I graduated from Shoreline Christian in 2010, 13 years after stepping into my grandma Roosendaal's kindergarten classroom for the first time. Okay, it wasn't actually the first time, but it was the first time I was going there for school. The rest of my years there (SCS, not kindergarten!) were a blessing, growing and learning with classmates in the broader context of the Shoreline Christian community.
In August of 2010, I left for Dordt College to study mechanical engineering. I was nervous the preparation I received from going to a small high school would hinder me in completing what is a notoriously difficult program at Dordt. My fears were soon alleviated when I realized that my first semester of physics was pretty much a review, the first math classes that I took simply reinforced and built upon what I had already learned, and that my engineering classes were fun, challenging, and led by professors who were invested in seeing their students succeed. For me, Dordt was a perfect continuation of my time at Shoreline Christian - both schools are small enough that building community (both social and spiritual) comes naturally, but still offer a level of educational excellence that, in my opinion, is second to none.
Upon graduating from Dordt last year, I was offered two jobs in vastly different fields and had to make a decision that (I thought) would permanently lead me down one distinct career path. The first option that I had was to stay at Dordt and work as an admissions counselor. The second was to move back to Washington and work for the federal Bureau of Reclamation at the Grand Coulee Dam as a mechanical engineer. After much prayer and many conversations with family, professors, and friends, I decided to go to Grand Coulee and participate in a two-year "engineering training program" that would offer me the opportunity to travel extensively and work in the various areas at the dam and other Reclamation offices.
Within the first nine months of working at Grand Coulee, though, every supervisor above me either left or shifted positions within the organization. As a result, the training program lacked continuity in upper-level management support and many of the things that I was most excited about were altered or dropped completely. I had hoped to participate in technically challenging projects, but much of what I did was very mundane and did not extensively utilize my engineering education. I was frustrated, not only by my work, but also by the lack of a vibrant faith community in the area. My plan was then to stay at Grand Coulee for the two years of the engineering training program, then move on from there.
In March of this year, however, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from one of the admissions staff members at Dordt who was part of my interview process last year. She mentioned that they were looking to hire new people in the office and encouraged me to again apply for a job as an admissions counselor. I decided that, given the circumstances and the providential timing, I would at least submit an application and go from there
I was offered the job in early May and moved back to Iowa to start work on May 28. It is great to be back in Iowa and to work at a job that is fulfilling and makes good use of my personality and social skills. I do not regret my time at Grand Coulee and am very thankful that I could be close to home during that time, especially in the weeks surrounding Grandpa Roosendaal's death. I am also glad to have a year of engineering experience under my belt in case I ever want to go back to grad school or to work as an engineer in the future.
Right now, work is fairly slow in the Dordt admissions office, but I'll be traveling extensively in the fall and spring to various high schools and college fairs to recruit students. My territory includes Nebraska, Florida, and all of Canada, so if there are any SCS alumni in the area, please let me know and I'd love to meet up with you! And, as a shameless plug, if you have friends, children, or friends' children who are interested in an awesome Christian college education and experience, send them my way. :)