Family Ties Show Strength in Sibling BVU Graduation
Brad Kerkhoff and April Brand, brother and sister, both graduated from Buena Vista University in May. Brad took classes and wrestled for the Beavers in Storm Lake, while April took a mix of in-person and online classes through BVU’s Denison site.
Forgive Kathy Kerkhoff for getting a tad emotional on the last Saturday in May at Buena Vista University. She was about to watch two of her children–her oldest and her youngest–walk through the Victory Arch on their way to a diploma.
“This is such a big day for our family,” Kathy says as she leans close to husband Blane. “For us, it’s the end of an era.”
Brad Kerkhoff, the sixth and youngest child raised in Audubon by Blane and Kathy Kerkhoff, majored in exercise science/human performance and wrestled during his four years as a Beaver in Storm Lake. His career at BVU culminated with a trip to the NCAA Division III National Wrestling Meet in March.
“BVU was everything I wanted and more.”
Brad Kerkhoff
April Brand, the oldest child in the family, graduated from Audubon High School 20 years ago. She attended the University of Iowa after high school and earned a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies with an emphasis in therapeutic recreation. She worked in that field for several years, until entering education as a substitute teacher.
“Working as a substitute teacher got me to thinking about having my own classroom as a teacher someday,” Brand says.
So while Brad, 22, took classes and wrestled for the Beavers in Storm Lake, April, 37, took a mix of in-person and online classes through BVU’s Denison site, not far from her home in Audubon, where she and husband, Scott Brand, raise their four children.
“Classes were flexible and we had grandparents all around for support,” she says.
April student-taught last fall and earned her diploma in December. She decided to attend the May Commencement, in part, because her “baby brother” would also be graduating.
Brad communicated with Dr. Brian Lenzmeier, BVU provost and vice president for academic affairs, who ultimately helped arrange for the siblings to walk side-by-side at Commencement.
“I remember being a little kid and running around the University of Iowa when April graduated the first time,” Brad says. “It was pretty special to have her graduating with me this time around.”
More than 30 family members, including each of their siblings, joined their parents in a luncheon at Chautauqua Park before Commencement. Kathy Kerkhoff shared tears of joy, relating how she and Blane traded BVU memories on their way to Storm Lake that morning, both ecstatic their children could see these graduates off.
April will now begin teaching Title I Reading and math at Audubon Elementary School, while Brad heads east to Fairborn, Ohio, to help his brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and DeAnna, with their young children while Deanna is deployed with the military overseas. When DeAnna returns, Brad will look to land a position in his career field, perhaps in Dayton, Ohio.
His first job, like the crowd of Kerkhoffs on campus for BVU’s graduation ceremony, shows how strong these family bonds remain.
“It was such a great time having my BVU and my Beaver wrestling family to celebrate with my parents, my siblings, and my other family members,” Brad concludes. “After Commencement, my immediate family walked down the Circle Park just south of campus and we stood by the lake and soaked it all in.”
He smiles before offering his final assessment: “BVU was everything I wanted and more.”