Our Graduates

Most of our graduates go on to be teachers in public and private schools where they have the opportunity to further their education on the graduate level.  Some of our students, including three of our current Department of Education faculty, pursue graduate degrees to teach at the undergraduate and/or graduate level.  Other students decide to pursue careers outside of teaching and find that the principles they have learned in education serve them well as they work in other careers that they find better suited to their personality, lifestyle, and calling.

Steve Lehman, Class of '02

This is my second year as principal at Wellsville Elementary School, and my 8th year in the Northern York Country School District.  Prior to coming to Wellsville, I taught 6th grade Communication Arts and World Geography at Northern Middle School.

After graduating from Carlisle High School, I attended Messiah College and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education.  Most recently, I completed my Master’s Degree (Educational Leadership and Policy) and my Principal’s Certification from Shippensburg University.  I love being part of this school district and am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as principal of Wellsville Elementary School. 

Principal,

Wellsville Elementary

I enjoy spending time with my wife, Mary (Class of '02, 7th grade reading teacher at Mechanicsburg Middle School), our 3 year old daughter, Anna, and our 1 year old  son, Luke.   We live in Dillsburg.

I am a huge sports fan.  I played a variety of sports growing up and had the opportunity to play four years of basketball during my time at Messiah College.  My interest in basketball has led to coaching opportunities here at Northern.  Currently, I am the assistant coach with the Northern High School Boys Basketball Program.  I enjoy many other sports as well (especially playing golf and tennis).

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home with two loving and supportive parents.  My parents met at Messiah College (similar to how I ended up meeting my wife.)  My grandfather actually attended Messiah as well when it was an Academy.  As you can see, Messiah College has quite a history with my family.

It was through my time at Messiah, as a student-athlete, that I really began to appreciate the education of a “whole” person.  I became a better manager of my time.  I was surrounded by people who took their academic endeavors more seriously than I had previously taken them. I was held accountable by professors, coaches, teammates and friends on a spiritual level like never before.  I gained an appreciation for leadership and aspired to seek opportunities where I could apply these qualities. 

My professors built a capacity in me by providing me with many opportunities to be successful.  The success that I felt bred a sense of confidence that I did not always have as a teenager.  Although I credit my parents for blessing me with a firm foundation, I believe that it was my time and experiences at Messiah College that has forged my path of success in my post-graduate endeavors as a teacher and a principal.

Aaron Carmichael, Class of '06

After my 4 years at Messiah College I successfully obtained a position at the same school in which I completed my student teaching in --  the Carlisle Area School District. I taught at this school for three years. During this time I enrolled at Shippensburg University to receive my masters in educational leadership and obtain a principal’s certification which I will complete in summer 2010. This past year I was given an opportunity to gain more leadership experience when my district offered me a position as a Literacy/Instructional Coach. I am currently in a title one building as their full time coach and have the opportunity to coach/instruct teachers on best practices that can be implemented in the classroom. This experience has given me opportunities to participate in a leadership role and interact with many teachers across the district. I have served on many teams and committees including: data teams, proficiency teams, intervention teams, and reading curriculum committee. I have also had the opportunity to lead faculty meetings, technology workshops, and professional development for the Carlisle Area School District. Recently, I received an honorable mention for the award of excellence from Carlisle.

Literacy/Instructional Coach,

Carlisle Area School District

I currently reside in the Carlisle area with my wife Rachel, who is a third grade teacher for the Mechanicsburg Area School District. We spend our free time playing with our dog, Alli and working on projects around our new house. We are members of the Daybreak church and enjoy being a part of local community projects and our small group.

My experiences at Messiah College will always be remembered. The dedicated faculty and staff challenged me in my faith and helped me to develop my own philosophies of education and teaching. The faculty and staff of Messiah are dedicated to education, and that dedication is contagious to all students. During my student teaching experiences I was supported by many people and was offered suggestions to help me define and identify my strengths and weaknesses as an educator. Messiah College’s reputation in the local area surpasses any other educational facility. School districts love to receive Messiah student teachers and graduates due to the preparation they receive in their undergraduate work. I am forever grateful for the experiences and people of Messiah College, who have had a tremendous positive impact on my life and career.

Anne Burk , Class of '08

Since graduating from Messiah College in 2008, I have been teaching at Almaty International School in Almaty, Kazkhastan, where I have students of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds including British, Kazakh, Korean, Lebanese, Mongolian, Pakistani, and Russian.

I love teaching here, and life is also very interesting. I am involved in a young professional’s Bible study group, and enjoy dancing, ice skating, and snowboarding or hiking in the Tien Shan Mountains! I look forward to moving to the Washington, D.C. area this July.

Teacher,

Almaty International School

I chose to attend Messiah College because I wanted to learn how to be a Christian educator from Christian educators. I am so glad that I did! My education at Messiah has impacted my personal and professional life in more ways that I can share on one page. When I look back on my experience at Messiah, I am so thankful for the relationships I formed there.  I made lifelong friends at Messiah who continue to encourage me and are a really important part of my life. The faculty went above and beyond to share their passion and provide a quality education. From their example, I have learned to teach passionately and with excellence. I stay in touch with several education professors, and after a recent phone call to request some documents from the education department, I felt as if we were family!

There is no doubt that Messiah’s teacher education program more than adequately prepared me for a career in the teaching profession. The program sequence follows good teaching practices, itself. First, students observe from the masters—classroom teachers—while studying theory and effective strategies. Later, they conduct a few lessons in the classroom over a semester until they are ready for student teaching where they manage a classroom, design, and implement their own lessons. I preferred this timeline—first learning how to implement strategies, so that when I stepped into a classroom to teach, I had a goal and knew how to reach it.

Since graduating from Messiah, my trust in its education program has been confirmed. While teaching is incredibly challenging during the first year, I believe I was adequately prepared for the job, as I was familiar with many teaching strategies and routines. A friend of mine who attended another college mentioned that she felt unprepared for teaching when she compared her program to mine. Thanks to my professors and program, I felt confident in my abilities.

I am so blessed and privileged to be able to say that if I had the opportunity to go back in time, I am 100% sure I would choose Messiah College again. It would be great if all graduates could say that about their schools. Go Falcons!

Emily Dause , Class of '08

I currently teach fourth grade in Northern York County School District in Central Pennsylvania.  I primarily teach science to my school’s four fourth grade classes. I also teach reading and mathematics.  I have recently become involved in teaching technology workshops at staff in-services for the district.  Since beginning my teaching career, I have applied for and received two grants to purchase additional classroom materials and science equipment.  I am also in the process of starting a student-run recycling program for the school.

Grade 4 Teacher,

South Mountain Elementary

Reading, hiking, traveling, running, singing, playing piano, going to see theatrical productions, visiting family