Lecturer in Christian Studies.
Biography
I grew in northern Oklahoma in a Christian family. I was baptized at age nine and
initially sensed a call to ministry as a teenager. Though I wasn’t sure at the time
how this would take shape, I knew that God was inviting me to devote my life to ministry
of some kind. Through years of working in higher education in Campus Ministry, Student
Life, and teaching in the United States and internationally, my calling to journey
with students to Jesus, inside and outside of the classroom, has become clear.
From January 2019-23, I served at LCC International University in Klaipėda, Lithuania.
In addition to teaching and serving at the university, along with two other families,
our family helped plant a house church, Christ’s Table. From 2012-18, I served as
a Resident Director and then as the Director of Residence Life at Trinity International
University. From 2008-2010, I was the Assistant Director of Campus Ministries at Ouachita.
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Educational Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity
school. My husband and I have been married for over twenty years and we have three
sons.
Q&A
Why did you come to Ouachita?
I first came to Ouachita as a student in Fall 1999. My four years as a student were
transformative in so many ways as I experienced first-hand the ways that Christian
higher education can form and shape students for kingdom work. My husband and I are
excited to be back at Ouachita this time and see this as an opportunity to steward
our education and experiences by investing in this generation of students.
Why did you decide to become a professor?
When I was working on an MA in Second Language Acquisition and Pedagogy at UALR, I
discovered a love for teaching young adult and adult learners. I love creating learning
communities in the classroom and then watching the transformation that can happen
as a student engages with course material, with one another, and considers how to
apply what they are learning in their lives and vocations. It’s so much fun!
Why is your subject an important one in our world?
Some people think the Bible is just a book of rules or simply a book of doctrines
or a place to go to get a promise or bit of encouragement. But I believe the Bible
is one, whole, unified story and that it is a story Christians are invited to know
and to live into with their whole lives. No matter a student’s calling or vocation,
knowing and living into the story of Scripture helps a student join God’s Kingdom
work in the world.
What do you want future students to know about your degree program?
I loved being a double majoring in Biblical Studies and Speech Communication at Ouachita!
My degree in Biblical Studies gave me a deep love for Scripture and set me on a trajectory
to join God’s Kingdom work in a variety of contexts in the world. Ouachita’s Christian
Foundations major allows students from a variety of disciplines to double major, which
builds a solid foundation for how to think and live in a variety of vocations. I would
encourage future students, regardless of their major, to take classes in the Pruet
School and consider a Christian Foundations major.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Run. Hike and board games with my family. Travel. Read. Right now I am a student,
so my studies take up a lot of my free time.
What has been a meaningful Bible verse or passage for you?
Psalm 23 and John 10 have been meaningful to me for many years in welcoming Jesus'
shepherding presence in various seasons and situations.
