Voices
2007
Media Experience in India
On December 20, 2007, Anna Schellin awoke to a world unlike any she had ever seen before. As a way of expanding her cultural and media-filled horizons, Anna, with the help of Lifeworks, spent a month with her video camera filming the slums and bleak backdrops of Chennai, India. Though at first her surroundings made for a difficult time, she soon tapped into a strength she did not know she had and was able to utilize her strengths to mobilize people into ministry teams. As Anna says, “It would be difficult to name one aspect of the trip as most beneficial. Every aspect changed me in some way. I learned more about myself in one month than I have in all my life.”
“Despite the hardships I endured and witnessed in India, I had experienced a life-changing month overseas. I learned so much about myself in a short period of time.”
— Anna Schellin
Internship to El Salvador
In the summer of 2007, Brianna Mingus participated in the King’s Castle Ministry that is based in El Salvador. Her time there was spent ministering to children and building relationships with them. Even though there was a language barrier, God used her and her teammates to help those children see the love of God. This experience made her feel a renewed call to the US.
“I feel called to minister to half-hearted people and to back-slidden Christians… I am thankful to continue my life in the land of opportunity. However, I will never forget all that I have learned in El Salvador."
— Brianna Mingus
Jennifer Lopez Enterprises Internship
The idea of classes can typically seem boring and menial, yet the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, a one-semester film studies program through the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, offers a very different take on the quest of learning – a quest Julie Hill, a senior electronic media major, decided to take. In the spring of 2007, Julie attended the LAFSC in Los Angeles, California, where she took classes in “Theology of Hollywood”, “Motion Picture Production”, and “Hollywood Production Workshop”. She also interned three times a week at Jennifer Lopez Enterprises, doing anything from working the front desk to helping decide on the cast of a new show to running errands for Jennifer Lopez and her team.
“One of the greatest gifts that I have been given through this program is to see that which is in front of me. Looking through the lens of a camera has taught me to carefully look at the world around me – whether it be metaphorically or literally – and to truly notice that which surrounds me… No matter what happens or where I go, I will always hold Hollywood and the city of Los Angeles in a special place in my heart.”
— Julie Hill
Education Seminar
On February 1, 2007, four students at Evangel had the opportunity to participate in an education seminar in Springfield, Missouri. This seminar, Succeeding with the Difficult Young Child, was hosted by the Bureau of Education and Research and taught students techniques to deal with challenging children, practical strategies for working with children with autism and behavior disorders, and provided a resource handbook for working with withdrawn and aggressive children.
"This seminar had an effect on God’s calling in my life because it makes me want to truly touch, encourage, and help difficult children. As a result of this seminar, I feel better equipped to carry out God’s calling."
— Heather West
"This conference proved to be a very beneficial experience for me. The information that was covered in the session is information that I can and will use in my future profession. The conference made me realize that I can integrate my strengths with how I manage the classroom."
— Sarah Seaman
North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Conference
Over the weekend of February 23, 2007, five Evangel music majors traveled to Southern Methodist University in Dallas for the North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Conference. While attending this conference, students had the opportunity to interact with professional and student saxophonists, hear performances, sit in on lectures and master classes, and view exhibits.
"Recently I have been struggling with what God wants me to do. I have never had a passion for teaching, but after going to this conference, God has ignited a passion in me. I am still in the process of praying and searching for what God’s will for my life is, but this conference has helped in that search."
— Nikki Moss
"This trip has also given me a better understanding on what God is calling me to do in my life. I believe that God wants me to use the talent he gave me to become a great saxophonist so that I can minister to people through my music."
— Jordan Aubin
"After the conference, I was reassured that I am headed in the right career field. As much as I love music, I do not desire to pursue a career in music, but in the field of healthcare. However, this conference challenged me to do my best in my performance of the saxophone, even if my career isn’t directly involved with my playing."
— Tim Fraticelli
Washington Studies
In January 2007, 11 Evangel students had the opportunity to participate in the two week Washington Studies Program through the Social Sciences department. During the first week, students participated in the National Association of Evangelicals 2007 Christian Student Leadership Conference. Along with undergraduates from across the country, students had the opportunity to tour the US Capitol and White House, attend a breakfast with US Senators, and listen to a host of speakers including a Supreme Court Justice, the Chaplain of the US Senate, and Directors of both the White House office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and the Office of International Religious Freedom. According to the faculty coordinator of this trip, Bryan Sanders, this conference provided an opportunity for Evangel students to interact with students from other Christian schools around the country. “The experience exposed our students to the spectrum of political beliefs within the framework of their Christian worldview. I believe it challenged many of them to look at the political world from a variety of different angles, conservative to liberal along the political spectrum.”
During the second week of the Washington Studies Program, students participated in a one-week internship with various Congressional offices. These internships included working in the offices of Senators from various states, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Family Research Council. Students were also able to visit local universities such as Georgetown and George Washington University to explore opportunities for graduate studies. The internship experience had a great impact on the students, especially Andrew Carico and Jeff Hunt. For Andrew Carico, this internship gave him a stronger perspective of his own strengths. “I never realized how much I had actually learned about government until I was able to put my knowledge to practice. Doing this internship helped me realize that I could really compete and do just as good a job as anyone. There is no reason I shouldn’t believe I can win an election one day and make a real, positive difference.” For Jeff Hunt, this trip solidified the calling on his life to pursue politics. “Before going on this trip I had a plan for what I was going to do with my life, but I didn’t feel like I was being called into anything. As soon as I started working in the Senate I definitely felt called into that area.”
Overall, this experience has helped several students determine whether or not to pursue a career in politics.
