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November 11, 2015

The Place God Calls You, by Ashley Cooper, Graduate School Psychology, May '16

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”                                                                                                                        

–Frederick Buechner

It hardly seems possible.

Suddenly poised for my final semester of graduate school, I can’t help but reflect the sequence of events that led to such a time as this.

Roberts Wesleyan College was not my first choice. It wasn’t even my second choice. It was a laughable 18 miles from home and my then 19 year-old self had been tickled with the impulse to wander. However, true to INFP form, I was an inept decision maker (or a hopeless procrastinator) and could not bring myself to succumb to deadlines. Also, I was bereft of a vehicle. My younger brother, who was an insured automobile owner, generous enough to allow his sister to bum rides, was intent upon studying at Roberts Wesleyan College. Thus began my tenancy at the Institution which would eventually serve to shape my faith, personhood and scholarship.

Of course, nothing comes by way of mere coincidence. I initially thought that I just haphazardly…ended up at Roberts. In retrospect, my undergraduate experience, like all occasions in my life, was indeed Divinely orchestrated. I remember my first day of classes. I remember being sick to my stomach, gingerly approaching the Cultural Life Center, destined for “Principles of Speech” with Dr. Stewart, second-guessing myself and feeling more a fraud with every step forward. As I thoughtfully selected my seat, not too close, not too far, something unusual began to transpire. Other students, young hopefuls excitable, equally supplied with overzealous nerves, casually invited me into their dialogue. I was making friends more quickly than ever before… introverted, socially reserved, Nervous Nellie…me! It was then that I first understood this Institution as a community… every One plays a role in helping every Other thrive. (By the way, it was Dr. Stewart who eventually introduced me to the works of Martin Buber, the existentialist philosopher who believed that we, in our human experience, achieve meaning through relationship, the concept of I and Thou vs. I and It. I firmly attest to Roberts Wesleyan College as a community fully immersed in this practice.)

That must have been the start of it all. I’ve not ever once regretted my Roberts Wesleyan College experience and will always recall these times with great fondness. I cannot imagine a more nurturing community, a more supportive staff, a more compassionate, indefatigable faculty and a more complimentary series of cohorts.

As an undergraduate student, I adopted “Communication” as my major because I wanted to tap into the mystery of human relationship. My acumen in terms of communication theory, ethics, rhetoric, human identity, language, narrative, tradition, persuasion, cross-cultural interface and the like became more refined with each course taken under the tutelage of some of the deepest thinkers and dually, humble, gracious souls I’ve encountered to date. When I found that I furthermore resonated with the content presented in Dr. Bassett’s Psychology 101 course, it was Dr. Mrs. Berry who encouraged me to pursue the social sciences as a concentrated discipline. It soon became evident that my coursework in Psychology was complementing my learning across other content areas. I was so gratified by the opportunity to better understand human behavior, motivation and cognition with a solid integration of faith. I was enthralled with diagnostics, personality theory, interpersonal effectiveness and critical thinking and felt more strongly led to more earnestly pursue the helping profession. Suffice it to say, God has used the willing vessels of Roberts Wesleyan College to unveil and develop my interests, strengths and potentials.

I would not have even given graduate school a second thought were it not for the unwavering advocacy of the staff and faculty. Returning here for graduate school was an easy decision. While I explored other School Psychology programs to ensure I wasn’t returning to Roberts because of comfort, I was again and again compelled to rejoin the community that I so cherished. I now find myself following my Creator’s plan, receiving daily affirmations that this is the place to where I am called. There are some differences returning as an older student, slightly weathered from a brief stint in the workforce. I feel that expectations are higher, as they should be. The workload is doubtlessly more intense, as it should be. What hasn’t changed is the level of support provided by the faculty, staff and my cohort. I am often surprised at all that I’ve accomplished under the Lord’s guidance and with the optimism of these dear people.

And so, I am about to embark on my final semester at this Institution which I will forever hold dear. Scaffolding is beginning to decrease as I am feeling more prepared to independently enter a dynamic, challenging and exhilarating field. With each passing day, it becomes more evident that this was the intended path for my life. As I ready myself for practice, I promise to advocate for the students with whom I work in the same fierce, unyielding way that those at Roberts advocated for me. I promise to carry the values, the skillsets, the knowledge, the ethics attained through my education into the workplace, with an unwavering sense of pride for my beloved Alma Mater.