Vanessa-Ronk
BA 2008, English major, secondary teaching emphasis
Vanessa just graduated, but she is already planning to eventually get her master’s and doctorial degrees so she can teach at the college level. Playing the violin as part of the University String Quartet last year, she feels it is an incredible blessing to have received a music scholarship although she was not a music major. According to Vanessa, FPU’s willingness to recognize and even scholarship interests that are outside of declared majors results in well-rounded graduates. Vanessa was the winner of the Harold H. Haak award for academic achievement at this year's commencement.
“Coming from the public junior college system, I found FPU amazing. Both the Christian and academic atmosphere were so different. I couldn’t get over the fact that we could pray in class, and there were scripture verses actually posted on campus! And I was so impressed by the other students. There really was an atmosphere of serious learning—dynamic learning.
"My education has given me all the tools I need. It was beneficial to not only be given classroom knowledge but hands-on skills. My professors helped me find avenues to practice my discipline. I was able to tutor in the writing lab, and I also had the opportunity to present at a writing conference. I was challenged academically, but also given the skills needed to meet the high expectations.
"Attending a Christian university took the pressure off me to defend my faith, so I was given the freedom to ask questions. What does it mean to me? How do I live out my beliefs? Christ and Christianity are worked into the classroom in an exploratory way. I learned how to interface my faith in today’s world with what I learned in class."
