OPUS Celebrates 25 Years of Christian Scholarship

What started as an idea to highlight and celebrate Christian scholarship across ºÚ°µ±¬ÁÏÍø’s campus has taken on a life of its own over the past 25 years. OPUS is often described as an academic carnival, complete with snacks, parades, and raffle prizes. This year, a local favorite, Lucky Burrito, was on campus to provide tacos to students, faculty, and staff, making everyone feel part of the celebration.

The combination of scholarly presentations across various disciplines with a festive atmosphere makes for a memorable and unique event for students and attendees. OPUS continues to be a great opportunity to showcase intellectual growth and community building.

Sarah Krause, OPUS Committee Co-Chair, expressed, “OPUS 2024 is officially in the books, and we are so grateful for how this year’s celebration turned out. Congratulations to all the competition winners, but more importantly to all who competed! Many judges commented that they had a REALLY difficult time selecting winners, which speaks to the high quality of presentations that were shown or delivered. Everyone who presented or performed should feel encouraged by their work!â€

Winners of competitions were:

OPUS Literary Arts Competition Winners

Fiction/Drama:

1st Place: Chase Hadley – “Can of Cornâ€

2nd Place: MJ Huizenga – “What It Takesâ€

Poetry:

1st Place: Chase Hadley – “Stockholmâ€

2nd Place: Njoki Mukuria – “Black Tears for Baobabâ€

 

OPUS Music Competition Winners

Vocal Solo:Ìý

1stÌýÌý±è±ô²¹³¦±ð: Keila Rivera

2ndÌý±è±ô²¹³¦±ð: Emily Hawkins

Instrumental Solo:

1stÌý±è±ô²¹³¦±ð: Jared Peters

Vocal Ensemble:

1st place: Audrey Yonkman, Eden Elling, Jared Peters

2nd place: Carvell Anderson, Keila Rivera

Instrumental Ensemble:

1stÌý±è±ô²¹³¦±ð: Joseph Talluto, Ashley Yonkman

2ndÌý±è±ô²¹³¦±ð: Haley Wedster, Jared Peters

Original Musical Composition:

1st place: Nathan Hiltner – “Event Horizonâ€
Ìý

OPUS Art & Design Winners

Graphic Design:

1st place: Lydia Rascher – “Timeless Sandâ€

2nd place: Lydia Rascher – “Untitledâ€

3rd place: MJ Huizenga – “Love Hate Teesâ€

Honorable Mention: Allison Tillema – “Front Coverâ€

Sculpture:

1st place: MJ Huizenga – “Hate Mail Origamiâ€

2nd place: Maggie Otto – “Ring Ringâ€

3rd place: Kit Miller – “Wash Upâ€

Drawing/Painting:

1st place: Amanda Csuka – “Seasons and Second Lifeâ€

2nd place: Sydney Wood – “Where’s Kitâ€

3rd place: ÌýMaggie Otto – “Continual 3â€

Honorable Mention: Yuri Coleman – “Stormâ€

Honorable Mention:ÌýAmanda Csuka – “The Feeling of a Concertâ€

Honorable Mention:ÌýNora Johnson – “The Man in the Moonâ€

Honorable Mention: Abigail Rhoda – “Dear Old Worldâ€
Print/Photo:

1st place: Karla Rosales – “Navajo Landâ€

2nd place: Hope McIntosh – “A Book about the Everydayâ€

3rd place: Amanda Csuka – “Flower portraitsâ€

3rd place: Abigail Rhoda – untitled

Honorable Mention: Becca French

Honorable Mention: Ren Amador – “postcardâ€

Best in Show: MJ Huizenga – Gender Reveal Ball

 

OPUS Creation Care Competition Winner

Leah Lisowski – The Rice is Right: Golden Rice & the Fight Against Vitamin A Deficiency Worldwide

 

OPUS Poster Presentation Winners

1st place – Martin Sheehan

Influence of Dark Matter Particles During Interstellar Travel

1st place – Mia Musick

Perceptions of Masculinity: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2nd place – Sarah Conners

Pawsitively Connected: Investigating Animal-Assisted Interventions in Adolescent Group Work

3rd place – Bethany Moultrie

Can Granny Ease the Pain? Researching Self-Esteem in Adolescent Youth being Raised by Grandparents

OPUS Presentation Showdown Winners:

1st place: MJ Huizenga

2nd place: (tied) Sharon Jegadish and Leah Lisowski

Honorable Mention: Jared Peters, Mary Mathieu