Francis Sylvester describes himself as “a student who likes to sit in the front row,” someone with an internal drive to work hard in pursuit of his dreams. A junior in his second year at Calvin, Sylvester is majoring in supply chain management. He says figuring out the best academic fit �󲹲���’t been straightforward, but one thing has always held: ��� wanted something focused beyond me.”

Sylvester graduated high school from the West Michigan Aviation Academy, located at Gerald R. Ford International Airport, in 2021. He devoted his four years there to meeting the rigorous academic and physical requirements that would earn him a coveted place at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. When he stepped onto the campus of USAFA in the fall of 2021, his path forward felt secure. He would become an Air Force pilot and serve his nation.

On May 13, 2022, everything changed. Sylvester and a group of friends decided to go camping in the mountains while on leave from the Academy. Led off-trail during a hike, he and his fellow cadets found themselves at a cliff edge evaluating the direction they should take. The ground Sylvester stood on suddenly gave way, plunging him 300 feet down the side of the mountain. He sustained multiple injuries, including a brain bleed, broken bones, and a severed artery in his leg. It took first responders eight hours to reach him and bring him to safety.

Sylvester spent six weeks in a coma and eventually needed his leg amputated. The road to recovery took many months, but eventually he was able to move back home to continue therapies and regain his strength.

The injuries that nearly took his life also meant being medically retired from the Air Force, something that dramatically altered the future Sylvester had imagined. But that has not stopped him from dreaming new dreams.

He says he realized he could still seek a vocation oriented toward service. Drawn to Calvin because of its Christ-centered focus and small classes, he saw in it the potential for a new beginning, a way forward.

He first pursued mechanical engineering—accustomed to doing well in school, he �徱���’t anticipate the challenges. "My whole life, I was never worried about classes or passing; it was always, ‘Am I going to get an A or an A-?’” says Sylvester. “The first semester of engineering I passed everything, but, boy, was that a struggle.” He decided to re-evaluate his options to find a major that still utilized his gift for problem-solving.

“Studying supply chain management, I realized I could use my hands and work with people and customers who come to me with a problem. Maybe they say, ‘Here’s what I’ve got going on, can you design a solution to help me out?’"

Sylvester says as a newcomer to Calvin’s School of Business, he especially relishes Wednesday nights at Startup Garage, a student business incubator advised by entrepreneur and Calvin alumnus Jon Ver Lee. ��� �徱���’t yet want the time commitment and responsibility of starting a business, so I asked, ‘Can I just show up?’” He says he was immediately welcomed. ���t’s been incredible to get to know Jon Ver Lee and to see how Startup Garage is opening doors and teaching us all to explore.” 

That exploratory attitude keeps Sylvester motivated through the challenges he faces daily. “Losing so much so quickly is hard in the sense of seeing God in all of it. But even if I could take this away, I ��Dz�’t know if I would. I would love to be back at the Academy and the exciting future I had there, but Calvin has done a phenomenal job picking up that excitement again for me, especially as I transitioned to business. Maybe there’s even a little excitement in the uncertainty, as I figure out God’s calling.”

So far, Sylvester feels well-supported financially, academically, and socially at Calvin. He is the first student to receive the newly established , a named scholarship created by businessman Peter DeKorte awarded to academically motivated students who have disabilities. He says, ���t put Calvin back on the table for me at a time when I �徱���’t think the price tag was feasible.”

Sylvester also appreciates having access to academic support and making connections with peers through the Disability Inclusion Project, a student organization that creates a safe space to share lived experiences and organizes awareness and advocacy events on campus. 

He is quick to add, however, that being an amputee and needing more time to complete his studies do not define him. ���t’s not my whole life; sometimes ����’s hard to distinguish. People try to support and help me, but then I also ��Dz�’t always want that to be the focus of my interactions with them.” 

���’m still the kind of student who likes to sit in the front row. That �󲹲���’t changed,” Sylvester says, yet he finds himself asking new questions of God as he discerns a different but still meaningful future. 

��� ��Dz�’t think many of us understand what love is, especially in the godly sense. He does love us. Love comes with challenges. Each day I pray, ‘God, gently direct me where I should be going.’”