Professional staff

Paula ('18) strives to embody the mission of the Agape Center in everything she does. Her educational background is in peace and conflict studies and restorative justice, trauma and resilience in educational environments. The transformative experiences she had as a student leader with the Agape Center influenced her decision to pursue international work through the English Language Institute where she facilitated experiential learning opportunities and taught English in Vietnam, Lebanon, Hong Kong and Cambodia. Shortly after completing undergrad at Messiah, Paula served as an Emergency Response Assistant for Lebanon and Syria with Mennonite Central Committee working to provide humanitarian assistance, peacebuilding, and trauma healing in response to the Syrian Crisis. From there, Paula joined Journey's End Refugee Services in Buffalo, NY as the Gainful Employment Training Program Manager. Paula is passionate about engaging with and learning from other cultures and is thrilled to be able to incorporate the many lessons she's learned throughout her own local and global service into her role supporting students and the broader community alike to engage more deeply with one another!

Shardé holds her M.A. in Media Studies from the Pennsylvania State University and a B.A. in Communication from Bluefield University. While an undergraduate, she participated in a two-year, service-learning program (Bonner Scholars), where she connected deeply with the pedagogical model. Her professional experience has included teaching in the department of Communication; working in full-time ministry; and overseeing service-learning programs at several Universities. Shardé is excited to come alongside students at Messiah who are looking to connect their faith and academics with service. She is passionate about helping students discover their unique, God-given gifts (1 Peter 4:10) and vocational calling; and equipping students to contribute positively to the common good.

Contact Shardé if you would like to become involved with a Local Outreach Team or serve on an Alternative Break trip. Shardé also seeks to support faculty pursuing service-learning courses and students who choose to fulfill their ELI requirement through non-credit bearing SL experiences.

Kate, a Messiah Univeristy Alum ('24), holds an educational background in Human Development and Family Science. She began her journey at the Agape Center as Office Assistant, dedicating two years to supporting its mission, outreach leaders, and staff before transitioning into the role as Adminstrative Assistant. During her time at Messiah, Kate demonstrated her commitment to community engagement by serving as the Social Outreach Coordinator for Messiah's Council on Family Relations. She initiated conversations aimed at enhancing family life within the university and beyond. She volunteered with the Agape Center at Bethesda Hotspot and participated in a cross-cultural course in Zambia, Africa, where she immersed herself in differnet forms of learning and community engagment. Throughout her experiences, Kate's passion for service and engaging with individuals remained unwavering. Now, in her role at the Agape Center, Kate is excited to continue her journey of service, supporting both staff and students alike.

Emma is the graduate assistant for service trips. She recently graduated from Messiah in May, 2023. Emma was a Double Major in Peace & Conflict Studies, along with Digital Media: Digital Video & Story. She served as a Resident Assistant in the Mellinger Apartments and as an Outreach Coordinator with the Agapé Center. Throughout the previous few years, Emma has had the opportunity to serve and learn from multiple service experiences all over the world. Multiple organizations and non-profits like that of Won By One to Jamaica, Grain of Hope, One Collective, Nea Zoi, the Penns Valley Youth Center, and Central Detroit Christian Community Development have been extremely influential in developing her heart for service learning, reconciliation and empowerment along with holistic help. Emma has loved learning more about the importance and value of service and how The Lord continues to call each of us to serve and love like Him.She is excited about this new role in the Agapé Center to build relationships with students and help them experience some of the great benefits that serving others can offer.

Contact Emma if you are interested in participating in an International Service-Learning experience or have questions about what it means to participate as an Advisor or Student Team Leader in an International Service Trip.

Dinah, ('21) serves as the grad assistant for Off-Campus Programs. She graduated from Messiah in December, 2021. She got her degree in Business Administration. During her time at Messiah she served as a Resident Assistant in Witmer and as secretary for the African Student Union. After graduating she worked for First Industrial Real Estate as their paralegal/legal coordinator. Dinah grew up as a missionary kid in Mozambique where she served in the church, teaching English to locals, and helping in kids clubs with the greater purpose of spreading the gospel. Over the past year she was living in Mozambique where she mentored students who were planning to study abroad. Dinah has also volunteered for AFS intercultural programs since 2016. This entails doing training, one on ones, and paperwork assistance for highschoolers studying abroad in the US. She is excited about this new role in the Agapé Center to continue to work with students and help them have the best experiences living in new communities.

Contact Dinah if you are interested in Off-Campus Programs or have questions about what it means to study at a different univerisity as a Messiah University student.