Becoming a Lancer

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I would say the feel of Grace is definitely like being at home. It's so beautiful, and there's tons of green space and the lake. And you just have all of this nature around us.

It wasn't just about learning the content. It wasn't just about a specific degree. It was about who I was as a person. It was about who I was as a believer. It was about who I am as an employee and as a part of the community.

I feel like most of the professors on campus give. Just give, and give, and give, and give. Because they believe that their students are here for a reason, for a purpose, that their calling is so much bigger than just a job.

There's just something about being here at school where you'll just walk in, and everyone's so welcoming to you. It's just such a different environment than I'm used to. You walk outside, and 50 students are just spread out throughout the campus on the lawns, just doing homework, playing games, whether it's spike ball or Frisbee.

There's just so many places for students just to go and hang out. Having this small campus with all these beautiful places and open areas just makes it really easy to feel like you're kind of home, or feel like you're part of the community right away.

Well, I really like to know my students. I like to get to know them. I like to get to understand them, how they're wired. How can I connect with them in the classroom so that I can foster their learning so that they can become the professionals they need to be.

They learn all this stuff. They have these "aha" moments. They run out. They come back the next day. "You have no idea what I did. I was watching somebody, and then I helped them, and it was so rewarding."

And I'm like, "yes. That's what you're supposed to do." It empowers them. I want them to be what they want to be. And I'm like, "how do I get them to do that?" That's my greatest challenge as a professor.

I really didn't have plans for college. And at the advice of my father, he said, well, you know what? Just apply for one school. So my education at Grace, both in the undergraduate and the MBA, have set the stage for me to continue develop myself and my knowledge regarding this field.

One of the things that always impressed me about Grace College was they weren't just located in Winona Lake. They're really integrated into those communities. They were part of what was happening there. They were reaching out to some of the organizations and some of just the neighborhoods that they existed in.

There are a lot of quality people here, trying to better our world. That mentality is what we're pushing on to our students.

Like, a lot of classes, faith is just integrated into it. They want to talk about everything from at least a faith aspect.

That foundation that I set a Grace has helped me to be a better father. It's helped me to be a better employee. It's helped me to be a better husband. That's probably almost more valuable than the education, and that's something that I don't think you probably would get at every college.

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