Ava Bergen – Page 2 – Houghton STAR

For those of us enveloped in the familiar “Houghton bubble,” the thought of life after college can easily get crushed under more immediate obligations: Assignments, exams, delicious oven-baked cookies in the dining hall.

Inevitably, the reality of life after Houghton must be acknowledged. As graduation rapidly approaches, many students contemplate leaving as they move on to the next step of furthering their education: graduate school.

Senior Ben Murphy is one such student, going to the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill for a PhD in English. His ultimate goal is to become an English professor, though while at school he hopes to focus on 20th century to contemporary American literature. “I want to study post-humanism. It has to do with science studies: how science and technology may change what it means to be human.” When asked about the application process, Murphy commented, “It’s not terribly expensive, but the GRE (Graduate Record Exam) is necessary and that’s like 200 bucks…I spent a lot of time researching graduate programs…to get into the programs, you have to be really specific about the professors you want to work with in your personal statement.”

Outside of the English department, junior Rebekah Kimble is currently applying to schools in order to earn her PhD in history. For Kimble, this process has been extended and strenuous as Kimble admitted “Right now the history job market is terrible. It’s completely flooded with people who have graduated and have a PhD. Most of the programs I want to get in are only accepting 6-10 students into their entire history program. There are around 400 applicants per program, so I’m actually applying to 18 schools.”

However, this abysmally low acceptance rate has not deterred Kimble in the least. “I really love the subject, and I see it as an opportunity to be a Christian in a secular university… to be a witness without evangelizing per se, being an example without hitting people over the head with religion. Also, I just love researching. Going to graduate school enables me to research what I love and publish books.” Despite the current job market, Kimble has decided to pursue her passions.

Senior Abigail Bruxvoort will attend Northwestern University to procure her PhD in philosophy. Applying to a total of 11 schools, Bruxvoort described her application process: “I took the GRE last May, and I did some basic research on schools over the summer and created a list of schools to apply to. Then, in October and November I started preparing my writing sample, writing a statement of intent, and asking for letters of recommendation…The main difficulty with applying and visiting schools has been being a full time student in the midst of it all.”

When asked about her decision to go to graduate school, Bruxvoort replied, “Why am I going? Because I would happily spend the rest of my life in philosophy classrooms.”

While a PhD program may be what first comes to mind when it comes to talking about graduate school, some Houghton students have their eyes on different goals. Senior Jim Vitale anticipates working toward his Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. When asked about his future plans, Vitale responded, “I have been pursuing an interest in ministry on and off for almost eight years now, and my love for theology has only grown in my time at Houghton. I hope to use this degree to be ordained a Lutheran pastor and serve a church somewhere.”

Senior Caleb Johnson plans to attend George Mason University to further his studies in International Relations. “I’m an IR major and I love it. I want to join the Foreign Service. Graduate school will present me with opportunities and internships, and give me the experience I need to pass the Foreign Service test.”

From the science department, senior Esther Schow intends to enter Auburn University to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine. Speaking about her passion for becoming a veterinarian, Schow commented, “I love caring in a tangible way that conjoins the academic side of science, with the emotional side of animal husbandry… since high school, I have known that I wanted to either become a doctor or veterinarian, so graduate school has always been something I assumed I would do.”

Applying for graduate school can be an arduous process which requires planning, research, time, and a moderate amount of cash, but for those with the desire, the opportunity to further their education and grab their goals is entirely worth the effort.

Friday, April 11, marks the opening of the Lyric Theatre’s production of Children of Eden. Written by the critically acclaimed John Caird (Les Miserables) and composed by three-time Grammy and Academy award-winning Steven Schwartz (Godspell, The Prince of Egypt, and Wicked), Children of Eden is the book of Genesis retold through the format of a musical drama.

When asked what makes this particular production compelling, Director Mitchell Hutchings enthused, “I am excited to work with these students because of their commitment to a well-crafted end product, many of these singers and actors have won prizes in their given discipline at very high levels.” Children of Eden remains popular with audience members worldwide, not only for the quality of the music, but also for the fun of seeing familiar biblical characters brought to life on stage. Senior and Student Director, Aaron Young, commented, “It’s really a story about God’s faithfulness. The big question through the whole show is will God follow through? It’s heavy stuff to think about how Adam and Eve must’ve felt, but there’s also a lot of fun.”

In an interesting coincidence, the musical’s opening falls closely behind the release of Noah, a film that has sparked controversy due to its deviation from the Old Testament text. Children of Eden is also a creative interpretation, and certain artistic licenses are taken. However, unlike Noah, those involved are producing the show with reference to their own Christian worldview. The message conveyed is ultimately one of the fidelity of God, or “Father” as he is named in Act One. Sophomore, Tim McGowan, who plays the role of Adam, remarked, “It’s not biblical Genesis, it doesn’t claim to be either. I just came in with a really open mind.” Though Children of Eden strays from biblical accuracy, to focus on and rage about inconsistencies would be to miss the point.

Young observed, “Reading the script, a lot of the cast raised their eyebrows and were like ‘I don’t think that’s how God would do it.’ I think, if you stop and think about that phrase, that’s the adventure of the Christian life, figuring out who our God is. If we want to be empowered, gospel-bringing believers, we need to stop and understand other people’s worldviews.” The musical humanizes the characters in Genesis providing insight into their probable motivations, hopes, and fears which are not wholly present in the biblical text. The writers explored and read between the lines.

Children of Eden is director Mitchell Hutchings’s first musical production at Houghton College. When asked why he chose this particular show he said,“I saw Children of Eden while I was still a student at Western Carolina University, and I completely fell in love with it. I liked its theme, and I liked that it was willing to talk about some tough issues.”

When asked about the impact the musical has made on his life so far, Young enthused, “I can say this is one of the best musical experiences I’ve ever had. Working with the cast, with the chorus, I’m shocked at how well they’re getting along. I have sort of a ‘proud parent’ moment every rehearsal. Our faith unifies us, our love for music, our energy, so yeah, I would say we are a family.”

Children of Eden is a production that breathes new life into the Old Testament text, humanizing the characters of Genesis and providing insight into stories we’ve been told since Sunday School. It will be performed in Wesley Chapel, Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12. Tickets are available for purchase in the Campus Center.