Category: Stories In Focus

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Stories In Focus

Compassion and Competence

Last spring, a nursing position opened at the Houghton Student Health Center. That position has been fulfilled this semester by Heidi Huizenga. As a registered nurse for at least 20 years, Huizenga continues to share her diverse professional experience and enthusiasm for patients with the Houghton community.

“It is a great privilege to be part of this community! I hope to be a good listener and to share God’s grace and love as I interact with students and coworkers. I am particularly interested in helping students develop good, lifelong health habits” Huizenga said.

Dr. David Brubaker, Huizenga’s colleague and Director at Houghton Student Health Center, expressed his gratitude for having Huizenga as part of the staff. “Heidi has been a great addition to our staff. She has a friendly personality, and I think people find her easily approachable,” he said. “As a colleague, I’ve appreciated her willingness to freely ask questions and offer suggestions, which she always does with humility. She has been an active and encouraging participant in staff discussions from her first days on the job.”

Even when she is not at the Health Center, Huizenga displays her genuine care to those needing medical attention. “Not long ago, at one of the local high school soccer games that Heidi and I were both watching, one of the players was injured, and at the time it seemed like it could be something pretty serious,” Dr. Brubaker explained. “We both responded to the field to see if we could help. That evening I was grateful for a calm, competent, compassionate and reassuring colleague. As I’ve worked with her on campus, it has become clear that those words describe her interactions at the health center as well. We’re very grateful to have her as part of our team.”

In addition to her nursing, Huizenga enjoys spending time outdoors, running, hiking, reading, birding, and writing to friends around the world. Her family is also a part of the Houghton community as her husband, David, teaches Bible at Houghton Academy, her son Luke Huizenga ‘21, attends Houghton College and her other two kids, Gabe (11th grade) and Anna (8th grade) attend Houghton Academy.

Before her family moved to Houghton, Huizenga worked as a cardiac nurse with elderly patients in the Philadelphia area, followed by working in an outpatient clinic for missionaries in Yaounde, Cameroon during the past 3 years. The transition to Houghton has presented its challenges, yet Huizenga has had a positive outlook through the learning process.

“Working with a young, generally healthy population here is very different from most of my past experience. I worked a lot with older people, many of whom had multiple chronic illnesses,” Huizenga said. “Most of my experience was in cardiac care, so I’m learning to examine ears and throats and wrap sprained ankles! I am enjoying learning new skills; my co-workers have been wonderful teachers.”

Students that have seen Heidi as a patient can attest to the care they have received from her. Ella Malone ’21 shared about her interactions with Heidi at the Student Health Center this semester. “Heidi shows genuine concern for your health and well-being,” she said. “Throughout the week I have received emails from her asking about my well-being which is comforting as it shows she cares. In addition, she always offers words of encouragement.”

Malone continued to express her appreciation for Huizenga by referring her service to other students: “I would definitely recommend others to see Heidi. She is extremely friendly and helpful and she will make your day a little brighter!”

The Health Center is open from 8:30am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday, and is located in the basement of Gillette. More information about the Health Center mission is located on the Student Health Center website.

“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.”   3 John 1:2

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Stories In Focus

December Grads // United In Gratitude

As the fall semester comes to a close, one of the more bittersweet events is arriving. December graduation is upon us, and this year Houghton College has a sizeable group graduating at this time. According to the Registrar’s office, forty-two students will be ending their Houghton career this December. Coming from a variety of disciplines, with the biggest being in the math and science field with ten graduates. This is followed by education and business/management who have seven graduates apiece, and over half of the students graduating are receiving a Bachelor’s of Science. December graduates will meet in the home of President Shirley Mullen on December 9th to celebrate their accomplishment and to have a small ceremony to commemorate the occasion.

There are a variety of reasons that December graduation makes sense for a number of students. For graduating communications and political science major Megan Fisher, she saw no reason not to graduate in December with requirements complete and the option to save thousands of dollars in funds. When looking back at her time at Houghton, Fisher said that “Houghton prepared me and any feeling of unpreparedness has to do with my own self-preparedness.” She also reflected on the genuine relationships she made here and that she felt a sense of satisfaction in living by the higher moral standard in living here. Fisher is excited to embark on her next journey after leaving Houghton, obtaining a job and living life even more independently. She will be back to walk in May.

However, some stories are more complex for December grads. Biochemistry major Mikey Hardy started in Houghton fall semester of 2011. He loved his first year at Houghton but had to leave due to financial difficulties. Hardy came back in Spring 2015 to accomplish his goal of finishing college, especially at the one he fell in love with three and a half years prior. He fell right back into life here at Houghton, and actually was remembered by his advisor, Dr. Torracca, who had taught him General Chemistry his first year at Houghton. Hardy, like Fisher, highlighted the great people and great faculty at Houghton, especially the one-on-one time he got here. Part of the reason Hardy was able to finish, despite his financial difficulties, was by becoming a resident assistant at Rothenbuhler Hall for two years, a huge blessing and great opportunity for him, and another highlight of his time here. He also, incredibly enough, was able to finish his degree in eight semesters, just like the traditional student. There is one thing that Hardy would like to mention about the life of a December graduate and it’s this: “December grads have to make an awkward choice to either get the ceremony done and come back to college or start life and come back to graduation.”

While these are only two of the many stories that December graduates have of their time here at Houghton, they exemplify the different paths students take and how each path ends accomplishing the same goal. Of the December graduates, many are united in expressing their gratitude in the exemplary faculty and staff here at Houghton and the lasting friendships they made. It’s a bittersweet time for those moving on and for those staying back, and it’s exciting to see what these new graduates will do moving forward.

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Stories In Focus

In it Together // Adolescent Ed Majors

For Houghton students, Tyger Doell ’19, Olivia Richardson ’19, Nathaniel Dee ’19, and Genevieve Hartman ‘19, Genesee Valley Central School has provided a valuable environment for present growth and future endeavors. This past summer, the school wrote a grant that allows Houghton education students to observe their classrooms if they help out with after-school tutoring.

Doell, Richardson, Dee, and Hartman are the only members of the Curriculum and Assessment course, taught by Professor Connie Finney, which meets every Monday and Wednesday. “Twice a week we go to Genesee Valley Central School after lunch, until the end of their school day, and then at 3 p.m. we help out with after school tutoring,” Doell said.

Most of the teachers at Genesee Valley Central School are familiar with Houghton, and fond of Houghton students, so they welcome these four adolescent education majors to observe their classrooms. Having the opportunity to observe many different classes has proved invaluable to these Houghton students.  

“Observing a variety of teachers and teaching styles has been amazing,” Hartman noted. “It’s been so helpful to see outstanding teachers in many different content areas. Even though my content area is English Language Arts, I’ve learned so much by observing math, history, and science classes, as well as English classrooms. Many tricks of the trade can be applied to any classroom, and there is a huge pool of expertise to draw from at this school. It is just as beneficial to see teachers that have different teaching styles or standards for their classrooms because it helps me think through my own teaching opinions. I can look at a teaching method, and reason why I like or don’t like it, so these experiences are also pushing me to grow and expand my thinking.

Richardson has also gleaned wisdom from observing various teachers in their different areas of expertise. “The most helpful part of this experience has been getting to observe teachers outside of our content area,” she said. “It has reminded me of the connections between subjects as well as allowed me to see master teachers that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn from if I only observed English teachers.”

Not only does this experience allow these students to learn from high school teachers, but Doell explained how tutoring has enabled them to also learn from each other. “I knew that all teachers have different styles of teaching, but it’s odd to also think of your friends having different styles of teaching,” he said. “It’s been neat being able to observe each other in a classroom setting. For example, Nathaniel is vibrant and very engaging, and Olivia is very practical and thorough. It’s fun to see how we’ve all grown and how our styles are all developing and how people use them to their strengths.”

Doell, Richardson, Dee, and Hartman will continue to spend their Monday and Wednesday afternoons at Genesee Valley Central School until the end of the fall semester.

“It’s been a fun way to get to know my peers,” Doell said. “Overall, it’s been a fantastic experience, and even in the times when we get exasperated, we know we’re all in it together.”

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Campus Stories In Focus

Just Like Us: Houghton Archives

“That’s my favorite picture of Willard.” Laura Habacker stands outside the front door of her office, gesturing at the larger-than-life portrait of Willard Houghton that hangs on the library walls. Her office is surprisingly warm and welcoming, full of light and crowded with row upon row of gray archival boxes, majestic old typewriters, and Dictaphones. “I’ve been putting signs up so people can find us!” Habecker says.  

While most archives are traditionally maintained to answer the questions and support the projects of the President, Habecker envisions a more open atmosphere. “This stuff is here to remind all of us why we do this,” she said. Still, only two keys to the room exist. One belongs to Habecker, and the other to President Mullen.

As part of an ongoing relationship with the New York Heritage Digital Collections project, Habecker also spends hours each week scanning tintypes and black-and-white photographs of the college and the towns, landscape, and people of the Genessee Valley. “I have a much broader perspective because I didn’t attend here,” she says. “I see the history with very different eyes than anyone else who’s been in this position.”

Habecker, who joined the library staff as resident archivist last year, has a cheerful smile and a youthful, contagious enthusiasm. “I love my job!” she says. “Every single day I get to go home with a cool story.” On several occasions last year, she says, she was so immersed in a scribbled manuscript or an unidentified photograph that she had to be reminded to pick up her son after school.

She has Willard Houghton’s treasured “pocket manual,” dated 1890, which contains sermon notes and Scripture passages and is positively riddled with typos. “He couldn’t spell for anything,” Habacker explains with a rueful smile.

Fascinating stories also abound in boxes sent from alumni and former faculty. “Can you get the scrapbook?” Habecker asks Jessica Robinson ’18, a library student worker who has been helping to organize the archives since Habecker joined the staff.

Robinson returns with a delicate green and red notebook, carefully wrapped in parchment paper. Inside, documented by fragile scraps of paper and a loose, carefree script, are the remnants of a young female student’s life. Clippings from the jokes section of the Houghton Star (an example:  A playbill for something called “Yuffalo Yills Wild And Wooly Circumambulating Circus Abomination,” featuring pink lemonade and a “Great Moral Drama” and whose staff was “not responsible for and pick-pocketing” that occurred during the show.

Hidden throughout the archives are sometimes surprising, always winsome reminders of the many ways in which these students were like us. One of these is the display of classic Houghton dry wit. In an entry entitled “In Freshman Math,” the student recounts a class period in which then-professor James S. Luckey (later the college’s second president) proposed enhancing Oberlin applications and preparing for advanced physics classes by studying analytic geometry, trigonometry, and calculus—“thus killing two birds with one stone.” Another student, described as “doleful,” replies: “It’ll probably kill three.”

Several pages later, a group of bonneted girls stare somberly toward the camera in one photo and then erupt into raucous, goofy giggles in another. Another photo finds them arranged around a favorite tree. “They called themselves the Allen Family,” Habecker says. On the facing page appear the girls’ names and nicknames, laid out together like the cast list of a play. They called one of the girls “Grandpa” and another one “Aunt.” I can’t help thinking of the many students I have seen cheekily sporting “Houghton Dad” or “Houghton Grandma” T-shirts.

Yet there are a few sobering reminders that, in many ways, they were not so like us. Tucked into a cedar chest in the back of the room, the college’s war flag is splashed with stars for every student who joined the army—along with three small triangles for the Houghton students who died in battles overseas.

In coming years, Habecker hopes to engage even more of the student body in exploring the college’s history. “The whole focus of the school is the student, so I want the students represented,” she said. “If it’s not for the students, then why are we here?”

To that end, the college archives are now open to students between 1 and 4 p.m. every Friday afternoon. Students are also invited to join in the adventure by sorting through documents, scanning and repairing photos, and moving records into acid-free storage.

Says Habecker, a gigantic grin on her face: “I’m willing to work with anybody!”

 

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Campus Reviews Stories In Focus

Party Of 3: Introducing Drive-In

Middle school is usually a time that most of us like to forget about, but not for Lars Erik Ljungholm ‘20 because that was when he first met his friends Cameron and Cole Tessier. The brothers met Lars in their church’s youth group, and the three of them played on the church’s worship team quite frequently. It wasn’t long before the three decided to pursue producing their own music, forming the band we now know today as Drive-In.

All three are producers and songwriters, and the roles they play in the group are mostly shared among all three. When they play live, though, Cam acts as lead singer and keyboard, Cole does background vocals and synth and drum pad, Lars plays guitar and synth as well. “There’s so much in our music,” said Lars, “There’s too much for just three people to make with real instruments so we would have to use backtracks.” Even though nowadays they’re separated because of college, they maintain their work through Facetime calls and a lot of sharing files on Google Drive. Cam and Cole will send an idea for a track, Lars will make his tweaks and adjustments before sending it back, and then the process repeats. It’s back-and-forth until they decide it’s perfect. Although they haven’t played any shows together as a full band yet, they’re working on booking shows for the near future. Lars also recently played in a coffeehouse and asked a few friends to assist him, although the performance was more stripped-back without Cam and Cole.

Coming to Houghton has helped Lars grow as an artist; may it be through his Visual Communication major or his Music Industry minor. When asked about the influence the college and the classes here have had on him musically, he said, “I was just surrounded by music all the time [during my Music Industry classes]. You just get a ton of ideas. Going to Houghton has impacted me so much through the people I’ve met here. I’ve picked up a ton of unique production techniques and met many people who I believe are going to have great success in the music industry.” Not only has his work in the Music Industry program given him opportunities for making valuable connections and great friends, taking Visual Comm classes has really allowed him to think about his music in different creative forms; he has even had the chance to implement his own musical work in his class projects.

When Lars defined the genre of his music, he labeled it as “alternative pop,” admitting though that it is a fairly broad genre and difficult to pinpoint. He mentioned artists such as The 1975, LANY, and M83 as some of the biggest musical sources for inspiration for Drive-In. When Lars writes music, he draws from the work of many other artists that he listens to; he will pick out what he really likes in certain songs and what inspired those certain parts. May it be a melody or a something more specific like a beat of a snare – then he’ll create his own track based on the inspiration. Lars said in an interview that, “The music [of Drive-In] is a culmination of everything you’ve ever heard – ever. So, like, in some of the songs you can hear every day noises; like a pen on a desk. Everything is an influence.” Listeners will find that each song individually tells its own story, but the songs on the EP blend more sonically by the way they sound and the way they feel.

All of Drive-In’s EP’s were completed over the summer, and two have already been released (“1996” and “Glass”) but be on the lookout for more music from the band: the third installment from their EP series is set to release on New Year’s Day. Before that though, Lars mentioned some other fun projects that might find their way to your favorite streaming services. Make sure to follow Drive-In on Instagram (@driveinmusic) for updates! And for your listening pleasure, head over to Spotify or Apple Music to stream the available EP’s and singles.

 

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Stories In Focus

Caring Deeply, Loving All

For most of us, our involvement in a local youth group came to an end when we started college. But for others in our community, a commitment to a local youth ministry is an integral part of their college experience. Mason Sebian ’19, Olivia Flint ’20, and Andrew Bub ’19 are among those who sacrifice their time and energy to pour into the lives of teens in local youth ministries.

Sebian is in his second year of working with the youth at Houghton Wesleyan. As an intern, his responsibilities include involvement in morning Sunday School, Sunday night youth group, and weekly visits to Fillmore Central School. Through this experience, Sebian has learned the importance of being aware to the needs around him. “I think the biggest area of growth for me has been needing to be aware, and needing to be bold in that awareness,” he said. “It’s not something you can just turn off. It’s a practice that needs to happen all the time. I might not ever know the effect I have on the students I’m interacting with, so I’m just free to love them.”

Since last September, Bub has been involved at Trinity Church of Nunda, where he attends Sunday morning worship and Sunday night discipleship group. His experience has shaped his view of God as our Provider. “It has been really powerful for me to see that God cares about what is going on in our lives,” he said. “God is not only concerned with the cosmic and eternal, but is concerned with the little and the concrete in these teenagers’ lives. From the time I was fairly young, I always thought my problems were way too small for God to care about. I figured that God must be too busy worrying about terrorism, world hunger, poverty, and war to care about my stupid ‘middle schooler’ problems. This experience has definitely shown me that God cares about our everyday lives, regardless of how insignificant we might think they are at times.”

For Flint, her role as a youth leader at Lifeway Youth Center in Belfast is “to show up and show love,” and “to establish supportive relationships with the youth and demonstrate how the Gospel can be daily applied to their lives.”

Sebian, Bub, and Flint all believe in the “vast importance” of ministering to youth. “These youth need people who will love them, who will listen to them, and who will care for them,” Bub said. “Many of these teens do not get that anywhere else, and by taking the time to love these teens and give them a listening ear I can participate in bringing the Kingdom of God here on earth.”

Working in local youth ministries is a privilege, but it can also be challenging. “In working with these youth, God has tested tremendously my trust in Him,” Flint said. “By far, the biggest challenge is leaving youth group discouraged because the immense longing for these kids to experience the truth of the Gospel often transforms care into crippling concern.”

Sebian understands the deep love and concern that is felt towards the youth he works with. “I think the most challenging thing about serving in youth ministry would be not seeing some of the fruit of the work that you’re doing,” he said. “Until youth are in a position where they are called to something, or are passionate about something and act on it, it would be hard for them to know the care that goes behind every action. Not trying to be their best friend is hard for me because I want to be involved in their lives.”

Sacrificing their time and energy for the local youth is seen as well worth the effort for Sebian, Bub, and Flint. Why? “Because they’re important,” Sebian said. “That’s what makes it worth it. When you have someone who is willing to walk alongside of you and tell you they believe in you, that changes people’s lives. These students need to know that there are people who care so deeply about them. Being able to reflect what Jesus’ relationship with all of us is what makes the late nights, the bad weather, the money on gas, and the late nights studying worth it.”

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Vigilance of the Everyday

Last academic year an anonymous note was slipped under a student’s door which said, “You don’t belong here, n*****.” This sparked a flurry of conversations on campus about race relations that culminated in several students of color threatening not to return this fall. Following an investigation into these events, the college began the “the process of approving and adopting a new diversity statement,” according to Dr. Rob Pool (VP for Student Life). But, as of this reporting, the new diversity statement has yet to be approved. And going into the first day of classes this semester, members of college administration, including Student Government, were anxious about how many students of color would choose not to return.

A separate, but related, matter of diversity involved the firing of an RA by Student Life for her self-reported relationship with another female student. Since this type of relationship is deemed by the administration as “homosexual behavior,” the RA was determined to be in violation of her contract as an RA as well as the Houghton College Community Covenant, and was “relieved” of her position in Spring 2017. This created new fears among the campus’s LGBTQ population as to how welcome in the Houghton community they are. (according to anonymous LGBTQ student interviews). As these events were transpiring, the College has been involved in discussion of edits to the Community Covenant related to the acceptability of “homosexual behavior” on campus.

Clearly, the College’s relationship with its diverse students is strained. To this end, as reported by the STAR in recent editions, Dr. Robert Pool gave a presentation to the Student Government Association which was intended to address some of these issues. The college began considering “programmatically based” changes such as “resource allocation,” and the “shaping [of] our policy,” according to Pool. But in his recent Letter to the Editor, Shaphan Hestick (SGA Officer of Diversity and Inclusion) branded the administration’s response as close to “self-congratulation” without adequately addressing “what happens daily on this campus.” In an interview, Hestick elucidated his position further: “What policy has changed? None. We can’t just throw money at this issue and expect change. We need acknowledgment from the administration that Houghton is negatively biased against diverse students, not only our students of color, but also those who identify as LGBTQ.”

During his presentation for SGA several weeks ago, Dr. Pool shared the updated retention data for students of color this Fall semester. While Houghton’s overall retention rate has consistently been one of the best in the nation (Chronicle for Higher Education), its record with students of color has been less-than-optimal. For this semester, students of color made up 32% of all students who withdrew. Compared with the percent of the student body that is diverse (19%), retention among the college’s diverse students was proportionally worse than for the student body as a whole. When compared to the data for the last 10 years (or 20 semesters), this fall semester was the worst semester in its retention of diverse students. In other words, the college’s retention of diverse students has never been worse.

In response to what he sees as a failure of properly responding to the plight of diverse students, Hestick has recently engaged in a protest by ending his involvement with many of his duties in SGA as well as his positions in several college councils and committees until “we make peace with the struggle of diverse students.”    

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To SAT, Or Not To SAT?

One year ago, Houghton College’s Admissions Office decided to change their policy on standardized test results. The college now allows a student to decide whether they want to waive their SAT or ACT scores during the admissions process, allowing students to instead submit the CLT (Classical Learning Test) for their test scores.

This shift allows students more options and an increased chance of admission to Houghton. It is especially helpful for students from diverse backgrounds, especially those who come from refugee households or underprivileged homes and may need to overcome greater obstacles to take the SAT. Students who choose to opt out of the SAT have their academic scholarships capped at a certain amount, but they are made aware of that before waiving and is an option for them.  

Based on last year’s admissions statistics, thirty-eight students applied test optional or waived their SAT scores. Out of those thirty-eight students, twenty-one were admitted. In the pool of admitted students, the average GPA was 3.2 and 76 percent had a GPA of 3.0 or higher. During the fall of 2017, 3.8 percent of all incoming students applied test optional; during the fall of 2018, 8.4% of students chose

The Admissions Office believes that number will grow even higher in the future, and that the consistently standards of academic quality testify to the new policy’s success.  Incoming students still boast high GPAs, but many are being admitted whose SAT scores may have inhibited them in the past.

This is especially true of the many refugee students at Houghton College Buffalo and Houghton College Utica. Under New York law, each of a college’s campuses must use the same admissions policy, which posed a struggle for the Buffalo and Utica campuses. Ryan Spear, Houghton’s Director of Admission, was concerned that even students with exemplary GPAs would not be able to overcome the obstacle of a standardized test in their second language.

“In many ways you can buy a better score [on the SATs],” Spear said. “If you’re a student with the ability to pay for SAT classes or a book and you have a guidance counselor helping you, you are going to do better than a student without those privileges.”

He also stressed that “Admissions is a holistic process, and allowing for expanded test options allows for that,” and noted that the Buffalo and Utica campuses are on board and Houghton College Buffalo had an eighty percent success rate with the program already.

Claire Brower ‘18, an international development major, said, “It really doesn’t affect anything once you get to college.” In many ways, Brower is exactly right. Spear also noted that in college, work ethic is often just as important as intelligence. Many successful students have a good work ethic, which a standardized test can never examine or quantify. A student should be allowed to work their way up in college, and sometimes getting a better option at the start can help that.” Carrie Smith ‘18, a psychology major, also succinctly summed up the support she has seen for the policy: “Tests shouldn’t define you.”

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Campus Stories In Focus

New Roles: Houghton Ambassadors

In January 2018, Houghton will launch its new Student Ambassador Program.

After receiving ample feedback from current students who had heard about Houghton through word-of-mouth, the Admissions Office sought to capitalize on this strength. The purpose of the new Student Ambassador Program is to increase admissions through conversation with current students. It gives Houghton students a focused and deliberate mission: engage with prospective students and encourage them to apply to Houghton.

Nikki Garns ’18 explained that this new program “gives students access to increase their involvement at Houghton” as well as enhancing their “communication skills” and developing “their professionalism as someone who is representing a professional institution.”

Through this program, current students have the opportunity to promote Houghton to prospective students through interpersonal connections. “Admissions is something that everyone at Houghton—whether they work here or go here—is a part of, whether they know it or not,” Bjorn Webb ’18, a current intern at the Admissions Office, said. “And the Student Ambassador Program is a way for students to actually see their role in the process, and see how big of a difference they can make.”

Callie Lloyd ’18, also an admissions intern, agreed with Webb. She added that many current students are already, in their own way, stepping into the role of an ambassador unknowingly. “I think we all already talk about Houghton whenever we’re home,” she said. “I think this program just gives people an incentive to be more intentional about it, and reach out to students who might be interested in coming to Houghton.”

For high school students, talking with a current student could open the possibility for otherwise unexplored avenues of conversation. Teri Koetsier ’18, also an admissions intern, said, “Talking about Houghton specifically is going to mean a lot to high school students because as soon as they hear that you’re a student and you’re going through campus life, through classes, through sports and other activities, they’ll actually start to believe what you’re saying and start to open up and ask real questions about Houghton.” Having these conversations with prospective students is a way, Webb claimed, “for current students to take ownership of our school.”

Stepping into the role of a student ambassador is a way for students to “experience getting out of your comfort zone,” Joe Miner ’18, admissions intern, said. “This program gives students the invaluable experience of making connections, and making conversations about what many of us are already passionate about.”

Ambassadors are given “access to incentives by simply having conversations with high school friends or potential transfers about your personal experience at Houghton and encouraging them to apply,” Garns said.

“When I think of the benefits of being an ambassador, I don’t even think of the professional benefits,” Miner concluded. “Instead, I think of general interpersonal benefits that come from this experience where you can truly grow as a person from it.”

All students are encouraged to apply for the Student Ambassador Program. Applications will be accepted until November 21, and selections will be finalized on December 6.

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Prayer Vigil: God Who Loves Us

On Oct. 29, Houghton Wesleyan Church began hosting the annual, three-week prayer vigil that serves as a spiritual backbone for the local community.

“The vigil has now become a part of the rhythm of our church,” commented Pastor Wes Oden, explaining that the event began in 2009 because of the congregation’s “desire…to be a church and community more open to God.”  Every year, the vigil has a different theme, often coinciding with the sermon series for the month or the conversations embarked upon in the church’s small groups.  According to the October 2017 Houghton Wesleyan newsletter, this year’s theme is “God Who Loves Us.”  The inspiration for this year’s theme was drawn from passages in the Minor Prophets books, particularly Malachi and Amos.  “[I]t’s not an investment in sacrifice,” continues the newsletter, “it’s an investment in gaining a greater understanding of who God is.”

In order to be a part of the prayer vigil, participants must sign up on the church website for a one-hour time slot, either individually or with a group.  A variety of resources are provided for visitors, such as a Bible, a prayer journal, a prayer guide, a kneeling bench, musical instruments, and whiteboards.  The church has also fostered a creative, open space for visitors.  The quilts and paintings, for example, invite visitors to engage in quiet contemplation.  

Nikki Garns, ’18 added that Houghton Wesleyan has three prayer rooms available, each decorated for different purposes.  The room with the kneeling bench she describes as “formal.”  The “creative room” is the room that contains the prayer aids, and the “relaxed room” is most likely appropriate for children because of its “lighter atmosphere.”

This year will be Garns’ fourth year participating in the 24-hour prayer vigil.  She signs up with her soccer and track teams as a substitution for practice in the late afternoon or early evening.  “It’s so cool to be in there with my teammates,” exclaims Garns.  She loves that she has the opportunity to hear about their struggles and lift up her teammates in prayer.  On a larger scale, she enjoys that she has had the privilege of seeing not just her teammates participate in the prayer vigil, but Houghton students and members of the community as well.  Amidst the “busyness of campus,” she realizes that spending an hour in prayer is an intentional way of slowing down her day and “bringing God into that.”

Other than slowing down the rhythm of her busy weekday, the prayer vigil has allowed her to contemplate how setting this time aside has changed her prayer life.  She says, “It opens my mind to there being different levels of prayer.  Initially, when I came into college, it was about bowing my head, but there are so many other elements that are a part of it.  The prayer vigil allowed me to see all those different elements at work.”

Bethany Kuiken, ’18, agreed, saying that the prayer vigil is “refreshing” and that “being in those small rooms opens my eyes to the privilege it is to approach the throne.  It never ceases to amaze me that ordinary people like us can approach the throne at any time, at any state we’re in.”  The prayer vigil even inspired Kuiken and her housemates to refurbish their downstairs closet into a prayer closet.

Oden also commented on how his “understanding of prayer has been enlarged and deepened through these events.”  He believes that “Prayer is more than speaking words to God or even sitting quietly before God.  It is that, but it’s more.  It’s singing.  It’s writing poetry.  It’s silence.  It’s lamenting…There is something about taking an hour or multiple hours to think about God that can’t help but change you.”