student life

A Message From Your Friendly Admissions Counselor!

I want to share with you readers an opportunity that is going on this week. This opportunity could land scholarship money for some 2012 college freshmen out there! 
Below is the description of the events going on this week. Yes this is last minute, but perhaps if you are a high school senior in the area, this could be your chance!! 

Barnabas Bridgman
LeTourneau University Admissions Counselor
________________________________________________________________________________________ 

The LeTourneau University Department of Theology is offering two scholarship opportunities for high school seniors who want to attend classes at LeTourneau University in the fall.  To compete for the new scholarships, high school seniors must apply for acceptance to LETU (applications will be available on site) and must be graduating in Spring 2012. These scholarships are exclusive to this department, and are offered only during the dates and times listed below.

Scholarships will be offered at voice and instrumentation tryouts beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 25, in the S.E. Belcher Jr. Chapel and Performance Center on the LETU campus in Longview.

Students auditioning must provide their own accompaniment (iPod, CD, pianist) and will sing (or play) in front of a panel of judges. Students will be free to leave after auditioning their songs. Scholarships will be awarded according to talent and need. Accepted students will be notified when scholarships are awarded. Students who win the scholarships will be expected to be involved in the university’s new choir. This competition is open to students of any major.

The Theology Department will also be awarding scholarships for theology majors during a preview and scholarship competition from 9 to noon on Saturday, April 28, in Room 104 Health-Hardwick Hall. This is specifically for students interested in pursuing a career in theology, Christian ministry, youth ministry worship arts and biblical studies.  The preview event will include a full campus tour, information session with department faculty members, scholarship competition and lunch.  The scholarship competition will consist of writing samples and faculty interviews. Scholarships will be awarded directly from the events of this day.

Students interested in these scholarships need to register and can get more information by contacting Barnabas Bridgman by email at barnabasbridgman@letu.edu or by phone at (903)233-4336.

 

College "Family" Time

In my group of friends, we represent 10 different states and 3 different countries…none of which are Texas. As you can imagine, this affects our ability to go home regularly. For some of my friends, it’s years in between visits home. The crazy part is…This is normal at LeTourneau.

Now, before you get all sad and say, “I’m never going to that school because I’ll never get to go home again!”…Hear me out. Because even though I rarely get to go to my parent’s house, I have made my own home here. And for me, it’s just as close as the family I have back home.

One of the best ways to demonstrate our family dynamic is at an event we fondly call ‘Family Dinner.’ LeTourneau’s cafeteria isn’t open for regular meals on Sunday nights, so students normally go out to eat or cook their own food. We decided to cook our own food every week as a family.

Seeing as we represent such a vast grouping of locations, including New York, Georgia, California, Wisconsin, Kenya, Indonesia and a variety of other places, we thought it would be cool if every week we made something that was special to one person’s home area. This was one of the greatest things we ever decided. I can’t even name what we had because half of the international food I couldn’t pronounce even when I ate it. It was awesome to get to see my friends making stuff that was their food. Stuff that they grew up eating.

Family dinner became the highlight of our week. Literally. The entire weekend was planned around this event. And We even talked about what we should make throughout the week. From 4pm-11pm or later was our time to just chill. We didn’t do homework (very often) and we never scheduled meetings. It was the time we were just with our friends. We’d always have music blasting out the speakers and the windows and doors in the girls on campus apartment open to let in the fresh air. The guys would either be helping the girls cook, throwing around a football or baseball outside, or just randomly inside chilling. The girls would be doing about the same. After dinner and cleaning up the massively dirty kitchen (imagine all the dishes it takes to cook a full course meal for 15 people or so), we’d all just hang out around the apartment. We’d start brewing some coffee or heating the tea pot so everyone could have their hot drinks after dinner. We’d normally, either move everything outside and chat on the porch, or all clump together on the couches and the floors in front of a laptop to watch a movie.

               
  (Ben the "Grill King")    (Kelly and the Squirrell)         (Haircut time)

 

Sometimes LeTourneau and all the schoolwork can make a person stressed. I know it does that to me. There were times that I was so tired, I was ready to quit. But then I saw a member of my ‘family.’ No matter what was going on, they brightened my day. They always offered a smile and a hug and a laugh. So even though my physical home is over 18 hours away, I was never without my family. 

(Group on porch)

 

Jen Leraaen

Senior, LeTourneau University

 

 

 

 

Bringing in the New Year!

The jingle bells have all been rung, and Auld Lang Syne has just been sung. We now welcome in a new year full of opportunity and possibility, yet as always, shrouded in mystery.

Here at LeTourneau we look back on a great Fall semester. Last semester was the first semester that the new South Hall was housing students. We also saw the end of the old cafeteria building, as it was torn down in preparation for new growth on campus.

  

LeTourneau always strives to get out in the world and participate in hands-on ministry. We have many groups of students that go out of the country year round to serve on missions trips. Not many people would choose to spend their Christmas vacation actually working, one of our students did! Check out this article describing the experience of a Sophmore here at LeTourneau, and what he did over the Christmas break. http://www.news-journal.com/features/religion/letourneau-university-student-spends-holiday-on-mission-in-peru/article_911ea489-848f-5a34-830b-5b871be2d16a.html

As this new year and new semester get going, I am reminded of the many blessings both large and unnoticed that have been given to us. There are exciting things coming up here at LeTourneau Universty this year. Now we begin the songs of encouragement to each other as we get back into the swing of things. It is my prayer that as you are looking for college for yourself or someone you know, that you come visit us out here. Maybe you will get a day like this one.



Happy New Year!

 

-Barnabas Bridgman

Nursing at LeTourneau University

Good Morning!

I was thinking today about all the excitement that there is currently around my life. I am a junior nursing student at LeTourneau University. However, it didn’t always start out that way. Originally I came to LeTourneau as a Biology Major looking at Pre-med. I took classes all of my freshman year with that in mind, but as the spring semester went on, I had less and less peace about pre-med. So I started praying about it (A LOT!) and God showed me how he had opened the door for me to study Nursing at LeTourneau University.

Back in high school I had applied to a variety of different schools, but when the decision came down to it, I had to choose between LeTourneau and the University where my sister attended. However, after much prayer (and a better financial package from LeTourneau) I enrolled here. Looking back, when I first applied to LeTourneau there wasn’t even an opportunity to study nursing at LeTu. Had I known that God was going to have me working in the field of nursing, I would have never applied to LeTourneau. I would have gone to the school my sister was attending, especially because that is where my aunt, my sister and my brother-in-law all went to study nursing. I am so thankful that God does things on his timeline: God had me pursuing the “wrong” major to get to the “right” school so that I could switch to the “right” major at the “right” school. I am so blessed to be studying nursing at LeTourneau.



So, what have I learned from the experience? Well, as it is a new major to LeTu, I have been exposed to a bunch of different opportunities. Most notably, this past summer I was privileged to travel with 5 other LeTu nursing students and our head of the nursing program to a rural missionary clinic in Honduras. Before traveling, we all took a course on doing effective missions and community building, both in the short and long term. This was probably one of the most applicable studies I have done recently, and it was a great eye opener to a different view on poverty and missions. The emphasis was on what is called “best practice”. This basically means that we wanted to use our resources in the best manner possible, impacting in a positive (and not detrimental or patronizing) manner that can be sustained over a long period of time, through follow ups and utilizing the assets that the communities themselves can provide.  

However, going farther than just studying the theories behind this all, we were able to see the application of it by assisting the Helping Hands Global Rural Clinic in Rio Viejo, Honduras. We worked alongside of missionaries in the clinic (packaging pills and vitamins, walking through a day with the patients – I got to help a little girl wash her arm for the first time after her cast was removed from a broken wrist) and in the schools (we taught in 5 different local elementary schools about the importance and techniques of hand washing, brushing teeth, nutrition along with a song about the Power of God). The trip overall was neat experience as we got to talk and learn from the missionaries and get to know each other better. I learned so much from our nursing advisor, Mrs. Kendra Ericson, on the trip about the different issues we may face as nurses. Growing closer on the trip really made me excited about what we are going to face this upcoming semester.

I am so excited about next semester. I get to start taking my nursing classes! I have registered for classes, sent over what seems to be a ton of paperwork (mostly shot records and fingerprinting stuff, not really a big deal), signed up for a CPR course, and now I am waiting in anxious excitement for this semester to end so the next one can start. I am so grateful for all of the other LeTourneau students who are sharing this journey together as we take nursing classes and clinicals. Some of my best friends are in the program with me. It’s hard to explain, but we seriously cannot stop talking about what next semester is going to be like and how much we are going to learn. We know it is going to be difficult and challenging at times, but we also know that God has brought us here from so many different places to study nursing here.

Hope you guys have a great day!

 

Jennifer Nelson

Junior, Nursing Student

LeTourneau University 

 

From an Athlete

As the Fall semester progresses, collegiate athletic teams are thinking about the conference playoffs that will come very soon. The LeTourneau Mens soccer team is in the top 7 of the American Southwest Conference. Of all the players on the team, one of the men just recently made Letourneau history.
Dillon Holt, a Senior from Boerne Texas, started on the team regularly in 2008 as a redshirt freshman. He has recieved a good amount of comendations for his skills including All-ASC First Team in 2008,'09,and '10, and also offensive player of the year in 2010. Though these are impressive, Dillon grabbed hold of another feat when early this season he became the all time leading scorer for LeTourneau University Men's soccer. Holt has had quite an experience as a student and athlete at LeTourneau University. When asked about his time here, this is what he had to say. 

"Coming to LeTourneau University as a freshman, I didn’t know what to expect.  I was really excited to start my college career as a student-athlete, but was nervous to come to a Christian university.  I grew up in the public school system, so this was going to be my first school that was based and run on Christian beliefs.  I had been a Christian since a very young age, but for some reason I didn’t know if I was ready to come to a school like this.  I quickly found out that LETU was the perfect place for me.  Now in my senior year, I have a lot of great things to say about LETU.  I have loved this place since the day I got here.  The students, professors and faculty & staff have been amazing.  Everyone is willing to help you out. 

The main struggle I have had during my time here has been with playing soccer along with doing schoolwork.  People would tell me that I should quit soccer, but for me that was not an option.  Thankfully, through my hard work, I have been able to get through this struggle.  My greatest experiences have come from playing soccer. Nothing is better than to put on that jersey everyday and represent God and LETU. 
My experience and time here has been a true blessing. The relationships I have made here will last forever.  LETU has also made me a stronger Christian. LETU is a great place to be and I would strongly recommend LETU to anyone looking to go to college."  

Dillon Holt
Senior, Mechanical Engineering
NCAA Athlete 

Check out Dillon's profile, and all other LETU athletics HERE!

Barnabas Blog - Time Flies

I never thought I would say that I miss walking to class every day, yet after sitting in an office chair for a few months I realize that I will have to actually schedule exercise into my day.

Hey, Barnabas here and I have now been working as a full time admissions counselor since this past May. After graduation, I was planning on working in the Enrollment Services office, but I was not quite sure of what the “work world” would be like. 

I have had many part time jobs over the past 7 years (as I am sure many of you will have), but working full time is not something you can get used to overnight. Thankfully, I have had some time since graduating college to become quite used to this new way of life.

My advice for any high school student that is just itching to “be free from school" is this; try not to set your sights on the future too much. Don’t get me wrong, we should all plan ahead, to the best of our ability. I believe that too much long term, wistful thinking, will result in a cheapening of the life you lead in the present. I know that everyone has probably heard the saying from their parents that “time flies," or “have fun while you can." and while those are true statements, remember that they do not get any less true as time goes on. When I got hired, part of me felt like time should slow down because I had a “grown up job," but time is going just as fast now as before. In this job, I have the privilege of working with high school students as well as professionals in the field of education. I truly enjoy the work that I do, so what a pity it would be if I never lived each day in the present.

So at this present moment, I am thinking of inventing a chairthat will give me a workout while I am working (Maybe one day. Would you buy it?). 

I think of today, of how much time has already passed since college graduation, and I am aware of the blessings that this line of work can give. Matthew 6:34 sums up these thoughts very well: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” It is my hope and prayer that we can all live each day to its fullest, understanding that we can only take one day at a time. Who knows what the future holds for me in twenty years, but I know that today, I am Barnabas Bridgman, Admissions Counselor with LeTourneau University; blessed by God. 

Think about how you are using your time each day? Are you living each day to its fullest? How are some ways we can be better at living in the present? Comment below and share your thoughts. 

 

Barnabas Bridgman
First Year Admissions Counselor
LeTourneau University

 

Learning Business Outside the Classroom

How do you start off the typical day in America? 
Do you eat donuts, coffee, bacon and eggs?
To start the day in Germany, try waking up at 4:45 a.m. and drinking a scolding hot German cup of coffee yah. I learned the phrase “yah” talking to a waitress. She says it is filler when talking to people, somewhat equivalent to the American word “umm”. This morning, breakfast was absolutely delicious. I ate smoked ham with Swiss cheese and warm croissants. I noticed a vast difference with food in Frankfurt, Germany. The portion size is smaller, but the abundance of richer homemade ingredients makes the meal so much more worth it. Even the jelly tasted like it was made with more fruit and less sugar.
On the business side of things we visited John Deere in Mannheim, Germany. We took a very detailed tour that showed the manufacturing process that John Deere implements everyday. We were not allowed to bring cameras or phones because of the prototypes of new machines being processed. They stated that they spend $2.2 million everyday on new research and manufacturing processing. The thing that intrigued me the most was the line processing. Each worker has an individual job that needs to be completed in a timely manner. Each part is then passed on a conveyer belt to the next station so the next worker can start his own specific assignment. If you have any knowledge of Henry Ford, this is the same process that he implemented in his car factory.
 

John Deere does implement some robotic technology, but most of what I saw was controlled or processed by human hands. After the tour we made our way to the Q&A part of the tour, where two of the top human resource directors briefed us on what their job entails. Most of what their job consists of is building relationships and assessing job performance in order to increase product production. The most interesting information the HR directors shared with us is pay. In America, there are several factors that could increase your pay. These factors are education, knowledge, experience, and seniority. In Germany, you are paid the same amount as everyone else that is doing the same job. The example they gave us is that a person processing gears for 15 years will get the same pay as a person who just started two weeks ago. Though education will get you a better job, sometimes having the people skills and being able to understand certain situations will also increase your pay. John Deere in Mannheim was definitely an interesting experience. Even though the seminar was directed more towards people in HR and engineering, I appreciated this experience greatly. 

Also the most important thing I learned today occurred at dinner. When you order “lemonade,” it is not lemonade at all! In fact, it is a Sprite or 7up. I could not decide which. Now that I think about it, it also could have been a Sierra Mist!

 

 

Cullen Griffin
Business Student
LeTourneau University

To Spain and Back!

This summer I had the privilege to travel to Spain for three weeks with the Spanish department here at LeTourneau. There were a total of six students, along with our professor, Arturo Morales. While there, we traveled to Palma de Mallorca, Salamanca, Madrid, and Barcelona to experience the language, culture, and people of Spain. When we arrived in Spain we were all pretty nervous about the language barrier. We all kind of knew the basics of Spanish from our previous Spanish classes, but we had never been put into situations were Spanish was the only language spoken.

 

                  

We spent the first three days in Palma de Mallorca (an island east of Spain in the Mediterranean Sea)  to kind of get used to the time difference and have a few class sessions with our professor. Palma de Mallorca is quite possibly the most beautiful place I have ever seen. It had the most incredible landmarks, beautiful scenery, and the friendliest people. We then spent about two days in Madrid. Madrid was an incredibly awesome city. There was so much to see. We then went to Salamanca for a week to study at an international Spanish language institute. The classes we took in Salamanca were probably the most intense classes that I had ever taken. They were solely in Spanish because there were other international students there who spoke French, German, Italian, etc. By the end of the week, we had learned an incredible amount of Spanish. It was a very challenging week, but totally worth it because of what we learned. After Salamanca, we then went and spent two days in Barcelona. This was another beautiful city that had so much to see.

           

For about the last week and a half we stayed in Palma de Mallorca. While in Palma we were each individually placed to live with families. These families were members of a church that we worked with while we were there. At the end of the trip, all of the students in our group agreed that our most favorite part about Spain was the families that we stayed with while in Palma. They were so incredibly nice to us. They were always eager to take us to another beautiful landmark, to talk to us, or to just hang out with us. There is no doubt in any of our minds that God knew what He was doing when He placed us with our Spain families because each of us could not have been placed with more perfect people. We were all so sad to leave Palma because we had not just made acquaintances in Palma, but family.

When we finally left Spain, we left with a better understanding of the Spanish language, culture, and people, as well as made memories that will last for our whole lives. But most importantly, we experienced the love of God through some of the most amazing people.

             

LeTourneau University offers many opportunities for students to study abroad or to do missions work. I highly encourage you to experience other cultures outside of our comfortable bubble here in the United States. Look forward to seeing you when you finally get to LeTourneau!!

 

 

In Him,

Matt Barr
Social Studies Education Major

 

My Semester Abroad

 
While traveling, it's always important to ask yourself what your motivation is for traveling. Whether it's to learn a new language, experience the culture, get credits for a class, or just plain to see the sites, the point is to always understand your reasoning. This spring, I was supremely blessed to be able to go to Latin America through Best Semester. I was able to live with host families, receive intensified Spanish instruction, learn about the politics, economics, history, and social functions, AND travel to different parts of the country to experience the wildlife while learning about environmental sustainability. With all that said, I was even able to receive 16 class credits for my degree! Could life get any better?

Although my initial reasoning for going to Latin America was to complete my degree because ironically I HAD to take this semester abroad in order to graduate on time (I use the word "had" very loosely), my motives for that trip and trips to come has significantly altered. While in Costa Rica, where a large chunk of my education took place, our professors did their absolute best to put us in the most uncomfortable situations without preparing us in order to make us grow, be flexible, and most of all, learn to not complain. For a long time, my goal was to make mistakes, feel stupid, and just learn as much as possible. I was constantly being told, "Tranquila” because I wanted to rush everything and be on a schedule. I was quickly broken of that. This was all outside of class. Inside the classroom, our professors taught us of the history of Central America all the way from indigenous inhabitants, to the Spanish colonization, to the neo-colonialism happening today. Through this we learned of the current politics, economics, social, and religious aspects of Central America. What makes the people do the things they do?

The professors not only gave us "U.S. textbook" history, but they brought people in from Costa Rica and other countries that shared their stories and their perspectives of the past colonization and the colonization still happening today. We heard from political leaders, religious leaders, activists, artists, the indigenous population, a man who had lived on a landfill until he was 25 and is now an acclaimed author, handicapped people, farmers, the U.S. embassy, a Mayan priest, missions directors, anyone and everyone who had a voice, our program brought them to talk with us. The point of our education was not to get a bias. We were given equally both sides of the story and told to evaluate where we stand based on the views we had gotten.

I could go on for days, but how could I ever fit four months worth of intensive knowledge into one, tiny blog? In fact, just trying to sum it up like this makes me think I can't do it justice. After my experience in this program my goal now is to live out my beliefs in my own life and encourage others to take some time to step out of their bubbles. I’m grateful for the staff at Latin American Studies Programs. I’m grateful for the environment they created that was safe to struggle with the questions I had. I’m grateful that they allowed me to get off track at times while still encouraging me to continue growing. I’m still processing all I’ve learned, but in my own context. So when you think about traveling and your motives for traveling, consider this: Go to learn. Empty your cup and see it from someone else’s view. Only then will you truly be able to appreciate the different people God has created.

- Megan Hillmann
Interdisciplinary Studies, B.S.

From a Graduate's Perspective

I graduated from LeTourneau University last weekend, and looking back I see how the time has flown.  I can hardly believe that the years have passed so quickly from the time I came to my first preview at LeTourneau until now. I remember that first preview very well. Many people have not heard of LeTourneau University and I was no exception, thus the name itself sparked interest in my initial college search. There were many deciding factors for why I chose LeTourneau University, not the least of which were the size of the school, the emphasis on the Christian faith, and the positive impact of faculty and staff.
 
The students whom I met on my first visit were very weird, yet they were some of the most amiable people I had ever encountered. When deciding on which university to attend, prospective students should always take care to interact with a lot of current students during their visit to the campus. A lot can be found out about a university by asking person who is not paid by the university to share their opinion of the school. The students with whom I stayed the night were fun and very welcoming. By the next morning I had decided that this was among my top choices of universities to attend.  While many students might find chapel irritating I found the service to be enjoyable, and to this day I am thankful for the chapel services. During chapel services students have the opportunity to listen to speakers who strive to help the students connect their studies with the outside world as well as the Christian faith. As a Christian university, LeTourneau strives to grow leaders of good character which is an appealing factor about this university. The faculty and staff of LeTourneau University are at the forefront of this mission to grow students. The faculty and staff desire to create real relationships with the students and give them guidance not only in the classroom but in many areas of life as well. From the time that I was trying to decide which major best fit with my desires for my future, members of the faculty and staff came to my support in ways which changed my life. Never underestimate the power of a mentor in the life of a student. During the search for the right college or university, no one should forget the importance of faculty and staff who pour themselves into their students.  My time at LeTourneau University has forever changed my life in a positive way. I would not be who I am today without the friendship of LeTourneau classmates, the growth I received spiritually, and the guidance I received from Godly mentors. I would encourage anyone looking for a Christian university to come and see firsthand what a great impact LeTourneau University can have.

- Barnabas Bridgman
B.A. Christian Ministry, Cross-Cultural Concentration