Johnson wrote and drew the annual edition of DC Comics’ Absolute Batman, which led to his recognition as one of the most popular artists in the current comic book world. He and the comic’s regular monthly artist, Nick Dragotta, are becoming two of the biggest names in the industry and are “at the center of a seismic shift” back to artists “driving sales [and] fans” alongside writers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Johnson taught himself to draw his favorite characters from comics like Power Rangers and Transformers as a child. He later wrote and drew the latter in adulthood, the first issue of which sold more than 100,000 copies and earned two Eisner Awards, the industry’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. It was his first breakthrough.

By the time DC Comics offered Johnson the opportunity to work on their popular Absolute Universe, he was rapidly gaining acclaim as a writer and artist. That trend continued, with his Absolute Batman Annual No. 1 selling more than 150,000 copies and going through second and third printings.

Read more about Johnson and the trend at .

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