Alyssa VanHook was many things: a senior committed to Eastern Michigan University, vice president of her class, a compassionate friend and a cherished daughter. However, one prominent title remains, and it is that Alyssa was a member of the Uncaged staff.
Alyssa’s devotion for helping others succeed and her ease for building connections made her a revered editor. Never one to give up even in the most precarious situations, Alyssa would often help staff members in any way that she could.“I took pictures for a story and they didn’t turn out. Instead of giving up, Alyssa volunteered to model for my photos,” junior Olyvia Hoard said. “We spent most of the class trying to glue tiny crystals all over her face and even though it took us forever, it was so fun.”

Many students merely go through the motions when they choose Uncaged as their elective, creating only the bare minimum required for their newspaper page or they lack the skill to navigate InDesign’s intimidating complexity.
With Alyssa as their editor though, she wasn’t satisfied with mediocrity. She worked tirelessly teaching her staff how to create award winning pages, she happily answered any questions her staff had and she relentlessly edited every page over and over again until all standards were met and the page was near perfect.During their senior portfolio, Jamie Phillips described Alyssa as the person who pushed them to do their best work.
“This is my third year as a member of Uncaged, and it was only this year that I attempted to write the cover story,” Phillips said. “Alyssa believed that I could do it, and I did. I didn’t only write the story, I took the photos, and with Alyssa’s guidance, I designed the page.”

Alyssa had a hunger to be the best, which made her passionate about anything that she set her heart on, and she was passionate about many things.
“One of my favorite things about Alyssa was how she would become fixated on specific things seemingly out of nowhere,” senior Lilly Williams said. “The summer before senior year her fixation was sushi so four of us went out for sushi. After taking her first bite Alyssa immediately realized that sushi was not the food for her.”
She loved sharing these interests with the people she was close to.
“We were crowded around Alyssa’s computer in excitement, just watching the newest trailers for Sims 4 Expansion Packs,” senior Kathryn Brumm said. “We agreed wholeheartedly that the Sims 4 was an amazing game.”
Just as she was determined and passionate, she was equally compassionate.
“We would have class parties and Alyssa always came prepared,” junior Macy Cipta said. “This past Halloween, she got the entire staff goody bags stuffed with candy, trinkets and toys. It was so cute.”
“During a class gift exchange, Alyssa gave me a gift that was perfect for me and she included a very sweet letter,” junior Grace Burg said.
Alyssa’s consideration for others was also shown through her hard work and receptiveness to feedback.
“Alyssa was an inspiring leader, and because I knew how great she was, I would often push her to be even better,” Uncaged adviser Alex Doering said. “I once advised her that she needed to lead by example, which meant that even though she had many more responsibilities than her classmates, her story needed to be finished and her page designed before the deadline so that she was readily available to offer assistance to her staff. As evidenced by the next page, Alyssa always rose to the occasion. She was truly remarkable.”
Come celebrate her life at 11am this Saturday, April 29th at the Highest Praise Worship Center. A luncheon will follow the service at the American Legion Post 510.