Season of Celebration

Although all of our students are worth celebrating, the month of May provides the opportunity for us to celebrate three specific groups of our students – our graduates, our teachers, and our military personnel.

First, congratulations graduates! We are so proud of you! One of the greatest joys I have experienced in the past two months is the incredible ear to ear smile on the face of every one of our May graduates as they came by the site to pick up their regalia. It was wonderful to recap the heart-felt stories. The graduates were humbled and proud that they had stayed the course through good times and challenges to earn their degrees – many with honors. They are proud of their accomplishments. Many never thought it was possible to earn a degree. Although all of our graduates are unique and special, I would like to take this opportunity to share the stories of two of our Orlando Online graduates – John Murphy and Pamela Robinson.

John started his academic journey at Belhaven University pursuing his Associate degree on campus in Orlando. His dream didn’t stop there. John went on to earn his Bachelor in Biblical Studies. John always pushed himself, and held himself to a high standard. Some of his drive and discipline may have come from his military background. While pursuing his degree, John faced a personal tragedy – the death of his daughter. His life changed forever. John weathered the storm, and went on to complete his degree. John continued to push himself in order to care for his family. He took a break from Belhaven to pursue his dream of becoming a Florida State Trooper. He passed the exams and was accepted. Putting his family first, he had to make a tough decision. He had no guarantee of where he would be assigned in the State of Florida with the Highway Patrol. He had to turn down the academy, and pursue a different dream. He decided to come back to Belhaven and pursue his Master in Leadership online. Congratulations John! John was able to travel to our Atlanta Adult campus to walk in the ceremony and celebrate!

Pamela started her academic journey at our Memphis Adult campus. She was pursuing her Bachelor of Social Services degree. Pamela and her family relocated to Orlando, and she did not skip a beat. She transferred to the Orlando campus to continue her studies. With the business refocus in Orlando, Pamela switched to our Online campus to finish her degree. As a single mother, she constantly worked to balance the needs of her family, work, and school. She has a quiet and humble spirit. She appreciated the support she received from Belhaven. Congratulations Pamela!

Our second group of students worth celebrating is our teachers. The first full week in May is Teacher Appreciation Week. The first Tuesday is Teacher Appreciation Day. We celebrate all our students who are currently teaching, and/or pursuing advanced degrees in education.

The third group of students we honor and celebrate in May is our military. May is National Military Appreciation Month. We appreciate and celebrate those in service to protect our freedoms culminating in a celebration on Armed Forces Day – the third Saturday of May. We celebrate Memorial Day to honor our veterans who lost their lives protecting our freedoms.

To all of our May graduates, teachers, service men, women and veterans, enjoy your celebrations. You deserve the special recognition. We are proud of you!

 

From Typical to Exceptional: One Student’s Journey

I met Sheilah at the Dalton (Georgia) Business Expo several years ago. As an admission representative for Belhaven’s Dalton and Chattanooga campuses, I’ve heard many of the “typical” reasons adults give for returning to school. Sheilah’s reasons seemed typical. She had been debating the idea of going back to school for several years. She was motivated to earn her college degree by the need to become more proficient in her work and the desire to be an example to her daughter. As with many adults contemplating college, she was somewhat unsure of her academic abilities and more unsure of how school was going to fit into her busy life. A few days later, I was pleased to receive Sheilah’s application and then later, to welcome her to the Belhaven family at orientation…a typical beginning.

So, when do typical beginnings lead to exceptional outcomes? The answer to that question is probably multi-faceted. However, it seems to me that the key to exceptional student performance lies somewhere near the intersection of a talented faculty, supportive staff, and a student’s dogged desire to overcome all obstacles standing in the way of success. Here’s Sheilah’s path to “exceptional” (shared with her permission):

She started her journey with a good decision. Sheilah tells me that returning to school was one of the best decisions she ever made. It wasn’t easy. She wrestled to overcome a difficult past and a lack of confidence in her ability to do college-level work. Now, as a graduate, Sheilah feels that returning to school has greatly increase her confidence in academic work, in her job, and in life. If you ask her, she will tell you that finding the road to success isn’t all that complicated. For Sheilah, it began with one good decision.

She recognized that the difficulties of her past could actually define her future calling. Sheilah writes “I spent a lot of my life caught up in my addiction to drugs and alcohol with no relationship with God. Now I can use my experience to help others recover from the disease of addiction.” Rather than allowing her past struggles to keep her down, she saw them as an opportunity to be a blessing to others.

She allowed herself to grow spiritually. According to Sheilah, Belhaven’s focus on Christian worldview has expanded her understanding and belief in God. It’s obvious to me that students who allow God’s word to influence them while they’re with us are those who make an exceptional impact when they graduate. As a Level 2 Certified Addiction Counselor (with a Belhaven degree and Christian worldview!), Sheilah’s work will result in the healing of many struggling individuals, thus bringing about “kingdom” transformation in their families, communities, and organizations.

Sheilah graduated summa cum laude last December, was inducted into the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society and was selected as one of our campus’s three Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges honorees. These are all exceptional outcomes, but, of course, exceptional doesn’t mean exclusive. Many adult students move from “typical” to “exceptional.” Those students, who like Sheilah, make the “good decision” to start the journey, see the past as a guide to the future, and allow God’s work to speak into their lives, will succeed as students and represent Belhaven well as graduates – like Sheilah.