What is the most influential book you have read besides the Bible? Why?
The Kite Runner is the most influential book I have read. It tells a story of true friendship overcoming broken love and deep wounds amid war and disparity. It showed me that real love has to be strong; it requires that we enter the most painful realities and persist in it; and it is the single most powerful fruit of our lives.
What is your favorite or funniest moment at Geneva?
My favorite memory is probably on crazy hat, socks, and shoes day when my 4th grade teacher, Mr. Gabriel, started skating around the room all but gracefully while we were singing our hymn of the month. At one point he grabbed the knight and ran into the wall, and at that point I had stopped singing and was on the floor laughing!
What will you miss most when you leave Geneva?
The faculty and staff. We have some pretty amazing people pouring into the community.
Who influenced you most while at Geneva? How?
So many people! Mrs. Swanson, Mrs. Wheeler, Mr. Naiser, and Mr. Odom to name a few. They all showed me how to be there for people because they constantly showed up for me, even when they had no obligation. Mrs. Swanson showed up to one of my riding lessons on a Saturday when she could have been doing anything else, but she knew how excited I was about sharing it with her; Mrs. Wheeler had our whole class over to her house for dinner and welcomed us into her class every day with the same warmth; Mr. Naiser showed up with a smile and devotion for us every day amid scary family health concerns; Mr. Odom taught us the gospel with his life in literally everything he did—whether it was talking about hard realities of a broken world and how we enter that brokenness as Christ’s hands and feet, or sponsoring our Finer Things Club which was just a bunch of girls eating cheese and meat but he joyfully invested in it anyways. I could go on about probably all my teachers, but here’s a sampling!
What does being a Geneva student mean to you?
It means investing in a community that invests in you, and extending that love and community to the rest of the world as you go out
How would you encourage a Geneva kindergartner to persevere in school?
Don’t worry about measuring up! Sometimes you may feel unseen, or unloved, or lacking in some way—but God does see you and He is always reaching out to meet you! Find him in the little things; rest in his presence; spend time with Him, because He is gentle and loving and so, so good. Trust that He is guiding you by the hand if only you’ll let him, and dwell with Him in everything you do.
What about Geneva do you hope never changes?
I hope the opportunities for discussion and dialogue, rooted in love and a desire for the good, are always part of the classroom experience—in every class!