Students In Summer

By Anna Chapman

Crown’s students work hard during the school year, but what they do over breaks––specifically summer break––often reveals their character. Some stay at home and find jobs. Some pursue internships. A few travel the world.

We checked in with Crown students Titus W. and Sarah Vang about their plans for summer 2022 and their responses show Crown students want much more than just a paycheck.

Titus W. - Summer in France want to learn what it’s like to be uncomfortable in a position,” Titus said with a gleam in his eye as he described his summer plans. “I had a little bit of a transition coming [to Crown], but [this summer] is going to be nothing like [that] and I’m really excited to be able to work through that.” These words are uncommon for the average first-year college student. Many are looking for stability after being uprooted from their childhood homes, but Titus is eager to take on a new challenge.

This summer he’s going to France for a fiveweek internship at a service organization in Toulouse. His primary focus is reaching out and connecting with the community through music, running, and English conversation groups to offer them Good News they might not have heard before. Of these, he seems particularly thrilled about the running, which will help him stay in shape for his next crosscountry season.

As a young adult who has never left the country, Titus is excited and nervous to be stretched and shaped by this experience. “Thankfully, I know a good amount of French culture and French language, so the adjustment won’t be too much,” he said. He hopes this knowledge will help him connect with the community more quickly than he would if we were to go somewhere completely unfamiliar.

The organization hosting him also shares in Crown’s purpose and identity, so that will add familiarity to help him feel like he belongs there. Besides serving and becoming more adept at cross-cultural communication, Titus will also be taking on a big step in embracing adult responsibilities. “I’ll have a weekly stipend where I have to buy my own food,” he laughed. “That’s definitely going to be an adjustment.”

Titus is prepared to face the differences and opportunities, though, as he keeps his goals and passions in mind. He plans to be an international worker using his talents in problem-solving, running, and music to impact his community wherever he goes. This summer will provide a taste of the life he plans to live, but his life here at Crown is already helping him on his way. “Anywhere else, people would say, ‘Why would you do that? What’s the purpose of it?’” Titus explained. “Being here, everyone’s like, ‘That’s so cool! I love that you’re doing that.’ It’s such a great community here that’s built me up.” This supportive community among the students, staff, and faculty of Crown is part of what makes it so special. Titus feels ready to take on whatever comes this summer because of the support he receives from his family and friends, but also from the rest of the Crown community. Even more than those, though, he is prepared to go by the strength of He who sends him there.

Titus says everything has gone smoothly as he’s planned his internship. Flights were a good price, and everyone is supporting him as he goes. However, he is making some sacrifices to do this. Not only is Titus giving up an opportunity to work his job he loves and spend time with his family back home, but he will also miss a friend’s wedding due to the internship. Even though that’s a disappointment, he fixes his eyes on his purpose and what he wants to accomplish.

Through his internship, Titus hopes to develop a passion for new students entering Crown next year and for empathizing with people from around the world. He isn’t naturally driven to reach out to others when he is content with the connections he has. He hopes that this summer will remind him what it’s like to be the new person entering a new situation and that it will motivate him to reach out and befriend new students that come next semester. His experience will undoubtedly help him learn a little more about what it is like to be an adult, to serve overseas, and, certainly, to be uncomfortable.

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Sarah Vang - Learning Close to Home

ollege is, for many, a time to find one’s identity. In Christian circles, it’s also a time to find God’s calling. “I feel like I have this passion to take care of people––to serve them as Jesus served us and his disciples,” said Sarah Vang, who is on her way to making these important discoveries through her junior year at Crown College. “I think I know that this is God’s calling for me,” she said as she discussed her future in nursing. Sheplans to find out a little more about her future career through a summer-long internship at St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, Minnesota.

Over the course of her internship, Sarah will spend 30 hours every week shadowing a working Med Surg nurse (Medical-Surgical nurse who helps care for patients preparing for or recovering from surgery). Not only will she get to see the work in action, but she’ll also gain an understanding of how life might look when she is on a nurse’s schedule. “I think it’s either going to make me or break me,” she said as she considered the challenges sure to arise this summer. She knows it will teach her something about herself, whether it’s that she can do it or that it might not be what God has for her. While that would be a difficult message to receive, she is ready to take the risk, recognizing how encouraging success would be.

Hospital work is Sarah’s dream, so this internship seems to be a perfect fit. She will experience a taste of a hospital nurse’s daily life and an abundance of hands-on learning that directly applies to what she wants to do in the future. The opportunity has long-term benefits, but it also helps her in the short term. Classroom material will be demonstrated in real life, and she will most likely be able to perform tasks she had only learned about in a textbook. Her recent clinical experiences have shown her that she does her best learning on the job, so following and watching someone representing her potential future self will be a great advantage to feeling confident in her skills and class material. She also hopes that all this learning will help solidify her knowledge and gain confidence as she prepares for the NCLEX—the dreaded licensure exam every nurse must pass.

Sarah looks forward to hands-on learning and seeing the medical profession in action this summer. She’s also excited to share about the experience with her family. Sarah’s mother always wanted to be a nurse, but a language barrier held her back from realizing her dreams. Now, her youngest is living out her dream and following God on this inspirational path He has prepared. “I’ve come to realize I have my mom’s heart of serving and her heart of compassion,” Sarah said. In addition to being inspired by her mom, Sarah credits another source of inspiration for her career path. “Jesus is the perfect example as a nurse. He took care of the sick when nobody did,” she reflected.

Crown has helped Sarah recognize Jesus’ example as the nursing program emphasizes holistic, ministry-centered work. While many healthcare professionals are only concerned with patients’ physical issues, Sarah is learning to connect that with patients’ emotional and spiritual health as well. As she cares for their bodies, she wants to be a light to them and be a witness to the Gospel and Christ’s love for them.

Throughout the process of applying for this internship, Sarah has been learning what it means to trust God and his timing. She anticipates the internship will test her reliance on God and encourage her to depend on his strength as she tries something new and challenging. As difficult as it may be, she is up for it. Sarah is grateful for the support and prayers of the Crown community as she boldly steps out in faith this summer.