Messiah University's The Bridge magazine - Vol. 1 2023

INSIDE LOOK

The Caribbean Student Association (CSA) performs at the International Festival, hosted by the International Student Association/MuKappa. The popular campus event is a time to come together and celebrate the many cultures and stories represented by Messiah’s student body.

MESSIAH UNIVERSITY ALUMNI MAGAZINE

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Office of Marketing and Communications

One University Avenue, Suite 3020 Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 717.691.6027 | www.messiah.edu

PRESIDENT

Kim S. Phipps

VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT

Jon C. Stuckey

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Carla E. Gross

EDITOR

Anna Seip

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Becca Powell ’03

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS

Curt Rohrer

Matt Logan M.A. ’17

DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI & PARENT RELATIONS

Jay McClymont ’92

CONTRIBUTORS

Molly McKim ’23, Karen Garlinger

The Bridge (ISSN-0279-3938) is published three times a year by the Messiah University Office of Marketing and Communications for alumni and friends of the University, free of charge. Please contact us at aseip@messiah.edu or 717-691-6027. Items for the alumni news section should be identified by class year and sent to the Messiah University Office of Alumni and Parent Relations, One University Avenue Suite 3023, Mechanicsburg PA 17055. You may email them to alumni@messiah.edu or fax them to 717-796-5371.

As its name suggests, The Bridge connects alumni, parents and donors with Messiah University. It also serves to build the University’s image with these audiences. It does this by publishing accurate news about the University and about alumni and by offering interesting feature articles that are issue- or University-related for readers’ continued education. Messiah University accepts news submissions from alumni and the broader community but reserves the right to edit or decline to print materials at its discretion.

Messiah University is a Christian college of the liberal and applied arts and sciences. The University is committed to an embracing evangelical spirit rooted in the Anabaptist, Pietist and Wesleyan traditions of the Christian Church. Our mission is to educate men and women toward maturity of intellect, character and Christian faith in preparation for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Messiah University does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, disability and national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other University-administered programs.

© 2023 Messiah University

FEATURES

14

MORE PRECIOUS THAN RUBIES

Through Ruby Coffee + Co, two students live out redemptive entrepreneurship.

20

SENIOR PROJECT TURNS

INTO COOKBOOK

A sociology major finds the power of nostalgia, memory and love in global recipes.

DOUBLING HIS EFFORTS

Using computer and engineering skills, a student has a job waiting for him at Amazon Web Services.

COVER:

Rachel Ferrence ’23 and Rachel Beatty ’23 build on their Impact Venture Challenge win.

MICHELLE JOHNSEN

To

To learn more about the DSc program, visit messiah.edu/dsc_pt

For more information about the Center for Entrepreneurship, visit messiah.edu/cfe

Learn

FROM THE EDITOR

IN JANUARY, I WAS INVITED TO THE MLK COMMITTEE LUNCHEON ON CAMPUS. CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST JOANNE BLAND SAT NEXT TO ME, AND, TRULY, I WAS A LITTLE BIT AFRAID. SHE DOES NOT SUFFER FOOLS. WHAT WOULD WE TALK ABOUT? THE FIRST THING SHE SAID TO ME WAS, “DON’T TRY TO STEAL MY GRAPES, LITTLE GIRL.” I WAS TONGUE-TIED, JUST LIKE THE FIRST TIME I MET HER IN SELMA, ALABAMA, DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS BUS TOUR IN JUNE.

She and her sister Lynda Blackmon Lowery visited the Messiah campus to talk about their experiences when they marched as children during Bloody Sunday in 1965. You can read all about them on p. 7. At some point during the lunch, I found the words to ask Ms. Bland if we could take a photo. She smiled and said yes. (See below.) Then we talked about the tornadoes that had recently devastated Selma. She said she had packed her suitcase in the dark, because her house had no power at the time.

Attending the sisters’ Q-and-A session that night, I was struck by how both women talked about the importance of telling and retelling their stories. They’re living history, and I highly recommend Lowery’s book “Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom.”

In this issue, I also had the honor of interviewing students Rachel Beatty ’23 and Rachel Ferrence ’23, who are living out redemptive entrepreneurship through Ruby Coffee + Co, which they founded to provide trauma-informed and Christ-centered employment to women who have been exploited by the commercial sex industry. Their feature article can be found on p. 14.

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of as much as I enjoyed writing it.

ANNA SEIP , EDITOR

the opportunities to

The historic covered bridge that spans the Yellow Breeches Creek is a unique and beautiful feature of our scenic Grantham campus. The bridge— officially the Stoner Covered Bridge— is the subject of many photographs and is certainly an iconic image associated with Messiah University. Yet, it is more than a landmark. The covered bridge serves the practical purpose of linking the main buildings and grounds of campus to the Starry Athletic Fields. The bridge is journeyed across by athletes and fans as they head to important competitions, by our graduates and their families as we celebrate Commencement each May, and by countless community members who while away summer days in and around the creek.

Much as this iconic bridge allows access between two particular areas of campus, so we read in this issue of The Bridge about students, faculty and alumni using their intellect, gifts, creativity and faith to connect seemingly dissimilar ideas and creatively solve problems.

As the reputation of Christians is often criticized as divisive and polarizing, it is refreshing to read about dedicated advocates and organizations featured in this issue that are faithfully navigating the complexities of faith, science, community needs, education and technology.

Ted Davis, distinguished professor emeritus of the history of science, frequently serves as a mediator between the principles of science and the boundaries of faith. Most recently, he advised the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Museum of the Bible on separate

“As the reputation of Christians is often criticized as divisive and polarizing, it is refreshing to read about dedicated advocates and organizations ... faithfully navigating the complexities of faith, science, community needs, education and technology.”

exhibits exploring the interplay of religion, science and technology.

Alumnus Micah Meredith ’19 is a middle school teacher known and loved by many—his health and physical education students at Ballenger Creek Middle School in Maryland and his more than 1.4 million TikTok followers! Meredith’s TikTok presence explores the challenges and opportunities of teaching, bridging vocation and technology in fun and creative ways for fellow teachers.

Just as the Stoner Covered Bridge likely serves as a significant backdrop to many of your campus memories (and mine!), it should also remind you to embrace opportunities to bridge the gap between needs in your community and your Christian calling. I am inspired as I read this issue of The Bridge and bear witness to individuals who exemplify our mission and values every day in their vocations, communities and churches; I hope you are, too!

KIM S. PHIPPS, PRESIDENT

Embrace

‘bridge the gap’ in your life

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’VE DISCOVERED ABOUT YOURSELF SINCE COMING TO COLLEGE?

“How important my own identity was, especially as an Asian American woman and connecting with others who have a similar background to me and incorporating that into my own work here.”

“I’ve discovered that I now need to become a real-world working adult.”

“I have always been very introverted and coming to college and living on campus and being constantly surrounded by people has helped bring me out of my shell. Making friends here was a lot easier than high school.”

“I learned that I was more self-motivated than I thought I was since coming to college, not just in homework but living on my own and managing things for myself.”

“I’ve had a lot of changes in the last two years and if I wasn’t on a campus with a faith environment, I wouldn’t have embraced those changes and seen them as a positive working in God’s plan for me.”

“That I really enjoy connecting with people. Through programs, class involvement and being able to have access to many common areas, I have discovered how much I truly enjoy interacting and learning from others and the importance of how this can shape my life after college.”

“My plan for my life is far inferior to the plan God has. I always knew this, but it wasn’t until I got to college that I was faced with actual decisions and uncertain plans that forced me to learn that God’s way is infinitely better than mine.”

“Time management is harder than you think it is when you have a lot more freedom and time.”

– Megan Nguyen ’23, studio art major

“I underestimated myself, and I’m more capable of being independent and doing things on my own than I thought I was.”

– Angel Ndayishimiye ’23, sociology and anthropology and business administration double major

– Ali Koch ’24, music performance major

– Katriel Moss ’23, business administration major

– Caleb Richert ’24, environmental science major

– Lauren Noss ’24, psychology major

– Annie Russell ’25, family and consumer science major

– Josh Oyler ’26, music education major

– Lizzie Pratt ‘23, biopsychology major

“I need to set goals for myself in order to get stuff done, and, when I do that, I’m much more productive and happier.”

– Owen Walker ’26, biology major

OPENING DAY: PHOENIX PT WILL SERVE COMMUNITY

OUTPATIENT CLINIC AT MESSIAH UNIVERSITY’S WINDING HILL CAMPUS

HOSTED AN OPEN HOUSE AND RIBBON CUTTING FEB. 2

The interprofessional clinic, located at the same site as Messiah’s accredited Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy programs, now provides comprehensive physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and athletic training (AT) services to a diverse population of patients in the local community. Phoenix’s personnel will work with Messiah educators as it trains and develops the next generation of licensed physical and occupational therapists and certified athletic trainers and bring high-quality, intergenerational AT, OT and PT care to the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, area.

After months of anticipation, the staff is excited to open its doors to serve not only the Messiah community, but also the surrounding region.

“We at Phoenix are thoroughly enjoying welcoming patients and utilizing our skills to make meaningful change in the lives of our clients. For me, personally, this new venture has truly been like coming home. I feel so blessed

to have been embraced with open arms,” said Kelly Thomas Clancy ’06, director of Phoenix Physical Therapy.

IPEC IN MOTION

The clinic is just one part of Messiah’s Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) under the leadership Kristen Slabaugh, coordinator of DNP programs. IPEC, the standard for clinical education and preparation, helps prepare future health professionals in addition to their regular training and the graduate and undergraduate levels in AT; counseling; human development and family science; nursing; nutrition and dietetics; OT; PT; and social work.

“We get students to learn their own discipline and learn the roles and responsibilities of other disciplines and how they can collaborate,” said Slabaugh. “We have to teach them to work in a team.”

IPEC hosts events year-round, including disaster drills, case studies and guest speakers. For example, students from multiple disciplines would learn through a simulation what would happen to a patient who had a stroke. Doctors, nurses, social workers, case managers, dieticians and therapists all would be involved in the care.

“It helps students see what other programs do, and in a real-world setting,” said Slabaugh.

The Phoenix Clinic is just one example of how Messiah is growing in its programming capacity and intentionally integrating across disciplines.

— Anna Seip

From left: The event included Olivia Pratt, patient care coordinator at Phoenix PT; George Book ’97, M.A. ’16 West Shore Chamber of Commerce president and CEO; Kelly Thomas Clancy ’06, Phoenix PT clinic director; Rob Pepper ’92, Messiah University executive director/assistant to the president for innovation and university partnerships; Franco Madaffari, Phoenix PT senior vice president; and Robert Kohn, Phoenix PT CEO.

Bloody Sunday marchers visit Messiah

attack any time. They didn’t used to call themselves the police. They simply said, ‘I’m the law,’ which gives a whole different meaning.”

WOMEN TELL THE STORY OF SELMA’S HISTORY DURING CHAPEL

SESSIONS

Two sisters who marched during Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama, visited the Messiah campus during the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Jan. 17.

Speaking at Common Chapel in the morning and then participating in a Q-and-A session that evening, JoAnne Bland and Lynda Blackmon Lowery, who were 11 and 14, respectively, at Bloody Sunday, described their experiences at one of the pivotal moments in civil rights history.

BLOODY SUNDAY

“People that supposedly kept the law were the meanest to us. That didn’t change with the state troopers on the bridge that day for me. On Bloody Sunday and any of the other marches ... I had to be on guard,” said Bland when describing the scene on the Edmund Pettus Bridge that day as she saw the phalanx of police officers awaiting on the other side, “because they may

Lowery, the youngest partic ipant at age 14 in the successful Selma-to-Montgomery March during March 21-25, 1965, was beaten and received multiple stitches—seven over her eye and 28 in the back of her head, a scene she describes in her book “Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom.”

“That’s why I’m still out here, still trying to tell the story, still trying to help somebody else understand what we as children understood back then, and that was that we are somebody,” said Lowery.

MLK’S ASSASSINATION

The sisters recalled hearing Martin Luther King Jr. talk to a crowd of hundreds at Brown Chapel Jan. 2, 1965, inspired by a future that included voting rights for all and three pivotal words: steady loving confrontation. When he was assassinated April 4, 1968, they were devastated.

“It felt like I had lost my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister,” said Lowery. “He had empowered me with those three words … and I didn’t know I was being empowered.”

For her sister, the grief was

coupled with further injury.

“The next day—I along with seven others had integrated the white high school,” said Bland. “Our parents made us go to school. The kids were so mean to us. There were several fights. I think they didn’t make a wise decision in sending us to school and not giving us a chance to process that. It was hard. It was one of the worst days of my life.”

A TIME TO HEAL

Bland says progress has been made as the result of the movement, but it’s important to continue to tell their stories so history doesn’t repeat itself.

“Look at this room. When I was growing up, I wouldn’t be in here with these people who are much paler than I am. We had to fight to get there,” she said. “That’s the issue: People who are U.S. citizens are not treated as citizens because of the color of their skin. That’s why we had a movement in the first place.”

Lowery, who spent a career working in mental health, says it took her more than 40 years to talk about the things that happened to her.

“I’ve forgiven the people that gave me this scar over my right eye, this knot on the back of my head. And I can look you in the eye right now and say I do not hate you or anyone else, but I dislike a whole lotta folks—and that’s two different things,” she said.

LIVING HISTORY

Bland says sanitizing this period in history are detrimental. “When you sugarcoat it, it makes the next generation think it’s ok. You know this wasn’t ok. Where do our children get their self-esteem from if not from our stories? If you water it down, we are the ones who get left out. You have to tell the truth, no sugarcoating. It has to be told like it happened to make sure that it never happens again,” said Bland.

— Anna Seip

From left: Actor Hisham Tawfiq, who plays Dembe on the NBC show “The Blacklist,” came to campus for an acting and film Q-and-A at Miller Theater Jan 21. He is pictured with Daniel Inouye, associate professor of theatre and chair, along with Todd Allen, vice president for diversity affairs. The event was sponsored by the Common Ground Project.

From left: JoAnne Bland and Lynda Blackmon Lowery visited campus Jan. 17.

MESSIAH DEBUTS PATH TO DIETETICS AND NUTRITION MASTER’S AND INTERNSHIP

MS/DI PROGRAM STARTS FIRST COHORT IN JULY

Messiah University School of Graduate and Professional Studies is pleased to announce the addition of a Master of Science in nutrition and dietetics degree with a dietetic internship (MS/DI). The program is 35 credits, has a minimum of 1,000 supervised practice hours and will start its first cohort in July 2023. Messiah’s MS/DI program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) and will have one- and two-year completion tracks. Messiah also offers its undergraduate students in nutrition and dietetics a seamless 5-year pathway from the B.S. to the MS/DI program. This option allows Messiah undergraduates to preselect Messiah University’s program and skip the national match process.

The addition of the MS/DI reflects Messiah’s response to a significant change in the nutrition and dietetics profession. Starting Jan. 1, 2024, the Commission on Dietetic Registration will require a minimum of a master’s degree to be eligible to

take the credentialing exam to become a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN).

Graduates of Messiah’s MS/DI program are prepared to take the RDN exam with a combination of coursework with a minimum of 1,000 supervised practice hours in inpatient medical nutrition therapy, community nutrition, food service management, and service to individuals with limited access to the foods needed for a healthy life.

“In addition to coordinating our students’ supervised practice placements, one of the great things about Messiah’s program is the focus on people experiencing food insecurity,” says Michelle Sanford, MS/DI program director.

“We offer students a faith-based program with meaningful rotation placements that will prepare them for lifelong service in the field of nutrition.”

— Staff report

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE MS/DI PROGRAM, VISIT MESSIAH.EDU/RDN

Doctor of Science in PT launches at Messiah

TERMINAL DEGREE GEARED TOWARD CLINICIANS WHO WANT TO TEACH IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Messiah University School of Graduate and Professional Studies is pleased to announce the addition of a Doctor of Science in physical therapy (DSc in PT) degree. The DSc in PT is a terminal academic degree for clinicians who would like to transition into higher education as an educator or for clinical professors interested in transitioning to a tenure-track research-focused role. Classes begin in July 2023.

“In the last year, Messiah University has expanded its continuing education options for physical therapists,” said Jennifer Fisler, dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Messiah. “In addition to PT continuing education courses and an orthopedic clinical residency program, we

are excited to announce that we will be one of a few institutions in the United States to offer a Doctor of Science in physical therapy degree.”

An educational partnership with NAIOMT has allowed Messiah to bring robust post-graduate education options to Messiah DPT graduates and the PT community. “We are jointly forming this degree to intentionally promote lifelong learning and to develop the next generation of scholars, educators and higher education leaders,” said Rob Pepper, executive director/assistant to the president for innovation and university partnerships at Messiah.

Messiah’s DSc in PT can be completed predominately online and in four to five years. It has degree tracks in academic leadership and orthopaedic manual therapy.

— Staff report

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT MESSIAH.EDU/DSC_PT

PHOTO: MATTHEW TENNISON

MESSIAH ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF THE CAMPAIGN FOR MESSIAH UNIVERSITY AT $83.4 MILLION

DONORS RAISE HISTORIC AMOUNT FOR LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE STUDENTS

At the end of 2022, Messiah University successfully completed its capital campaign, the Campaign for Messiah University: Learning for Life, Transforming the World. Exceeding the $75 million goal for a total of $83.4 million, the campaign supports Messiah’s vision to educate for a lifetime of learning opportunities, including engaging its students and alumni beyond the undergraduate and graduate programs to include certificates, adult degree programs and enhanced learning courses as outlined in the University’s strategic plan.

This campaign encompassed several broad areas that support the University’s efforts to fulfill its vision, including the Messiah Fund and scholarship aid; scholarship and program endowments; new facilities; and estate planning gifts. New facilities in the campaign include the Ralph S. Larsen Finance Lab; the Falcon Fitness Center; Sawyer Gymnasium; Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena; the Kim S.

Phipps Admissions and Welcome Center; an enhanced campus entrance; a renovated Engle Center for Counseling and Health Services; and upcoming hospitality and upgraded seating facilities at the Starry Athletic Complex.

Exceeding the goal allows for two benefits: 1) Projects not originally on the list of priorities when the campaign began could be added, including the greatly needed expansion to the Engle Center. 2) Additional resources for students translates directly into increased dollars for scholarship endowment and scholarship aid.

“Messiah University has a legacy of generosity that has sustained our mission since our founding 114 years ago,” said Board of Trustees President Craig Sider. “We remain grateful to God for those who have invested in the past, present and promising future of Messiah University.”

President Kim Phipps says the success of the campaign enables Messiah to move forward as an

institution of academic excellence and gracious Christianity, preserving core values that are part of the institution’s heritage while also embracing many of the important distinctives of different Christian traditions.

“Messiah faculty, staff and students learn to value and respect those commonalities and differences,” said Phipps, “resulting in the development of a Christian educational community committed to the love of God and the love of neighbor.”

— Staff report

of Trustees of Messiah University

NATALIE FRANK MATTHEW TENNISON

“MESSIAH UNIVERSITY HAS A LEGACY OF GENEROSITY THAT HAS SUSTAINED OUR MISSION SINCE OUR FOUNDING 114 YEARS AGO. WE REMAIN GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR THOSE WHO HAVE INVESTED IN THE PAST, PRESENT AND PROMISING FUTURE OF MESSIAH UNIVERSITY.”

— Craig Sider, chair, Board

D.C. museums seek professor’s expertise

TED DAVIS ADVISES

SMITHSONIAN AND MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE

After teaching as a professor of the history of science for 36 years, Ted Davis is finding himself quite busy in his retirement. Recently, he served as a member of the advisory groups for two exhibits in Washington, D.C.: “Discovery and Revelation” at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and “Scripture and Science” at the Museum of the Bible.

“I don’t do science, I study the history of it. It’s the difference between an art historian and an artist,” explained Davis of his role with the two exhibits.

SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY

The “Discovery and Revelation” exhibit in which Davis had a smaller role because of COVID restrictions, highlighted the complex relationship between science and religion, which has been the subject of philosophical

debate for centuries. He notes the progress of such a wellknown, secular museum hosting a faith-based exhibit.

“Religion is a big part of American life, and the fact that the National Museum hadn’t previously devoted much attention to religion is a big change,” said Davis.

MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE

Students from Messiah’s Honors Program traveled to D.C. Jan. 21 to see the “Scripture and Science” exhibit, where several of Davis’ personal artifacts are on display. The exhibit explores the Bible’s role as it relates historically to science and religion. The museum describes the exhibit as busting the myth “that science and biblical faith have been ... opposed to each other” and invites attendees to discover the Bible’s impact on science.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SARAH RATHERT ’26

“Going to the Museum of the Bible will probably be the highlight of this semester.”

Hanalee Nichols ’23

MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE. © MUSEUM OF THE BIBLE, 2023. PHOTO COURTESY OF TED DAVIS

Messiah University students took a field trip to the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., Jan. 21. Ted Davis, who taught as a professor of the history of science at Messiah for 36 years, served as an advisor for exhibits there and at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

“It takes remarkable acts of faith to make scientific assertions about the way the universe works,” said Elise Kersten ’25, an engineering major, after seeing the exhibit. “We need to accept the fact that we know next to nothing. And that’s when we start to begin understanding things. I think approaching God is similar. The more we try to understand Him, the smaller we realize we are, but that ultimately increases our understanding as we become more fully aware of how big and beautiful He is.”

Artifacts included Nicholas Copernicus’ “On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Species” from 1543.

The students were free to explore the entire museum, not just the exhibit, and found many treasures throughout.

“There were several other artifacts like this that show kings boasting about their conquests. Omri is not a person one typically thinks of when studying the Bible, but he is mentioned in Kings and Chronicles. Seeing these artifacts helped me realize that the Bible is living

and historically accurate since even the more minor characters of the Bible were very real to other kings in their day,” said Elizabeth Hargrove ’24, an electrical engineering major.

In addition to the educational benefit, the trip also proved to be a time for fun.

“Going to the Museum of the Bible with the Honors Program will probably be the highlight of this semester. I really enjoyed the Christian fellowship, fun and a capella from the car rides to the museum and back. Besides this, the museum was exciting and huge! I loved the exhibit where you get to walk through first-century Nazareth,” said Hanalee Nichols ’23, who is majoring in mathematics with a secondary teaching certificate.

Although the Smithsonian exhibit closed in March, the Museum of the Bible’s exhibit will remain open through January of 2024.

— Anna Seip

Cybersecurity grad headed to Linkbank

GRACE SCHLAUDER ’23 TO JOIN TEAM AS AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SUPPORT ANALYST

Entering her senior year of high school, Grace Schlauder ’23 couldn’t decide on a career path. After realizing all of her friends were coming to her with technology problems she could easily solve, she found the cybersecurity major at Messiah University.

She interned for Linkbank the summer and the fall semester of her senior year, then accepted a part-time position at the company’s Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, location as an information technology (IT) support analyst for her final spring semester. In addition to general cybersecurity maintenance, she has taken over some long-term projects for the company and is in charge of the new hire process and termination. After she graduates, the position will become full-time.

“Linkbank is huge on promoting a good work culture and the people there are amazing,” she said.

She found several classes that were essential in teaching her about cybersecurity as a career, starting with Introduction to Cybersecurity. “Just knowing that there are different options that I could choose was very helpful and inspiring,” she said.

Another class, Information Assurance, made the transition to her internship easy.

“A lot of what I was doing was

related to that class, as well as doing risk assessments. There are scales of scoring different areas of risk. There are all these different parameters to go through to score

would happen if we had a ransomware attack on the company and I presented this to them,” she said. “Then they discussed the process of what would happen if that situation occurred.”

She also helped Linkbank move their headquarters building to a new location.

how safe and unsafe it is and the level of risk the company would assume because of it and the likelihood of it happening,” she said.

In addition to tackling information assurance, Schlauder took on several projects, including presenting to the company executives. “I got to lead a tabletop exercise, so I came up with a fake scenario to see what

“I had to be in the network closet connecting cables, and they said, ‘You probably wouldn’t enjoy this,’ but I said, ‘Please let me do this, I love it.’ I had never done something like that before,” she said.

Schlauder is one of only the second class graduating with the cybersecurity degree and found the new cybersecurity lab to be a useful resource.

“I think it’s super cool. They have four projecting boards and it’s very technological and

involved. It’s a great hands-on space,” she said.

Her dream job is to work at Google someday, but for now she has is excited to keep learning about cybersecurity through the banking industry.

“You’re always learning in this field because technology is always changing,” she said. “I didn’t know anything about banking, but I’ve enjoyed it so much because I get to learn about banking as well as cybersecurity.”

— Molly McKim ’23

An internship at Linkbank led to a full-time job for cybersecurity major Grace Schlauder ’23.

“You’re always learning in this field because technology is always changing.”

— Grace Schlauder ’23

FBI SPECIAL AGENT USED TO WORK AS A YOUTH PASTOR

HOW DID HE GET THERE? DAVID FOSTER ’95 DETAILS CAREER PROGRESSION

David Foster ’95 started his career as a therapeutic recreation major, but now works for the FBI. How did he get there?

Foster works as a Special Agent with the FBI, working at their location in Pittsburgh. Over the 15 years he has worked for the government organization, he has worked in various violation sections of the FBI, such as Organized Crime, Counterintelligence, International Human Source Operations, Criminal Cyber Investigations and is now in International Terrorism.

Although he couldn’t talk much about the details of his job, he details his praise for the FBI.

“The FBI is truly an amazing organization and ‘to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States’ is a very real privilege and responsibility as well,” he said.

Before becoming an FBI Special Agent, Foster worked in the healthcare field following graduation, then attended Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. His first job in healthcare was at REMED Care, a rehabilitation program in Philadelphia for victims of traumatic brain injuries. “Around that time, I also felt inspired to consider the ministry, so I began taking seminary classes at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, Pennsylvania,” he said.

After five years in the healthcare field and growing his faith, Foster said he felt called

Daughter of alums finds her own way

FROM BIOMEDICAL TOWARD MED SCHOOL

Ava Foster ’24, daughter of David ’95 and Rachel ’95, currently attends Messiah as a biology major. Since both her parents are alumni, Messiah was always on her radar but she ultimately decided to commit to the University because of its biochemistry major. Although she originally planned to become a pharmacist, she changed her mind and switched from biochemistry to biology.

to pursue a full-time career in ministry. “What started out as a curiosity, led to a calling,” he said. While studying, he started working as a part-time youth pastor and finished his Master of Divinity in 2001.

He served in three different churches in the Pittsburgh and Eastern Ohio areas, starting as a youth pastor and finishing as a solo senior pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America.

“I enjoyed teaching and preaching to youth and adults. To dig deep into the truth of Scripture is a privilege and responsibility, and I enjoyed the creative pursuit. I also enjoyed helping people grow,” Foster said.

So why work for the FBI? Foster said it wasn’t an easy

decision. “I want to be useful, and faithful to the gifts God has given me. In our 10+ years in ministry, [my wife] and I became increasingly convinced that our gifts with people, community, and relationships could be better expressed away from the pulpit. It took time, thinking, reading, talking and prayer,” he said.

Throughout his various careers, Foster focuses on vocation and calling. “For me, all three of my careers have pushed me to be useful and obedient to what God has blessed me with,” he said. “I tell people often, ‘one’s calling is not always one’s career.’ Regardless, your calling should put to use the talents and abilities you’ve been uniquely given.”

— Molly McKim ’23

“At the time, I was considering a career in pharmacy, and Messiah had good opportunities in that area,” she said. “I worked as a pharmacy technician, and it helped me see that I would want to be the person ordering the prescription, instead of the person filling it. I discovered a passion for more direct patient care, so I pursued a biomedical concentration in the biology department here at Messiah.”

After graduation, she plans to attend medical school to become a doctor. She hopes to work in disaster relief and to travel to places in need of medical care.

— Molly McKim ’23

After working in healthcare and in ministry, David Foster ’95 now works as an FBI Special Agent. PHOTO: ADRIENNE KRATER

REDEMPTIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AT MESSIAH

By Anna Seip

This is a tale of two Rachels, friends who shared a dream of running a coffee shop—and then made it a reality. Except they’re also Messiah students, so they took things a step further and mapped out a business that would further God’s kingdom. They’re living out redemptive entrepreneurship, a concept that that lies at the heart of Messiah’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

HOW’D THEY MEET?

In their first year on campus, Rachel Beatty ’23 and Rachel Ferrence ’23—met in the Gender, Genocide and Human Rights class. They bonded over a love of crocheting and dreams of opening their own coffee shop someday.

“Rachel B. asked me if I thought it would be possible to have a coffee shop that supported vulnerable women,” said Ferrence, a social work major. “Combatting human trafficking has been one of my lifelong passions, and, after talking to Rachel more, we felt drawn to women who have been exploited by the commercial sex industry.”

Beatty, a business administration major with an entrepreneurship concentration, was taking an entrepreneurship class and writing up a business plan for the Impact Venture Challenge (IVC), Messiah’s annual campus contest that encourages students to develop and launch a faith-informed business venture that addresses important societal needs by providing seed money for the venture.

The two students began looking for local nonprofits to bring additional expertise and partnership. One of Beatty’s professors put her in touch with Peace Promise, a local organization that does outreach with the very women that Beatty and Ferrence wanted to employ and empower.

“A lot of these women said, ‘You’re the first person who treated me with dignity.’ We want them to know their inherent worth,” said Beatty.

The two women created a business plan for Ruby Coffee + Co. based the Proverbs 3:15 (NIV) verse: “She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.” Then, they entered the IVC competition.

“I was confident in the plan but not my public speaking skills,” said Beatty, with a laugh.

Although IVC is open to all students of any major, Ferrence wondered if she was in the right place.

“The thought of competing against a bunch of business majors as a social work student initially terrified me. However, working with Rachel B. allowed us to come at our challenges from two different perspectives with two sets of strengths and skills,” said Ferrence. “My social work degree has given me the skills to work on an interdisciplinary team, which we do all the time, and to be able to

The two women created a business plan for Ruby Coffee + Co. based the Proverbs 3:15 (NIV) verse:

“She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

advocate for and anticipate the needs of the survivors in whatever capacity that looks like.

They won the competition, receiving $5,000 in prize money. Things moved quickly from there. Peace Promise, who’d had a similar vision but no business plan, worked with Beatty and Ferrence to find a location, a large house that was formerly a hair salon in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. They also partnered with Colina Coffee Co., a minority- and women-owned roaster in the Allison Hill neighborhood of Harrisburg, to create a house blend sold only through Ruby’s Coffee + Co., which plans to open later this year.

WHAT IS THE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP?

In the 2021-2022 academic year, Messiah University launched the Center for Entrepreneurship, including the Innovation Lab, a space where students foster creativity and learn directly from faculty and industry leaders. The center uses hands-on business ventures and provides knowledgeable resources for students to develop their skills and create a passion for entrepreneurial efforts in the community.

“It has been a true joy to be a part of a phenomenal entrepreneurial ecosystem at Messiah that is comprised of curious students, alumni, faculty and business owners. There are over 25 people actively investing into the lives of our entrepreneurs every year, and it is humbling to see how this work is helping to train and develop our students,” said Andy Babyak, assistant dean of business. Funding for the center was provided by Donna Earhart in memory of her late husband, Terry, an educator and mentor at Messiah for 22 years. He was involved in many Messiah initiatives, including the Genesis Solar Car Team, the International Business Institute, the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) Club and the Investment Club.

CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

“In the beginning of this process, I did not know what redemptive entrepreneurship was, but it is now becoming one of the things I am most passionate about,” Ferrence. “I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of creating something that will go beyond ‘do no harm’ to building a creative pathway to sustainable restoration.”

Redemptive entrepreneurship is what sets Messiah apart from entrepreneurship programs at other colleges and universities. It’s the idea that faith is not compartmentalized

but woven into one’s work, as outlined in the Praxix book, “The Redemptive Nonprofit.” Messiah’s Center for Entrepreneurship helps put business students in touch with nonprofits, mentors and job opportunities.

The advisory board includes alumni such as Messiah’s entrepreneur-in-residence Peter Greer ’97; Corrie Leister ’00, who runs a local cabinet and furniture refinishing business; and Josh Wood, national outreach director of Elevate Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. They meet with students and help with IVC.

“Most people on the board are living examples,” said Wood. “How do I become a redemptive entrepreneur? Let’s walk through what that would look like.”

Redemptive entrepreneurship goes beyond even ethical entrepreneurship. It’s more than doing things right. It’s creative restoration through sacrifice, loving and serving.

“Messiah grads have been living this out for years. The center is new, but Messiah grads applying their faith to entrepreneurship and using business for good is not new,” said Greer.

Redemptive entrepreneurship goes beyond even ethical entrepreneurship. It’s more than doing things right. It’s creative restoration through sacrifice, loving and serving.

MATTHEW TENNISON

FUTURE: RUBY COFFEE IN FIVE YEARS

The goal, eventually, is to have a survivor-led team managing the shop, with plans to expand the impact of the coffee shop. By providing trauma-informed and Christ-centered employment, they want to support as many women as possible and provide skills training to help them transition into their next job or career.

“In five years, I would love to have seen some of those successful transitions while also remaining a place that the women can come back to for ongoing support. One of my dreams for this business is being able to support survivors who want to go on the journey of entrepreneurship,” said Ferrence.

—Anna Seip

Helping the environment with a concrete business plan

SECOND PLACE = A WIN FOR THIS ENTREPRENEUR

According to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection, construction waste and demolition waste counts for 17.5% of the state’s landfills.

Through his company Keystone Crushing in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, Zac Barbato ’24, a business administration major with a minor in entrepreneurship, found a way to solve part of this problem. By accepting concrete waste from job sites, he repurposes it for building and landscaping projects.

“We receive demoed concrete or asphalt and turn the inevitable waste into a reusable product,” he explained. “It’s cheaper than a quarry stone and a recyclable material.”

He first vetted the idea through the 2022 Impact Venture Challenge contest, which helped him visualize the business long before it was a reality.

“You go from the starting steps of formulating an idea and what that looks like, trying to

fill a need in the market, from a biblical perspective. It’s more than just making money,” he said.

After coming in second place in the competition, he formed an LLC with his business partner, and the business was off and running. Keystone Crushing currently has more than 1,000 tons of concrete at their Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania location. Running a business while being a college student has its challenges.

“It becomes more real when you’re writing checks for insurance and in school playing volleyball. It makes for some early mornings,” he said.

HIS MESSIAH EXPERIENCE

As a kid growing up in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, learning how to use excavators

and working outside, he wasn’t sure he wanted to attend college.

“The Lord works in a lot of ways. If you would’ve asked my mom in high school, all I wanted to do was work. The Lord has put more and more people in my life—mentors—who have been incredibly helpful. In college, you get a new perspective on business, what it looks like to use business as a ministry—not just a way to make money or be your occupation. Coming here, you meet so many different people. You wouldn’t learn from them elsewhere. It’s been a blessing to be forced to learn it,” he said.

As he finishes up his college career next year, he says the goal is to continue with the business after graduation.

“People are saying, ‘We need your product.’ The goal is to make a product that’s at a high caliber. It’s something that people want.”

Sometimes, coming in second place works out just fine.

—Anna Seip

Hometown Hope: a look back at IVC’s first winning team

The first Impact Venture Challenge (IVC) was held in Hostetter Chapel April 28, 2015. The contest began as a collaborative effort of business majors Ebenezer Degu ’15 and Dylan Thomas ’15 along with Brian Nejmeh, who worked as the professor of business information systems and entrepreneurship at the time.

THE WINNERS

Hometown Hope, a team led by business administration major Craig Bowen ’15, pitched the idea of empowering and training young men by providing part-time jobs building furniture. The furniture, which could then be sold to stores, would generate revenue. They won the competition, receiving $5,000 in seed money.

“It was very exciting to win the first Impact Venture Challenge. I did not expect to win. We all just enjoyed the process. The Hometown Hope team consisted of four members: myself, Brad Steinweg ’14, and Trevor and Skylar Felkner,” said Bowen. “The IVC took a lot of time. Many late nights and early mornings were spent brainstorming and discussing our business plan. Looking back on it, the camaraderie is what I enjoyed the most, friends working together to make a difference. To create a business plan that is not only profitable, but also beneficial to others.”

In 2015, the challenged unfolded in three stages. 1) Thirty-six teams of students and alumni entered the competition by providing a three-page concept overview pitch. 2) Teams then drafted their business plans. The top 20 were then paired with mentors such as local business leaders and faculty. 3) In the finale, six teams pitched their business models and,

after a brief time of judging during which the audience could text vote for their pick, the winners were announced.

THE IMPACT

All these years later, that win has left an impression on the project leader, who is now a husband and father to three children.

“Eight years after winning the first IVC, unfortunately, I am not running the business we had hoped to start. Hometown Hope was a dream then and is still a dream that will hopefully become a reality. Myself, along with my teammates, are currently running family businesses that have been around for over 30 years,” Bowen.

He also installs perimeter security equipment across the U.S. at government facilities, military bases, museums and even the White House.

THE EXPERIENCE

For Bowen, IVC was an opportunity he looks back on fondly. He says Nejmeh played a huge part in the team’s success.

“He kept motivating and encouraging my teammates and I to keep pushing and to fully explore all ideas and options before we settled on something. I believe that is what has impacted my career most: to truly explore and listen to all options when making a decision. Winning the Impact Venture Challenge was a team win. We all brought great ideas to the table. We explored them, studied them and worked together to win the challenge and make lasting memories and friendships,” said Bowen.

—Anna Seip

QUAY SAN ’18 QUAY SAN ’18

Senior project = global cookbook

SOCIOLOGY MAJOR FINDS NOSTALGIA IN RECIPES

If you ask sociology major Phalika Oum ’23 about her mom’s oxtail soup, you’ll get a recipe—and a story:

I’d recognize the smell of my mom’s kuy teav from anywhere. From my sleep, even. I should win an award for the number of times I’ve woken up to the smell of onions, carrots and oxtail dancing in a star anise, cinnamon and galangal brine. Nothing scream Cambodian the way kuy teav does—it defies all laws of eatery. It’s is an all-three-meals food, I don’t feel so well food, I feel amazing food, I have to recycle my leftover food, and I miss the smell of the earth during sunrise food. I do not have the dexterity for a soup spoon, so I drink directly from the bowl. Even as a noodle dish, I always end up eating leftover soup with rice. Tiny glimpses of Heaven, I think.

That’s just one of the stories in her cookbook, “Stories From Small Numbers,” a collaboration between Oum—who is the Grantham Community Garden Coordinator—and the Office of Sustainability. As the Grantham Community Garden coordinator, she says that a garden is a sacred space, because it’s where food and stories begin.

“I was taught that seeds hold stories. You pass down the seeds and you pass down the stories. When you’re cooking what you’ve grown and spending time with your family, you make cultural memories. I hope the cookbook shows that,” she said, who grew up in Cambodia but relocated to Dover, Delaware, with her family at age 17.

The cookbook includes 55 recipes from around the world and the stories behind them, all contributed by Messiah students,

faculty and staff. The title comes from anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s book, “Fear of Small Numbers,” in which the author discusses the strength and resilience of those who have been marginalized. Oum also used Appadurai’s work at large as the theoretical backdrop for her senior thesis “Liturgy of the Dispersed: Memory, Transnationalism, and Cambodian Cuisine in the American Diaspora,” which she presented at the 2023 Humanities Symposium in February.

“Our family has been impacted by the Cambodian diaspora. My parents lost a lot of family,” she explained, detailing the 1970s genocide of the Khmer Rouge regime.

Through migration and resettlement, parts of a culture are lost. Sometimes, though, the recipes—and the resulting stories from them—remain.

“Cooking traditional Cambodian meals takes hours. In those hours that I spend with my mom in the kitchen, she tells me stories of my grandma, of my siblings, of her growing up,” said Oum.

As she finishes her final semester at a public health-centered study program in Baltimore and graduates, she and her family plan to visit her grandmother in Australia whom she hasn’t seen in many years. One can only guess at the number of stories and recipes that will result from that visit.

“There’s a lot to learn from food history. It’s a way for people to write their cultural history and have it preserved for years to come,” said Oum.

— Anna Seip

More than recipes

Each of the 55 recipes in “Stories From Small Numbers” includes a story behind the recipe. Here are just a few:

Katy Deets ’22, sociology major Senegalese maffe (peanut butter stew)

Dish origin: Senegal

This is one of several Senegalese dishes that my family makes that will always remind me of home. The way that Senegalese eat this and the way that our family has always eaten it is with the large dish in the middle of the table. Everybody eats out of it communally, either with hands or spoons. Each person usually sections off their portion, but if you eat with Senegalese families, you should expect them to keep pushing more food onto your side because they are happy when you like the food and eat a lot.

Abraham Torres ’23, psychology major Chicken empanadas

Dish origin: Puerto Rico

My brother and I are notoriously picky eaters, and as a result, we stuck to just chicken, cheese and other staples of Latinx culture. Growing up, we couldn’t stand each other, but one thing we gladly worked together on was this basic recipe for our favorite fried food. We usually don’t talk. We just sit in silence as I watch the fryer and as he constructs more empanadas for the fryer. As we have gotten older, when my family would ask me to make it, I would look toward my little brother knowing he would have my back as we work to feed our huge family.

Anastasia Couch ’21, peace and conflict studies major Borscht

Dish origin: Ukraine

The world now knows Ukrainians for their resilient resistance. Their gardens carry the same quality. The ingredients in this dish may be humble, but the first things that my family planted this year were beets and potatoes and cabbage seedlings, even as the regions around them were bombed. Of the many times I’ve made borscht, it’s been a prayer more than anything, echoing generations before me: “Strengthen my hands to be stubborn. Teach me resilience.”

Katriel Moss ’23, business administration major Bahamian-style macaroni

Dish origin: The Bahamas

This meal is one of the most common native dishes found in the Bahamas, served as a side with meals any day of the week. It is also a must-have, served at holiday gatherings or celebrations. When living in another country, Bahamians love to share this dish with others. It is such a delectable delight in the country! This dish is one of my favorites to be served, and I always look forward to eating it or making it with family. This dish helps me to think of nothing but good memories and experiences whether home or abroad.

Brooke Wimberly ’23, social work major Grammy’s deep-dish apple pie

Origin: Aiken, South Carolina

My great-grandmother passed away when I was 13 years old. Growing up, my dad had always shared favorite memories of traveling to South Carolina to visit family. A common theme throughout these stories involved fishing with his grandma and mind-blowing meals. A part of those meals was my great-grandmother’s pie. She passed this recipe on to my mother who has continued to pass it on to her children.

INTERESTED IN THE RECIPES? YOU CAN BUY THE BOOK AT BY CONTACTING THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY AT SUSTAINABILITY@MESSIAH.EDU THE COOKBOOKS COST $12.

DOUBLING EFFORTS HIS

TIMOTHY LEE ’23 EXCELS IN COMPUTERS AND ENGINEERING PROJECTS

A fan of mystery novels, Timothy Lee ’23, an engineering and computer science double major, has enjoyed problem solving and detective work since he was a kid. Now, solving mysteries has become his career.

sing his experience in the Collaboratory, Lee landed an internship and then a job at Amazon Web Services (AWS) as a software developer engineer. His duties will include working with Elastic Cloud Compute, which is a software that acts as the basis for hosting websites.

“People can create virtual environments—a computer within a computer—which they then create their website on and can change how many resources that want to allocate to that machine to adjust for speed or traffic,” he said. “My job will be to simplify those tasks and to make it as easy as possible for customers to do what they want to with our platform.”

In his sophomore year, he realized he could change his minor to a second major—computer science while still graduating on time. “I was pretty set on engineering up until my summer internship at AWS, where I fell in love with the development and investigative nature of bug fixing and decided to stay with computer science,” he said.

Along with his interest in computer science, Lee found that working with Messiah’s Collaboratory was a way to get hands-on engineering experience, which was his primary reason for transferring from Penn State. “I liked being able to actually do projects that were benefiting something,” he said.

“I was pretty set on engineering [as a career] up until my summer internship ... where I fell in love with the development and investigative nature of bug fixing and decided to stay with computer science.”

Timothy Lee ’23

A LEADER IN THE COLLAB

He served as the student project manager for the Collaboratory’s Functional Electrical Stimulation project. The project focuses on researching functional electrical stimulation (FES) technology and designing/building a low-cost prototype that serves as an intervention to improve walking for patients after a stroke. The project team has since created a device that senses walking and stimulates toe movement at the appropriate time.

In addition to helping develop this gait detection sensor with the team, Lee—who is graduating this year— made sure to leave things in good shape for the next student project manager. “One of the biggest things that I’ve done for my job is create documentation where someone could understand everything I’ve done and figure out where to pick up the project from there,” he said.

During their bi-semester project reviews, the students present their work to professors and local experts.

“We have had people from the PT department talk to us, and local prosthetic companies would come sit in on our meetings and give us advice. Learning the coordination of that and understanding how to connect certain pieces to make one picture was really helpful,” he said.

Ryan Farris, project manager and assistant professor of engineering, worked closely with Lee in initiating and carrying out every aspect of the project.

“As a technical contributor, Tim has developed an impressive suite of real-time gait phase identification algorithms achieving high levels of accuracy and precision, a critical element in the success of this project,” Farris said. “Tim demonstrates a rigor in his approach to research and a commitment to quality which leads him to persevere through any challenge until a successful outcome is achieved. It’s been a privilege to have him on the FES team, and his contributions will serve the project well for many years after he graduates.”

“Tim demonstrates a rigor in his approach to research and a commitment to quality which leads him to persevere through any challenge until a successful outcome is achieved.”

Ryan Farris, assistant professor of engineering

VERY MESSIAHSPECIFIC APPLICATION

Lee also gained experience in his field through his senior computer science group project, creating an app that provides convenience to Messiah students.

“It’s a reimaged FalconLink for your phone,” he explained.

“We focused on convenience and asked ourselves, ‘What is something that students normally check?’”

Through the app, students can find out what’s on the menu at Lottie Nelson Dining Hall, how many chapels they’ve attended, their student dining service balance and more.

“It’s a lot of [student] convenience features that are currently really tedious and aren’t really designed for the phone. We compiled all of that into one,” he said.

The group is working with the IT department to get it published for students later this year.

Lee says his favorite parts of his future career in computer science are debugging and problem-solving. “People submit tickets to you, and you have to dig through all of the code and figure out what’s wrong. The detective work of finding what is causing the problem is one of my favorite parts,” he said.

Like any college student on the cusp of graduation, Lee says he looks forward to no more homework, but he’s also excited to be a part of AWS fulltime.

“The culture is super friendly, I was expecting a massive office, like rows and rows of people, but they have 6-10 people teams,” he said. “They have a two-pizza policy where a team should be no bigger than what two pizzas can feed people, because then you lose the benefits of working in a team. That aspect of a team where people actually know each other was really exciting.”

— Molly McKim ’23

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COLLABORATORY’S FUNCTIONAL ELECTRICAL STIMULATION AND THEIR OTHER PROJECTS HERE: MESSIAH.EDU/COLLAB

This Messiah app, designed by Lee, is a reimagined Falconlink for students.

“They have a two-pizza policy where a team should be no bigger than what two pizzas can feed people, because then you lose the benefits of working in a team.”

Timothy Lee ’23, describing his job at Amazon Web Services

TikTok teacher connects with kids through sports, songs

my post that I did. It is conversation starter, and it’s a way to get a few laughs.”

In the future, Meredith plans on releasing more music and making more comedic and musically driven videos on TikTok— with teaching as his main focus.

MICAH MEREDITH ’19 TEACHES P.E.,

SINGS

CHRISTIAN HIP-HOP

Micah Meredith ’19 wears many hats: teacher, rapper and TikTok creator. He currently has 1.4 million followers on the social media platform.

After graduating from Messiah with a bachelor’s in health and physical education, he started working at Ballenger Creek Middle School in Fredrick, Maryland, as a health and physical education teacher.

“When entering college, I thought about what my loves were. I love working with kids, and I love sports. I put the two together and decided that teaching P.E. would cater to both of my passions,” he said.

In March of 2020, Meredith started a TikTok account (miccolla4) to help promote his music. His dreams of becoming an artist began in his early years at Messiah University

“I started making music because I knew that I had a gift. I also make music because I know a lot of my students listen to music, and I want to push out positivity as much as I can. It’s another way for me to connect with my students,” he said.

Under the artist name MikeMer, he has several Christian hip-hop songs on multiple platforms.

“My music is for anyone. Because I rap about God, my main audience will most likely

be believers, but my music can be for anyone to listen to,” he said.

Soon after Meredith started to post content about his music, he rapidly accumulated followers after posting funny and relatable

content about his experience as a teacher in the classroom.

“I love to make videos because it’s a way to connect with my students,” he said. “When I post, my students always like to talk about

“I believe that my calling is to work with the youth. I try to not let anything else become prioritized over that. Whenever I can fit the other stuff in, I will,” he said.

— Molly McKim ’23

CHECK OUT MEREDITH’S TIKTOK ACCOUNT HERE: TIKTOK.COM/@MICCOLLA4

1.4 million followers on

Top 5 ways to connect with middle schoolers

1. Support them in the community.

2. Show personal interest.

3. Show and allow healthy humor.

4. Show some vulnerability and allow students into your life in a healthy way.

5. Be approachable.

COURTESY OF MICAH MEREDITH

As a teacher, Micah Meredith '19 paired his twin passions of working with kids and his love of sports with a career in education.

— Micah Meredith ’19, teacher at Ballenger Creek Middle School in Fredrick, Maryland

“WHEN ENTERING COLLEGE, I THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT MY LOVES WERE. I LOVE WORKING WITH KIDS, AND I LOVE SPORTS. I PUT THE TWO TOGETHER AND DECIDED THAT TEACHING PE WOULD CATER TO BOTH OF MY PASSIONS.”

— Micah Meredith

'19

TikTik

MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS HELP STUDENT LAND JOB WITH AN ALUMNA MARKETING CERTIFICATE + DESIGN DEGREE = SUCCESS

Graphic design major Anna Brock ’23 wanted to learn how design and marketing worked together in the real world. Since she didn’t have time to add a full marketing minor in her junior year, she opted for the digital marketing certificate from Messiah.

“From the beginning, I could tell that Anna really got it,” said Associate Professor of Marketing Keith Quesenberry. “She was connecting the dots and seeing how understanding the broader aspects of marketing would help improve her design and help her to better communicate with the marketers that she will be working with in her profession.”

He also helped her find opportunities within the marketing department.

“It was really awesome to have him show me how marketing is directly going to affect me as a designer,” she said. “He’s writing a book right now, and I’m helping him design it. It was a good connection I didn’t know I was going to make.”

Through her marketing classes and an upper-level design class called Service Center Design, Brock gained more of an understanding of what it meant to work in the design field.

Students in the Service Center Design class provided free design work for nonprofits in the area. “It was kind of a two-way street, where I was getting experience

and they were getting design work. In that way, it was awesome because we got that client work and the business side of things, but a lot of the studios are more geared toward learning the craft rather than applying it in a business way,” she said.

this class. All of the graphic designers are so thankful. It was such an amazing class,” said Brock. “You can get all of the praise in the classroom, but, once it’s coming from a client, it’s a confidence booster. It’s like, ‘Oh, I am doing the right thing, I’m in the right place.’”

Adjuncts were crucial in Brock’s ability to pursue internships and gain design experience. In the fall of her senior year, she worked as a digital design intern at JPL, a marketing agency in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, because of her connection to adjunct Mary Kintzi, a JPL creative director. At JPL, Brock designed ads and social media posts. She also worked on professional photo shoots and created simple animations for their social media.

graduation as a full-time associate design pioneer.

“I really like working for local clients. I can actually walk into a client’s business and talk with them,” she said.

A certificate provides an easy addition to many majors to make students more marketable once they graduate.

Brock also connected with the adjunct teaching the class, Alicia Settle ‘18.

“She said that she wanted to teach this class because, as a student here, she saw a need for real-world experience, so she wanted to provide that through

“That internship was very affirming for my marketing classes,” she said.

Reconnecting with Settle, Brock interned for her teacher’s design company, Settlers Design Co., based in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania. Brock then accepted an offer to work there after

“We envisioned the digital marketing certificate as a way for our majors to get the skills and signal to employers that they have the skills that are in demand today,” said Quesenberry. “But marketing skills are valuable to many fields and professions to improve individual areas of interest and expertise.”

For Brock, the certificate combined with her degree and valuable internships set her apart from other candidates entering the workforce.

— Molly McKim ’23

KAREN GARLINGER

Graphic design student Anna Brock ’23 paired a marketing certificate with her degree to put her ahead in today’s competitive workforce.

“You can get all of the praise in the classroom, but, once it’s coming from a client, it’s a confidence booster. It’s like, ‘Oh, I am doing the right thing, I’m in the right place.”

— Anna Brock ’23

1970s

Kenneth David Musser ’73 wrote a book, “Grandfather’s Enduring Love,” about his family and his experience growing up in Kansas.

1990s

Kurt Werthmuller ’95 works as the supervisory policy analyst at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in Washington, D.C.

Jim Becker ’97 and wife Angela announce the birth of Matthew, Nov. 22, 2022.

2000s

Tom Syvertsen ’02 works as the vice president at Mueller Associates.

Sarah (Sanderson)

Watkins ’03 works as a school counselor at St. Mary’s County Public Schools. She and Kevin Watkins married Oct. 14, 2017.

Lindsay Herndon ’07 and husband Ivan announce the birth of Alma, Dec. 28, 2021.

2010s

Rachel Nelson ’12 and Chris Morrison married July 23, 2022.

Rebekah Smith ’15 and Matthew Musselman ’14 married May 21, 2022.

Rebekah works as a software engineer at Avxtel.

2020s

Marisa Harris ’19 and Matthew Sechrist ’20 married Oct. 2, 2021. Matthew works as an investment analyst for PA State Employees Retirement System.

CELEBRATING FIVE MESSIAH GENERATIONS

Holding a picture of his aunt Melba Martin Steckley ’24, Lester Martin ’46 (seated) celebrates five generations Messiah students and alumni, which includes (from left) his great-granddaughter Alayna Musser ’25; his daughter Sandra Martin Musser ’72 and her husband James Musser ’72; and his grandson Travis Musser ’01.

MEET US IN BUFFALO!

Messiah University Networking Dinner at Highmark Stadium, Buffalo, NY

MONDAY, JUNE 12

Join us at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills, for a Messiah University networking dinner. We’ll tour the stadium and then enjoy a catered dinner with guest speaker Zach Specht ’13 (shown at right), social media manager for the Bills. This event is open to any Messiah alumnus, parent or friend of the university. We look forward to seeing you there!

Event schedule:

5 p.m. – Guided tour of Highmark Stadium

6 p.m. – Dinner

7 p.m. – Guest speaker Zach Specht ’13, social media manager of the Buffalo Bills

Cost: $25 per person Register at www.purplepass.com/mubuffalo COURTESY OF THE BUFFALO BILLS

Note: The Heritage Society of Messiah University is sponsoring a bus trip to the Finger Lakes and the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. On this trip, the bus will stop at the stadium, so the guests can attend this event. If you would like to join us for the bus trip and the Bills event, register at messiah.edu/bustrip2023. The bus trip price includes the stadium tour and dinner, so there is no need to register for both the Bills event and the bus trip.

Dorothy Gish ’55

1935-2022

Messiah University mourns the loss of Dorothy Gish, academic dean emeritus, who passed away in November 2022. After graduating from Messiah Junior College in 1955, she returned in 1972 after 17 years of teaching and serving internationally and earning her Ph.D. from Penn State University. Something of a legend at Messiah and known for her trademark hats, Gish served in many roles, including as chair of what was then known as the Department of Home Economics; acting dean of students; assistant dean for faculty growth and development; and academic dean. Her achievements as dean include adding 20 new faculty members and increasing gender, ethnic and age diversity. She also launched various new programs, including the Early Childhood Education Lab School. She retired in 1998 and was honored with the title academic dean emeritus by the Board of Trustees in recognition of her meritorious service to her alma mater. In retirement, she remained as active as ever, working for the Brethren in Christ, including serving as dean of equipping for ministry and serving on numerous boards. Throughout her esteemed educational career, she conducted research and presented her findings in a host of international settings.

“Dr. Dorothy J. Gish was an inspiration!” said Raeann Hamon ’83, who followed in Gish’s footsteps and is current chair of the Department of

Human Development and Family Science. “As an undergraduate and then later as a young faculty member at Messiah, Dorothy served as an important role model and mentor for women on campus, including me. She truly shattered the glass ceiling at Messiah, serving as our first female academic dean, teaching us a great deal about effective women in leadership. Even in her later years, Dorothy maintained her commitment to empowering women in their pursuit of

leadership and was thrilled when our department initiated the Dr. Dorothy J. Gish Women in Leadership Award endowment. I’m so delighted that Dorothy’s influence and passion for leadership will live on.”

President Kim S. Phipps, who was named Gish’s successor as academic dean in 1998, said at the memorial service, “Dorothy was an exemplary administrator, educator and lifelong learner. She believed in the transformative power of education to improve

and enrich the lives of others. Dorothy was a selfless servant. She fulfilled whatever role was needed, whenever it was needed and she did it with competence and grace. Dorothy was a gracious, embracing Christian who understood the gospel’s clarion call for reconciliation. She worked tirelessly to recruit and retain a more diverse faculty and to improve the experiences of multicultural students on our campus. At Messiah University, we continue that journey toward reconciliation today. Dorothy made a significant difference in the life of Messiah faculty and staff and the lives of the students who attended during her 26-year career at the University. For the gift of her life and for every good work and every moment of joy she brought to our community, we thank her and we thank God.”

“She truly shattered the glass ceiling at Messiah, serving as our first female academic dean, teaching us a great deal about effective women in leadership.”

— Raeann Hamon ’83, chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Science

MESSIAH UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

REV. DR. SUSIE C. STANLEY

1948-2022

We are saddened to announce the passing of Rev. Dr. Susie C. Stanley in November 2022. She joined the Messiah community in 1995 and served as professor of historical theology in the Biblical and Religious Studies Department, retiring in 2011. In addition to being a talented teacher and scholar, Stanley, a minister in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana), was

founding executive director of the Wesleyan/Holiness Women Clergy (WHWC). The purpose of WHWC is to encourage women to serve as ministers of the church. In the early 2000s, she wrote a key aspect of Messiah’s Lilly Vocation grant in support of female students sensing a call to ordained ministry. She earned her Ph.D. from Illiff School of Theology at the University of Denver and taught throughout her adult life either at the seminary or college levels. In addition, she loved chocolate, so much so that she taught classes on chocolate at Messiah! Colleague David Weaver-Zercher ‘83, former chair of the Biblical and Religious Studies Department, said, “Susie demonstrated boundless energy

as a teacher and a scholar, and she loved her students. She was particularly attuned to the gifts that women could offer the church as ordained leaders, and her encouragement of Messiah’s female ministry students to follow their callings was exactly what they needed. Susie was a

Make a lasting investment in the lives of students

gift to them, to the church and to all of us who worked closely with her.” Her late husband John Stanley, who also taught classes at Messiah, passed away in 2020. We are grateful for her legacy of affirming God’s call to ministry among all our students.

Messiah mom Michelle Summerson and her children, Sarah ’19 and James, created the In His Hands Scholarship in memory of their husband/father, Jim Summerson, to support other students who have experienced the loss of a parent.

Read the Summersons’ generous and inspiring story

We are so grateful to the Summerson family and all faithful supporters of Messiah’s distinctive, Christ-centered educational mission.

Michelle, Sarah ’19 and James Summerson

AROMA thrives after more than a decade of ministry through sports

MESSIAH STUDENTS TRAVEL THE WORLD SHARING THEIR FAITH WITH COMMUNITIES

Since its start in 2011, A Revolution of Missional Athletes (AROMA), Messiah’s sports ministry, has traveled the world to spread the gospel.

Although the program had some setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program is back in full swing for its 12th year. They even added of a few new initiatives such as a summer discipleship and ministry intensive.

“AROMA has been the part of my experience at Messiah as a student that has encouraged my own personal faith development

and relationship with God the most,” said Brendan Provan ’21, M.A. ’23, who serves as AROMA’s strength and conditioning coach. “I love our mission for student athletes to participate in the kingdom of God through sport and how we get to do that through strength and conditioning, small group Bible studies, chapels, camps and more.”

Along with hosting a weekly chapel series, gathering 175-200 students in Hitchcock Arena, AROMA hosts local sports camps and plans trips to countries all over the world.

This year, the program plans to send teams to Costa Rica, Colombia, Zambia, Uganda and Guatemala. Four of the teams are full varsity teams—the woman’s soccer team, women’s volleyball team, women’s field hockey and the wrestling team—and the other two are a mix of varsity and non-varsity athletes.

All students who want to combine faith and sports are encouraged to join. The program shows

that sports are a great way for students to build relationships and help others see that fullness in life is found in relationship with God. “Sport has a unique ability to bring together people from all walks of life, parts of the world and socioeconomic backgrounds, so it has a tremendous unifying capacity when used for that,” said Aaron

Faro, AROMA

— Molly McKim ’23

director.

“AROMA has been the part of my experience at Messiah as a student that has encouraged my own personal faith development and relationship with God the most.”

— Brendan Provan ’21, M.A. ’23, AROMA’s strength and conditioning coach

Messiah students are encouraged to join AROMA, the campus ministry that’s now in its 12th year of service.

summer programs at Messiah your summer

Messiah offers a variety of unique summer-learning experiences for students taught by our renowned faculty in a fun and challenging environment.

Oakes

For more information about each camp or to register, go to:

Athletic

Office of Marketing and Communications

One University Ave. Mechanicsburg PA 17055

Let’s give...

A WARMER WELCOME

Honoring Messiah’s legacy of commitment and success

Help us provide a welcoming atmosphere for our athletes, students, fans and campus visitors. We are working to raise $7.3 million to fund this much-needed project and ask for your help in continuing the Messiah Athletics legacy of “Pursuing athletic excellence. Developing Christian character.” The projects will include:

• A new Stadium East Building, including an additional concession area; locker rooms for home and visiting teams; restrooms; indoor tailgating space; and spaces for officials and athletic training staff (rendering above)

• New seating for lacrosse and softball fans

• Improved dugout areas for the baseball team

DID YOU KNOW

There will be donor recognition on site for gifts/pledges at or above $15,000.00.

To learn more or give online, visit messiah.edu/warmerwelcome, or scan this QR code to give now.