Coffee With Purps

Coffee Conversations with a Purple Girl

Days of Thankfulness: Geneva College

I am a proud Geneva College Alumna. I graduated with a BA in writing in 2014 and I am so thankful that I was blessed enough to get my education there. From the time I became aware that colleges were a thing I was always going to go to Geneva, there was never any doubt. Today I am thankful for Geneva College.

I always knew I would go to Geneva, I just wasn’t entirely sure what I would go for. So I spent my freshman year at community college and it was probably a good choice. I got out of two dreaded humanities classes, I saved a years worth of tuition, and I got to transfer in with some of my best friends. I am so thankful that I transferred in when I did. I am thankful for my mentor who encouraged me to go for it for my sophomore year instead of getting an associates at community and then going to Geneva. I am thankful for God’s amazing plan and perfect timing.

Credit: Natalie Donnan

The INKsters Credit: Natalie Donnan

I am thankful for the friends I made at Geneva. I am thankful for Twirls who let me live on her couch and still wanted to room with me senior year. I am thankful for my other senior year roommates who made living on campus a super cool experience. I am thankful for my writers, my INK group and our brig writing sessions. I am thankful for friends who put up with me at my very worst and forgave me unconditionally. I am thankful for friends who are still very much part of my life.

The Little Prince, directed by Mindy Williams

The Little Prince, directed by Mindy Williams

I am so thankful for Geneva Theater. I am thankful for Mindy and her amazing directing talent. I am thankful that I got to be a part of The Little Prince and Spoon River with Mindy and Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Odyssey with Dr. Dave. I was blessed with so many cool theater friends from my time in those shows and I had an amazing time performing in the Studio Theater. I’m thankful for the space we had, for the awesome actors I got to work with, and for all the fun we had putting on each show, even if it was a lot of hard work and a lot of sacrifice, it was worth it. I’m thankful for my personal director, Haley, who worked with me during 24 hour theater, who put on not one, but two of my one act plays and made them more beautiful than I could have ever thought.

When you get married across the street, you get pictures in the library.

When you get married across the street, you get pictures in the library.

I am thankful for McCartney Library and the three years I got to spend working there. My one and only real job and it was awesome. I am thankful for the librarians and staff who worked over me and with me. I am thankful for Katie Floyd who was my supervisor in the cataloging office; my absolute favorite place to work. If I could spend hours back there I would, and sometimes did. I loved every part of the library, I loved shelving books, exploring the stacks and getting a little lost in the titles from time-to-time. I am so thankful that I could spend my summers working there, doing inventory and working closely with some of the other student workers. I am so thankful for my time working at McCartney Library.

I am thankful for the awesome teachers I had at Geneva and the education I received. I learned so much from my writing teachers and other professors as well. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed learning science and sociology and even Poli Sci, as awful as the class was to take and try to read for, I learned a lot and came out with a B-, which is really good for Poli Sci with Dr. Neikirk. I am thankful, oddly enough, for Dr. Williams, who came in my senior year and shook things up like crazy. I know I gave him a hard time while I had him, but in hindsight, he is actually a really good teacher. I appreciate now his newfangled methods and crazy ideas. I appreciate that he started a reading series at Geneva, which I am bitterly disappointed that I never got to be part of. I am thankful that Geneva has a new writing professor who has new ideas and is making positive changes to the program.

The view of campus from the top

The view of campus from the G.

I am thankful for the God-focus of the college as a whole. I am thankful that I got to attend a Christian college that was actually dedicated to nurturing the faith of its students as well was their education. I am thankful that the professors were free to pray during class as they saw fit. I am thankful that my faith was supported by those around me and that I was encouraged to support my beliefs with scripture and understand the reason behind traditions and convictions I had taken for granted. I am thankful that I got to go to college in a good Christian environment.

There was a tree swing outside Logan's house his Senior year. I loved it.

There was a tree swing outside Logan’s house his Senior year. I loved it.

And, of course, because everything comes back to this: I am thankful that I went to Geneva because that’s where I met my husband. I am thankful for the folk dancing club that lured me in, for the internship which kept Logan on campus that summer and allowed us to hang out every week. I am thankful for the beautiful campus that we spent so much time on, talking and wandering and enjoying getting to know each other. I am thankful for College Hill RP church which allowed us to get married at the college that had watched our relationship from the beginning. I am thankful for God’s amazing plan and perfect timing in bringing me to Geneva and leading me to Logan.

I am thankful for the tire swing outside of McKee. I am thankful for Fern Cliffe, for classes in the living room and tea on the porch. I am thankful for the River View Cafe where we ate so many lunches and I got so much coffee to fuel my 8 am classes. I am thankful for ladies in the Brig who kindly kept us fed. I’m thankful for BFCaT right across from campus. I’m thankful that I could commute for two years and live on campus the third. I’m thankful for the awesome three years I spent at Geneva and all of the memories I made there with all of the awesome people I met. Today I am thankful for Geneva College. What are you thankful for?

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