One aspect that really excited me about coming to ACU was the regular involvement in students’ lives. At the same time, I’ve wrestled with what this might actually look like in practice. Generally speaking, I found early on that my interactions with students in the classroom were not sufficient for me to truly understand what was happening in their lives. I am usually in the process of setting up before class and then students are in a rush to leave after class. In my first semester at ACU, I started inviting my students to come to my house for optional dessert and games nights, and these were helpful in building camaraderie with students who chose to come (about 20% of students in my classes). Yet, it still seemed like there was more that I could do to foster deeper relationships with students. With that in mind, below is a summary of key ways that I have sought to mentor students outside of regular class time.
Bible studies
In the spring of my first year of teaching (Spring 2017), I felt called to co-lead a weekly COBA women’s Bible study in my home with Whitney Herrington, formerly the Assistant Director of the Griggs Center. This began with about 8 COBA women and continued for 2.5 years with approximately 6-10 COBA women per semester. This weekly time engaging with students in the Word and discussing what was going on in their lives over snacks was such a blessing! I loved the opportunity to form deeper relationships with students in this way.
For the 2019-2020 academic year, I made the difficult decision to step back from regularly inviting students into my home due to too many other commitments and the need to create margin in my life. However, I truly missed these opportunities to connect with students outside of the classroom, as I believe this is primarily where deep relationships with students are formed and fostered.
For fall 2020, I co-led a community group with Phoebe Voss, a current student, as a part of the Office of Spiritual Formation’s initiative to build deep relationships and Christian community on campus in small groups. Below is a note I received from Cyrus Eaton about my involvement in the fall 2020 community group.
For the future, I hope to resume inviting my students to dessert and games nights and to revisit starting another bible study.
Christmas themed ArtWalk with some of the women from bible study that I co-led with Whitney Herrington – December 2018
Enactus faculty advisor
In Spring 2017, I became involved in the ACU Chapter of Enactus as a faculty advisor. Enactus is an organization focused on utilizing entrepreneurial skills to tackle sustainability-related challenges. Sustainability is a real passion area for me and it has been a joy to mentor students who are also enthusiastic about working to make a sustainable difference in this world. Sample projects include: a children’s business fair, an on-campus composting project, and a personal finance curriculum for a rehabilitation center for women rescued from abuse and sex trafficking.
2018 Regional Enactus Competition in Dallas
Study abroad programs
To me, there is nothing quite like traveling internationally with students. I love the opportunity to interact with students in different international settings and to see how much they learn and develop in such a short timeframe. My first opportunity to travel with students occurred in Spring 2018. Dodd Roberts asked me to join the CEO mission trip, in partnership with Halbert, to Mission Lazarus in Honduras as a faculty mentor to oversee the business development aspect of the trip in coordination with one of the student leaders. Here is a COBA blog post about one student’s experience on this trip. I also had the opportunity to co-lead a Summer COBA Study Abroad Program to Oxford in June 2018 with Dr. Mark Phillips and two spring break trips to Central Costa Rica in March 2019 and 2020 with Dr. Laura Phillips as a part of the Social Enterprise Consulting class. Dr. Laura Phillips and I will be teaching COBA courses in Leipzig for the Fall 2021 study abroad program and we are tentatively planning to offer the Social Enterprise Consulting class in Spring 2022 with a spring break trip to Costa Rica.
Co-leading business development meeting with community entrepreneurs in Honduras with Erika Teilmann
Hosted game and dessert nights with students around Oxford during 2018 Summer Study Abroad Program
2019 Social Enterprise Consulting class in Turrialba, Costa Rica before touring volcano