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The Hindu
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Erode Amman Mess's Coimbatore branch stays true to its Kongu roots
It is a sea of heads inside the recently-opened Erode Amman Mess near Hope College. Even as we enter, a small crowd has gathered at the entrance, waiting to be called inside if a free table comes up. Luckily for us, we have a table to swoop in on and quickly elbow our way past hungry diners. The restaurant, that serves a range of Kongu non-vegetarian staples, is packed through the day. Erode Amman Mess's roots can be traced back to a small thatch-roofed eatery in the 1980s in Erode. After 20 years of serving non-vegetarian Kongu fare in the small town, the restaurant branched into Chennai in March 2019. Today, they have seven branches in Tamil Nadu, apart from outlets in Singapore, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. The Coimbatore branch is a homecoming of sorts for the brand that was started on Kongu soil. At Erode Amman Mess, they take their mutton and chicken sides seriously. In an ocean of spicy, non-vegetarian gravies that taste the same, each of their dishes holds their own. The chicken kaatu varuval, for instance, tastes of a fragrant masala of red chillies and coriander, while the chicken kandhari is a flavourful blend of tender meat tossed with green chillies. We also try the moru moru chicken, that as the name implies, is crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. The dish is sure to be a hit among the kids, given that the meat is also boneless. The deep-dried, golden discs make for an ideal starter. The mutton and chicken biryani, among their must-haves, arrive at the table with a flourish, to be demolished in minutes. Our vote is for the chicken variation; it is mild with a perfect balance of spices, while the mutton biryani has a little too much ghee that overpowers other flavours. While we are at biryani, we pair it with prawn fry, a dish of tawa-fried prawns that come enveloped in a fiery red gravy. When at Amman Mess, social media tells us not to miss their Japan chicken. The dish – that has nothing to do with Japan – consists of small chunks of chicken simmered in a buttery cashew and cream-based gravy. From what we can see, every table has a plate of Japan chicken, and we too give in to peer pressure. The dish is said to go with their crispy ghee parottas, and we order a couple of them as well. It arrives sizzling hot and we tear off a piece and have it with a dollop of the creamy chicken. The combination of the sweetish gravy and parotta is to die for, and we also understand why it is one of their most sought-after dishes. Mention must be made that it might not be everyone's cup of tea, for a non-vegetarian curry with a sweetish profile is not exactly what one would call a Kongu dish. In desserts, they recommend tender coconut pudding and palkova veechu parotta, which has a gooey stuffing of condensed milk. The dish is the perfect way to round off the Erode Amman Mess experience and represents what they stand for: something old, something new.
Forbes
10-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Future Of College Isn't Transactional
The First Twenty Hope Forward Graduates, The Pioneers Re-Inventing How A College Education Can Be ... More Funded. What if the best way to shape responsible, generous graduates isn't through contracts or debt—but through trust? Last week, the college I lead, Hope College, celebrated a historic milestone: the first-ever graduating class of pay-it-forward students. Twenty young adults walked across the stage with a diploma in hand and zero tuition debt. But this wasn't just a financial experiment or a philanthropic gesture. It was a living, breathing demonstration of what can happen when education is rooted, not in transactional contracts but in trust, generosity, and hope. When we first launched Hope Forward in 2021, we knew it would face scrutiny. The idea was simple enough: Students shouldn't have to pay tuition. Instead, each student should receive an education paid in full by someone else. In return, these students would commit to give back someday, but without any legal obligation to do so. The concept is easy to understand. Many felt that it was also too idealistic to be practical. We heard every version of it: These concerns were expected. For decades now, higher education has operated on this transactional logic. Students are conditioned to believe that debt is a necessary burden, a rite of passage even. We've come to see financial obligation as the only reliable path to commitment. And yet, paradoxically, the weight of that obligation often breeds anxiety, burnout, and disengagement. So despite the naysayers, we felt like the time had come to try something new. And so, we began with beta-testing. Our first pay-it-forward cohort was small by design—twenty students who represented a wide range of socioeconomic, racial, geographic, and cultural backgrounds, all funded by a single anonymous donor. 30% of them came from overseas, and 20% of them were the first member of their family to attend college. But they weren't chosen because they looked good on paper; they were chosen based on a prompt - 'name an area of hopelessness you want to bring hope to.' Over the past four years, this group has become a kind of living laboratory—not just for financial aid reform, but for cultural transformation. We had already started to notice interesting trends in terms of academic performance and engagement: Our Hope Forward students had a higher average GPA than the rest of their class - 10% higher. They also had higher-than-average participation in campus life, from student government to service organizations to peer mentoring roles. But it wasn't until after graduation that we were able to report on two of the most astounding outcomes. The first outcome is related to retention. The graduation rate for this cohort was nearly 90% — well above national averages, and also above our own college's average graduation rate. But it's actually the second outcome – related to financial giving – which seems to be the most significant indicator yet that this model might actually work, perhaps better than we had ever dreamed. Upon matriculation, every Hope Forward student signs a covenant, promising to give back to their alma mater every year for the rest of their lives, beginning the year after graduation. We call this a covenant instead of a contract because although it's not legally binding, it's still relationally binding. And we expected the students to treat it as such, and to take their obligation seriously. What we did not expect was for students to stop seeing giving as an obligation altogether, but rather a privilege – something they couldn't wait to do. Yet that's exactly what seems to have happened. When Commencement arrived, 85% of this graduating class had already made a voluntary, financial gift to our college prior to graduation. One student even set up a recurring monthly donation. Not because he had to, or was expected to, but because he wanted to. To state the obvious, this is simply unheard of in the world of higher education fundraising. The average alumni giving rate in the US is less than 8%, and that's after graduation. In terms of giving rates prior to graduation, the number falls so low as to be virtually non-existent. Who would ever want to make a donation to a college they are still attending? But that dynamic is precisely what we've witnessed. And it's a trend that looks to be holding true for subsequent classes of Hope Forward students as well – looking at the next three graduating classes, 70% of those students have already made a gift as well. All of that to say: in launching this new model, we got more than we bargained for. Pay-it-forward didn't just create financial relief; it created an entirely new culture—one where trust begets trust, and generosity multiplies. These students proved that generosity, once ignited, becomes self-replicating. That receiving freely leads to giving freely, as a matter of course. That hope is not a fragile dream, but a durable engine. At the heart of Hope Forward is a radical claim: when people are trusted, they rise to the occasion. Trust isn't just a 'value' — it's a strategy. This represents a small but seismic shift, from scarcity to abundance, from contract to covenant, from debt to devotion. Traditional financial models operate on enforcement. Hope Forward operates on formation. It forms students not just intellectually, but relationally and spiritually. It teaches them, from day one, that they belong to a story that is bigger than themselves—and that their response to receiving is to become givers in turn. As one of these students put it recently, 'I don't 'deserve' my education: It's a gift given to me by someone I don't even know. It's grace. It could have been given to someone else. Our natural response to something given to us should be to share it.' Behavioral science backs this up. People give more, not less, when they feel trusted. Psychology tells us that voluntary commitment is more powerful than coerced obligation. Neuroscience shows that generosity activates reward centers in the brain. Which is essentially what Jesus already tried to tell us a couple of millennia ago: 'It's more blessed to give than receive.' Turns out that's not some sort of moral standard to aspire to, but rather a basic law of human nature. Hope Forward is still young, and we are still learning. But if this first cohort is any indication, we're learning in the right direction. We're well aware that there's still a long road ahead, and we'll need to continue making adjustments as we grow. We'll need to measure more, listen more, and adapt as needed. Sustaining and scaling this model will require long-term vision, disciplined stewardship, and a generous community of supporters. But those supporters are growing. Because they see what's happening, and they want to be part of it. Which is why I'm confident that even as this model scales, its core purpose will remain intact: to educate students through generosity, and to invite them into lives marked by the same. This is not just about how we fund college. It's about what kind of people we believe a college can shape. It's just the beginning. But already, the future feels different.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State football picks up transfer commitment from Hope College edge rusher
Michigan State football picks up transfer commitment from Hope College edge rusher Michigan State football continued their mission to shore up their pass rush via the transfer portal, landing a commitment from Hope College transfer Jack Lamancusa on Thursday night. Lamancusa will join the program as a walk-on. As a freshman with the Flying Dutchman, Lamancusa was extremely productive, racking up 43 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, and three pass break-ups. He was first-team all-conference as a freshman before entering the portal. At 6-foot-2, 250-pounds, Lamancusa should have the frame to make the jump from Division III up to Division I. The news comes just over 24 hours after the Spartans landed a commitment from Texas Tech defensive end transfer Isaac Smith. It's no secret that MSU is searching for answers at defensive end, as the Spartans were only able to generate 19 sacks last year, with a good percentage of those coming from the blitz instead of pressure on the ends. For context, MSU's leading pass rusher, Khris Bogle, only had four sacks last year. Their second sack leader was Jordan Turner, an inside linebacker, who had three. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.
Chicago Tribune
17-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County students tour HBCUs, historic sites; ‘It was inspiring'
Adrian Parada is a Waukegan High School junior who hopes to study engineering, business or HVAC when he goes to college. He may have found his choice at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, during a Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 spring break college tour. 'It's a medium-sized school, and I like the average class size,' Parada said. 'It has a good engineering program and a nice campus. I have a connection to the college now. It's my first option.' As a Waukegan High School freshman, London Jones does not have her heart set on a particular school, but attending a historically black college or university (HBCU) is a distinct possibility. She visited seven on the Waukegan Township Artis Yancy HBCU Tour during spring break. 'I like the culture,' Jones said. 'I like to dance, and I like team sports. I've always thought about myself being in a Black environment.' Jones and Parada were among more than 70 teens from Waukegan and other parts of Lake County visiting colleges in Louisiana and Arkansas on the HCBU tour — or in Michigan on the District 60 trip in late March — getting a closer look at schools and campus life. Taking a three-day bus trip to Michigan, Melissa Giles, a District 60 college and career manager said the 38 students and five chaperones went first to Kalamazoo College, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and, finally, Hope College. 'It gave the students a view of different types of colleges and universities,' Giles said. 'They each offer a different type of experience and school culture.' Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones, who is London's father, said the HBCU tour started 13 years ago — this was the 11th rendition because of a two-year COVID lapse — to expose the 'young scholars' to a unique academic environment to which many can relate. 'The tour is a pivotal component in empowering students of color to pursue higher education and achieve their full potential,' Jones said. 'We are extremely proud to be able to provide this opportunity, not just to students in the Waukegan community, but for students throughout Lake County.' Tami Springs, the HBCU tour coordinator, said the 34 students traveled by bus on an eight-day trip through Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana, visiting seven HBCU schools and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Visiting historic sites along with the colleges, Springs said they saw Dillard and Xavier universities in New Orleans, as well as Southern University and A&M College, and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — the only non-HBCU institution on the trip. 'It's LSU,' Springs said about including the non-HBCU school on the trip. 'LSU is noteworthy and a draw, so this gives them an idea of the differences.' From Baton Rouge, the group traveled to Grambling State University in Louisiana before arriving in Arkansas to see the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Philander Smith College there. Arriving in Little Rock, Springs said the group visited Arkansas Baptist College, and then it was time for a civil rights history tour to Little Rock Central High School where, in 1957, nine Black students tried to integrate the school. It took 1,200 members of the U.S. Army to make it happen. 'It was important for them to see where it happened, and learn about America's segregated past,' Springs said. 'It's something they don't really understand, living and going to school in Waukegan.' Warren Nash, a junior at Grayslake Central High School, was one of the tour participants. A wrestler who reached the Illinois state tournament over the winter, he said he is uncertain if he will pursue the sport in college. None of the HBCU schools offers such a program. He is still considering one. 'It could broaden my view of what I could make of myself in the future,' Nash said. 'It's a place I will be able to study with a mindset of how life could be.' Snobia Givens, a Waukegan High School freshman, was another participant. While she is a few years from making a college choice, she said the experience gave her ideas about possibilities. 'It was inspiring,' Givens said. 'I know what I saw, and what I liked. It gave me ideas of what to think about when I'm a senior. It was nice to see these colleges, especially in the South.' Joscan Cruz, another Waukegan High School junior, said he is almost certain he wants to study HVAC in college and the University of Georgia is high on his list. The trip to Michigan gave him more to consider. 'I really liked Hope,' Cruz said. 'It's very unique. It's religious. I felt very accepted. I got to connect with students and a teacher. They know something about me, and they have a very good engineering program.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A 21-Year-Old College Athlete Went to the Doctor For Migraines. She Was Diagnosed With Breast Cancer: 'It Can Happen To Anyone'
In August 2020, Hope Reynolds was starting her senior year as a swimmer at Hope College in Holland, Mich., but bad migraines and nausea were putting a damper on what should have been a celebratory semester. 'I was not able to eat anything,' says Reynolds, now 25. So she visited the doctor to talk about her migraines, and while she was there, she casually mentioned to that she had found a lump in her right breast. 'The doctor was not really concerned,' Reynolds recalls, but she ordered a mammogram anyway. When Reynolds called to make an appointment, she was told the facility didn't do mammograms on people her age, so she went for an ultrasound instead — and the scan detected something. 'I distinctly remember the provider came in and said, 'We see something. The odds of it being cancerous are so low because of your age, but let's just do a biopsy just in case,'' Reynolds remembers. 'Again, I was reassured that it probably wasn't anything serious.' Two days after the biopsy, on September 14, 2020, she was interviewing for physical therapy grad school, when she saw repeated missed calls on her phone. "The nurse was leaving voicemails saying, 'Please call me back.' I kind of knew that it wasn't good," Hope says. The diagnosis: Stage 3B invasive ductal carcinoma. She was 21 years old. "It's just a whirlwind, trying to figure out, 'Okay, am I going to get treatment in Michigan? Am I going to go home to Pennsylvania for treatment? Am I going to have to put undergrad on hold? Am I going to have to put PT school on hold? Things moved really fast, but it felt really slow. I felt like every hour was just crawling by," she says. Within 48 hours of her diagnosis, she was back at her parents' home in Pennsylvania to undergo treatment locally. That fall, she had eight rounds of chemotherapy, followed by a bilateral mastectomy in February 2021 and 25 rounds of radiation throughout March and April 2021. Her swim teammates had bracelets made printed with #BelieveinHope and the Bible verse Hebrews 6:19, which includes the words "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul," and Hope got to compete with them one last time that year. "I was so excited that I got to swim in my last ever college swim meet a few weeks after my surgery, but before I started radiation, because they said once I started radiation, I wasn't allowed to get in the water because it can really damage your skin," she says. A few weeks after completing radiation, she returned to school to finish the last month of her senior year in person. That summer, in July 2021, she had the final surgery in which they removed her expanders and put in breast implants, and the following month, she moved to Durham, N.C. to attend graduate school in physical therapy at Duke University — and she transferred her cancer care to Duke Health. But even with her cancer treatment behind her, she's still fighting health battles of another kind. "I really struggled with health anxiety, and I kind of developed a distrust of my body," she says. "I didn't have any reason that could explain why I got breast cancer. I was young, I was kind of a health nut and an athlete. No history of breast cancer in my family or anything — so there was no real reason for it. I didn't understand how that could have happened, and so I didn't trust that something like that wouldn't happen to me again." That means, she says, "I have been in and out of therapy, talking with therapists for almost two years now about learning to not freak out over every single little ache and pain. I feel like that was the hardest part for me: Moving on and learning to trust my body and go back to living my life, not in this state of fear of the worst-case scenario happening." Reynolds also credits her parents for managing the often-overwhelming details of health care that accompany a cancer diagnosis, to allow her to focus on healing. "They were the ones that were asking the questions. They were the ones that were making sure that I had the medications I needed. They talked with my oncologist — I was there and listening and got to express what I wanted and what I needed — but they took the reins so I was able to just focus on taking care of myself. And they also focused on taking care of me," she says. Now that treatments are finished, she's taking the reins back. "After that, a lot of the decisions fell more towards me on my own. All of a sudden I had this new thing that I had to think about: 'What does life actually look like now?' I was so focused on just getting through it. I never thought about, 'Okay, now what about after cancer?' That was really difficult. I'm still figuring it out day-by-day." She definitely knew that life post-cancer would involve her dream career. She completed graduate school and is now a physical therapist doing a residency in acute care at Duke Health. "Just because I'm a cancer survivor doesn't mean that I can't do what everyone else can do," she says. "Yes, I had cancer, but you can go back to living your life in so many amazing ways afterwards." In fact, she says her cancer journey has made her better at her work. "What I went through has really helped me in terms of how treat my patients. My experience not only allows me to have more empathy, but it also gave me this perspective of knowing that empathy can only go so far," she explains. "No one can know exactly what I felt going through my own cancer journey, s so I try to remind myself that I will never know exactly what my patients are feeling and what they're going through. All I can do is try my best to hear them and try to empathize, but [also] validate that there are things that they're going through that I can't completely understand." For now, she still sees an oncologist at Duke for survivorship and maintenance therapies. She takes one pill daily and gets a shot every three months and an infusion every six months. She got a year after her mastectomy, on National Cancer Survivors Day. "It was a reminder to just always believe that things will turn out okay and believe that God is in control and looking out for us," she says. "I wanted to get a tattoo just to remind myself of the strength I have, which allowed me to get through my cancer journey." Her mother got a coordinating tattoo when she visited a couple months later. She now shares her story to help others. "I am very passionate about advocating for breast cancer awareness among young women. It can happen to anyone at any age, no matter how healthy you are, no matter your family history," she says. And she also recognizes that her mindset has changed in the years since her diagnosis. "I don't know what my life would've looked like without it. It's kind of just been my normal, but it has been a rollercoaster, lots of ups and downs," she says. "I always say I've learned to appreciate the small things in life and recognize that there are so many unpredictable parts of life, and life is short and nothing is guaranteed. "I feel like cancer created this mindset change to where, though I still get anxious and worry about things, I try my best to really focus on enjoying every day and trying to keep a positive mindset no matter what happens." Read the original article on People
