What's Happening

February 6, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – Siena Heights University students and Adrian Dominican Sisters celebrated the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, January 28, 2026, in part by gathering at the school’s cafeteria for “legacy lunch,” the first in a monthly series of legacy events during the spring semester.

This second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year is the final semester for Siena Heights University, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919 as St. Joseph College. In July 2025, the University announced its closure at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.

“The idea is to connect our current students with the legacy of the Adrian Dominican Sisters so they can take a piece of the Sisters with them,” explained Nathan Rankins, Campus Minister. “Nothing ever ends. So [we are giving] the legacy of Siena Heights and the legacy of the Adrian Dominican Sisters to our students.”

Even as they discussed their plans for what’s next for them, the students spoke of the legacy they have received from their experience at Siena Heights University. Katie Stewart, a sophomore, transferred to Siena Heights this year but already has been affected. “Everyone is so friendly and kind, and I feel the positivity,” she said. “The instructors are understanding and will work around schedules if you’re having problems.”

Katie is majoring in psychology but hopes to change her major to physical education next year at Eastern Michigan University or Grand Valley State University. She said she appreciates the personal feel at Siena Heights University and the opportunity to attend weekday Mass.

Iris Millies, a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science, has already learned much in that field from her participation in the 2025 Environmental Leadership Experience (ELE), a weeklong, hands-on experience for Siena Heights and Barry University students at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ permaculture garden. She said she appreciates the “focus on the environment and the opportunities I’ve had here – the mixture of the Sisters and the school.” She said she will probably attend Grand Valley State University. 

Caden Rogers, a senior, said he is “blessed” to be able to graduate from Siena Heights University this year with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He hopes to become an electrician and is applying for an apprenticeship. His study of business, he said, will benefit him in his work as an electrician, giving him skills he might need to manage his own electrical business or advance as an electrician. 

Caden benefited from his years at Siena Heights University in other ways. The faculty and staff “leave an impact on you,” he said.  He was also surprised by the diversity that he found in such a small university. “There are people I met from Brazil and the Dominican Republic,” he said. “I got to meet people from all walks of life.”

Gabriel Iott, who has been studying science and will begin his major in physical therapy at Grand Valley State University, has been especially moved by the sense of community that he found at Siena Heights University. Its smaller size helps the students to be more connected, he said. “I’m very involved in campus,” he said. “You get to know a lot of people and it’s a very tight group.”

Gabriel said that the faculty, staff, and administration at Siena Heights University are involved in campus life in many ways, including the Late Night Breakfast program, in which they serve night-time breakfast to students before the start of final exams week. “I’m in a research program and we have to have a faculty mentor,” Gabriel explained. He was never in a class with his mentor, who still dedicates a lot of time to Gabriel. Many other faculty members also show this dedication to the students. “I think that’s very impactful.”

Sister Eunice Drazba, OP, said she attended Siena Heights College when it was much smaller. She is impressed by the current students. “Somehow our legacy has affected them,” she said. In addition, the university has been very inviting to the Sisters on the Motherhouse Campus. “They let us know what’s happening,” she said. “We feel very welcome by the students.”

Nate said that the Legacy Lunch was the first in a series of planned monthly events to help students connect with Sisters and to experience the Sisters’ legacy. The next event is a Legacy Mass, to be held in February during the regularly scheduled 7:00 p.m. Sunday Mass and followed by a reception. The legacy events for March and April are still in the planning stages.

“I see the legacy of the Sisters as the signs of the times,” Nate said. “The Adrian Dominican Sisters, in my opinion, have always been able to discern the signs of the times and how to respond. It would be our hope that our students will be able to go out into the world and discern what they need to do.”

 

Caption for above feature photo: Enjoying lunch together during Siena Heights University’s Legacy Lunch are, from left, Gabriel Iott, Sisters Corinne Florek, OP, and Barbara Quincey, OP, and Caden Rogers.

By Mel Brown, Program Manager, Eskala, Inc. Panama, and Marilín M. Llanes, OP, Director, Office of Portfolio Advisory Board

February 9, 2026, Puerto Lara, Panama – Eskala, Inc., is helping bring hope and opportunity to financially excluded rural Indigenous communities across the Global South. Founded in 2020, Eskala is dedicated to developing accessible financial products and equipping clients with the tools they need to build economic prosperity and equity.

At its December 2025 meeting, the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) unanimously approved a $200,000 low interest loan to first time recipient Eskala. This investment will help expand Eskala’s Economic Empowerment Program, supporting efforts to break the cycle of poverty in underserved communities – especially among women-led local savings and lending groups.

Mel Brown, program manager at Eskala, shares an inspiring story of how Indigenous women are becoming beacons of hope, transforming their communities from within:

In the remote community of Puerto Lara in Panama’s Darién province, economic opportunity has not always been within reach, especially for Indigenous women. For generations, families relied on agriculture, fishing, and traditional handicrafts, yet access to fair and affordable financial services remained out of reach. Today, that story is changing.

At the center of this transformation is Iraida Valencia, a 33-year-old artisan and community leader, and her husband, Moisés Chamapuro. Both are members of a rural community bank formed in 2015 by 52 Indigenous Wounaan women who came together to strengthen their household economies while preserving their ancestral traditions through handicrafts.

“When I was young, my mother couldn’t even enter a bank because of our traditional dress,” Iraida recalls. “My family and I never thought it would be possible to get a loan. Today, I am the proud president of our own rural bank.”

The community bank Iraida helps lead is supported by Eskala, a mission-driven social enterprise that partners with locally led savings and lending groups and community banks across Panama, Honduras, and Ghana. Rather than replacing community systems, Eskala invests in and strengthens them, ensuring that financial resources remain owned and governed by the people they are meant to serve. 

Iraida and Moisés received their first loan of just $500. They used it to invest in plantain farming and to purchase materials for making traditional baskets. At the time, Moisés worked in agriculture and fishing, while Iraida focused on handicrafts. Over the years, by repaying their loans responsibly, they gained access to larger amounts of credit, each one supporting a new step forward for their family.

A $3,000 loan allowed them to complete construction on their home and open a small mini-market in Puerto Lara, providing essential goods to neighbors who previously had to travel long distances. Another $2,000 loan, combined with their savings, helped them purchase a pickup truck, dramatically improving their ability to transport agricultural products to Panama City.

Their most recent loan, for $4,000, was granted in October 2025. With it, they expanded inventory for their mini-market, invested in handicrafts for resale at fairs throughout the country, and began purchasing agricultural products from neighbors to transport and sell in the city.

“For many years, money used to cost me 20% or even 50% interest,” Moisés says. “Borrowing meant enslaving all my effort, and these were the only options. Today, I know I can keep my pride and my traditions, because we are owners of our own capital.”

The impact of this journey extends far beyond one family. Iraida and Moisés now generate employment opportunities for neighbors, support local artisans, and help circulate income within their community. Through Eskala’s support, members received training in financial management, lending practices, and leadership, enabling them not only to access credit but to operate a sustainable community institution. Iraida, who joined the savings group at age 22, was elected president of the Puerto Lara community bank last year in recognition of her leadership and commitment.

Her story reflects what is possible when women are trusted as leaders, when access replaces exclusion, and when financial systems are built on dignity rather than extraction. With the continued accompaniment of partners like Eskala, communities such as Puerto Lara are not only improving livelihoods, but they are also reclaiming ownership of their future.

 

Learn more about the vital mission of Eskala: A community bank run by entrepreneurial women in Panama below or at this link.

 

Feature photo at top: Moisés Chamapuro, left, and his wife Iraida Valencia stand in their mini-market in Puerto Lara, Panama. They completed construction of their home and opened the mini-market after receiving a $3,000 loan from a community bank supported by Eskala, Inc.