Service/Mission/Leadership Blog

15 Reasons to Love Judson College:

1.) Being here is helping me live my dream.

2.) When I lose sight of my dream, there is always a professor, friend, or other faculty member around to talk me through it and help me remember why I’m here.

3.) Small class sizes provide more individualized attention from professors, and even in my tough classes I never get lost.

4.) Traditions! They bring all of us closer together, and they set Judson College apart from other, more ordinary schools.

5.) Being a student at Judson means gaining another family, with about 300-500 members.

6.) I met my best friends here. Even my best friends from high school don’t compare to the wonderful women I spend time with every day in college.

7.) The science professors are amazing! Dr. Williams and Dr. Wilson are never too busy to sit down and explain a chemistry problem I don’t understand or make sure I’m correctly pronouncing the words for my medical terminology exam.

8.) Being at a women’s college provides more opportunities to be involved and hold leadership positions.

9.) Taking introductory religion classes at Judson has taught me to truly love the Word of God, and the things I learned help me in my own personal Bible study.

10.) Alumnae are incredibly involved with current students. I love to hear their stories of what Judson was like years ago and ask their advice on how to deal with certain things.

11.) The dining hall is unlocked all day, and there is always coffee. 

12.) It's pretty hard to stray away from the will of the Lord with so many encouraging friends, teachers, and faculty members here to support me and keep me accountable. 

13.) Being a Judson girl means being a part of something big…something that’s been around since 1838 and has all the intriguing stories and top-secret information to go along with it.

14.) Graduates from Judson’s science program have a 100% acceptance rate into medical school.

15.) Most importantly…I am certain that I’m supposed to be here.

Oh, it’s that time of year again…pageant time! Judson is full of traditions, but pageant may be the most major. Every year, the junior-sophomore class presents a musical to their big sister class, the seniors, to signify the unity between them. Every class at Judson has a role in the “pageant experience.” The junior-sophomore class puts on the production, with different girls doing different things. It takes everyone, from the main characters, to the girl who pulls the curtain for the play to be a success. Since the representatives, participants, and theme of the pageant are kept secret from the seniors, they try to break in on practices and discover all the details of this top-secret event.  That’s where the freshmen come in. These brave new girls dress in black and, armed with water balloons, super soakers, and quick wit, do their best to guard the auditorium and keep the seniors out.

Even though I can’t tell what musical we’re doing, I know it’s going to be great! We have practice every night from nine to eleven, everyone has been so dedicated, and I’m amazed by how much we’ve accomplished in just a couple of weeks.

The idea behind pageant is for our class to give a “gift” to our big sisters and bring us closer to them, but it’s also bringing the junior-sophomore class closer together. Going through pageant at Judson is hard work and somewhat stressful, but I really have had the chance to spend time with some girls in my class that I otherwise would have never gotten to know.  I’ve learned that Emily, who I first perceived to be very serious and a bit intimidating, is actually really funny and sarcastic. She’s constantly making jokes under her breath during practice, and it always lifts everyone’s spirits when we’re tired and worn down.  I’ve seen that Brittany, the tall basketball player that I never used to talk to, is very sweet and encouraging. She’s always giving other girls compliments and doing other things to support us.  Not only have I made new friends, I’ve grown closer to old ones. My roommate and I have bonded more through pageant by practicing our songs and running lines together.  If nothing else, sometimes I just have to get together with my girls and vent about the long practice hours and heavy homework load.Whatever the case may be, pageant is definitely strengthening the sisterhood that Judson is known for, and that's what it's all about.

Even though it seems like practices just began, the performance is just around the corner. Pageant is always held on the first Saturday of October, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. More details to come!

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. “

- I Corinthians 12: 12-13

One great thing about Judson College is its leadership opportunities. Even freshmen have the option of running for SGA and class leadership positions, and there is always a way to be involved on campus. This year I'm an RA, or resident assistant, and the junior events coordinator for the Ambassadors. Being a student leader can often be stressful, but one of my best friends reminded me today just how much I love having the opportunity to serve my fellow students. Kezia is taking a basic speech class right now, and her assignment for this week was to interview a staff member to present during class. Since I’m an RA, and she forgot that she had to make the speech tomorrow, Kezia chose to interview me. One of the questions she asked me, as part of the interview process, was “What brought you to Judson?”  As I thought about the question the first things that popped into my head were the typical answers, “small class sizes, friendly atmosphere, Christian environment,” etc. While these things are important, there is so much more to Judson...things you won't read in the brochures.

A few years after I accepted Christ, my church began going through a very trying time. Some things happened, my pastor of several years moved away, and the church was broken. Because of this incident, I never understood the concept of the Body of Christ or being a part of a community of believers. Then I found Judson. My first year here called for a pretty good bit of learning and spiritual growth, and now I have a better understanding of what we read in 1 Corinthians 12 about belonging to the Body.

After I made friends and got to know people here at school, I realized that I’d never felt so supported and been so much a part of something before. Not only did I want to be a leader so that I could serve others, for the first time I actually wanted to be a part of our worship services. Our weekly communion service came to life for me, and now I know that it’s so much more than crackers and grape juice. My Judson sisters are always here to lend a helping hand, pray for me, help me up when I fall, and encourage me when I’m down. I can do the same for others because of the leadership positons I'm invloved with, and it's so much easier getting things done when the people you're working with understand the Body of Christ concept. At Judson, everyone is important...and different. Different students have different gifts. That's how God created us to be, and I honestly believe that things flow so smoothly here because the majority of our student body understands that. Kezia reminded me of this tonight just by asking me a few simple questions, and she lifted my spirits without even realizing it. Now, even after a long and stressful day, I can help out the freshmen girls on my hall and fulfill other leadership responsibilities with a cheerful heart within and a gleaming smile without because I know that the Judson sisterhood exemplifies the family of Christ, and I get to have a part in that every moment of every day. 

The first full week of classes has finally come to a close, and the weekend is here…finally!  I can't remember the last time I was so excited to have a break for a few days. The week has been pretty busy with homework, meetings, and even my first chemistry test. I’m almost surprised that I survived on the little amount of sleep I happened to get, but at least now I’m convinced to give up procrastination. The Core met for the first time Monday, but I wasn’t able to go because of a doctor’s appointment…bummer. The Core is a non-denominational worship service sponsored by campus ministries every Monday night. This service is more of a contemporary and laid-back style than the required Tuesday morning chapel services here at Judson. Different speakers come in to share, or our campus minister will teach. Students take turns helping to lead music, which varies from week to week. A new group is even starting up that will be doing human videos and dances for the services.

Another neat opportunity at Judson is a little something we like to call small groups. They’re just starting up again this year, and I’m hoping to have time to join one. Different students and faculty members volunteer to lead a group of students in doing something…anything…that they enjoy, with the intention of growing closer to God and our sisters in the Lord. Some of the groups last year included ballroom dancing, knitting, Bible study, and the largest group was Recess, which met just to play games and hang out once a week.  Most groups have a quick devotional then get right to their activity. It’s a great way to meet new people, learn a new skill, and be uplifted and encouraged by girls with similar interests.

Sign-ups for this year’s groups are starting next week, and I’m hoping to be able to do guitar lessons with Dr. Arnold, head of the psychology department. He takes on a few students a semester and helps guitarists of all levels, and I think all the girls get together and play together at the end of the year. I took a beginner guitar class in high school, but I haven’t played in a very long time…I guess that’s just one more thing that makes Judson College unique. Where else would your psychology professor give you free guitar lessons with the intention of encouraging you in your walk with Christ?