ALUMNI HIGHLIGHT - Karen Van Seters (Class of 1999)
Karen Van Seters (nee Vant Land) attended Immanuel Christian School from K-12. In conversation with Karen, she shared that she always loved drawing and “was encouraged by my art teacher, Mrs. Horner. In high school, my science teacher, Mr. Vischer, predicted that I would become a scientific illustrator. That prediction came true as I am now a Certified Forensic Artist, providing scientific forensic drawings for law enforcement.”
After graduating in 1999, Karen received her certificate in Office Administration from Lethbridge College and then was hired as a Records Clerk for the Lethbridge Police Service. Three years later, she became a 911 dispatcher where she was trained to help people in very stressful situations. This, along with her close working relationship with the Lethbridge Police Service, led Karen to utilize her artistic skills to further help people through Forensic Art.
In 2009, Karen took her first course in composite drawing from Stuart Parks Forensic Associates, a husband-and-wife team from Idaho who travels around North America teaching various Forensic and Fine Arts. She mentioned that “during my very first class with them, we realized we had our Christian faith in common when they mentioned their close friend, Frank Peretti, and my head popped up like a fan girl! They have become like family to me now, and we remain close in our faith and love of art and books.” (Carrie Stuart Parks is a published author and I highly recommend her Christian fiction crime novels.)
Today, Karen is still a 911 dispatcher and continues her ongoing training in composite drawing, skull reconstruction, identification of unknown remains, age progression, and more. She provides these services primarily to Lethbridge Police; when they release a drawing to the public, you’ll see her trademark KVS signature in the corner.
“My time at Immanuel Christian School reinforced my Christian faith and taught me the importance of service and caring for our neighbors and community. The school also introduced me to my husband, Randy, and is where our children, Jakob and Luka, each attend. With this family and community supporting me, God used my career in Emergency Services to lead me to serve others through Forensic Art. I could never have predicted this would be my path, but I can’t imagine it turning out any other way.”
Karen’s art is on Instagram @kvstheartist, Facebook @kvstheartistyql, and her website https://karenlynne.wixsite.com/kvstheartist. You can find Carrie Stuart Parks’ books at Chapters and on Amazon, and more information on her website http://www.carriestuartparks.com.