News

The students of the Music in Europe Abroad (Winter 2022-2023) embarked on a remarkable journey into the musical cultures of Austria, the Czech Republic, and France.

Principia College Highlights 2022-23

International Students' Speeches | May 11, 2023

Enter on an aerial shot above waves of grain. A narrator speaks in low, dramatic tones: “Principia is a small liberal arts college in Elsah, Illinois. Despite finite resources, they have become a serious contender for this year’s race.”

So begins Episode 1 of Solar Chariots, the six-episode web docuseries. Produced by Million Stories, Solar Chariots chronicles the 2022 American Solar Challenge, the cross-country race billed as “the ultimate test of endurance and collaboration.”  

In a room of otherworldly beauty, with black-and-white pastel drawings hanging amid tree branches, pinecones, and leaves dressed in plaster, a young woman reads haunting poetry. This was the setting for “…a thing I cannot name,” a pop-up joint art exhibition and poetry reading, displaying the craft of Paul Ryan’s Drawing II class, Dinah Ryan’s Poetry Writing II class, and Sky O’Brien’s Fiction Writing II class.

College Commencement weekend kicked off with an inspirational tone on Friday evening. Lessly Amwikato, Spencer Christensen, Matthew Hagenlocher, and Jacob Sablan—who were nominated by their peers to deliver this year’s baccalaureate speeches—shared their experiences and life lessons learned at Principia. Looking forward, Amwikato discussed building confidence and overcoming self-doubt, while Sablan reflected on an unprecedented college career marked by a global pandemic and a rugby national championship. “We remember how we felt,” Sablan poignantly noted.

Senior Camille Abadie was inspired by her Media, Law and Ethics class to explore questions of free speech. In her role as director of this year’s Public Affairs Conference (PAC), Abadie, an aspiring journalist, gathered a dedicated group of fellow students and got to work.

“What seems to us bitter trials are often blessings in disguise,” wrote Oscar Wilde in his beloved, satirical play The Importance of Being Earnest. That was borne out in real life during Principia College’s production of the very same play, this spring. 

On April 28, Plan for America—a nonpartisan, public-private partnership focused on solving the national debt crisis while bolstering American retirement and healthcare systems—hosted a symposium on the Principia College campus.