Friday's Top Five: Roomies

I have had two roommates in my lifetime – my little sister Mary and my husband Rob. 

I love my sister and we chose to share a bedroom, even when we didn’t have to. Our relationship was strong and we got along as best friends … provided she followed a few guidelines that I laid out for her:

1.       Don’t wear my clothes.

2.       Don’t wear my shoes.

3.       Don’t wear my make-up.

4.       Don’t change my radio station.

5.       And let me read until 3am without telling Mom and Dad.

I also love my husband. We share a room - actually all of the rooms – and we too get along as best friends… provided he follows guidelines that are remarkably similar to those I gave Mary:

1.       Don’t put your stuff in my closet.

2.       Don’t leave your shoes in front of the door.

3.       Don’t complain about the price of my make-up. It truly is a necessity.

4.       Don’t listen to whiny 70’s music when I’m within hearing distance.

5.       And please don’t let me read until 3am.

At Shepherds College, the family is left at home and the students are expected to live with people who don’t share biological ties or past experiences or emotional bonds. Instead, the students are matched with a roommate by Shepherds College staff.

This may be the first time some students have the opportunity to share a room or an apartment. It’s healthy to develop new friendships, but even great friends and good roommates don’t get along at times. This is why we give each student these five guidelines for building a strong relationship with their new roomies:

1.       Talk to each other. Share likes, dislikes and frustrations. Some questions to ask could include:

·         What time do you like to go the bed?

·         What kind of music do you like?

·         What do you like to watch on tv?

·         How do you feel about borrowing things from each other?

·         Do you want to hang out together?

·         Do you like mornings or are you a night person?

·         What kind of food do you like?

·         If you get mad at me, how do you want me to respond?

Talk things over

2.       If a problem comes up, first try to work it out together. Don’t talk about the problem with other students.

Work things out together

3.       Accept the fact that you’ll have differences with your roommate. You won’t always like the same things – and that’s okay!

4.       Give the relationship time to grow. Good friendships don’t happen overnight.

Three years of friendship - strong and growing

5.       If you have a conflict that you can’t work out by yourselves, talk to your Academic Advisor and/or Residential Life Staff. They care about you and are trained to help.

At Shepherds College, we want you to build lasting friendships. They will bless you, comfort you and sustain you on your journey toward Appropriate Independence.

Crystal & Kati

Sharon & Caroline

Brandon & Anthony

Tess & Kelsie

Amanda & Anne

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Friday's Top Five: What We're Missing, Part Two

If you read last Friday’s post, you saw how much we were missing our students. Well, we haven’t moved very far from that point yet. We want them back! And we’re so excited that their return date is less than a month away!

As we thought about our students, we realized there were a couple more things to add to that list of what we miss about them. So, here you have Part Two.

1. Student interactions

Students interact with multiple groups of people on a daily basis. They interact with teachers, staff, Shepherds residents, visitors, their community, and other students. It is encouraging for us to see the students act appropriately within these various relationships and grow their friendships.

Some students lack the knowledge of acceptable social behavior when they first come to Shepherds College. They may not be able to maintain eye contact during a conversation. They may try to hug a complete stranger. They may misinterpret someone’s nonverbal communication. Now, seeing these students look people in the eye and shake their hands shows how far they’ve really come. Learning how to respond in social interactions helps our students maintain healthier relationships, and those relationships are a good indicator of the progress these students are making.

2. Taste-testing the Culinary Arts masterpieces

Here’s a major plus for having a Culinary Arts program on campus: free samples!

Now, this may seem a little self-serving to you, but we love our student’s culinary creations! Not only because they taste so delicious (and believe me, they do!), but also because they hold important value for the students. It’s something that they made all on their own. Each beautiful presentation and every encouraging compliment is a new success and adds a little bit more confidence to the students’ character. Seeing the students take satisfaction in their work makes us smile, and getting to taste the results is just an added bonus. In other words, make sure you visit us on pumpkin cheesecake day!

3. Enjoying the Horticulture students’ landscaping

The Horticulture students do a wonderful job of helping to beautify our campus and our surrounding communities. It’s quite normal to see these students digging in the dark earth and planting the gorgeous flowers and plants they have been tending to in their greenhouse. Although we are still reaping the delightful benefits of their work now, we miss seeing the students tend to their plants. It’s their tender care that helped those plants grow, so it makes us a little sad that they are not here to continue showering their beautiful projects with attention. We can’t wait to see the greenhouse full and active again!

4. The students’ prayer lives

Whether they’re asking for prayer or promising to pray for you, the Shepherds College students daily demonstrate that prayer is a major part of their lives. These students have much faith in prayer, and it excites us to see how the power of prayer has affected their relationships with Jesus Christ. Friendships also grow when the students pray for each other. Praying for someone shows that you care about them, and our students realize that.

During my week of visiting Shepherds College, I joined the students for their chapel session. The time was spent worshipping together with music. While some students were focused completely on the music, other students took the time to worship God through prayer. They were silent, focused on their conversation with their Savior. It was a moving moment and truly expressed what prayer means to these students.

5. Their joy

When the students are here and the school year is into full swing, there is so much joy on this campus. Smiles, laughter, excitement, encouragement, fun, confidence, energy: all of these contribute to this wonderful sense of joy. We miss that. We miss the life and happiness that joy brings to our classrooms, our dorms, and our offices.

So, enjoy your summer, students. And be ready to bring all of that joy back to our campus! We’ll be waiting.

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.org.

Teacher Tuesday: Gloria's Thoughts

When I want to know something about a teacher I’ve never met before, I usually look to other students for advice. My friends and I are always sharing the scoop about professors we’ve had, so others will be able to feel comfortable in those classes, too. It’s helpful to know what to expect about your teachers because then you feel like you know them before you even meet. It relieves some of that first-day-of-school stress.

That’s what Gloria would like to do for you today. Gloria was part of the first graduating class from Shepherds College in 2011. She is living independently and holding down two jobs, but she is still actively involved at Shepherds by volunteering as a tutor at Shepherds College and by being a part of the Catalyst program for Shepherds Ministries.

Gloria would like to introduce you to a faculty member who has made a special impact on her life. She has learned a lot of life lessons from this teacher, and Gloria can’t wait for you to meet her, too. So, meet Mrs. Brasch through Gloria’s eyes.

By Gloria Pavuk

Hello. My name is Gloria Pavuk, and I am one of the first alumni students.

Shepherds College has wonderful teachers that have really impacted my life over the three years I was there. However, there is one particular teacher that has really impacted my growth during college. Her name is Jenna Brasch.

Mrs. Brasch helped me through my struggles with guys, boundaries, and relationships. She showed me tough love, but now when I look back, I am so glad she did. I had no clue when it came to boundaries. I did not know what it meant to set up boundaries in my life; I just wanted to live life!

Mrs. Brasch showed me and taught me that I can still live life, but have boundaries set up in my life. I learned that having boundaries in your life helps you to protect yourself and most importantly, to keep yourself and someone else from getting hurt.

I did get hurt emotionally because I did not have those boundaries set up in my life. It took a long time, but now I do have boundaries set up in my life, and I keep those boundaries. I am enjoying life the way God intended it.

Since then, I have kept healthy relationships with my friends and family. God has also blessed my life with two part time jobs and even a relationship. I basically surrendered everything to God and simply said, “I give up God!” He took that and changed my life around.

Jenna Brasch is a blessing to many, including myself. I cannot thank her enough for what she has done in my life during my three years at Shepherds College.

A student cooks a meal with Mrs. Brasch

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.org.