Dr. Ke Shen

When I came to Calvin in 1990 from mainland China, I had extremely limited access to communication with my family in China because it took more than one month for letters to travel across Pacific and telephone was not available to vast majority of residents in China, not to mention it cost more than $3 each minute to call China. Lori was my manager, my best friend, my mentor, my older sister, and Lori’s extended families (her husband Cal’s families) were my extended families. She was the best boss, the best colleague, the most amazing conversationalist, forever intellectually curious, forever analytical, forever with the boundless patience to listen and to understand others. At that time I often struggled to find peers with similar interest and curiosity as at that time the world was not as globalized and connected as today, Lori had the mindset, the curiosity and the heart that transcended borders, cultural and ideological differences. In today’s environment one can’t help but to appreciate just how invaluable that quality is and how that quality will endure the test of time. Lori remains till this day as one of the most open minded persons I have met in my life, and later in my life I have traveled far and met so many different people with very diverse background. Lori just has so much intellectual curiosity and empathy for others. Everyday to come in to Lori’s corner, to work with and talk to Lori at the lab prep area lifted me up. I know that many other students and faculties benefited the same as I did from interaction with Lori. Lori is a vector of compassion and joy, and I hope Lori Keen Scholarship recipients get to benefit from this vector and spread your compassion, intellectual curiosity and joy to others.