Meet Our Students
Messiah has great students! We would like to introduce you to a few of them . . .
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Ryan Johns, Class of '11
Elementary Education with a Counseling Minor |
Hometown: |
Elizabethtown, PA |
| Favorite Thing about Messiah: |
When searching for colleges Messiah was the only one that felt right. My favorite thing about Messiah is my friends. Any college I could go to I would make good friends, but when I talk with my friends that go to other schools I know that they will never be like the friends I have made here. |
| Classes: |
I have had a wide range of experiences in my classes at Messiah. Some have been great, others not so great. In both situations I have learned a lot about life, and education. Also being one of two males in my class has taught me many things I wouldn't have learned otherwise.
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| Extracurricular Activities: |
I am on the Ultimate Frisbee team at Messiah. I love the sport and the guys on the team are my best friends. Ultimate Frisbee has no referees. The games are all self-called and there is a great focus on "the spirit of the game." Playing on Messiah's team has taught me how to be intensely competitive and also to have great sportsmanship. Ultimate Frisbee players are unlike anyone else you will ever meet.
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Sarah Brubaker, Class of '11
Elementary and Early Childhood Education |
Sarah Brubaker, '11, in front of the Sydney Opera House |
| Hometown: |
Richfield, PA |
| Favorite Thing about Messiah: |
One of my favorite things about Messiah is its emphasis of community. Personally, I believe that the people we meet and relationships we build significantly influence the person who we gradually become. |
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While here, I have been blessed with opportunities and experiences to meet and spend time with many wonderful and unique people during classes and in residence life. Living in genuine community with others is a value and way of life that I have learned and plan to keep with me long after I leave college. |
| Classes: |
During my time here, I have been able to take a variety of classes in and outside the education department. Along the way, professors have been genuinely interested and have invested significant time into my education. It has been great to have the support of professors and my close community of classmates throughout this time.
In addition, I have been blessed with the opportunity to study abroad in Sydney, Australia. While studying at a small arts and theological institute, I studied various native cultures and traveled throughout the unique and beautiful country. Overall, this opportunity has opened me to see perspectives outside my own and has contributed towards building a well-rounded education. |
| Extracurricular Activities: |
Besides studying abroad, I have been involved in a number of on-campus organizations. I am a member of Messiah College’s Education Association (MCEA) and tutor at an afterschool program in the Harrisburg area. Also, I am a work study student for the Education Department, volunteer for the Special Olympics, and participate in recreational sports (softball, basketball, and ultimate Frisbee). Overall, I have found that there are so many possible ways to get involved, sometimes it’s hard to pick and choose.
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Kim Leininger , Class of '11
Elementary Education with Special Education certification |
Hometown: |
Marysville, OH |
Favorite Thing about Messiah: |
Its focus on the importance of servanthood |
| Classes: |
The classes I have taken at Messiah have greatly impacted the person I am today. Being my first experience in a Christian educational setting, I was moved by how intentional everything is. The professors I've met have had genuine interest in me as a person and specifically in the goals I have. It is obvious that Messiah seeks to stretch individuals to consider aspects of life for the first time or in a new way. My awareness of global issues and responsibilities has greatly increased as a result of my classes at Messiah. With regards to education classes in particular, the emphasis placed on making it clear that what we do as future educators matters is very empowering. By learning about all the various people I may serve as a teacher, my classes have broadened my understanding of the world and its needs while still giving hope. This hope is found on no one else but Christ, and some of my most treasured moments at Messiah have been when, in class, I am able to make a connection between something being presented and a calling I've felt from God. My faith has grown as a result of my classes.
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| Extracurricular Activities: |
Studying abroad for five months in Ecuador
during the fall of my sophomore year, Working with Special Olympics during Messiah's service day organizing volunteers, building intentional relationships through my position as a Residents Assistant, participating in five service trips offered during Messiah's breaks - many of which included work in urban educational settings.
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Miranda Kutz , Class of '11
Elementary Education with Special Education Concentration |
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| Hometown: |
Pine Grove, PA |
| Favorite Thing about Messiah: |
I love the community I have discovered here at Messiah! I have found myself immersed in a diverse environment of remarkable unity where people are tied together by much more than just a school name. Common beliefs and values provide a solid foundation from which friendships are established and grow into lifelong relationships. There are so many opportunities here to spend quality time with friends. |
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From common chapels to weekly concerts to apartment dinners to a simple pick-up game of Frisbee, each simple thing brings the simple joy of community that makes my college experience all the more richer.
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| Classes: |
I now view teaching in a different light. It is very easy to get caught up believing that teaching must be a continuous stream of extravagant acts, but really, teaching is just as much about the ordinary as it is about the extravagant. I have learned that even the everyday actions which seem routine and insignificant to me may be significant to one of my students... if not in the present, then perhaps in the future. Henry Adams once said, "A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." As a Christian teacher, I believe that my influence will ripple through generations to come. Thankfully, my professors at Messiah have prepared me to fulfill my calling by living my faith even in the most ordinary of ways.
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| Extracurricular Activities: |
During the spring of 2009, I studied abroad in Cheltenham, England, for five months. This was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. Even better than mastering the British accent, I had the opportunity to travel through Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, and Scotland for a three week spring break! This whirlwind of international travel was a very humbling experience. As simple as it sounds, I was reminded how small I am in such a wonderfully huge and diverse world. There is nothing quite so wonderful as soaking up God's glory amidst the towering snow-covered Alps of Switzerland!
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