Past Presidential Fellows: 2022-2023

Baraka Kamau ’23
Hometown: Weymouth, Massachusetts
Major: Economics

Office of the Associate Vice President for Advancement

Kamau is an international student from Nairobi, Kenya studying economics and minoring in innovation/ social enterprise. Her passion for entrepreneurship and empowering small businesses led her to participate in CEL's annual Social Venture Challenge, where she qualified as a finalist. Kamau grew up serving in ministry with her parents in Nairobi, which sparked her interest in serving the campus community. At Gordon, she is a resident advisor, intern for the Office of Student Life, and currently works as an admissions recruiting intern. Kamau is also an alumna of the Jerusalem and Athens Forum, where she gained a broader understanding of society and culture. In addition, Kamau enjoys singing and leads worship at Gordon and her home church. After Gordon, Kamau looks forward to seeing how God will use her interest in entrepreneurship to serve small businesses and startups. She aspires to work within the African continent to equip young people and women with the tools they need to be successful

Calvin Dundore ’24
Hometown: Lewiston, Maine
Major: Business Administration and Christian Ministries

Office of the President

Dundore is a junior studying business administration and Christian ministries. His vocational mission is to combine his passion for holistic business and his love for people. As a Global Honors Scholar, Dundore has greatly appreciated the opportunities inside and outside the classroom to think critically and prepare for effective global engagement. At Gordon, he works at La Vida’s summer Adirondack program, serves as an Admissions intern, participates in intramural leagues, and aids in the student body’s spiritual growth and well-being on campus. Before Gordon, Dundore pursued an education in the carpentry trade and plans to incorporate those skills in a future career. On the weekend, you will find Dundore exploring a new coffee shop on the North Shore or hiking/skiing the peaks of New England.

Carley Ross ’24
Hometown: Sanibel, Florida
Major: Christian Ministries

Office of the Vice President for Advancement

Ross is a junior from Sanibel, Florida. She is majoring in Christian ministries and hopes to influence the next generation for Christ. Her heart for ministry has led her to volunteer in several church positions, including children's ministry, the nursery, and camp counselor positions. At Gordon, Ross's involvements include being a member of Women’s Swimming, the first Frost Fellow's cohort, a student ambassador and an Orientation crew leader. Ross is currently involved in the Dokes Ministry program and hopes to pursue a master's degree in spiritual formation. In addition, she is excited to practice her ministry skills this year as she serves in leadership roles in Residence Life and on the Women's Ministry Team. In her free time, Ross enjoys working out, baking and exploring Creation.

Connor Hall ’24
Hometown: Norton, Kansas
Major: International Affairs

Office of the Vice President for Administration

Hall is a Global Honors Scholar from Norton, Kansas, studying international affairs at Gordon. He’s also an Air Force ROTC cadet at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and a former Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field student-athlete. Hall is passionate about fostering an environment of critical thought and empathy in the realm of international politics, with the recognition that there is so much to learn about the intricate nuances of our beautiful world. In his free time, he enjoys researching and writing about defense technology and geopolitics, running, hiking and using his flight simulator. After college, Hall hopes to commission as an Air Force intelligence officer and spend his career studying how the technology that has fascinated him since a young age can be judiciously employed to defend liberty around the globe.

Eric (Yoon Do) Lee ’24
Hometown: South Korea
Major: Business Administration and Economics

Office of the Vice President for Enrollment

Lee was born in South Korea, grew up in China and attended a high school in Oregon. He is pursuing a double major in business administration and economics and a minor in innovation and social enterprise. At Gordon, Lee has been involved with the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. He won third place in the 2018 Social Venture Challenge during his first year of college and worked for CEL his sophomore year. Lee has taken three gap years between his first and second years of college. During those gap years, he served in the Korean military and received various awards, such as a 4-Star General Award for representing more than 20,000 soldiers. He has more than three years of work experience in the consulting and tech industry for companies such as BCG and Bain & Company Consultants. His professional goal is to become a strategy consultant.

Gabriela (Gaby) Roman Mendez ’24
Hometown: Bellingham, Massachusetts
Major: Social Welfare

Office of the Vice President for Marketing and External Relations

Mendez is a native of Mexico City; however, she has spent most of her life in Massachusetts. She is a junior studying social welfare with a minor in business administration and plans to add a sociology minor. At Gordon, Mendez has loved serving as peer mentor for The Great Conversation course and as a student ambassador for the Admissions Office. Mendez shares that being a member of Women’s Lacrosse has been one of the biggest blessings and learning experiences during her time at Gordon thus far. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her friends and family, hiking and going on drives. Mendez plans on using what she learns at Gordon to pursue a career in social work for the Department of Children and Families.

Hannah Hartman ’24
Hometown: Czechia
Majors: Communication Arts and English

Office of the Vice President for Marketing and External Relations

Hartman is a junior double majoring in English language and literature and communication arts. She is originally from Denver, CO, but in 2011 she moved to Eastern Europe with her family, who were serving as missionaries in the Czech Republic. Hartman is fluent in Czech and was highly involved in her family’s music ministry, which primarily focused on sharing the Gospel with Czech teenagers. Hartman deeply loves third culture kids and international students, leading her to serve on the International Student Leadership team at Gordon College. In addition, she has served as a campus traditions coordinator on the Campus Events Council and as an area coordinator for Residence Life. Hartman specifically enjoys conversations relating to intercultural communication, which led her to create the Outcast Podcast. The Outcast Podcast is a podcast that features international students speaking about their experiences. Hartman loves spending time outdoors, writing, reading and traveling outside of classes and work.

Joan Ndekezi ’23
Hometown: Rwanda
Major: Economics

Office of the Vice President for Finance and CFO

Ndekezi is a native of Kenya and was raised in both Tanzania and Rwanda. She is a young entrepreneur and an economics major with a mathematics minor. Ndekezi has felt the Lord calling her to promote economic justice via financial management and poverty alleviation in developing economies. She owns a social enterprise that works toward developing small businesses in Africa. In addition, she is working on creative processes to enhance the education system in developing countries. She also runs a four-week, holiday Book Camp program in Rwanda that focuses on building a reading and writing culture in Kigali Public schools. At Gordon, Ndekezi has served as a police dispatcher, peer mentor of The Great Conversation, and information manager for the Advancement Office and the Archives. Ndekezi has also treasured her time in the Jerusalem and Athens Forum, her involvement in student government, and as a representative/financial coordinator for the International Student Organization. For leisure, Ndekezi enjoys running, writing poetry and working with young children.

Kyla Lange ’23
Hometown: Lynn, Massachusetts
Major: Biblical Studies

Office of the President

Lange is a Clarendon Scholar from Lynn, Massachusetts. She grew up as a pastor’s kid and served in urban ministry alongside her parents. Working closely with the underserved populations of Lynn ignited her passion for biblical literacy, community development and social entrepreneurship. Lange is pursuing a biblical studies major with a double minor in social impact and innovation and social enterprise. As a Dokes Ministry Scholar, Lange is also pursuing her Master of Arts in Theological Studies with a concentration in intercultural studies at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. At Gordon, she has served as a peer mentor for The Great Conversation, a Clarendon academic intern, a community liaison and an Orientation core staff member. In addition, Lange is passionate about her work as the student director of community engagement on the Community Engagement Team. This work builds bridges for students to engage with local communities and organizations. Outside work, Lange loves exploring the city, playing guitar and spending time with family.

Sieun Yang ’23
Hometown: South Korea and the Philippines
Major: Kinesiology

Office of the Vice President for Enrollment

Yang is a South Korean, but her heart has been in the Philippines since she first moved to the country when she was eight. Growing up, she was homeschooled, and although her first language is Korean, she also speaks English and Mandarin fluently. Being trilingual will help her to achieve her dream of becoming a missionary doctor and providing medical care to diverse communities—as will her major in kinesiology and concentration in health professions. Recently, Yang worked for LaunchWorks, a biology lab that was founded during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave her an inside look into how diagnostic tools are made. Yang has loved Gordon’s academic and leadership opportunities. She formerly served as a teaching assistant for chemistry classes. Her current involvements on campus include serving as an apartment coordinator for Residence Life, Orientation core staff member and Bennett Center student manager. Outside class, she loves playing guitar and piano, as well as playing various sports.

Teddymax Talanoa ’23
Hometown: Murrieta, California
Major: Psychology

Office of the Vice President for Student Life

Talanoa is a senior psychology major with a minor in political science. Teddymax comes from a large immigrant family that originally hails from the South Pacific Islands of Tonga and Samoa yet currently resides in Southern California. Moving between various regions of the Golden State exposed Talanoa to people of starkly different socioeconomic backgrounds and gave him a heart for providing medical aid to those in underdeveloped countries. During his first year, Talanoa’s vocation evolved into a desire to do trauma work, particularly with youth in urban contexts. His introduction to student leadership at Gordon came through his role as a community tutor in the Office of Service-Learning. From there, Talanoa has been blessed to serve in the Gordon College Student Association (GCSA) as freshman class representative, vice president of Student Life and executive vice president. His other involvements in the Office of Student Life have ranged from roles in the Chapel Office to Residence Life, where he has served on the leadership team for God’s Chosen Gospel Choir and has held a resident advisor position in Fulton Hall since his sophomore year. His participation in Model United Nations has given him a passion for investigating how industrial and organizational psychology practices can benefit institutions of higher education. A self-proclaimed advocate for the liberal arts, Teddymax loves reading, live music and hiking.