A call for nominations for the Distinguished Alumni and Horizon Awards

The Alumni Office at Dordt University welcomes nominations for the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award and 2025 Horizon Award, both of which are due on February 15, 2025.

The Distinguished Alumni Award recognizes Dordt alumni who have distinguished themselves in an extraordinary fashion, who give evidence of living out of a Reformational worldview, and who demonstrate exemplary service to the community and the world.

The Horizon Award recognizes young Dordt alumni who are emerging as leaders and innovators, working effectively and creatively toward Christ-centered renewal in every area of their lives and work. This award identifies alumni who are community-minded and entrepreneurial—those who are using their knowledge, gifts, and talents to participate in God's redemptive work in the world.

Kaysha Steiger, director of alumni and parent relations, says the act of nominating someone allows the nominator to reflect on the role that person has played in their life and the lives of others. “For both the Horizon Award and the Distinguished Alumni Award, the impact that the individual has had on others is felt, and there is excitement to recognize the work the Lord has been doing through them.”

Dr. Brandon Huisman, vice president for advancement and marketing, says that nominators have told him how rewarding it is to reflect on their nominee’s journey and articulate how God accomplished Dordt’s mission through them. “They have also told me that the nomination process itself deepens their own appreciation for the nominee’s story and inspires them to think about how they, too, can make a Kingdom impact.”

Recent recipients of the Horizon Award include:

• V.J. Hachaba (’18), a pediatric nurse at Children’s Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Wendy Gomez Matamoros (’12), executive director of Tesoros de Dios in Managua, Nicaragua
• Aaron Van Beek (’18), board president and CEO of Midwest Honor Flight in Sioux Center, Iowa
• Dr. Chris Boomsma (’03), director of education at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America in Madison, Wisconsin

Recent recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award include:

• Dave Rozenboom (’85), president of First PREMIER Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• Darin Fey (’00), global director of Business Connect in Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Steve Blom (’01), executive director at Bright Promise Fund in Chicago, Illinois
• Paul TenHaken (’04), mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Those who receive the award are invited to Dordt’s campus during Defender Days to participate in the Defender Nation Dinner as well as share their expertise with students in classes and elsewhere.

“Hearing from award recipients is always inspirational,” says Steiger. “There are so many unique ways that each one of us is serving the Lord, whether big or small, and it is incredible to hear how the Lord has used award recipients specifically for service in His Kingdom.”

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.