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Greg Kern is the director of recruitment. He started working at Hope in 1998, but he left to be a high school guidance counselor and college counselor at an international school in Honduras. He returned to Hope in 2001 and has held various roles in the department over the last 20+ years.

As director of recruitment, Greg leads the Recruiting Team and also has a recruiting territory that includes about five high schools in West Michigan and all of Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin. He is also the admissions office liaison to the Office of Financial Aid.

Education

• B.A., psychology, Hope College, 1998

Professional experience

In his days as a college counselor, Greg lived in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and worked at a private, Christian, bilingual school called Academia Los Pinares. He was also the juvenile (varsity) boys soccer coach, juvenile boys basketball coach and a substitute teacher as needed.

From 2012 to 2016, he served on the board of directors for the nonprofit organization Colleges That Change Lives. The organization was formed as a collaborative effort of the member colleges of Loren Pope's book by the same name.

Why I love Hope

Greg believes that Hope provides an outstanding compliment of experiences academically, socially and spiritually. He enjoys the way Hope has challenged him to think creatively, deeply and critically.

Because of the opportunities Hope provides, Greg knows the college draws an exceptional set of people who choose to be a part of the Hope Community — faculty, staff, students and alumni. He is continually grateful to be able to engage in life at Hope, from athletic contests to the performing arts, and from academic speakers to Chapel worship services.

Outside the college

Greg loves sports, exercising, traveling, reading and spending time with his family. He is an avid fan of Hope sports, and, fortunately, so are his boys. They go to Hope sporting events as often as possible. He has also completed several triathlons and tries to make time to run, bike or swim every day.

Each summer, he and his wife take their kids to a rustic family retreat, which allows them a sustained period of being together and being unplugged; fishing, reading and family games are the staples of their time away.