When I was fifteen, my parents enrolled me in a summer camp that was run by Navigators – a Christian organization where my family was on staff. Thanks to the organization’s summer camp I came to really understand my own brokenness and the need for God’s grace under the daily oversight and input from godly college students. My time at Eagle Lake Camp lasted all of five weeks, but it was there that I began to understand God in a whole new way. For seven years in a row I went back to the same camp as a camper, a counselor, and also a program coach. The Navigators staff taught me a great deal about the importance of godly input in young lives.

Ultimately, my experiences at camp prompted me to consider social work as a college degree in preparation for a master’s degree in counseling. Additionally, my parents have been a fantastic example of two people remaining committed to life-long marriage. Their relationship has also been a catalyst for my belief in relationships and desire to earn a counseling degree. Today, I’m pursuing the three-year, Licensed Professional Counseling program on Richmont’s Chattanooga, Tennessee campus in order to one day encourage people towards the joy of healthy individual relationships and fulfilling marital relationships. After graduation, I think it would be incredible to work for a church or Christian organization serving youth and young adults.

Overall, I count it a privilege to be studying at Richmont. I suppose if I only had one word to describe this university it would be “open” because, from the very beginning, I have felt that Richmont has had a transparency that is unmatched at every other institution. Everyone I have met seems honest and genuine. This authenticity has made me feel free to share my life and ideas with the people around me.