Kdportfolio2

Writing Portflio Konner Dent

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Directory Konner Dent

Professors, collegues, fellow colligues, and Directory: potential employees, thank you for finding your way to my portfolio. Included is a list of my work in journalism, and comunica- Newswriting.............................1 tion. It is a collection of varrious sources, from Weimar to Andrews, and includes Picture ....................................# online prodctions, school publications, and offical work for the SDA church. Allong with writing, I also have experience in photogra- Video........................................# phy, film, and Adobe editing.

ASI Coverage Lake Union Herald - June/July 2017

“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?”

“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

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“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt.

“Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo.

Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?”

From Mission to Mission Envision (Submission) - 2016

“I was supposed to be a Canadian,” is not a phrase you often hear. Another phrase you don’t often hear is “but the birth records were destroyed in the war in Egypt.” This is the tale of pastor Glenn Russel, an Andrews professor with a proficiency and passion for mission work. Russel has been educating through Andrews for more than three decades, and is involved in mission fields across the world. Anyone going on a mission trip through Andrews should get to know Professor Russel, whether their trip is just for spring break or if colligate education being abandoned for a pursuit in a life of missions. Not surprisingly, Russel’s journey to Andrews was as sundry as his passport stamp collection. Lest it be assumed that even the most longstanding of Andrews professors grow on meticulously labeled trees, I give you the life and times of Glenn Russel.

Conflicts surrounding the Suez war caused the Russel family to move from Cairo, Egypt to Beirut. With the documents displaced, Russel’s parents began working at Middle East College as deans and teachers, while their children “technically” became American. “Lebanon was home” reflected Russel, “I viewed myself as an American who lived in Lebanon, and coming back to the states was just an extended vacation.” One might think that this cultural limbo would hinder adolescent social deviation, since latching onto negative American culture is kind of hard if you have only been their twice in your lifetime. However, being an American made the Lebanese party circuit was easily accessible.

As spiritual progress was put on pause, the third-culture kid started searching for entertainment. “When I was fourteen [through] sixteen, I was already going to parties and clubs,” Russel reflected. “Lebanon had plenty of clubs… and being a foreigner, you could easily get in places [where] you were under aged.” “I struggled with faith, [and] I wasn’t an atheist in the sense that I thought there wasn’t a God. I thought there was a God, I just didn’t want to be bothered.” An Adventist parent in the United States may threaten to ship their misbehaving offspring to the mission field, so what happens when a missionary child sparks parental chagrin? They move to Pennsylvania. “My mom and dad didn’t say it outright, but they did hint that, [I] was leaving that whole world, and that it would be a good time for a change.” Under the influence other missionary friends, spiritual interest was gradually rekindled until finally, it culminated into a classic conversion, as Russel recalled praying, “Lord I want to give you my life and want to start fresh.” It was then that the concept of being a pastor came into play as an occupational option.

Being the son of a teacher and a pastor, Russel never wanted to be a teacher or a pastor. “I actually wanted to go into music, become a musician, and play in a band,” he recalled. “It’s probably good not to tell God what you won’t do, because he has a sense of humor.” However, music performance was still part of God’s plan, since while touring camps with a praise team, the soon-to-be pastor met his another camp staff which theology majors refer to as a “Proverbs 31 woman.” “Always marry someone that is better than you. I married a woman whose spirituality I deeply admire.

She had a strong devotional life and prayer when we met.” Russel happily recalled. “Marry someone who will help you get into heaven.” Following in the grand old tradition of aspiring pastors, Russel got engaged and became a theology major. After an upbringing in the mission field, a conversion after a party lifestyle, training in theology, and the all-important clerical accomplishment of promised matrimony, every box on the “perfect pastor” checklist had been marked.

And so, a Russel began his career as a truck driver.

“That forced some thinking,” recalled Russel, as he started asking God “Why did I learn all this Greek? Why did I learn all this biblical stuff when I’m driving a truck? I prepared to be a pastor and yet there is no job for me.” “As a result, the Lord lead me to this conclusion: I have called you, others haven’t seen it yet, so you just serve me now.” However, this did not relocate Russel to preaching for a congregation of windshield bugs. On off days he began leading Bible studies in his church, asking the pastor for any work that utilized theology and a willingness to witness. “As I started doing that, it started becoming clear that, even if I had to drive a truck for five or ten years…sooner or later, [the] Lord would open the door for me to become a pastor. That was in mid-January and a week or two later, I got hired to be a pastor in the Potomac conference in Virginia.”

So, in keeping of the second most infamous tradition of aspiring Adventist clerics, the newly-formed Russel family sojourned to Andrews University, returning four years later to Virginia to continue ministerial work. However, it should be noted that Virginia is not Michigan, which is where our story ends. It should be noted though, that the now-Pastor Russel had already contradicted his adolescent plan to not become a pastor, and God and irony both required that he become an educator as well. “When we left seminary, we pulled out of Maplewood and said, “we’re now leaving Andrews and we’re probably never coming back again.’ We now live on Maplewood drive, not far from the apartment we used to live in.” Apparently, Andrews Academy was in need of a bible teacher, and who better than a pastor conveniently on the other side of the country!

Russel continued to be a Bible teacher at the academy from 1985-2000. One fateful day in the time of Vanilla Ice and JNCO jeans, the youth pastor of PMC poised the idea of a three-week, short-term mission trip. “That’s not a mission trip, that’s a vacation!” Russel remembered himself saying. “I thought it was a joke, but the more he talked about the philosophy of mission and how you do it makes a difference. You can do a mission trip that is leisure time, not making much of an impact, but if you have clear goals and purpose, it can become worthwhile.” And so began the first of many academy mission trips to Romania, right after the fall of communism. “It was rough. There was no email or phone system. We were gone from our kids and because of the infrastructure being damaged by communism, there were times we went 4-5 days without showers and hardly any water. The church in Romania taught us so much. The believers were strong after being persecuted.” Though that first trip involved putting on children’s camps and building, Russel admitted that “we were better at the camps.” Missions to Romania improved and continued until Andrews University called for a teacher, and Russel began short-term missions to Honduras with AU college students.

If you happen to find yourself on a short-term mission trip with Pastor Russel, its unlikely that you will be doing much church building in the literal sense. Working with local aids and ministries, these trips focus primarily on witnessing and improving local facilities. “It may come as a shock, but Andrews students don’t have a lot of money. Building costs a lot of money. They do have a lot of energy though, and all students have something they can teach, which is why we do camps.” A regular day camp involves campers pouring in from the streets to an Adventist locale, and filling an extremely old bus to the gills with anyone who whishes to attend. Aside from the huge language barrier and a ton of improvisation more flexibility, its just like any other day at camp! “I usually have very little discipline issues,” reflected Russel, “since at the end of the day, everyone is too tired!”

This laid-back organization has an effect that drives students to perform their best by having a leader who is both relatable and trustworthy. “He is very detail-oriented and always has a plan, yet he’s also flexible and willing to consider any ideas anyone has,” recalled short-term mission veteran Eliana Iller a behavioral sciences major and member of the last mission trip to an orphanage in Honduras. “He’s more of a leader by example. He’s not afraid to stand up and do what is right, but he does it in a way with so much love. The best way I can describe it is how Christ wants us to handle situations.” Another Honduras trip member, Joses Ngugi, declared, “the biggest characteristic that that he had that made us feel like we were in good hands, was his confidence in God’s providence. He never made a decision without praying first.”

Looking around Pastor Russel’s office, the mutual impact between himself and individuals from every part of the globe is striking. No diploma is visible. Education was just a means to a better end. Every spare centimeter of shelf space has been converted into a veritable museum. An Egyptian boat painted with hieroglyphs sits next to pan pipes from Romania and a Zimbabwean elephant with its trunk raised “for good luck”. Muslim prayer beads from Lebanon sit next to a Kenyan combat club, all gifts small glimpses of relationships established and conquest over cultural barriers.

However, these relationships cut deeper than daintily scrapbooked memories. They mean spiritual victories, but also the grim reality that must be faced when going “into all the world.” Eliana recalled a time when the mother of a child in the orphanage was unable to communicate with anyone, until repeatedly prayed over. Last summer in Lebanon, a woman came to the short-term medical clinic, unable to remember how to take medicine capsules. After being assisted, the woman kept returning, claiming the same issue. After a while, it was revealed that she was in shock, after witnessing her family murdered in front of her during the war in Syria. “That is one of things I deeply resonate with in missions. You see the raw edge. You see sin as nasty as it is. You see the ugliness of this world, and it makes you get tired of it. But you can also see God’s grace and working though the Holy Spirit in mercy. Missions get you on the front lines. You can be happy with this world if you do missions. You can’t be happy going back to your same old life.”

Jason Miller Profile Student Movement - 10/27/15

It’s hard to find many Seventh-day Adventists making their careers in D.C. politics, with the exception of the occasional neurosurgeon. It’s uncommon to find them working as ground security for a papal parade, assisting with a 30,000 member mass, or “accidentally” showing up to a repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell protest with Kathy Griffin, though that has its exceptions as well.

As an Andrews alumnus, Jason Miller has gone where no Fountianview-graduating, fundamentalist-article writing, vegetarian has gone before, and in the wake of the recent papal visitation, Miller offers an interesting perspective on what it’s like going form a conservative boarding school in Canada, to the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, establishing an identity at a school where Adventism is conceptually unheard of, and how Adventism and politics can successfully intersect.

During the early Bush era when political motives were becoming more approved

by Christian audiences, Miller enrolled at Fountainview Academy in British Columbia. Though it sparked disputes with fellow students, his passion in political and legal matters resulted in a charge from his bible professor Olaf Clausen, who encouraged Miller to follow his governmental interests. “I know that you have this passion for politics and religious freedom and religious liberty,” Miller recalled his teacher saying. “We’re getting to the last days and we really need good people who understand these issues and care about these things to go into government, politics and law.”

Graduation landed Miller at Andrews University as a political science major, where he began interviewing senators and working as a research assistant for an international law course. After providing the weekly conservative opinion column in the Student Movement, running for class office, and a year-long mission trip in Honduras, he graduated from Andrews and heeded an acceptance letter to the Columbus School of Law in Washington D.C. “It made sense, because my profile is perfect for them” recalls Miller on the reasons behind his acceptance. “ I’m a Seventh-day Adventist, I’m a conservative, [and] my law-school personal statement was all about…coming from a society and religion where politics and law are…questioned.” “I’ve been using my story to prove that idea wrong. “

Interestingly enough, studying in an ocean of catholic scholars didn’t reveal any grand internal skepticism towards Adventism, but rather the lack thereof.

“Most people don’t know anything about Seventh-day Adventism. What they know about [Adventism], they know from me.” Because of this type of influence, standards have to be held tightly. “Most people know I don’t eat meat, and they defiantly know I don’t drink,” states miller. “There is a bifurcation between my social life which is Adventist, and my academic work life which is non-Adventist.

One thing I did do, I put boundaries down pretty quickly on what I believed and what I was going to compromise on and what I wasn’t going to, and so I took a pretty firm stand on alcohol.” “With only a few exceptions, I would stay away from hanging out in a bar.”

Being at a catholic university did place him in the middle of papal visitation, with the pope’s canonization of the 18th-century friar Junípero Serra, the massive 30,000-member mass, and a close encounter with the pope during a parade. “That was one of the most insane experience of my life,” states Miller.

“All of a sudden, the crowd starts cheering, and from around the corner comes the pope-mobile. My mouth was just agápe.”

(As for the rally with Kathy Griffin, Miller said it happened while he was interning, and was completely accidental. “I was running around D.C., and I see all these people waving and cheering. Then I hear them yelling “Kathy Griffin!

Kathy Griffin!” Some guy came up and asked, “Can I take your picture?” and as I was chatting with him, he told me that this was a protest for the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. “)

“In the world, not of the world” is a good description of Mr. Miller’s experience in Washington. Through political involvement, the alumnus has cultivated a very centered view of Adventism and politics. “I don’t encourage any Adventist to jump into the political world,” Miller concludes. “If we did get more involved, the level of tension in churches would increase tremendously, and you would have some literal splits in divisions.” “But there are certain people I have seen [whom] God is guiding, who have talents, skills, and understand what they believe, and to those people, I say go for it. [If] God is opening doors and has put you in a good position, take full advantage of it.”

Room 224 Andrews University Campus News - 3/1/17

Interning is a confusing time period. As a student, you are hanging in the limbo between employment and scholastics, balancing classes with a new job and trying to ignore the fact that paying for internship credits appears to be a little worse than slavery. However, a recent development at Andrew’s School of Business is changing the internship game, by placing a paid, unaffiliated accounting internship right in Chan Shun Hall.

Since December, the accounting firm Crowe and Horwath has operated the paid, 3-month internship out of office room 224 in the School of Business.

“We came up with this idea last fall,” states CPA advisor and Andrews alumnus Paul Smith. “My colleague who runs the group I’m in came up with the idea and we started reaching out to different universities last fall. I reached out to Andrews and they said, “We think we can give you some space.’” In the span of four months, the accounting internship had been established, with students working on campus instead of from Crowe’s South Bend office.

“Obviously, Crowe is happy to be on campus and get the publicity of offering internships for recruiting purposes, but also it’s a win for the students as well because instead of having to commute into the office every day, basically they can walk across the room, go to class, and then come back and keep working.”

Not only is the development of an on-campus, unaffiliated internship convenient, it also more closely resembles an accounting job in the digital age. According to Smith, Crowe implemented a new mobility strategy, which allows employees to do work from their own locations and set up their client meeting locations in areas where office space would be at a premium. Students in office room 224 work on lower-risk accounting assignments for clients, while supervisors work beside to assist if needed.

Along with setting up the on-campus office, Smith also negotiated a $10,000 donation to the school of business for the privilege of on-sight connections.

“I wanted Crowe to make a donation and pay essentially for this privilege, because its putting us in a very good position in terms of recruiting students.

I’m kind of first in line now, and I think that just being in that position Crowe need to acknowledge the benefit they are being given, and we are in your space, so we should be paying rent”

Surprisingly, even inter-company networking hasn’t been hindered by the 27-mile separation from the South Bend Office. “I wouldn’t say we lost a lot of communication compared to when we were at Crowe, since everyone at Crowe instant messages each other anyway,” reflects accounting graduate Abigail Tejeda, “I almost talk to them more now that I am away.” Melissa Ruhupatty, an international business major with a minor in accounting, expressed similar sentiments. “I like it better. At the office its so quiet all the time and everyone is in their cubicles. Here its less scary, more communal, and even though we are working here, we’re still talking to people outside. We still talk to field team people, which are crow employees out at the companies we are auditing, [and] we still talk to some of or supervisors which are back in the office.”

Josh Stall, an accounting and communication management major, summarized his approval as well. “One of the things I really enjoy about this internship is that I am able to do it during school, and a lot of the focus in this internship is just building your experience and exposure to different processes you would encounter when working for a public accounting firm. It’s experiencing a typical day at work. I really enjoy it because it’s allowed me to get a lot of experience even when I’m in college because its something I can do during the school year instead of putting everything on pause until summer.”

In regards to the future of the program, School of Business dean Ralph Trecartin spoke positively and hoped that similar opportunities would develop in other fields of business. “Our job is to educate well, but also prepare students for the job market. The wave right now is to have a lot more internship and experiential learning, mixed in with academic learning. this is where we need to move, for all of our students, not just 2 or 3.

It’s a little piece of something really big that needs to happen, but its still pretty big.”