SOUTHEASTERN ALUMNI AND FRIENDS MAGAZINE
SUMMER 2020
ALSO FEATURING
DR. BOB GRIFFITH
RESTORING HOPE
Eliza Babarczy Johnny Berry Aaron Burke Jason Burns Victoria Garcia SOUTHEASTERN 1
SOUTHEASTERN
TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMER 2020
FEATURES
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A SURPRISING END TO A SEMESTER Although the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19 altered Southeastern’s academic year, resulting in remote learning, the university strived to find ways to make the spring semester special for students.
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WORKING WITH WOOD Within one of the largest tropical forests in Central America, Eliza Babarczy ’08 is using handcrafted exotic wood to make a sustainable difference within a local community in Guatemala.
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RESTORING HOPE As the founder and acting president of 1Hope and executive pastor for Journey Church, Bob Griffith ’19 (D.Min.) is impacting the foster care system and youth mentoring programs in Wisconsin.
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LIFE IN THE FAST LANE NASCAR producer Victoria Garcia ’13 shares about her fast-paced lifestyle on the track and in the studio. What started out as an internship turned into a full-time job where she now coordinates and creates pieces that air internationally.
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RADIANT CHURCH EXPERIENCES EXPONENTIAL GROWTH Nearly six years since its founding, Radiant Church, pastored by Aaron ’05, ’20 (D.Min.) and Katie (Whittenton) ’06 Burke, was named the fourth-fastest growing church in America by Outreach magazine.
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INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY In November of 2019, Access Church, pastored by Jason ’03, ’20 (D.Min.) and Lis (Munizzi) ’03 Burns, made national headlines as they announced that the church would pay off more than $1.6 million of medical bills for low-income families.
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WORKING OUT OF THIS WORLD Starting out as a high school teacher, Johnny Berry ’08 never anticipated that he would one day be a NASA flight controller for the International Space Station.
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FULFILLING THE CALL The Ethridge family’s roots at Southeastern go back to 1976 when Oscar and Shirley first started working on the campus. Their son Carl and grandson Alex both went on to graduate from the university with calls to serve in missions.
IN EVERY ISSUE 10 ON CAMPUS 12
STUDENT STORIES
24 ATHLETICS
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44 ON THE COVER Bob Griffith ’19 (D.Min.) shares how his doctoral dissertation led him to start a nonprofit that is transforming his community through foster care.
47 CLASS NOTES 62 PERSPECTIVE SOUTHEASTERN 3
SOUTHEASTERN PRESIDENT
Dr. Kent Ingle
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Dr. Chris Owen ’93, ’06 (M.A.)
CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Dana Davis
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Priscilla (Pennington) Burr ’14
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI RELATIONS
Joel K. Johnson ’92
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Mabelle Ramírez-Ortíz
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Elena Espinoza; Grace Jicha; Mabelle Ramírez-Ortíz; Loree Rowland CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Priscilla (Pennington) Burr ’14; Stephanie Curl; Dana Davis; Grace Jicha; Jenna McFarlane; Kristin (Crosby) Ross ’07; Donnie Smith; Skylar Worthington ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
863.667.5400 SEU.edu alumni@seu.edu Published two times a year by the Office of University Advancement for Southeastern University’s alumni, faculty, staff and friends. Please send comments and contributions to: SOUTHEASTERN
University Advancement Southeastern University 1000 Longfellow Blvd. Lakeland, FL 33801 Submissions should be accompanied by the name, address, phone number and e-mail address of the sender. Contents of Southeastern may not be reproduced or redistributed in any manner, either whole or in part, without prior permission from Southeastern University. Southeastern reserves the right to edit and/or not publish content provided for submission into the magazine. Please send address changes or Class Notes updates to: alumni@seu.edu, the address above or online at SEU.edu/alumni. Telephone: 863.667.5400
Facebook.com/seuniversityalumni Twitter @seu_alumni Instagram @seu_alumni
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Left to right: Paul Clendenin ’78, Russell Sanders ’76, Helen Sanders, Brian Strasser and Rosalind (Sanders) Strasser ’97
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Tori Hammer ’15 (right) interviews current students Wayne Carector and Julie Nash
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
I
am so happy to share with you the Summer 2020 issue of the Southeastern magazine! We are always so grateful for those of you who invest in all we do here at Southeastern and continue to be a part of this wonderful community. In the following pages, you will see all God has done in our student body and continues to do in our alumni during this season — even throughout the trying times of this national crisis. This semester indeed turned out to be a much different semester than any of us could have anticipated. But it has been a true blessing to witness how this community has come together to move forward through this unexpected season. Late in the spring semester, the coronavirus led us to make the difficult decision to transition students to remote learning for the last few weeks of the semester. It was unfortunate to have to put a pause on our traditional campus classes, but it was made with the best interest of this community in mind. As the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as local and national authorities began to advise individuals to remain socially distant, we decided to quickly transition to a remote-learning format. Students and faculty completed the year in a virtual classroom, allowing students to not miss a beat in their education. Not long after, the governor of Florida released a stay-at-home order. We greatly missed the inspiring presence of our lively student body at the end of the school year. But there is nothing we value more than the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff.
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Thankfully, Southeastern University had qualified for the CARES Act emergency relief, which allowed us to provide students with emergency relief aid to help offset the financial burdens they may have experienced due to the coronavirus pandemic. The unexpected events of COVID-19 drastically changed the way we did school for the conclusion of our spring 2020 semester, as no doubt they have for every university across the globe. I am so proud of how our students, staff and faculty rose to this occasion, worked together and completed this academic school year strongly. We have brought together a COVID-19 Recovery Task Force to determine the appropriate recommendations on reopening the campus as we prepare for a safe return in the upcoming months. Students will return to campus for Welcome Week on August 28 and will resume classes on September 2 for the fall semester. We remain confident that this season and these new challenges will only strengthen us for the great future that is ahead for Southeastern University. As alumni, family, friends and supporters of Southeastern University, I want to let you know you are all in my prayers. I continue to ask for God’s grace, provision and healing power to be with you and all who have been impacted by this pandemic. May God bless you and keep you all healthy and safe in this season.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE
CLASS OF 2020
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LETTER FROM THE ALUMNI DIRECTOR
You make a difference!
I JOEL K. JOHNSON ’92
t was the change no one saw coming.
It seems like this is how so many of us feel about the start of 2020. A new year usually brings hope, enthusiasm and excitement about changing things. We make plans to break bad habits or to get in shape. We often find ourselves saying, “This is the year that I will…” In January that is how most of us felt. In February that started to change and by March that was gone. Whether we understood it or not, in March, we were all asked to make lifestyle adjustments and think of our neighbors. We secluded ourselves to protect those who were at risk. We did it. Sometimes begrudgingly, but we did it. We collectively helped flatten the curve. There was debate, disagreement, and some who eventually chose to ignore “safe at home,” but as a country we responded. You made a difference! During this time, an idea was developed in the Office of University Advancement: The Student Relief Fund. It was discovered that more than 100 students were directly impacted by COVID-19 — parents lost their jobs, family members contracted the virus and were unable to work — and finding ways to get through the pandemic became their only priority. Why not have our alumni and friends of SEU partner together to help these current students return to school in the fall? It was something we could all unite behind, recognize the need and act. And act we did! We found a way to bring these 100 students back. 100% of the money raised
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during this campaign has gone directly to students who otherwise would not have been able to come back to SEU in the fall. You made a difference! And who had a clue what was coming next? No one for sure. The civil, racial and societal unrest that came upon us so swiftly kicked things up a notch for everyone. No matter your response, you had one and it was strong. We all had a choice to make. Will we stand up to racial injustices and pray that those who have the power to make a change will do so? Here is what I have learned from 2020. When we as individuals choose to act unified, we can accomplish great things. We can fight global pandemics. We can change the lives of students from around the world who will impact the Kingdom for generations. We can battle the evils that face our world and make it a better place. The challenge will be this — have we really learned to put others first as a lifestyle, or just to make us feel better for a period of time? I have been so proud to see the things our alumni have done for their communities during the pandemic. Pastors and teachers are leading in ways like never before. Individuals are seeing needs and filling them. Alumni have sacrificially partnered with each other to make the Student Relief Fund a success. Alumni have stepped up and demanded changes in our culture. Jesus changed the world with 12 people. What can He do if all 18,000+ of us get on board with loving our neighbor? You make a difference!
YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE.
Through the efforts of the Student Relief Fund we will be able to help over 100 students return to Southeastern University. These students were facing the very real prospect of not returning because of the financial impact of COVID-19.
“Thank you to the alumni and friends of Southeastern University who helped students like me be able to return to SEU.”—Leandro Melgarejo, Practical Ministries Major
It’s been so encouraging to see SEU alumni, churches, and friends come together for this amazing cause. Thank you for your continued support of your alma mater and the future generation. To date we have raised over $221,500! Thank you to all the alumni, churches and businesses who helped us not only reach but surpass our goal of $200,000. If you have not had the opportunity to participate in this program and would still like to contribute we will be keeping it open in anticipation of future need.
SEU.edu/StudentRelief To ask a question or discuss you gift, contact Joel Johnson, Director of Alumni Relations at alumni@seu.edu or 863.667.5400.
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SEU CHEERLEADERS ON FOX & FRIENDS On February 2, 2020, SEU cheerleaders were guests on Fox & Friends during their coverage of the Super Bowl LIV.
SEU WORSHIP RELEASES NEW ALBUM SEU Worship released its first album, under Provident Label Group, a division of Sony Music, this summer. This album, “A Thousand Generations,” is available to stream on several platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and more.
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STUDENT STORY
Jaylen Arnold AN ADVOCATE AGAINST BULLYING In 2017, Jaylen Arnold was the recipient of The Princess Diana Legacy Award.
“Princes William and Harry were both very interested in my cause and how to use tools like social media to spread positivity and mental health. What was interesting is that Prince Harry was actually against the use of social media until I told him about the different types of methods in how we can use outlets like Instagram and Twitter to counteract cyberbullying,” he added.
Established in honor of Diana, Princess of Wales, the award is given to young people who have developed programs and initiatives to inspire change around the world. The glass award, shaped as a square, has an image of Diana and her words that read, “Young People Have the Power to Change the World.” “Receiving the Princess Diana Legacy Award as the only American recipient was not only surreal, but it was pretty intimidating,” said Jaylen. “I was extremely honored that they even recognized a simple highschooler like me, especially out of the thousands of applicants. I felt the expectation to continue to do the absolute best that I can with this foundation by using the platform the award gave me in order to reach as many students as possible.” An anti-bullying activist and founder of Jaylens Challenge Foundation, Inc., Jaylen 12 SOUTHEASTERN
Left to right: Prince Harry, Jaylen and Prince William
was anonymously nominated for the award in 2017 while he was still in high school.To receive the honor, he traveled to England and met with Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. “Meeting the princes was one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had, but what surprised me was how genuine they both were and the amount of time they spent with each of us,” said Jaylen.
At a young age, Jaylen was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. When he was eight years old, Jaylen was bullied at school. Determined to educate people about respect and the effects of bullying, he founded Jaylens Challenge with a goal to spread his message nationwide. Soon enough, his story was featured on “The Ellen Show,” CNN and by Katie Couric. He also garnered the attention of actor Dash Mihok of Showtime’s “Ray Donovan,” who struggled with Tourette’s at a young age as well.
Jaylens Challenge Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit, charitable organization that is dedicated to promoting awareness and the prevention of bullying through education and community service. To promote awareness, the organization holds schoolwide, face-to-face assemblies for students to understand why bullying is a problem.They highlight how students can prevent as well as help people who are bullied. Jaylen then shares his personal experience of being bullied.
The organization also distributes curriculum which has received the National Parenting Seal of Approval and the iconic “Bullying No Way!” wristbands that Jaylen created. To date, Jaylen has spoken to more than 240,000 students across the nation and helped prevent 67 suicides. He has traveled to 31 states to advocate for his cause. Jaylen was recently recognized by “Reader’s Digest” as one of the “14 Incredible Kids Who Changed the World in the Last Decade.” Now a sophomore at Southeastern, Jaylen is enrolled as a film production major, with aspirations of one day working in Hollywood. “One of the things I enjoy the most about SEU is the community. During my first semester I never once felt too embarrassed to approach someone. So many people I have met here, regardless if they are students or staff, have shown they care about me as an individual and have been there to be a support system when I need them,” said Jaylen.
Although he is enrolled as a full-time student, Jaylen continues to advocate against bullying and makes his cause a priority. While in school, he travels with the foundation once a month, and during holidays.
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STUDENT STORY
Kaili Perez
PREPARING FOR MINISTRY AT SEU AT INSPIRE CHURCH All the way in Waipahu, Hawaii, students at Inspire Church call Southeastern University “home.” Located on the island of O’ahu, Inspire Christian College is one of Southeastern’s partner sites. Through a partnership with the church, Southeastern provides online programs for students studying ministry, digital media and business. There are currently 10 students enrolled. One of those students is Kaili Perez, who has been attending since 2017 and is pursuing her degree in ministerial leadership. Kaili works full time as the resource media developer at Inspire Church, while also taking a full course load. She is always busy but knows with certainty that she is where God wants her to be. Although Kaili is now confident about her calling, she didn’t always want to pursue
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ministry work. She spent much of her childhood and adolescent life removed from the church. “My mom is a Buddhist, and my dad grew up in a CatholicMormon household…so I found and experienced my faith completely on my own,” said Kaili. “That was one of the hardest parts of growing up.” Kaili pursued an education degree at a different school before she discovered Southeastern, and she hoped to get a job teaching on another island. “I knew God had put it on my heart to shepherd the next generation; I just wasn’t sure how,” said Kaili. When SEU at Inspire Church opened, despite the pressure from her peers and parents to pursue other avenues of work, her calling became clear. “My dad really wanted me to have a backup plan, but I knew that if God had confirmed it,
everything would work out,” said Kaili. “And once I finally had my parents’ blessing, I knew I was choosing the right path.” The transition from a traditional college setting to the Southeastern partner site was not easy for Kaili. Switching from face-to-face courses to online proved to be a new and unexpected challenge. “I had to learn how to balance my studies and work really fast,” she explained. She typically works in the church office Tuesday through Thursday, and then also works on Saturday and Sunday. On her days off she frequents coffee shops around the island and does homework. She has, however, discovered a community with her classmates at Inspire Church. Similar to the habits of many college students, Kaili said, “We tend to join forces during finals and midterms.”
Even though taking accelerated online courses can be challenging, Kaili gets to work closely with church staff and learn firsthand how to run an effective ministry. “The most influential part of my experience at SEU is our practicum program. We get to connect with our leaders on a new level,” she said. “The relationships we build through practicum are priceless.” Kaili has found a beautiful community of friends, family and mentors at Inspire Church. When she looks back on her time at Southeastern, she recognizes the importance of obedience in particular. “Without obedience, you will miss your opportunity,” said Kaili. “You will miss slaying your Goliath; you will miss all that God has for you.” Kaili hopes to eventually work as the children’s director of her church once she completes her degree in 2021.
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A Surprising End to a Semester
HOW COVID-19 MAY HAVE ALTERED THE YEAR, YET INCREASED OUR SPIRITS The surprise of the COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtedly nothing anyone could have anticipated this year. In just the first months of 2020, it became apparent that the entire world was preparing for drastic changes as we faced a national crisis like none we have seen in our lifetime. This pandemic certainly impacted everyone in various ways, and here at Southeastern University, it significantly changed many things for the classroom and our campus as a whole. Particularly for those graduating from a university known for its campus life experience, it was no simple transition when Southeastern quickly switched to a remote learning format to prioritize the safety and health of the students, faculty and staff. This crisis has brought everyone around the globe unprecedented obstacles and challenges to overcome. While working through these obstacles, Southeastern 16 SOUTHEASTERN
discovered fresh innovative methods to ensuring students’ educational success.
economic impacts this pandemic would continue to have.
Through this unusual time, the Southeastern community came together and truly rose to the occasion.
Students who were unable to return home — such as international students, those who couldn’t go home due to state closures and many who simply had nowhere else to go — were provided with housing throughout the remainder of the semester.
An Unexpected Spring Semester Just weeks before the state of Florida released a stay-at-home order for a month, the university prepared for critical transitions. Following the guidelines of the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as national and local officials, by the end of March the campus had transitioned classes to a remote learning format. With just weeks remaining in the semester, faculty, students and staff quickly adjusted to a new normal. No one could have imagined how long it would last or the rapid health and
Following the state announcement, all staff and faculty began to work from home, with the exceptions of essential personnel. Even though these challenges were considerable given there were just weeks leading up to graduation and the last day of classes, the students, faculty and staff were quick to make the most of these circumstances.
A Fresh Approach to Academics The switch to remote teaching and learning was certainly a hurdle for many,
offer redirection. “I got to know their voices as artists better and better through these remote assignments.While this time had its challenges, there is a fruit in the adaptation of my lessons and their work. It’s amazing how an app has shaped the tail end of this semester to allow each student to stand on their own two feet as a cinematographer with their own designs and discoveries,” said Miller.
Jillian Cullinan completes class in an online Zoom meeting.
but several professors and students were encouraged by this unique format of learning. With a platform that, in many ways, offers a different experience, many students remained engaged. Just as some students are more comfortable speaking up in a large classroom setting, professors found other students were more comfortable speaking up online. Many professors also found that this format offered the opportunity for a fresh perspective on topics they had been teaching all semester. It could be said that the transition to this new style of learning was especially challenging for the many experientially focused classrooms, such as the College of Arts & Media’s Film Department. But even there, this obstacle presented the discovery of new, accessible and creative resources for students to grow in their field. “My traditional cinematography course is a balance of lecture and handson lighting experience in our studio,” said BETHANY MILLER ’12, assistant professor of film. “While we could not touch a physical light during this time, I supplemented with a digital ‘hands-on’ experience through the application Shot Designer.” Students in Miller’s cinematography class learned to create complete lighting strategies and camera setups within the app. Miller would then schedule meetings with them individually to review and
Navigating the many annual events, reviews and academic requirements for seniors was nothing short of a challenge. For those in the College of Natural and Health Science’s nursing program, this time presented weeks of heavy reviewing, testing and observations that were all able to be done through Google Hangout, Zoom and other digital platforms. Dr. Susan Tasker-Weaver, chair and director of the nursing program, said, “All our nursing students were very flexible with the changes and although the first week was a bit rough, we all adapted fairly well. For our graduates, the entire nursing faculty made a short video addressing them and sent it to all of them, and just today we received a video message from each student to us in return — very special!” This season allowed so many students and faculty to grow together and bond in new ways. For others, they even found these opportunities in a virtual format allowed further reach than they would have had otherwise. Students enrolled in the social work in communities and organization class held their annual community night virtually for the first time. With a focus on empowering those in voluntourism, global servanthood and disaster relief efforts, by going virtual, this event ended up having an even further reach, beyond our community. In addition to 300 people who tuned in online, a New Jersey church that had recently become a Convoy of Hope emergency distribution site due to the COVID-19 pandemic, also joined the event. Since that time, the congregation in New Jersey has asked to stream the event to more than 500 people in their
community. “The students excelled under the current circumstances and showed perseverance, grace, determination and professionalism,” said Julie Furj-Kuhn, associate professor of social work. “The social work program could not be more proud of all their efforts.”
Keeping the Fire Alive Another difficult challenge was the many chapel services, events and games that were not able to continue. For many of these students, these events in their lives can never be replaced. This year the athletic department had a year like no other. The wrestling team had a record-breaking season, men’s tennis was climbing the ranks, women’s tennis had their best season yet, and the women’s basketball team was undefeated. (As you can read in the Athletics Update, it was nothing short of a winning year for the SEU Fire.)
Trisha Jacobs heads to the rim during the final game of the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament.
Yet, as one-by-one states were shutting down and campuses were closing, it brought an abrupt seasons end for many teams that were continually performing with excellence. Women’s basketball had just completed their first game in the National Championship tournament with a 52-point win, when the entire event was cancelled.
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take this during their last semester, we hold a commissioning service for them to prayerfully send them out with our blessing and God’s anointing,” said Dr. Alan Ehler, dean of the college. “It has become a powerful and treasured time for both the students and the faculty. Although it was still not exactly the same as being in the same room together, several students and faculty members expressed appreciation and sensed God’s blessing on the ceremony.”
Women’s basketball team at the National Championship
“Drew Watson approached the bench and informed me that the tournament was cancelled immediately,” head women’s basketball coach Tim Hays explained. “It was both shocking and frustrating knowing that this special team would not get the opportunity to compete for that title. We then had to tell the team in the midst of a locker room celebration that their season and, for some, their careers were over. Many players wouldn’t leave the arena and just wanted to soak in whatever time was left there.We certainly understood that no one was to blame and that an unprecedented situation required an unprecedented response, but nonetheless, dreams had been lost due to no fault of their own. It’s something none of us will ever forget.” Nonetheless, the SEU Fire will certainly be ready to jump back on the fields once the fall season arrives. “Due to the strong recruiting work of the coaching staff,” athletic director Drew Watson, stated, “athletics anticipates a school record of student-athletes in the fall.” Though the year felt abrupt, and certainly brought difficulties for many students, the campus community continued to come together in spirit — even if from a distance. Within the Department of Spiritual Formation (DSF), although the chapel was closed for the remaining weeks, students were continually and 18 SOUTHEASTERN
daily ministered to. Within a week of these transitions, DSF had created a time to virtually connect with students. Each weekday, Daily Devos were released and a different staff or faculty member shared scripture and an encouraging word that was sent to the entire campus. Additionally, DSF created a 30-Day, 30-Minute Devotional Challenge for students to participate in.
Celebrating Our Seniors Stepping into this unique season, while coming to the end of an academic year, one of the most challenging aspects was not being able to celebrate the graduating class together. As every department over the years had found their own ceremonies and ways of commemorating the graduating class, discovering how to still hold to these traditions was undoubtedly difficult. Departments virtually connected with seniors and commemorated their achievements, offering a unique and certainly a memorable way to end the year. The Barnett College of Ministry & Theology held their annual commissioning service for the senior capstone class on Zoom. Dressed for the occasion in regalia, the faculty virtually shared communion with the graduates and prayed over students as they would have in person. “Since most students
One of the most anticipated events of the year is commencement. Although the spring class of 2020 was unable to meet at the original date, a virtual commencement ceremony was held on May 29.
The 2021 Academic Year Just two weeks out from the original date, the fall school year is set to begin September 2. Welcome Week activities will launch on August 28 and this campus will be alive again with the bright and inspiring faces of students as it is meant to be. Classes will begin August 26, for Unrestricted Education students, both online and at our partner sites. Similarly to universities around the globe, this season for Southeastern has been unexpected. But as students, faculty and staff worked through these challenges, it certainly brought a new sense of growth, a deeper meaning of community and insight that the university would not have seen otherwise. Like every school, Southeastern looks forward to a fresh start, a year of lively classrooms and a full campus again. The greatest joy of this institution remains the incredibly spirited and gifted students that enliven this campus.
COMMENCEMENT Congratulations to the graduating class of 2020! Congratulations to the spring 2020 graduating class! A total of 938 students qualified to graduate. Due to the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, a virtual graduation ceremony was held on May 29. More than 12,400 people watched the livestream of the ceremony. The commencement speaker was best-selling author Max Lucado.To view the commencement ceremony visit SEU.edu/graduation.
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NEW DEGREES
MASTER OF ARTS IN BIBLICAL STUDIES The School of Divinity is launching a master of arts in biblical studies this fall. The degree includes the requirements of learning biblical Greek or Hebrew, in addition to several courses on interpreting the Bible. This degree is the next step for a pastor seeking to enhance preaching skills or a future biblical studies professor looking to pursue a Ph.D.
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND TRADE A new bachelor of arts in the College of Arts & Media (CAM) will launch in the fall of 2020. The bachelor of arts in language, culture and trade will offer concentrations in six areas: business, tourism and hospitality, human services, linguistics, political science and cultural interface. Students will also have the option to customize a concentration to suit their needs. The goal of the program is to prepare students to enter into the international job market with the highest skill levels, knowledge and professional competencies to make a global impact. This degree program includes spending two semesters abroad, with one overseas internship.
DEGREE HIGHLIGHT
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN MATHEMATICS (ACTUARIAL SCIENCE CONCENTRATION) As one of the top-rated jobs in America, actuaries are considered the backbone of financial security within an organization.With companies seeking to acquire large amounts of data, the field of actuarial science is rapidly growing. In order to meet the demands of the workplace, Southeastern offers a mathematics degree with a concentration in actuarial science. This program is designed for students who enjoy analyzing applications and thinking abstractly about problems. Students who enroll in the actuarial science program have the opportunity to be key players on management teams for insurance companies, financial planners and many corporations that deal with risk management. In categories such as work environment, employment outlook, job security and salary, a career as an actuary is considered to be one of the top-rated jobs in America.
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DEGREE HIGHLIGHT
Brittany Tillman ’10 and her husband, Jeff
BRITTANY TILLMAN: APPLYING MATH TO REAL LIFE When BRITTANY (HURST) TILLMAN ’10 first started school at Southeastern, she didn’t have aspirations of pursuing a career in anything related to math. She started out as a psychology major and enrolled in some business classes.
“Although I loved math in college, I never really knew what kind of career could be made from a math degree besides teaching,” said Brittany. “As time unfolded, that advice has proven invaluable as my math degree has opened up all of my career opportunities.”
“I always loved math from the start. When I started college, I never intended on pursuing math, but I kept taking math classes because I liked the challenge they presented,” Brittany said.
Brittany went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in secondary math education at Southeastern and eventually went for her master’s in math at the University of South Florida. It was while she was in graduate school that Brittany heard about a profession in actuary science.
In fact, Brittany’s favorite classes were her math classes with Dr. TaeEun Kim and Dr. Berhane Ghaim. “It is evident how much they care for their students in the way they never hesitate to go out of their way to make sure you understand or to offer extra help,” added Brittany. Two of Brittany’s professors, Professor Shearen Fredere and Dr. Ghaim, recommended she pursue a degree in math sharing how it could guarantee that she could always be able to find a job. They also suggested how she could pursue other passions and interests.
“I was interested in how math was applied in real life. The actuarial profession was much more alluring as an opportunity to put everything I had learned in all my math courses in action,” she said. Brittany currently works as an actuarial associate at Hannover Re, a life insurance company, in Orlando, Fla. She is also pursuing her full actuary designation as a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA). Prior to that, she taught math at a high school in St. Petersburg, Fla., and then taught math at Southeastern for four years.
“My job involves a thorough knowledge of statistics, probability, critical thinking and reasoning skills to analyze data and manage risk,” she said. “My degrees taught me the necessary mathematical prerequisite skills I would need later in my field as well as vital problem-solving and self-study skills that are integral in preparing for actuarial exams.” For those interested in following a similar career path, Brittany shared, “The best advice I can offer is to make passing actuarial exams a priority and do an internship if possible. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people already working in the profession if you have questions. I have found that most actuaries are very helpful and have no problem offering guidance or advice when you need it.” Outside of work, Brittany enjoys running, particularly running trails with her dad and brother, BRANDON HURST ’08. She also spends time traveling, especially taking hiking and camping trips.
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eSPORTS: A NEW WAY TO COMPETE Southeastern has a new team on campus. Instead of a field to practice on, the athletes use an indoor suite of computers equipped with the latest technology — competing in the world of eSports, multiplayer video games competitively played in front of spectators.
students the opportunity to earn monetary rewards — some with prizes as high as $25,000. Southeastern competed in two games — Overwatch and Rocket League — in their first year. Additional titles, Super Smash Brothers and Fortnite, were added in the spring.
One of the fastest-growing sports in the nation, eSports generated more than $1 billion in 2019, with over 165 million fans. In the United States, nearly 130 colleges have joined the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE), with 3,000 student-athletes. Through the organization and universities participating, they provide more than $16 million in financial aid and scholarships.
ETHAN CADORE ’18, director of eSports and resident director of Bauer Hall, was approached with the idea in November of 2018, as Southeastern’s leadership team was looking to continue to build community on campus. Ethan competed in grassroots eSports competitions previously and coached traditional high school sports teams.
In the first year of the program, Southeastern’s 32 athletes participated in scrimmages, with the goal of competing in national competitions in the 2020-21 academic year. The competitions provide 22 SOUTHEASTERN
“The goal is for eSports to be a medium for students to hang out and develop relationships,” said Ethan. “Our team has four values: character, commitment, competition and community.”
The eSports arena is located in the Buena Vida West Mezzanine. The suite includes 13 stations that are powered by Alienware PC monitors and the latest peripherals. The students practice three times a week in the evenings and compete in team-based games with teams of six in Overwatch and teams of three in Rocket League. MAX GOOD ’20 played on the Rocket League team when he was a senior. He applied to be a part of the team and sent a video of him playing as a part of the application process. He jokes that the time he spent playing video games finally paid off. “I bought Rocket League when it first came out,” said Max. “I really like the team dynamic of the eSports team. At the end of every practice, we do devotions together. We are a group of people who might not have met if it were not for this
team. My dad went through a tragic accident this summer and they all prayed for me. I am thankful for how supportive they have been of me.” Jessica Jarvis, a junior music major, started playing video games with her younger brother. Her favorite game to play was Overwatch on a PS4. Jessica joined the team in September after sending in video clips of her highlights playing Overwatch. “We play team-based games. We have to learn how to adapt to any situation and overcome situations together,” said Jessica. “It’s really cool to be a part of a team and something that is bigger than yourself. I am proud to represent the eSports team. The coaches care about our spiritual growth as well. It’s cool to have the support of the university.” eSports is different than most athletic competitions, as it affords students opportunities to play against teams from any college or university across the United States, since there are no divisional breakdown. Students are able to compete at Southeastern with the games played online. When the athletes start to compete in invitationals, they will travel to the university hosting the competition.The Southeastern team even has practice and game-day jerseys. In addition to being used for competition, the arena is open for all Southeastern students to play video games during the week. Ethan’s future goals include growing the team to compete for national titles. “eSports allows smaller schools to get national recognition. I would love to shed more light on Southeastern if we are able to make it to the national stage,” said Ethan.
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Jeremy Oppenheimer floats a shot over Webber International.
National Player of the Year Taylah Simmons goes for a lay-up against Ohio Christian in the first round of the NAIA Division II National Championship.
ATHLETICS UPDATE
Dylan Chatterton looks to score at the NAIA National Championships.
MEN’S BASKETBALL A fifth-place preseason ranking in The Sun Conference Coaches’ Poll fueled the Fire to a historic season. In his first year as head coach, Kevin Lubbers guided SEU to its first Sun Conference regular season title in program history and an overtime come-from-behind win in the conference tournament championship game to sweep both the regular season and tournament titles. Senior Jeremy Oppenheimer concluded his four-year career with the Fire as the 27th member of the 1,000-point club since 1973 and earning honorable mention All-America honors. The Fire also boast the conference’s Freshman of the Year in Riley Minix, who was 10th in the conference scoring 14.6 points per game. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Fire won their unprecedented fifthconsecutive Sun Conference regular season title this past season and were undefeated in league play for the fourth
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Felipe Barbosa sends a forehand back over the net against Judson University.
consecutive year. The team also rose to the top of the NAIA Division II Coaches’ Poll for the second time in program history, catching the attention of the national raters with a 97-72 win over previous No. 1 and defending national champion Concordia (Neb.) in December. SEU advanced to the national tournament for the sixth time, which is the most national tournament appearances in school history. They also won their first round game over Ohio Christian, which ended up being the final game played before the cancellation of the tournament. Junior Taylah Simmons became the program’s first National Player of the Year, scoring 24 points per game, and was fifth in shooting at 59.4%. WRESTLING SEU compiled its most successful season in program history, setting records for highest rankings, dual meet victories, national qualifiers and a national championship finish in Brandon Jorge’s first season as head coach. The Fire won
17 dual meets, which included five against Top 20 competition and placed third at the Mid-South Conference Championships. Ten wrestlers earned trips to the NAIA Nationals Championships. Redshirt junior Dylan Chatterton and freshman Coleman Bryant earned All-America recognition with Chatterton placing fifth at 157 and Bryant seventh at 174. The team placed ninth at nationals and ninth in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar All-America rankings. MEN’S TENNIS When the season was halted, the Fire were tied for second place in The Sun Conference standings with a 4-1 record and a 7-6 overall record. The team was also in the receiving votes category in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll during the season. SEU had posted some success in singles play with the team posting a 39-32 record, led by Omar Fiorenzato and Alec Lichter posting eight wins each.
Zach Cornell slides into home to score a run Priscila Baptista fires a serve over the net against Florida National.
in an exhibition against the Detroit Tigers.
Hannah Bonner rounds third to score a run against Trinity Baptist.
Noah Endicott watches his second shot head towards the green at ChampionsGate.
WOMEN’S TENNIS Southeastern was in the midst of one of its best seasons in program history when play was stopped. The Fire held a 10-3-1 record and matched its highest NAIA ranking in program history at 19th. SEU was on a five-match win streak and only conceded one point during that time. In singles play, the Fire held a 55-23 record with Beatrice Letizia at 12-2 playing No. 2 Singles. Priscila Baptista was also 12-2 playing at No. 4 and No. 5 Singles during the year. BASEBALL The Fire baseball team had just risen to No. 1 in the NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 and won its last 25 games of the year. They were one of the most potent offensive teams in all of college baseball, leading the NAIA in hits (347), batting average (.388), home runs (77) and slugging percentage (.726). For the second year in a row, the Fire took on the Detroit Tigers in the first game of Spring Training and gave the team
quite a challenge. They held two separate two-run leads and forced the Tigers to rally in the bottom of the ninth to escape with a 5-4 win. Outfielder Zach Cornell led the NAIA in hits with 56 and posted a .519 batting average with 44 RBIs, 12 doubles and 10 home runs. SOFTBALL In the first season under coach Kayla Watkins, the Fire posted a 12-11 record in their abbreviated season and had won four of their last seven games. SEU had a solid showing during the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Georgia, winning a 2-1 game against Georgetown College, and came up just a run short of No. 7 Mobile in another 2-1 game. The Fire also knocked off Reinhardt 6-3, which was receiving votes in the national poll. Freshman shortstop Kaley Sarasty had a team-best .333 batting average with Lauren Waters driving in a team-high of 13 RBIs. In the pitching circle, Peyton Varela notched five wins with a .194 ERA.
MEN’S GOLF The Fire were just outside of the Top 10 in the NAIA rankings having recorded a strong finish to place fourth at the ChampionsGate Invitational against solid competition. The team posted an average score of 299 (+11) in their eight tournaments during the season between fall and spring. Freshman Matthew Soucinek led the team in scoring at 73.74, an average of just 1.74 over par and had five Top 10 finishes in eight tournaments. WOMEN’S GOLF In the final NAIA Coaches’ Poll, the Fire were among the biggest movers, jumping up to 14th. SEU was playing well in the spring, placing fourth at the ChampionsGate Invitational, second at Mobile, then winning the Skyhawk Invitational at Callaway Gardens. The Fire also took the title at the Adamonis Invitational at Doral winning the final fall tournament. During the final round of the Skyhawk Invitational, the Fire set a school SOUTHEASTERN 25
Valentina Espinosa watches her shot head down towards the green at ChampionsGate.
record for the lowest 18-hole team score at 295. Junior Valentina Espinosa was the medalist, shooting even par both days. Senior Ana Uribe led the team in scoring average at 77.05 with four Top 10 finishes. MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD Even without an outdoor season and the chance to defend its Sun Conference title, the men’s track and field team had a successful and historic indoor season. Three athletes qualified for indoor nationals with two earning podium
Davonte Vanterpool races in the 60-meter hurdle event at the Webber Invitational.
placements. Sophomore Davonte Vanterpool earned a spot on the podium in the 60-meter hurdles by placing fourth and becoming the men’s program’s first indoor All-American. Classmate Kyle Manuel became the school’s first AllAmerican in the throws by placing fifth in the shot put with a best toss of 16.51 meters. WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD The Fire had 10 entries at the NAIA Indoor Track and Field National Championships and six athletes earned
Namiah Simpson and Courtney Gales lead the pack in the 400-meter event at the Webber Invitational.
All-America recognition during competition in Brookings, S.D. Freshman Ashley Epps was just one thousandth of a second away from becoming the school’s first individual national champion, placing second in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.662. Sophomore Namiah Simpson became a four-time AllAmerican by helping the 4x400 relay team place fourth and placing seventh herself in the 400 meters. SEU totaled 15 points to place 17th as a team at nationals.
SEU BASEBALL FACES DETROIT TIGERS Southeastern’s baseball team took on the Detriot Tigers in front of nearly 4,800 attendees on Friday, January 22. This is the second time the Fire faced the Major League Baseball team. The Fire led the game at two different points, and the Tigers had to score in the bottom of the ninth to with 5-4. Be sure to save the date for next year’s game on Friday, February 26, 2021.
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QB Cooper Jones
RB Bryan Bell
Head Coach Rivas
Season Tickets On Sale Now As low as $11 per game Home Schedule September 12 and 19, October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, November 7 All dates subject to change
Fire Club Season Memberships: 863.667.5399
SEUFire.com
27 SOUTHEASTERN
General Admission Season Memberships: 863.667.5350
l t f
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@FireAthletics @SEUFireClub @SEUFireFootball
Southeastern University | 1000 Longfellow Blvd., Lakeland, FL | SEUFire.com
FEATURE STORIES
Eliza Babarczy
WOODWORKING FOR MISSIONS 28 SOUTHEASTERN
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n the heart of the Peten jungle, the second largest remaining tropical forest in Central America, ELIZA BABARCZY ’08 is using handcrafted exotic wood to make a difference within a local community in Guatemala. Named after the lake they are located next to and the last Mayan group to live in the area, Itza Wood exists to create jobs and foster a positive social and environmental impact in a place where poverty is prevalent. “We’re about the people and the place,” said Eliza. “We want to be a bridge of healthy development and connect this area with more economic opportunities and show their beautiful craftsmanship to the world.” Itza Wood specializes in tabletop items and home accessories. All of their wood is sustainably harvested and certified. Although the company utilizes wood from the Peten jungle, they are dedicated to the preservation of the forest. With efforts for reforestation, they planted 45,000 trees before cutting down a single tree. “We stand firm in our commitment to ensure this tropical forest, known as the Mayan biosphere, remains standing for generations to come,” added Eliza. The wood they use for their products is harvested by local businesses within the community. To sustain the forest, they only cut down a few trees in a particular area, and then they won’t go back to that same area for 25 years. Itza Wood also designs their products around the offcuts of wood that the lumber yards often don’t see as valuable wood. “We want to set a good example of what a responsible woodworking company looks like. If we don’t protect the tropical forest, we will lose it. The areas where our wood comes from have shown net forest gain, rather than loss. It means they are doing something right in managing the forest, and we want to be a part of that,” said Eliza.
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Eliza and her mom with Itza employees
Made from exotic hardwoods, Itza’s products will last a lifetime. Eliza and her mom design all of the home goods and then the designs are passed to the carpenters. Their one-of-a-kind handicrafts range from utensils costing $10 to art pieces that retail at $300. Although the products are crafted in Peten, most of their clientele are located in Guatemala City and on the east and west coasts of the United States. The unique woodwares are then sold in local boutiques and kitchen stores in the U.S. and in Guatemala City. Eliza also participates in trade shows around the world to market the company. Her two favorite products they produce are a butcher block made from tigerwood and their mahogany bowls. As they strive to invest in the surrounding communities, Itza Wood employs woodworkers who live in the local villages. The company currently has 13 full-time employees. 30 SOUTHEASTERN
“I see myself as a bridge. Our team has beautiful craftsmanship and they produce in some of the most stunning woods in the world, but they had difficulty accessing a market,” said Eliza. All of the employees, with the exception of Eliza, come from the surrounding communities. Itza Wood’s investment in the community also extends to the local youth, as they teach them how to be carpenters with the goal of providing more job opportunities. In addition to their team, they also employ part-time apprentices and they work with a group of 15 local artisans. Itza Wood also supports a jungle school where students come from nine surrounding villages. After the students graduate, Itza Wood provides part-time employment opportunities for them. Eliza’s parents founded the school 20 years ago while they were missionaries in Guatemala City. The school started
with 15 students and has grown to over 380 students, from pre-kindergarten to technical school classes. “We generously support the school through providing literacy, skills and incentives to protect the area’s resources. Through education, we are equipping young people and creating jobs to better life in the region,” said Eliza. Some of the projects Itza has been able to be a part of are building a deck for the preschool, donating educational resources and providing the school with additional desks. “We really want to see the company grow, so our impact can be more meaningful,” added Eliza. Starting a wood company in Guatemala wasn’t what Eliza initially planned for her life. At the age of seven, Eliza’s family moved to Guatemala City as missionaries, where she would live until graduating
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from high school. After high school, she took two years off to travel before deciding what she wanted to study in college. Through a recommendation from a friend, TALITHA BULLOCK ’01, Eliza heard of Southeastern and enrolled pursuing a degree in public relations and journalism. “One of the most valuable things I took away from Southeastern is servant leadership and how God’s heart can be shared no matter what you are doing — business, medicine, communications or direct missions,” she said. After earning her bachelor’s degree, Eliza went to work in the public relations field. It didn’t take long for Eliza to realize that corporate public relations wasn’t a good fit for her. She soon transitioned to work as an event coordinator at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. Within her seven years at the company, 32 SOUTHEASTERN
she held various positions, working anything from catering and event coordinating to sales and eventually operations management. “Challenging myself in new ways and growing within the company every year equipped me for the next big step,” she added. Having grown up on the mission field, Eliza started to feel a social impact element missing in her life. “I really wanted to move into something more meaningful than throwing big parties and planning events,” she said. She decided to take a six-week vacation to various countries in South America. A desire to move overseas was sparked in her. Soon after, her mom approached her about starting and running a wood company in Guatemala.
“My mom always had a dream of starting a woodworking company to use the natural resources in a sustainable way and harness business for social impact and job creation,” said Eliza. In January of 2016, Eliza moved to Guatemala to start Itza Wood. “It was quite the change for me. I like the city and I had a really good community where I lived. Now, I live down a dirt road and hear the howler monkeys every morning,” said Eliza. Since Eliza started Itza Wood with her mom, she has spent every free moment she has investing in the growth and impact of the company. Her mother helps with design elements, but prioritizes working at the jungle school. Every day looks different for Eliza. She starts working at 7 a.m. She begins by touching base with the workshop, where
they discuss production. Her day then ranges from doing office work, driving to source lumber in the jungle, overseeing the quality and production of products and fulfilling orders for their clients. “Now I can see that having worked in several different positions in the previous
company gave me exactly what I would need to be a good entrepreneur. And although working in rural Guatemala with little infrastructure and many challenges is tough and gritty, it is also what I feel my life’s calling is and I am finally walking it out. I feel grounded and fulfilled,” said Eliza.
Looking to the future, Itza Wood plans to continue to expand their reach through starting an ecommerce website, expanding their workmanship and tapping into other natural resources to broaden their craftsmanship beyond wood.
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Bob Griffith
RESTORING HOPE 34 SOUTHEASTERN
The Bob Griffith Family
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hat started with DR. BOB GRIFFITH’s ’19 (D.Min.) dissertation has now surmounted into a nonprofit organization that is transforming his community through foster care ministry. Bob is the founder and acting president of 1HOPE, a non-profit organization that focuses neighborhood, professional and faith based energy to restore hope and transform lives.Their initiatives involve capacity building for the foster care system, youth mentoring and neighborhood transformation programs. Bob serves as the executive pastor for Journey Church in Kenosha, Wis., one of the largest Assemblies of God (AG) churches in the region. It is also the location for one of Southeastern’s partner sites, where he has fulfilled the role of an adjunct professor for six years. In 2016, Bob discovered the opportunity to earn his doctor of ministry degree (D.Min.) through Southeastern’s new doctoral program and decided to enroll. Although Bob did not see it yet, this was his first step toward taking up the torch for foster care ministry. He began the process by seeking answers from his city’s leaders. He strived to understand the community’s most substantial need. “I asked them, ‘If there was any one thing our church could do to help the county, what would that one thing be?’” Bob said. “They told me anything to do with foster care, recruiting more foster parents or garnering support for pre-existing foster families.” It wasn’t long after this that Bob witnessed a family attending his church decide to embark on their own foster care journey. “This inspired so much confidence within me. If they could do it, I thought I could do it too,” Bob said.
After faithful and consistent prayer, Bob got the confirmation he needed from his academic mentor and dissertation chair, Dr. Robby Waddell; the program director, Dr. Jim Vigil; and fellow students, that God was calling him to a deeper understanding of foster care ministry.They recognized how God was directing him in this way through his personal, professional and community experiences. Bob dove deep into his studies using practical theology to determine what the church’s intended role would be within foster care and adoption. He researched methods of church efforts starting with modern-day application and dating all the way back to the beginning of the New Testament. “Studying the theological framework of foster care and adoption helped me to understand how the local church is called to intervene,” Bob said. “I remember going home and telling my wife, ‘If we’re going to help with this, not only should we do it as a church, but as a family.’” Bob and his wife, Wendy, welcomed one foster child, and soon, other pastors in their church followed suit. “At one point, six out of nine of our pastors were all fostering or adopting kids,” said Bob. Members of the congregation started noticing this shift and watched as a wave of momentum built. As they began to follow the pastors’ example, it wasn’t long before the total amount of families fostering children from Journey Church made up 20 percent of the total amount in Kenosha County. “I’ve learned that in order to create real, lasting change for foster care in a city, you need at least 10 percent of churches to get on board,” Bob said. “At this point, we’ve succeeded in getting 20 percent of churches partnered with us.”
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Not only did Bob’s studies start to transform the lifestyles of his churchgoers, but it also inspired Waddell to foster and eventually adopt children of his own. Waddell welcomed two biological sisters of the ages five and six into his family in August of 2019. “Fostering and adoption is at the heart of the gospel,” said Waddell. “It’s a primary metaphor used by the Apostle Paul to describe the work of Christ in the lives of believers. By extension, Christians are actualizing their call to be the body of Christ or family of God when they care for orphans and adopt them into their families.” Bob knew the massive efforts for foster care couldn’t stop with his dissertation or the completion of his degree. As a result, he created 1HOPE with a heart for continuing what had been started.
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“1HOPE was able to launch effectively within the community because everyone already trusted our church. They had seen what we contributed to the foster care system and knew our intentions,” Bob said. With the help of Compact Family Services, an AG foster care agency, Bob helped develop CompaCare, a program designed to create an effective support system for foster parents. CompaCare provides Journey Church and 1HOPE with a comprehensive curriculum in training foster families and establishing the proper methods for building support networks. “Bob’s research has contributed to promoting our premise that the local church has the power to change the way we will do foster care in the future,” said Dr. Johan Mostert, the director of CompaCare. “His continued
application of the CompaCare model in his community will provide further data to promote the critical role of the faith community in what is often a very neglected field of ministry.” The national dropout rate for foster families resides around 40 to 60 percent after the first year. “We implemented the CompaCare program to bring the dropout rate down for foster parents,” Bob said. The most challenging aspect of fostering can be the feeling of isolation. At Journey Church specifically, Bob discovered that 14 percent of families were positive they were going to stop fostering in the next year. However, after receiving support and care from volunteers in the church, all 14 percent changed their mind and decided to continue fostering.
“Having an active support network for the foster families keeps them energized and encouraged to keep fostering for longer periods of time,” Bob said. Journey Church even foster care awareness hold open and honest people’s stories and support.
hosts an annual day, where they discussions, share rally volunteer
“What a lot of people don’t realize is that child welfare is connected to every other aspect of a community,” Bob said. “It’s integrated so deeply that making an impact in this area will send a ripple effect felt by all.” The foster care system can feed heavily into other prominent societal issues, the most signifcant being human trafficking. Specifically, when children age out of the system they are often left with no support system at all. This makes them the most vulnerable target for human trafficking. As a result of the corridor between
“Our family has changed. We’ve been discipled in a way that has brought us closer to God, different from anything we have experienced before.” Milwaukee and Chicago, Wisconsin is ranked as the fourth highest state for human trafficking. These children are also at an even higher risk to end up in prison. “Every child that is reunited with a parent or family is one less victim of human trafficking, incarceration or generational cycles,” Bob said. “You can change the trajectory of their life.” Bob and Wendy have adopted four children, Kelsey, Brooks, Mark and Sarah,
as a result of fostering. They were all under the age of five when they were adopted. They also have two biological children who are older, Lindsay and Madison, who are 12 and 17 years old. “The older siblings really have a heart for the younger ones. They’ll help them with homework or hold their hands in the supermarket,” Bob said. “Our family has changed. We’ve been discipled in a way that has brought us closer to God, different from anything we’ve ever experienced before.” Bob believes that foster care ministry is so different from any other volunteerbased activity one can do. What sets it apart is the level of commitment. “Everything else you may do with your church is maybe weekly or bi-weekly, but with foster care ministry, that is something you are participating in 24/7,” Bob said. “You are literally opening up your home and welcoming the community inside.” SOUTHEASTERN 37
Victoria Garcia
LIFE IN THE FAST LANE
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hat began as an internship with NASCAR shortly after graduation put V I C TO R I A GARCIA ’13 on the track to a full-time job with the organization years later. As a production assistant for the International Broadcasting Department of NASCAR Media Group, Victoria spends her days doing a wide range of jobs, from creating TV pieces in the studio to being on the racetrack talking to drivers and getting video footage on race day. From NASCAR’s headquarters in Charlotte, N.C., Victoria creates pieces for NASCAR University that air on international TV stations and online. She covers topics like the history of Bill Elliott, Tony Stewart and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “I create bumps and teases which are brief video clips that play before race day coverage airs live in other countries. I also cover the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, The Pace Lap, NASCAR Xfinity and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series,” said Victoria. Victoria spent a quarter of last year’s race season traveling and working race days at the track. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s season will not consist of any travel. Instead, Victoria will cover many of the races solo in the control room with an engineer in the other room. “Our regular weekly show, ‘The Pace Lap,’ has been cancelled as we cannot preview the current week’s race or recap the last race, because we would be at multiple locations weekly
38 SOUTHEASTERN
due to the pandemic. I will not be traveling at all the rest of the season due to safety and show cancellation. I’ll be technical directing by myself while my producer works remotely. That’s a new challenge that carries plenty of stress,” said Victoria. During last year’s race season, Victoria started highlighting different drivers and asking them fun questions to put together more creative remote pieces. “It gives me the opportunity to form relationships with the drivers, and it has helped me to create more pieces,” said Victoria. She also gets B-roll race day content, which are video clips without audio.
“My professors kept me fueled. Knowing the odds and knowing that I was the only girl in some of my classes, I felt so intimidated. They gave me the support I was lacking and helped build my confidence.” On typical race days, Victoria wears a lot of hats and fills a variety of roles. She mainly works as the producer, but on occasion she also oversees the technical aspects of the production and controls the graphics, audio and video sources. As a producer, her department has about two hours to create video highlights and race notes to send to news outlets around the world. These 52-minute, 15-minute and
five-minute pieces air in several hundred countries. “The day is so busy that if you blink you miss something. I’m constantly taking notes to supplement the video pieces we send out. Essentially I’m creating these pieces in my mind and calculating 52 minutes worth of content throughout the race,” she explained. Victoria’s love for television began at a young age, but she never imagined she would end up in sports broadcasting. She originally had aspirations to study broadcast meteorology and become a weather reporter, which led her to enroll as a broadcasting major at Southeastern in 2009. Southeastern gave Victoria her first taste of the broadcasting world. “Me, KRISTEN LEDLOW ’10, REBECCA VARGAS ’12 and some other broadcasting students helped start a show at SEU called 96 News, and I was the weather girl for two years. We treated it like a live broadcast but would edit it and then send it out to be aired to the Polk County area on PGTV. It was the first show to air outside of SEU,” said Victoria. Her classmates and professors became her family, and she still keeps in touch with them today. “My professors kept me fueled. Knowing the odds and knowing that I was the only girl in some of my classes, I felt so intimidated. They gave me the support I was lacking and helped build my confidence. They were my positive fuel helping and teaching me for hours after class,” said Victoria.
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Her start with NASCAR came right after graduation when Victoria moved to North Carolina for a threemonth internship in their production/ broadcasting department through the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program. “I found out that I got the internship exactly seven days before graduating, and I moved up to Charlotte right after graduation.” Victoria did a lot of video and production work during her internship. She even worked directly with executives in the broadcasting, production and digital departments who let her sit in on meetings. “They would ask for my input on things and test my skills by giving me projects like telling a story in 15 seconds. Gradually I began to have more and more responsibilities that looked similar to the full-time producers,” said Victoria.
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By the end of her internship, she had made a 30-minute video piece for Mike Helton who — at the time, was the president of NASCAR — for an important event he was attending. He is now the vice chairman of NASCAR. “It was a huge honor,” said Victoria. In February of 2014, she was awarded the NASCAR Diversity Award. Out of the 25 interns, Victoria was unanimously selected to receive this award. When she completed her internship, there were no job openings at NASCAR, but they helped her make connections which led to freelance work with Fox Sports, ESPN and NBC Sports. She freelanced with these sports broadcasting companies as a runner, assisting producers, managing craft services and doing whatever needed to be done on set that day. She also did freelance videography work for MABE Production with SEU alumni LORRAINE (IZZO) MABE
’88, STEVE GRINER ’00, AUSTIN SMITH, GREG CHAMBLESS ’09, and JARED COATS ’12. After freelancing for about a year,Victoria found a part-time job with the Florida Panthers Foundation and worked events including the 2015 NHL Draft. A fulltime producer/editor job opened up with the Panthers and she got the job in September of 2015. “It was extremely challenging. I was pumping out an average of 15 videos a week,” she explained. She created features of the players, promotional commercials, sponsorship content, radio spots, web content and more. Victoria even got to create the Stanley Cup Playoffs 2016 opening video which was featured on NHL.com as one of the best playoff videos.
“I loved the players and getting to know them on a personal level really humanizes them. You see athletes from a totally different perspective than you do as a fan,” said Victoria. “There is a lot of darkness in the sports broadcasting industry. I was able to interview one of our national anthem singers who was a young girl and she had such a huge heart for God. I wanted to include the interview in my piece because I felt like it was my moment to show God the glory, and I was able to run it. The girl and her mom were so moved that I kept the parts about God in the video that they were almost in tears. To me, that meant more than anything I did at the Florida Panthers,” said Victoria. After Victoria left the Panthers, she went back to freelancing, but after an accident, she ended up in rehab recovering for six months. “I felt like that time was my lowest of lows. It was the most humbling
experience and it was extremely leveling,” she said. For a few months, she worked in celebrity news as a producer, editor and writer for “Eye on South Florida,” where she created graphics, filmed, edited and wrote pieces. She also freelanced part time for the Miami Heat. In 2017, Victoria was freelancing as a runner, assisting producers and videographers, under NBC Sports at a NASCAR race with MARY LESLIE ’18, a friend from Southeastern. Knowing the accident took a physical toll on Victoria, her friend offered to switch jobs with her so she could rest.Victoria ended up scanning cards for lunch and running into an influential NASCAR employee who recognized her immediately and listened to her story.
She emailed him, and within less than a month, she was back at NASCAR working as a production assistant. “It was a total God moment. I didn’t see him at any other point in the weekend at the event, so if I hadn’t switched jobs with my friend, I never would have reconnected with him,” she said. Within the next year, Victoria’s responsibilities at NASCAR will grow and she anticipates that she will travel more often during race season when it is safe to do so. As for the future, she has aspirations toward working on late-night television shows. “This is where God has me right now and I’m open to wherever He calls me to next,” said Victoria.
“He gave me his card and said, ‘Come back home.’”
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Aaron Burke
RADIANT CHURCH EXPERIENCES EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
I
n 2013, AARON ’05, ’20 (D.Min.) and KATIE (WHITTENTON) ’06 BURKE felt called to plant a church in Tampa, which was at the time the third most unchurched city in the United States. They moved to Tampa in January of 2013 with their six-month-old daughter. After nine months of preparation, Radiant Church held its first Sunday service on September 15, 2013, with 348 attendees. “We didn’t know anyone in the Tampa area and the idea of planting a church scared me to death. But God has been faithful and what started as a small gathering in south Tampa has grown to a movement across Tampa Bay with four locations and over 4,000 attendees each weekend,” added Aaron. Nearly six years since its founding, Radiant Church was named the fourth
42 SOUTHEASTERN
fastest-growing church in the United States by Outreach magazine. “Our church exists to help move people from where they are to where God wants them to be. The goal is to make the church the most enjoyable and empowering experience of their entire week,” he said. Aaron attributes the growth of the church to the grace of God, a lot of prayer, consistent focus on lost people, healthy leadership and solid assimilation processes. The church has also used an online marketing strategy to reach people far from the faith and to bring them into the church to experience Christ. A few years ago, Aaron enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) program at Southeastern to further his growth as a leader. “The D.Min. program has been instrumental in the growth of my local church. The benefit of the program is that everything you learn or write about
is connected to your current ministry context. I have been able to research subjects that are necessary to see my church become healthier and reach more people,” said Aaron. Future plans and visions for Radiant Church include constructing a new broadcast facility for their South Tampa location. They will also be launching their fifth location in the fall of 2020. “The dream God has put in my heart is to reach 10,000 people a weekend by our 10-year anniversary in September of 2023. We call this vision 10k for Tampa Bay. The goal is not to build a big church, but it is to reach a lot of hurting and broken people. The Tampa Bay area is growing at over 50,000 people a year, and the church needs to do the best we can to reach the people far from God,” said Aaron.
Jason Burns INVESTING IN THE COMMUNITY
A
ccess Church in Lakeland, Fla., believes that investing in others will make an eternal impact.
In November of 2019, JASON BURNS ’03, ’20 (D.Min.), pastor of Access, announced that the church was paying off more than $1.62 million of medical bills for local low-income residents. The church worked with RIP Medical Debt, a New York-based company, to determine the number of bills owed by low-income families in Lakeland. The idea transpired from a member of the church who saw the need for helping those with medical bills they could not afford. “We believe that generosity is the best way to live. We like to ask, ‘What will you do that will outlive you?’ It frames the way you think about your money.
The goal of all giving should be to invest in something that will have an eternal impact,” said Jason.
“What will you do that will outlive you?”
This story made national headlines, appearing in NPR, USA Today, CBS This Morning and numerous newspapers across the nation. “Our church was excited to see the story of their generosity inspiring others!” said Jason.
“A friend of ours who has struggled with their faith and connection to church had a family member receive a letter. It’s amazing how God works!” said Jason.
The church was able to pay for the medical bills with the Christmas offering they received in 2018. The contributions they made to the special offering were able to pay off the medical debt of 1,315 families in Lakeland. Each household received a letter from RIP Medical Debt telling them that the bill had been paid and a note that said, “Access Church loves you.” Jason shared how several incredible stories came out of the church’s generosity.
Access Church was started by Jason and his wife, LIS (MUNIZZI) ’03, in 2007, with a heart for building a community of believers. Since its founding, the church has been based out of a local high school in Lakeland, but in January of 2020, they announced that they were able to purchase their own building. “I’m excited to see how this continues to further the way we can love, serve and bless our city,” said Jason.
SOUTHEASTERN 43
Johnny Berry
WORKING OUT OF THIS WORLD
J
OHNNY BERRY ’08 had been teaching high school math and science for five and a half years after graduating from Southeastern. What he never could have guessed is that the next step in his career would be a position as a NASA flight controller for the International Space Station (ISS). With a growing history of four years at NASA, Johnny has worked his way from a timeline-change officer in the planning and analysis branch, where he created daily schedules for the astronauts, to his current position on the operations side as a specialist operations controller. “The job I do now is so different from anything I thought I would ever do,” said Johnny. Stationed at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., Johnny is one of 6,000 workers employed at what
44 SOUTHEASTERN
Johnny Berry '08 and his wife, Amanda
is one of NASA’s largest field centers. With a budget of approximately $2.8 billion, it has been home to some of the most significant quests in history, such as the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and ’70s. Johnny works hands on with scientists and payload developers, helping them get their experiments ready to be executed on the space station. This includes determining the proper hardware and resources required, training crews and being present to troubleshoot once the experiment is in motion. “There are times when the crew needs to be trained on how to operate a payload, so I typically help out on whichever payload I’m currently working with,” said Johnny. “As we get into execution and the crew is actually conducting the experiment, I’m there to work with them and help finetune the details.”
Seeing as the ISS works off the Greenwich Mean Time zone (GMT), which is six hours ahead of the East Coast, Johnny’s position is never the typical nine to five. Rather, it is an around-the-clock operation, depending on what mission he’s currently assigned to. “With flight control, we are 24/7, 365,” said Johnny. “All of the people working flight control positions gave up a lot to do so.” Although he started out on a rotating schedule as a timeline-change officer, Johnny’s new role requires him to be on console while his experiment is running on the space station. When that’s not the case, he works on developing products in his office for the next payload. “What I do every day is so different, but on the whole, it’s really working with people. Southeastern taught me how to talk with people, how to be approachable and how to show God’s grace to people,”
Main Control Room at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville
Johnny said. “Showing that grace to those around me has just been wonderful because of the amount of doors and conversations it can open.” Although Johnny graduated from Southeastern with a bachelor’s degree in biology and pre-medicine, he had a rough start to his college career. “I didn’t start out so well. After my first semester, I was academically suspended and removed from the university,” said Johnny. After making an appeal to return for the rest of the year, Johnny worked with a team of academic advisors throughout his remaining three and a half years who helped him refocus and excel in his studies. Some of his favorite memories on campus come from his time working for the facilities department. He was the first
second-shift maintenance worker hired by Southeastern.
from mentors who spoke into my life throughout my time at Southeastern.”
“I remember one specific incident where I accidentally tripped the electricity inside of Bolin Hall, and every single classroom and office lost power in the middle of the school day,” Johnny recalled. “Students were coming out and thanking me for cancelling their classes.”
It was during his time in Charlotte that Johnny noticed a post on LinkedIn by an old friend from high school who recently transferred from the Johnson Space Center in Houston to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville. She was searching for trustworthy recommendations for possible professional connections, and Johnny reached out with advice as he knew the area well.
After graduation, Johnny began teaching high school students in Huntsville, Ala., and stayed there for three years before moving to Charlotte, N.C., where he taught AP physics, earth and environmental science. “Teaching was kind of a natural progression of where I wanted to go and where I saw myself going. I thought it was where I’d spend the rest of my life,” said Johnny. “I really enjoyed being around the students and speaking into their lives, and a lot of that passion came
“As a side note, I sort of joked that if there were ever any positions open at NASA to let me know. She replied that there was a job available that she thought I’d be great for and told me to send my resume. I thought it was a joke,” said Johnny. It wasn’t until three weeks later that Johnny’s friend reached out to him again asking for his resume. At this point, he realized she was completely serious, so he
SOUTHEASTERN 45
challenges in working in such a secular environment.
Neutral Buoyancy Lab where astronauts train for spacewalks
sent it and secured an interview two and a half months later. “It was the worst interview of my life,” Johnny said. “It eventually became a running joke with the supervisor that hired me.” Johnny truly thought he lost the opportunity, as it wasn’t until another two and a half months later that he heard back from NASA with the news that he got the job. “I’ve met a dozen astronauts, been to their training facilities and traveled to Houston several times to do training inside of the space station mock-ups. This job has opened up so many crazy opportunities that I just never thought would be there,” said Johnny. “I’m definitely proud of where I’ve come from and where I’ve gone.” Currently, Johnny is working on a jetpropulsion lab payload where scientists are taking atoms down to near absolute zeroes, the point where all motion stops. The objective is to study the atoms at extremely cold temperatures in order to get a better picture of what occurred at the universe’s formation. It is well known that NASA’s area of expertise is in space exploration, but a lot of people don’t realize NASA has their hand in a number of other projects and studies pertaining to world issues such as diseases and disorders, clean water and food growth.
46 SOUTHEASTERN
“Right now they’re running about 450 different experiments on station at any one time,” said Johnny.
“I work for an agency that’s always trying to answer the questions as to how it all began. I don’t let it change the faith that I have. Rather than be shaken by the results of their experiments or what they say they can prove, I look at the science and it only reaffirms that God knew everything He was doing from square one,” said Johnny. Instead of letting the challenges discourage him, Johnny uses his surroundings as a strength in witnessing to those around him.
The microgravity of the space station’s environment allows scientists to do things they couldn’t possibly do on earth. For instance, fire burns and crystals form differently, and liquids do not flow unless pressurized. Luckily for Johnny, scientists and payload developers are able to conduct operations on the space station from the ground through the use of robotics. “I would never go to space. I don’t even fly well so the thought of a rocket is a hundred times worse,” said Johnny. Not only are there studies on things like climate change and meteorology, but there is also research being done on human factors. This can range from efforts to figure out a form of treatment or therapy to halt the progression of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease to growing synthetic heart cells for patients needing cardiac stem cells to regrow their heart tissue. “We’re growing lettuce and flowers on the space station. We’ve created water reclamation systems using recycled urine,” said Johnny. “It’s not about hoarding new technologies. These are huge advancements that NASA wants to use in underdeveloped countries.” Johnny loves that his job allows him to explore and make discoveries, but he also acknowledges that there can be some
Johnny with astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fisher
“Now I’m not perfect, but can they tell that I’m not the same as everyone else that walks in here? That’s what matters most to me,” Johnny said. “Your faith will be tested and people will push you to try and see where your breaking point is. Remain grounded in what you know.” For Johnny, one of the keys to staying rooted in his faith has been surrounding himself with a strong community of other Christians. Through this, he has noticed a biblical backbone in the beliefs of the people in Huntsville. On the occasions that Johnny is not in the office, he loves to spend time outdoors. He can be found participating in anything from hiking trails, kayaking or even white-water rafting. However, on the days he needs a brain break, he opts for binge-watching TV shows like “This Is Us” or “Mars” on Netflix.
LUCAS ’05 and JENELLE (VAQUE) ’06 FERRER
ALAN ’16 and VICTORIA (BARDEGA) ’17 SHEPPARD
RYLAN CICCARELLO ’15
IN THE LIVES OF SEU ALUMNI CHRISTINA SARA ’12
KIRSTEN SUTHERLAND ’20 SOUTHEASTERN 47
RON ROBBINS ’74
1960
___________________________ DAWN (VOELKER) MOORE taught
elementary school for 28 years before retiring. She lives in an independent living facility and is an ambassador helping other residents transition into the facility.
1971
___________________________ PAUL HARRUP served as a pastor from
1971 until 2016 when he retired.
1972
___________________________ CAROLYN (MORGAN) GRIFFIN is a retired church bookkeeper. She and her family now live in Ocala, Fla.
1974
___________________________ CHARLES
HILL does ministry alongside his son, co-pastoring together in Ocala, Fla.
RON ROBBINS received an academic scholarship to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law after graduating from Southeastern. He practiced law for more than 30 years. He has a law office in Landrum, S.C., and owns The Millstone Gallery, a gallery
48 SOUTHEASTERN
TERRY BROOKS ’86
specializing in fine arts, fine crafts and woodwork.
___________________________
their two children, Nathan and Lauren, live in Grand Rapids, Mich. Dean spends a lot of his time in India preaching in churches and across the U.S. speaking at missions conventions.
ALBERT and REBECCA (CROSS) ’78 VEALEY are retired from church
___________________________
1976
ministry and now live in Quincy, Fla. They enjoy spending time with their three grandchildren.
1978
___________________________ JEFFREY and TERESA (COOK) ULMER served as lead pastors of New
Life Family Church for 20 years in Biloxi, Miss., before stepping down. Their son, Jeremy, and his wife, Kasie, assumed the lead pastor roles, and their daughter, Holly, is the ministry coordinator. They have five grandchildren.
1980
___________________________
1984
EMMANUEL (ANAYO) ENUJIOKE
completed marathons in all 50 states and six world marathons. After running the Antarctica Marathon in March of 2020, he earned a medal for completing a marathon in all seven continents. He currently works as an academic librarian at West Georgia Technical College.
1985
___________________________ MADALINE (ALEXANDER) BRANUM
and her husband, Gerald, serve in Europe with the Assemblies of God World Missions.
1986
___________________________ MARILYN (RETTIG) HANDY and her
husband, Clarence, attend First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks, Fla.
1982
___________________________ DEAN ELLIOTT has served as a missionary to southern Asia for the past 28 years. He and his wife, BRENDA, and
TERRY (TEZ) BROOKS and his
wife, Christine, live in Colorado Springs, Colo., with their children. Terry served as a youth pastor and then as a creative arts director at a Florida church before pursuing a career in law enforcement. In 2002, he became a missionary with Cru and lived overseas. He is now an author, screenwriter and international speaker.
ALBERT SKINNER ’86
ALLEN GRIFFIN ’94, ’14
He and his wife serve as missionaries with JesusFilm.org using film as a tool to share the gospel with unreached people.
December. Jeffrey is now a registered mental health counselor intern in Winter Haven, Fla.
ALBERT SKINNER and his wife,
1990
Marie, are Assemblies of God missionaries to Native American Indians. They also serve as the national directors for the Christmas Stocking Project for the Native American Indian children. The Skinners are working on building the first Native American Indian Church in Alabama.
1987
___________________________ DR. MARISOL PELTZER wrote the
book “Honoring God with Our Lips and Not Our Hearts.” She is working with the Los Angeles Educational Partnership in Los Angeles, Calif.
1989
___________________________
1994
ROGER
MYERS currently pastors Bayou Harvest Assembly of God in Plaquemine, La. After 28 years of foreign missions service in Belgium and France, he served as the president of the Southern Arizona Business Coalition (SABC) in Arizona and upon returning to the U.S., served at the American Indian College (AIC) in Phoenix, Ariz., for two years. After retiring from missionary service, he served as one of the founders and the academic dean of the Louisiana School of Ministry for seven years.
1991
___________________________ JOHNNY
a retired Army chaplain, ordained minister and the author of “Resting in God’s Shadow: Encouragement for Military Boot Camp”. He completed his undergraduate studies at Southeastern in 1989, completed his graduate degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in 1998, and completed Southeastern’s master of science in professional counseling degree this past
school English at their church. They have two daughters, Hailey and Hope, who are both married and are elementary school teachers.
___________________________
___________________________ JEFFREY BROOKS ’19 (MS) is
JEREMY STEFFENS ’95
PHILLIPS,
ALLEN GRIFFIN ’14 (MA) is an
itinerant evangelist and motivational speaker. Allen founded Excellerate, a national foster youth development program that empowers foster teens to live in victory through education, discipleship, mentoring and the gift of a free car. TRACY LEWIS is a world history
professor at Tulsa Community College in Oklahoma. She also teaches high school English and U.S. history at the secondlargest Christian school in Oklahoma. Tracy recently finished her fourth book, “Into the Wilderness: A Journey of Faith.”
JR.,
works alongside two other pastors to pastor six United Methodist churches in the upper Sandusky, Ohio, area.
1992
___________________________
STACY TEEL is working towards a
master’s degree in higher education with an emphasis in student affairs at Tarleton State University.
1995
___________________________ KIMBERLY
(SCOTT)
HEGLUND
has been married to Jeff for 27 years and she assists him in ministry as a youth and associate pastor. She also teaches high
JEREMY STEFFENS has been serving as the global vice president (COO) of global brand and communications at
SOUTHEASTERN 49
RODHAM RUST ’97
the International Justice Mission (IJM) in Washington D.C., since 2017. Jeremy leads the marketing and corporate communications teams in IJM’s 29 offices around the world.
1997
___________________________ RODHAM
RUST teaches adaptive behavior at Tomball Memorial High School in Tomball,Texas, and is a theology graduate student at Colorado Christian University. He is engaged to Inessa.
1999
JAMES CENCEBAUGH ’99
2005
___________________________
Greenville, N.C. They attend Goldsboro Worship Center in Goldsboro, N.C.
LUCAS and JENELLE (VAQUE) ’06 FERRER had their daughter Eliana Joy
___________________________
in September of 2019. JAY and STEPHANIE (KARALUNAS) ’06 WORTH served as youth pastors in
the Pennsylvania-Delaware District of the Assemblies of God for 10 years and then became missionary associates with Assemblies of God World Missions. They will be working with young adults and university students in Padova, Italy.
2007
___________________________ JAMES CENCEBAUGH pastored four different churches over the past 15 years and planted a new church in Bradenton, Fla., in September of 2019.
2001
___________________________ ANDREA EVANS ’11 (ME) is living
in Dothan, Ala., where she serves as the program coordinator for the Special Programming for Achievement Network (SPAN) of Houston County, a GED rep program for juvenile offenders and atrisk youth. Her program was recently honored as the 2019 Agency of the Year by the Houston County Association of Service Agencies.
50 SOUTHEASTERN
ANDREA EVANS ’01, ’11
___________________________ ELIZABETH
LANE
won “Public Citizen of the Year” from the National Association of Social Workers Florida chapter in 2019. This award recognizes an individual, who is not a social worker, who exemplifies the values and ethics of the social work profession and demonstrates leadership. She currently serves as the coordinator of student services for the School District of Osceola County, Fla.
2009
___________________________ JEFF
SAGER (MBA) married Jacqueline in June of 2018. He works as a bookkeeper at The Air Doctor in
2011
ULYSSES KING, JR., is the pastor
of Memorial Tabernacle Church in Oakland, Calif. He is married to Tiffany and has authored a memoir. TIM MAUTZ serves as the deputy
emergency preparedness coordinator for Wayne County, Mich., in the Public Health Division. He played a key role in the COVID-19 outbreak response efforts for Michigan’s largest county. He is also an active member of Brightmoor Christian Church in Novi, Mich.
2012
___________________________ MATTHEW and KASSANDRA (O’CONNOR) HOAG became the
Assemblies of God South Carolina District youth directors in February. Previously, they pastored Lake Wylie Christian in Lake Wylie, S.C., for the past seven years. They have a two-yearold son, Luke, and are expecting a second child in August. CHRISTINA SARA works in the audiovisual industry as a staff instructor at the Audiovisual and Integrated
ULYSSES KING, JR. ’11
MATTHEW and KASSANDRA (O’CONNOR) HOAG ’12
Experience Association (AVIXA). AVIXA hosts several yearly trade show conferences, including InfoComm, where attendees can receive specialized training in all types of fields within the AV industry. Chrissy travels the world teaching industry types on AVIXA’s certification program, the Certified Technology Specialist. She has maintained her hobby of horseback riding and regularly finds time to enjoy the outdoor life. CHRIS
THORNHILL
works for Thrivent in St. Petersburg, Fla., as a financial advisor. He helps people make wise financial decisions and live generously combining faith and finances for good.
2013
___________________________ BRIGIDA WALKIN ’15 (MS) was accepted to continue her research on adolescent and young adult mental health as a graduate student at King’s College London.
2014
___________________________ PETER and KATHERINE (CHILDS) ’13 BIGELOW live in the Newark,
N.J., area. Peter is currently clerking for a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the third Circuit and is
an adjunct professor for Southeastern’s College of Unrestricted Education teaching essentials of business law. Katherine, a CPA, is currently staying at home with their one-year-old daughter, Caroline. The Bigelows plan to move back to Florida in the fall after Peter’s clerkship is completed. RACHAEL
PETER ’14 and KATHERINE (CHILDS) ’13 BIGELOW
BRIGIDA WALKIN ’13, ’15
(NEAL)
2015
___________________________ RYLAN CICCARELLO was accepted as a psychiatry resident at North Florida Regional Medical Center in Gainesville, Fla., and will be working for the University of Central Florida.
2016
POTGIETER
married Myles in December of 2019. They will be moving to New Zealand where Myles will pursue mining and Rachael will take an administrative position with Overland Missions. HANK TAYLOR ’16 (MBA) works with
Orlando City as a sports announcer for the Orlando Pride women’s professional soccer team. He is going on his third season of announcing for the Lakeland Magic basketball team. Hank also serves as the connections minister at Foundry Church in Winter Springs, Fla. PHILIP and JANAE (MUCKLE) TULL live in Virginia Beach, Va., and
work as bivocational campus pastors at Lifehouse Virginia Beach. Janae teaches math at Old Dominion University and Phil works for his family’s financial firm, Tull Financial Group.
___________________________ ELIZABETH
(EARLEY)
FROST
currently teaches choir, speech, theatre and English at Gateway Christian Academy in Lake Magdalene, Fla. She has been a member of the Tampa Oratorio Singers for four years and a member of the Master Chorale of Tampa Bay for three years. She was also accepted into the chorus for Andrea Bocelli. JESSICA KURBATOV ’18 (MBA)
works as the administrative operations coordinator for 6AM City in Lakeland, Fla. JOSE QUILES MARTIN graduated this past summer from Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University with his master’s in business administration with a specialization in marketing. BRETT RUPP is a branch manager at
MidFlorida Credit Union in Lakeland, Fla.
SOUTHEASTERN 51
RACHAEL (NEAL) POTGIETER ’14
JOSE QUILES MARTIN ’16
SYMANTHA (DUNCAN) ANDERSON ’18
ELIZABETH (EARLEY) FROST ’16
JESSICA KURBATOV ’16, ’18
MATTHEW ’17 AND STEPHANIE (SISK) ’15 CUMMISKEY
MEGHAN (REIBLING) HUFF ’18, ’20
CHRISTOPHER INTOPPA ’17, ’19
JEREMY ’18 and ISABELLA (FRAZIER) ’19 REYES
SEND US YOUR CLASS NOTES All submissions due by November 16, 2020, for the next issue. | Email: alumni@seu.edu | Submit online at SEU.edu/alumni Mail to: University Advancement | Southeastern University | 1000 Longfellow Blvd., Lakeland, FL 33801 52 SOUTHEASTERN
CHARITY BELL ’19
BENJAMIN PEACOCK ’19
ALAN and VICTORIA (BARDEGA) ’17 SHEPPARD got married in
MEGHAN (REIBLING) HUFF ’20 (MS) married her husband, Alex,
December of 2019. Victoria currently works at Southeastern as the social media strategist and Alan serves as the youth and young adults pastor at Life Church in Auburndale, Fla.
in December of 2019. She recently graduated from Southeastern with a master’s in professional counseling with a concentration in marriage and family counseling.
2017
JEREMY and ISABELLA (FRAZIER) ’19 REYES got married in January of
___________________________ MATTHEW and STEPHANIE (SISK) ’15 CUMMISKEY got married in
December of 2019. They both work at Southeastern. Matthew is an extension site enrollment counselor and Stephanie is the associate director of admission. CHRISTOPHER INTOPPA ’19 (MBA)
is the sports information director for the Montreat College Cavaliers in Montreat, N.C. BRITTANY
(BIRDSALL)
LEWIS
teaches sixth- and seventh-grade math at Heron Creek Middle School in North Port, Fla. In December, she graduated with her master’s degree in administration from the University of Florida and is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education. She married Joshua in 2019.
2018
2020. Isabella is the graduate assistant for the Office of University Advancement at Southeastern and Jeremy is the founder of Brandspark Creative and Brandspark Leads, two local marketing companies. BRITNEY WILLIAMS works for a nonprofit as a therapist for at-risk adolescent girls. She recently passed her license exam to become a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) and will be applying to Ph.D. programs in the fall.
2019
___________________________ CHARITY BELL started a position as
a multimedia journalist at WGEM in Quincy, Ill., in February of 2020. In her free time, Charity loves making YouTube videos on “Chit Chats with Charity,” where she offers encouragement and makes videos with her family.
___________________________ BENOIT DUHAMEL (MS) works as a SYMANTHA (DUNCAN) ANDERSON
married Jordan in March of 2020 and she currently teaches voluntary prekindergarten.
marriage and family therapist at Family Life Counseling Center in Clermont, Fla.
ELYSE (SERRANO) WITTLINGER ’19
KATHERINE GRAY is a program
manager for traditional foster care at Youthnet, a non-profit care organization in Mount Vernon, Wash. ERIN LEHR is a residential direct care worker with Teen Challenge, Lakeland Girls Academy in Lakeland, Fla. She works with teenage girls and sees them transform into young women for God. BENJAMIN PEACOCK is a full-time
associate youth pastor at Victory Church in Lakeland, Fla. He assists the senior youth pastor, leads worship, preaches, writes curriculum, facilitates the Fine Arts ministry and performs administrative duties. He has plans to pursue his Master of Divinity at Southeastern in 2021. He will also be competing on the Hulbert Homes triathlon team. ELYSE (SERRANO) WITTLINGER
works as an assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP. She married her high school sweetheart, Luke, in November of 2019, and they live in Buffalo, N.Y.
2020
___________________________ KIRSTEN
SUTHERLAND was accepted into Palmer Chiropractic School in Port Orange, Fla., and will begin her program in October 2020.
SOUTHEASTERN 53
C A R RY T H E T O RC H T E A M S ALABAMA Gloria (Parker) Stephens ’75 CALIFORNIA Samuel Gonzales ’19 FLORIDA Nicole Bradham ’17 Sandy (AuCoin) Dennis ’88 Heather Gleason ’13, ’16 (MBA), Luis Murillo ’20, Sabrina Tu ’91, GEORGIA Christian Baylis ’17 ILLINOIS Christina (Sara) Spurlock ’12 INDIANA Keaton Squires ’08 MICHIGAN Monica Moore-Deer ’93 NEW JERSEY Chelsea Arena ’16 NEW YORK Adam Gosser ’89 NORTH CAROLINA Carla (Harrell) Pesce ’00 OHIO Trent Thompson ’92 TENNESSEE Todd Nelson ’93 WISCONSIN Robert Griffith ’19 (D.Min.) 54 SOUTHEASTERN
With the goal of connecting alumni with one another and with Southeastern University, the Alumni Association has launched local Carry the Torch teams. They are currently seeking applicants to lead each team. Teams will consist of five to eight team leaders who will be responsible for promoting alumni engagement and communication in their state.
Having alumni take on a leadership role in their state will help to keep alumni connected after their time at Southeastern ends.
“We want our teams to have a diverse set of leaders from all class years and majors,” said JOEL K. JOHNSON ’92, director of alumni relations.
The first set of Carry the Torch teams will be developed in the southeast region of the United States, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Team members will partner with Alumni Relations to create monthly newsletters, host events where alumni can reconnect, share social media posts and receive a free membership to the Alumni Association. “These Carry the Torch Teams are going to be a great way to help bring alumni together. In my two years as the director of alumni relations at SEU, some of the most common questions I have been asked are ‘Who is in my state?’ and ‘How do I connect with alumni in my area?’” said Joel.
“I am so excited to begin working with these alumni leaders in developing a growing, thriving and vibrant community of alumni who are fans of Southeastern,” said Joel.
In the spring of 2021, Carry the Torch teams will expand to more states where there is interest. If you want to be a continued part of the mission of Southeastern and help grow the ministry of the Alumni Association, visit SEU.edu/alumni/carry-the-torch for more details on how to be a part of a team.
The Alumni Association has recently launched an alumni networking group for recent graduates — Spark — which meets regularly in Lakeland and neighboring areas. Alumni are able to stop in for a cup of coffee and chat with friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Through Spark, alumni meet to share resources, form partnerships and encourage each other. If you would like to start a Spark group in your area, please let us know. We can help you coordinate a young alumni group or even a networking group for all local alumni in your area. Contact alumni@seu.edu for more information.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION 10% Discount at the SEU Bookstore (online or on campus)
Discount off athletic tickets
10% off Homecoming package pricing
A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
On-campus dining discounts (Tuscana Ristorante and Portico)
If you love SEU, you will love being a member of the SEU Alumni Association.
Access to the campus pool and exercise facilities Access to Steelman Library and online databases
Join the SEU Alumni Association at SEU.edu/alumni or by calling 863.667.5400.
SOUTHEASTERN 55
DR. MURRAY DEMPSTER RETIRES
After a career that spanned more than 50 years in higher education, Dr. Murray Dempster retired from his position at Southeastern at the conclusion of the spring 2020 semester. When Dempster came to Southeastern in 2010, he had already had a lengthy career at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he served as the president, chancellor, provost and vice president for academic affairs. While on the faculty of Vanguard, he even had the opportunity to teach Southeastern University President Kent Ingle in an undergraduate introduction to theology and ethics course. Over the
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years, Dempster became a mentor to Ingle. “In his leadership, Murray has displayed the great characteristics it takes to uphold such responsibility. And in his own personal walk, Murray had always been instrumental in creating a solid awareness of the things that mattered in life,” said Ingle. Dempster came to Southeastern through a connection to Dr. Bob Houlihan. He applied and interviewed at the same time his son, Marlon Dempster, was in the final round of interviews for a position as an English professor.
When Dempster came to Southeastern, he used his years of knowledge and experience to teach theology classes. As an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God, Dempster had previously pastored churches in Canada and California. He also held a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and a master’s and Ph.D. in social ethics. During his time at Southeastern, Dempster taught religion courses and assisted the dean and religion faculty in developing a master of arts in theological studies program. He also served as the codirector of the Center for the Study of Global Pentecostalism.
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FAMILY LEGACY
The Ethridge Family
FULFILLING THE CALL
A
love for Southeastern is what has kept the Ethridge family coming back for three generations. It all started in 1975, when OSCAR and SHIRLEY ETHRIDGE would frequently drive by the campus. Originally from Auburndale, Fla., the couple owned a phone refurbishing company at the time. “We would pass by Southeastern and Oscar would say, ‘Oh it would be wonderful to take care of those grounds,’” said Shirley. Unbeknownst to them, one of their friends, RITA MEADOWS ’67, submitted an application on behalf of Oscar to work in the maintenance department at the college. “In October of 1976, Southeastern called us about an interview and it blew us out of the water.We knew it was God,” added Shirley.
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The Carl Ethridge Family
That same month, Oscar was interviewed and hired by DWIGHT REDUS who was the supervisor of grounds. For the next seven years, Oscar worked in the maintenance department. During his time there, Oscar transitioned from maintenance into the supervisor of grounds. In maintenance, Oscar would service anything inside and outside of the buildings. Then, as the supervisor of grounds, he oversaw irrigation and the overall look of the campus. “Southeastern was his calling. That was his ministry,” said Shirley. The couple first heard of the college from Oscar’s cousin, CHARLES ETHRIDGE ’77, when he enrolled in the early 1970s. Early into Oscar’s time at the college, Shirley got involved at Southeastern as well. She enrolled in a few classes and then started working in different departments. In 1977, she started out in the administrative building. From there, she worked in the bookstore and in the
mailroom. In the summertime, she would help in the maintenance department, even helping to paint the dorms. She had a brief stint working in housekeeping in Spence Hall before transitioning back to work with ORTON QUEEN ’62 in the bookstore. For Shirley, Southeastern was special because of the move of the Holy Spirit on campus. Shirley remembers the powerful chapel services and two instances where she clearly felt the Holy Spirit move on people’s hearts to tell her something. One of those moments was when missionary Mark Buntain told her that she would one day be a missionary. Later in her life, when she would go on to work at Walt Disney World in Orlando, she believed that was her mission field. “There were so many miracles because of the move of God. That’s what makes Southeastern so special,” said Shirley. While working at Southeastern, in 1983, Oscar was diagnosed with cancer and passed away a year later.
Soon after Oscar’s passing, Shirley went on to work as a hostess and trainer at Walt Disney World part time in addition to working at Southeastern. She saw Disney as her mission field as God brought people from all over the world to her that she connected with and had opportunities to minister to them. “I remember her from Japan, England people thanking her encouragement and Carl.
receiving letters and France from for her words of her prayers,” said
Oscar and Shirley Ethridge
“Southeastern took care of us that whole year. There were times he could go in and work, but not full time. They were wonderful,” added Shirley.
Some of Shirley’s fondest memories at Southeastern were the chapel services and watching Oscar interact with students. Shirley recalls the many times that Oscar would bring students home for dinner. “He was always helping the students. I didn’t realize how much he was involved with students until he was in the hospital. All of these cards came in from students telling us all about the things he had done for them,” said Shirley.
Similar to his father, Carl went on to be heavily involved in ministry, particularly in Royal Rangers, an Assemblies of God activity-based, small group church ministry for boys and young men in grades K-12. “My dad drove the bus for our church. He was also a Royal Ranger commander. My mom helped in children’s ministry. I always remember seeing them involved in the church,” said Carl. At five years old, during a church service, Carl felt called to be a missionary. When it came time for Carl to enroll in college, he didn’t look at any other schools.
CARL ’93, Oscar and Shirley’s second son, remembers how staff members from Southeastern took care of their family during that time. He recalls that one day they received a knock on the door and there were several staff members who had brought bags of groceries to their house. “My mom sat us down and said it was because of us being faithful to God and our parents’ service to the school that we were receiving these blessings.The school and the staff, they were there for one another; it really impacted me,” added Carl. “My dad really loved Southeastern.”
Darrell worked on Southeastern’s campus for two summers. He is now a truck driver and helps haul supplies during the coronavirus pandemic. Raymond works as a mechanic for an airline.
“I had always wanted to go to school at Southeastern because of the connections my parents had,” said Carl.
Oscar and Shirley Ethridge Family
During her time at Disney, Shirley recalls a man coming up to her while she was eating lunch in the employee cafeteria.
Carl enrolled in the fall of 1987 as a missions major. He even met his wife, LINDA ’93, in a missions theology class. The two were married a month following graduation. Linda graduated with a degree in education, but also
“The man stopped and said, ‘The Lord told me to tell you that your three sons are going to carry on their father’s calling. But, your middle son will be the main one,’” said Shirley. Together, Oscar and Shirley had three sons, LAVON, Carl and AARON. All three of their children attended Southeastern. Lavon currently owns a business in Tennessee. Carl is serving as a children’s pastor in Ohio, and Aaron works for an irrigation company in Bartow. Oscar had two older sons from a previous marriage, Darrell and Raymond.
Linda and Carl
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Now, Carl and Linda are seeing their son ALEX ’20 follow in their footsteps of serving in missions. Before graduating, Alex applied to be a missionary associate to Cambodia with the Assemblies of God.
Linda and Carl dressed up for BGMC
sensed a call to missions. After they were married, the couple went on to serve in ministry as children’s pastors in Kentucky, Florida and North Carolina.
involved with Royal Rangers. In Royal Rangers, Carl helps engage children in missions and projects that are being done overseas.
In 2001, Carl’s and Linda’s callings were fulfilled, as the couple moved to Dresden, Germany, as fully-appointed missionaries with the Assemblies of God (AG). Although born in the U.S., Linda’s family was from Germany and she was a dual-citizen of the country. The couple ministered primarily to children during their time there.
“In these last 13 years of ministry, my greatest job is being able to lead BGMC here in Ohio. Being a missionary, we experience first-hand how those funds make a difference. A lot of our children don’t grasp it. One of the coolest things Linda and I have been a part of is BGMC,” said Carl.
“Dresden is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.We helped with a couple of church plants as they established their ministries. We also held Vacation Bible School (VBS) and witnessed on the streets of the city,” said Carl. Five years into their ministry, they were brought back to the U.S. Since then, Carl has served as the children’s pastor at Harvest Ridge Church in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to serving alongside Carl in children’s ministry, Linda also works at a city school as a records and attendance administrator. Within the Ohio Ministry Network, Carl served as the director of BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge), an AG program for kids that teaches them to support missions through prayer, giving and going on trips. Carl has also been highly
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Although Carl and Linda have enjoyed serving in children’s ministry in the U.S., they felt God calling them back to missions overseas. In March of 2020, they were re-appointed as missionaries with the Assemblies of God. As missionaries, the couple will be working under International Ministries with Royal Rangers to create resources and materials for parents overseas to be the spiritual leaders of their homes and to equip them to raise their children to be lifelong followers of Jesus. They will also help create and establish a Royal Rangers missions education program that will be used by churches, and they will organize and facilitate missions trips for rangers under the age of 18. “God has brought it back full circle for us. We never thought we would go back, but God has other plans,” said Carl.
“When I was young my family served as missionaries, and it was at this time I felt and heard a call that I would continue to serve in missions,” said Alex. “It seems so natural that having seen both previous generations live out their lives for God that I would in turn want to do the same. The example they have been and the lives I’ve seen them touch is incredible and something I want to be a part of.”
Alex at AG Headquarters
Reflecting back on their time at Southeastern, Carl is grateful for the many relationships he and Linda made. “The connections we have made over the years, from childhood, meeting and knowing the former professors, those relationships should always be held on to. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for Southeastern. God really blessed me. My dad’s heart has been a blessing for us,” said Carl.
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PERSPECTIVE
W BRY ROBBINS ’20
ith tears in my eyes, I stood in the last session of SEU Conference, reflecting. I reflected on how this school has played such a big role in not only my life but in the lives of so many of my family members as well. My ties to this school began when both of my parents went to what was then called Southeastern Bible College. They were not allowed to wear shorts until after 5 p.m., they could not step foot in a movie theatre, and their mascot was the Crusaders, so it is safe to say that a lot has changed. I vividly remember my parents, JEFF ’91 and SHARI (DUNAVENT) ’93 ROBBINS, walking me and my sister around sharing all of their memories from various spots on campus. They showed us Bethany room 209, where my dad would throw rocks at my mom’s window to get her attention. Because, you know, they didn’t have phones. They took us to the academic building, which was then the cafeteria, and talked about all the times my dad made my mom laugh so hard that milk poured out of her nose. And lastly, my dad took me to the chapel where he felt the tug to run for, and eventually win, the position of student body president — a position that I would later hold. I was amazed at all of the stories that they had recalled from their four years, but never imagined how many of my own I would have one day. Many years later, as
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I attempted to move my stuff into my room on the first day of my freshman year, JOSH SCHULTE, a football player with arms the size of my head, started removing items from me and my parents’ hands. I assured him that he didn’t have to help us, but he insisted. It was on my first day as an official student that I realized the beauty of this campus. I’ve learned many life-changing lessons in my time as a student at Southeastern. I learned that the college experience, in fact, wasn’t all about me, and the faster I was able to figure this out, the faster I was able to make an impact on campus. I learned the importance of having a mentor guide me through some weighty life decisions. Most importantly, I learned that in the midst of a crisis or the unknown, we as Christians can lean on our Comforter and come out of the storm even stronger. Southeastern University’s response to COVID-19 taught me an immense amount about faith and courage.The response to the coronavirus from the students, professors and leadership team showed me what it means to be SEU strong. Being SEU strong is not knowing the future, but knowing that God holds it. SEU strong is living a life of courage in a country surrounded by consternation. SEU strong is staying calm in the midst of a storm knowing that I have Jesus in my boat. No matter the challenges that life or even the coronavirus throws at me, I know that because of my four years at Southeastern, I will be prepared to run the race God has called me to.
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SO UTH E AST E R N
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