Laura Meitzner Yoder (right), her son Micah, and two colleagues enjoy beautiful Michigan, a location of the AuSable Institute for Environmental Studies.

As early as high school, Laura Meitzner Yoder ’93 was concerned with justice matters. Some of her other favorite subjects included biological sciences and politics, which combined to launch her interest in learning about and getting involved in world hunger issues. These interests then united with agricultural and environmental concerns in tropical areas, which eventually led her to work on land access issues of importance to rural people.

Yoder grew up in a rural area of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and lived on a small farm with her family. At the time, Yoder enjoyed playing around the nearby pond and stream, which likely encouraged her current fascination of nature. (more…)

When Valerie Rae Smith delivered her first monologue at age 13, she had no idea that she was revealing a special personal gifting that would from that point on direct her vocational steps.

Smith, now associate professor of theatre and co-chair of the theatre department at Messiah, chats with theatre student Bryant Vance about how being a person of Christian faith has shaped and affected her career in theatre in this latest Listen Up! podcast.

Smith sees a clear line between theatre and worship, citing that theatre is just one venue for expressing God-given creative abilities.  She is pleased with the way Messiah College challenges its students, both on stage and off, to deal with difficult and complex issues, and notes how she, like her cast, grows during the process of rehearsing and performing a play.

Listen to the interview between Valerie Smith and Bryant Vance.

Visit the department of theatre website.