Every Tuesday afternoon Rachel Moffett ‘09 boards a bus to work with inner-city youth at the Allison Hill Community Center in Harrisburg. After four years of helping with homework, cleaning, serving meals, and lending a shoulder to cry on, this elementary education alum bids farewell to the individuals that have helped shape her life, broaden her horizons, and strengthen her fortitude.

On this particular Tuesday, Moffett is eager to talk to Norberto, one of her favorite students, to see how his recuperation is going. His family, struggling to make ends meet while also overcoming a language barrier, had a difficult time acquiring proper medical care for Norberto’s Lyme’s Disease, which paralyzed the left side of his face.

Moffett says the work has enriched her life in ways she never imagined. “I have been encouraged, challenged, and stretched. I have cried, laughed, played, cleaned, and eaten a lot of amazing sweet potato pie! I have critically questioned injustice with the kids, families, and staff members,” she said.

Moffett extends her outreach effort well beyond Central Pennsylvania. Traveling to Nicaragua as a team member of Messiah’s Agape Center, she spent two weeks serving with Food for the Hungry, handing out health kits, and working with residents. “I remember standing in a two-room hut with a mother younger than myself and her infant daughter,” recalls Moffett. “As she shared with me her difficulties as an abandoned wife and as a scared and worried parent, I wept with her. My eyes were opened to injustice and poverty in a new way. I knew I would be forever be changed by that experience.”

Moffett cites Messiah’s commitment to service and learning through hands-on opportunities as the instruments that led to her spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth while in college and considers the “life changing and life defining experiences” as an integral part of her overall education. “I am thankful for how much I have grown during the past four years and am continuing to grow as a person,” says Moffett. “I have realized that to serve and be a faithful follower of Christ, I don’t have to be perfect or even successful in others’ eyes. Rather, I need to have an open mind and humble heart to grow and learn from others and challenge myself to do new things and get involved in ways that I never expected.”

All things lead to Messiah College for the eclectic Quinn Dillon ‘11. A former potato picker, golf supply salesman, and farmer, the unabashed Quinn has accepted virtually any job that brought him closer to his educational and professional goals. Along the way, he has welcomed the hard work, and kept it fun.

This summer, as the newly named Rascal the River Monster - the official mascot of the Harrisburg Senators - Quinn, who is contagiously optimistic, will rally thousands of City Island fans in support of the minor league baseball team’s 70 homes games. Then he will return to the Grantham campus for a lower profile but equally rewarding job on Messiah’s maintenance crew. “I love hard work and using my hands,” said Quinn, a Provost Scholarship recipient and Eagle Scout.

Quinn’s motivation to support himself is driven by his determination to succeed at Messiah and beyond. After graduation, he and his brother Skye, an artist, will start a graphic design firm specializing in trademark and logo management for professional sports teams and associations. “I love the entrepreneurial spirit,” said Quinn. “I believe here at Messiah, I’m getting a progressive education that will definitely give me an advantage in the business world.”

Until then, Quinn continues to work with the Messiah College Alumni Council, Phonathon, EYAS (student alumni council), and a host of rewarding student body activities. He is also a bagpiper who performs at campus coffeehouses, chapel, and Homecoming soccer games. See related Bridge article on Quinn’s bag piping at Messiah College, including a video of his performance. http://www.messiah.edu/offices/publications/the_bridge/winter08/bagpipers/index.html

“I never thought I would do all of these things at Messiah,” said Quinn. “I love it here. Where else can you have pizza one-on-one with the College President, be blessed with so many diverse opportunities, and have a boss like Anthony Thomas [phone-a-thon] who is also your friend and mentor? Messiah is extraordinary.”

An admissions counselor’s uncompromising commitment to finding every available financial aid option helped a promising international student to become his true self - a servant, ministry leader, and mentor.

“I really needed financial aid and was ready to give up,” said Anthony Thomas ‘06. “[Admissions counselor] James Hubbard must have seen what I didn’t see in myself. He talked to me for a long time and through a lot of digging made it possible for me to attend Messiah.”

Anthony readily admits, however, that he was not a model citizen during his first year on campus, and he attributes his growth to the support he received from students and faculty, citing fellow student Nashon Walker ‘05 as an example. “When I wandered from the path,” he recalls, “Nashon kept telling me God had a plan for my life. I started to pray and study the Word, like him, asking God to make my life meaningful.”

Then, a purposeful life seemed to emerge rather quickly for Anthony beginning with a series of answered prayers. A job on campus - “they believed in me,” - followed by roles in ministry, missions, and student philanthropy, all while maintaining a rigorous academic schedule. For a time, the 2006 graduate gave back to the alma mater that gave so much to him. Although, as a new graduate, he was offered employment from a prominent firm in Washington, D.C., Anthony chose to accept the assistant directorship of Messiah College’s annual giving program.

Claims Anthony, “Messiah is where I can have the greatest impact, to demonstrate to those who had faith in me that I am ready to lead others.”

Aaron Dahlstrom came to Messiah from Upper Merion Area High School in King of Prussia, PA. In search of a Christian college with an excellent engineering program, Messiah’s engineering faculty impressed Aaron with their approachability, vision, and creativity.

While at Messiah College, Aaron helped start a student organization that addressed the humanitarian hazards caused by landmines abandoned in conflict zones. His team created an educational minefield that sounded an airhorn when entrants triggered simulated mines. This project was then used as an educational tool with students at Messiah and with diplomats in Washington, D.C.

Aaron took advantage of Messiah’s study abroad opportunities by spending five months as an exchange student in Ecuador studying, exploring, and camping in the Andes. He also lived in Messiah’s SALT House for two years, a service-centered community house where residents eat common meals, study scripture and pray together, and live out a service vocation.

Currently working as a mechanical engineer with AKF Engineers, a consulting firm in downtown Philadelphia, Aaron recalls how Messiah provided a broad technical foundation which was easy to build on as a practicing professional. “The best part of my academic preparation was developing a relationship with the engineering faculty where I could observe their vision, integrity, and creativity; these characteristics shaped how I would use my academic skills and continue to influence my practice today.”

Aaron has used these skills to analyze and design heating and cooling systems for various buildings, including a cancer care center for Memorial Sloan Kettering, the USA headquarters for GMAC Mortgage, and a new high-rise dormitory for Drexel University. With an expertise in low-energy, environmentally-friendly design, Aaron is currently working on two projects that expect to generate as much energy as they consume, one of which intends to compete in the Living Building Challenge .

Now with all this said…you would think that I have some pretty crazy plans for the weekend. Well, I do. Today I started class at 7:45 and ended at 12:00. Then my uncle flew in from Chicago (an ‘84 grad of Messiah), so we had lunch together and went on a little tour of campus. Now I am at work, but I am planning to spend some time with my cousins tonight (also part of the Messiah College community). Tomorrow there are some powderpuff games that I would like to attend (another cousin of mine is playing on the freshman team). At 12:00 I will be the student photographer at the class of ‘84 reunion. Then some more of my family is coming to campus. Plus, a big soccer game is scheduled Saturday night. It is wonderful to watch everyone reuniting and meeting up with old friends again!

Wait, I forgot to mention that my family will also be around and it is farmer’s fair weekend in my hometown. This is a big deal. The little town of Dillsburg is having a fall celebration as well, and all of my high school friends are coming home. What am I going to do! I guess it will all work out somehow. So, even though it is rainy, I am going to try to make the best of this weekend of celebrations!

This class especially has been an interesting one. As many classes at Messiah do, this class has caused me to think mch more criticallyabout what I believe than before. I have felt the same way in CCC, theology, philosophy, etc. etc. It is interesting that even though Messiah is a Christian college and most everyone has the same fundamental beliefs in God, the more discussion that goes on in and out of class, the more you realize how many different beliefs there are. Throughout this first unit of Bible, we have gone in depth talking about the creation of the Bible: how it was written, God’s part in its origin, how we view the Bible, etc. etc. Through all of our discussions and listening to all different points of view it has really gotten me to think about what I truly believe about the Bible. Many of the things I would have thought to be my belief, I have realized didn’t make as much sense to me or didn’t encompass my full set of beliefs as well as another belief might. Now that I am more aware of my own beliefs as well as those of others, I can now take what I know and more completely try to form my own ideas. Hopefully studying for my upcoming test and writing my reflection paper on the unit this weekend will help me to do just that.

Todd Holtzman ‘08 is a natural leader both on-and-off camera - a skill he may find helpful someday if he continues with plans to run for public office.

As a student spokesperson assigned to media relations for the Compassion Forum - an internationally televised conversation among faith leaders and leading democratic presidential candidates (the republican candidate declined the invitation) hosted by Messiah College in April 2008. As student spokesperson, Todd expertly fielded media inquiries regarding Messiah’s role as a “small Christian college in rural Pennsylvania,” instead, turning reporter’s attention to why the College was chosen as the host site for the unprecedented event.

“Allowing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to share their views on faith issues demonstrates to the world that Messiah College welcomes open discussion,” said Todd.

“One of the reasons I came to Messiah is because of that open environment. I’ve learned how to accept gray areas, how to think analytically in politics, combined with straightforward accounting principles. It’s the best of both worlds and I’ve loved every minute of my time here.”

The Honors program student with a double major in accounting and politics carried a 21-credit load in addition to his roles as the director of Outreach Teams at Messiah, a member of the board of directors for Allison Hill Community Ministry in Harrisburg, and a politics student diplomat. Todd is also the recipient of the 2007-2008 Barnabas Servant Leadership award, as well as the recipient of a Messiah College Presidential scholarship and a National Merit scholarship.

Today, Todd is busy preparing for life after Messiah College. He recently accepted an auditing position for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington D.C.—an independent agency that oversees oil, natural gas, electric and hydropower energy companies-”just two blocks from the Capital!” exclaims yet another enthusiastic Messiah College graduate.

In the spring of 2007, Messiah College Honors Program alum Kevin Driver received his medical degree from Columbia University’s highly regarded College of Physicians and Surgeons. Kevin grew up in suburban Philadelphia and came to Messiah from Christopher Dock Mennonite High School. He chose to attend Messiah largely because of the College Honors Program. “The honors program at Messiah,” he says, “was a place where I could feel comfortable but would still provide social, intellectual, personal and spiritual challenges as well as opportunities to grow.” During his four years at Messiah Kevin was involved in a host of academic and co-curricular programs. Besides double-majoring in Biochemistry and Philosophy, he performed with the Messiah College Singers and in the Mainstage Theatre. He also helped to design and implement an cancer-immunology project through the Department of Natural Sciences. Kevin’s Messiah memories are full and extend beyond the lab and library. When asked about his fondest memories, he cites “cheering and throwing marshmallows at the E-town soccer game, working one on one with faculty, like biologist Dr. Larry Mylin and philosopher Dr. Robin Collins, and engaging in many late night discussions with roommates and friends about history, religion and Christian faith.”

Following graduation, Kevin began his medical studies at Columbia. Kevin was drawn to medicine, he says, “as a way to practically benefit other people by providing healing.” Asked if he felt academically prepared for one of the nation’s top ranked and most challenging medical educations, he replies, “Absolutely! I started out on an equal footing with students from many well known, prestigious colleges.”

Kevin’s years in medical school have also been a time of spiritual growth. He has been actively involved in New York’s dynamic Redeemer Presbyterian Church where, along with other young professionals, he participates in a small fellowship group. Redeemer’s commitment to diversity and service is something that Kevin’s finds very appealing. Kevin has also had opportunities to put his medical skills and knowledge to work, serving with Messiah alums Drs. John Spurrier and Phil Thuma at Macha Mission hospital in rural Zambia. “Treating common global diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and rheumatic heart disease at Macha was challenging both because they are so relatively exotic in the US and the available resources are insufficient to meet the tremendous needs in the developing world” he notes, “but it was rewarding to care for patients who have little to return in compensation other than appreciation and who can’t find another doctor by flipping through the phonebook.”

Kevin is currently a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, with the goal of eventually settling into a career in academic medicine, possibly Cardiology, at a major university hospital. As a Messiah College honors program participant and now as a resident physician, Kevin embodies Messiah’s commitment to educating young men and women for lives of leadership and service.

Serious contemplation of vocation did not occur for Delight Yokley until her senior year of high school, when she decided to slacken her course load a little and take an easier level social studies class. The teacher realized that Delight was not being challenged and promoted her to an advanced placement course; Delight believes this “was a life-changing event.” Because of that teacher’s insight, Delight realized her passion for history, and by the time she entered Messiah as an incoming student, she adds, “I couldn’t think of being anything else but a history teacher.”

Although she appreciates her time in Grantham, Delight calls the year she spent off campus “the best year in her college experience.” During her senior year she took advantage of two off-campus study opportunities: a study abroad program with Daystar University in Nairobi and a semester at Temple University through MCPC (Messiah’s Philadelphia campus). “Daystar,” she explains, “really opened the world up for me. I was doing mostly work for my minor [urban studies] in community development there, and it really geared me for service. Daystar was a blessing.” Her time in Kenya inspired her to continue her engagement with the world outside Grantham with MCPC.

Delight believes that out of everything she has taken from her college experience, Messiah’s emphasis on serving our world and our community has made the most prominent imprint on her life. She elaborates, “Everything that I did [at Messiah] helped me to understand that serving people is so important, from the way professors taught to the service projects through the residence halls – telling me that this is what I should be doing. Find a way to get paid to serve. All of the positions I have held since graduation have been in service.”

Another important concept Delight learned at Messiah is that one’s major does not necessarily determine one’s vocation: “Messiah gives you such a well-rounded education,” she explains, “You don’t need a particular field to do what you want to do in life.” As Delight’s career path has shown, the education provided by a liberal arts institution like Messiah provides a set of skills that will be transferable to any vocation, regardless of major.

Since graduation, Delight has worked exclusively through various faith-based initiatives. Teaching social studies for New Horizons not only reaffirmed her passion for teaching but also showed her that she appreciates “an atypical classroom structure – it helps mold students, make them more well-rounded.” Through New Horizons, Delight worked with students with behavioral problems, most of whom were incredibly poor. She saw her vocation as an act of service, and, moreover, she was inspired by the children she taught.

After New Horizons and a subsequent teaching position, she explains, “I knew I wanted to be in education. But did I want to stand in front of a classroom and teach? No. I realized that education doesn’t always happen in a classroom.” As the director of college diversity at Kings College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Delight organizes initiatives to promote diversity and cultural awareness. She fulfills her passion for education by teaching a course, and also serves as part of a support system for minority students on campus. She feels that her current position “is a great way to be involved in education, but also involved in service and being supportive to minority students.”

Part of Anne-Marie’s hesitation about Messiah College stemmed from her preconceptions about what a small Christian college might be like—but those notions quickly vanished.

Life is what happens when you have other plans, or at least that’s how 17-year-old dance enthusiast Anne-Marie Robinson ‘08 saw it. Despite a dogged determination to attain a spot on a pre-eminent school’s dance team somewhere south of the Mason Dixon, the Roanoke native landed at Messiah College, a school without a credentialed dance team, in a state she never dreamed of living in, and, recalls a chuckling Anne-Marie, “against my will.”

“I really wanted to stay in the south,” said Anne-Marie, “but God had other plans for me.” Admittedly, part of Anne-Marie’s hesitation about Messiah stemmed from her preconceptions about what a Christian college might be like - but those notions quickly vanished. “I knew, shortly after arriving, that I had come to know and love the authenticity of Messiah,” recalls Anne-Marie. “Students at Messiah share realistic perspectives of Christianity’s implications. They engage culture without fear, use their minds, and interact lovingly with many types of people.”

Anne-Marie has excelled at Messiah. After a successful, four year run with the College’s highly regarded Acclamation Dance Ministry (www.messiah.edu/org/acclamation/home) and participation in several other campus ministries, the double English/Spanish major graduated magna cum laude and has entered the University of Maryland’s masters program in English language and literature.