Six Ways Students Experience Spring Break

Spring break at Knox College brings a flurry of activity as students engage in academic, professional, volunteer, and athletic pursuits on and off campus, staying active even outside the classroom. Members of the Knox community will venture away from campus exploring their passions, whether as a future career, an academic project, or an athletic exploit. Here are a few things keeping students, faculty, and staff busy over break.

1. Chicago Interfaith Immersion

Twenty-eight students, guided by Director of Spiritual Life Daniel Marlin, will participate in the Interfaith Immersion Trip to Chicago. This experience builds on Knox College’s commitment to fostering understanding across faiths, offering students exposure to Chicago’s diverse religious and spiritual communities through visits to multiple places of worship.

Through tours, meals, and discussions, participants gain appreciation for diverse religious traditions. Each visit features teaching on beliefs, rituals, and practices, helping students understand how communities experience faith, and offering a unique opportunity for personal and cultural growth.

Students will visit BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Chicago Loop Synagogue, Old St. Patrick’s Church, Sikh Religious Society, and the Bahá’í House of Worship.

Trustee Emeritus Mary Kent Knight ’60, LHD '25 will join the group at the Baha’i House of Worship, spend time touring the grounds with the students, and engage with them in conversation about the experience. After the visit, Kent Knight will join the students for lunch to reflect on the trip and talk about what the students learned through the experience. 

“Mary deeply values interfaith dialogue, so this will be a wonderful opportunity for her to interact directly with the students and hear how these encounters across religious traditions are shaping their perspectives,” Marlin said.

2. Arizona MACRO project

Three students, along with Associate Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Knox Observatory Nathalie Haurberg ’06, Makerspace & Science Technician Alex Fluegel ’19, and Iowa grad student and Knox graduate Phillip Griffin ’20, leave March 17 and return March 22 from the Winer Observatory in Sonoita, Arizona. 

The group will visit the MACRO telescope so students can see the telescope in action and how it operates remotely. The group will also work on the telescope and replace parts of the backend. Students will engage in hands-on work, while learning about astronomical instrumentation. 

3. KnoXTrek

The Bastian Family Center for Career Success is collaborating with the Office of Advancement and with Chair and Associate Professor of Art Andrea Ferrigno to travel with students on a Chicago-based exploration of art and architecture, connecting career development with Knox’s experiential education focus. 

“Students, who are majors or minors in art, art history, and visual arts, are traveling to Chicago to explore and connect with career paths and art professionals. Students will have the opportunity to connect with alumni and experience a unique collection of art,” Associate Director of Career Exploration and External Relations Tiffany Springer said. “The itinerary was designed to highlight the many career paths and post-graduate opportunities that align with an art degree from Knox, as well as give students the opportunity to build their professional networks for employment and internship opportunities.”

The KnoxTrek includes an Alumni in the Arts Career Panel and Networking Lunch, an architectural boat tour, an experience made possible by alumnus Joe Moore ’80, as well as a tour of the art collection at the Union League Club of Chicago, made possible in part with a connection from a Galesburg community partner.

4. Prairie Fire on the road

The Prairie Fire baseball and softball teams will travel to Florida for a week of games, furthering Knox's emphasis on student-athlete experience through intercollegiate competition. The men’s golf program will compete at the Alice Lloyd Spring Invite in Kentucky, March 21-22. For team updates and more about Knox College athletics, visit https://prairiefire.knox.edu/.

5. Job shadows for students in the healthcare fields 

The Vovis Center for Research and Advanced Study is curating shadowing experiences with several partner healthcare organizations, connecting Knox students to hands-on professional development in their chosen fields. The experience is part of the College’s support for pre-health pathways. 

Multiple hospitals, clinics, and health departments across the region are participating. Over a period of three to four days, the hosting clinic or hospital coordinates meetings with providers and a variety of shadowing opportunities across specialties, from surgery to family medicine to respiratory therapy and more. This initiative is helping meet student needs while also forging new relationships within the local community. These programs complement the individual shadowing that students may request. Some or all expenses may be covered by the Vovis Center and/or by another significant partner and ally, the West Central Region's Area Health Education Center.

6. American College Dance Association's Annual Conference

Chair and Professor of Dance Jennifer Smith, Associate Professor of Dance Kathleen Ridlon, and members of the Knox dance program are representing the College at the American College Dance Association's Annual Conference, performing two dances learned during the winter term as an extension of Knox’s focus on artistic excellence and public performance. The dance piece, If Found, Return to HOUSE, was accepted into the conference's Gala Concert, which is a culminating performance event that highlights outstanding works selected by a panel of three adjudicators.

Published on March 16, 2026

- Scott Holland, Office of Communications