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Student Profile: Hannah Vanbiber '11


Hannah Vanbiber '11 - Christian college student profile

 

Class Year
2011

 

Hometown
Marshall, Texas

 

Major
English

 

Minor
Philosophy

 

Concentration
Journalism

 

Activities
Founder/president of the IJM Club (Covenant's chapter of the International Justice Mission); Debate Society; freshman class president; Resident Assistant in Carter Hall; intramurals (especially flag football); playing piano for fun; singing; watching Friends as a late-night study break

 

Favorite place on campus

Wow, there are so many great places on campus - the little pond back in the woods for solitude, the Overlook for hot-drink chats, the Great Hall for noisy hanging out. But my favorite place is probably 3rd North. It's my home and the girls who live there with me are my family. I can come up after a miserable day and find life and happiness and comfort on the hall. We're a little too loud most of the time, but we never tire of being together!


Honors received at Covenant
Resident Assistant 08-09, freshman class president 07-08, Maclellan Scholarship, Dean's List

 

Why did you choose Covenant?
Covenant offers an education that is unique to almost any other school in the country. But, honestly, the real reason I chose Covenant wasn't because I thought it offered a great education (which it does). Rather it was the community I found when I visited. So many schools treat students like numbers, but at Covenant I felt like I was perceived as a real person with unique interests that the school could develop. It really is like a family here. (But not in a creepy way!)

 

How is Covenant unique?
Covenant has a strongly outward-focused, missional perspective. With the Chalmers Center based on campus and our community development major, students are continually exposed to a Christian perspective on global issues and given tools to live out God's calling to seek justice and mercy on a worldwide scale. As I am interested in international human rights, Covenant has been everything I could ask for in an undergraduate education.

 

What has been your favorite experience at Covenant?
There are a lot! But, honestly, some of the most enjoyable experiences here have been on my hall. There is such a tight-knit community among girls on the hall: we look out for each other, laugh at each other, punch each other, hold each other accountable, pray for each other, cry with each other, watch stupid movies with each other - we eat, sleep, live, and breathe with each other. I may forget what I wrote on a test yesterday, but I'll never forget the incredibly deep relationships I've developed here.


What is your favorite class?
Doctrine with Dr. Kapic. It's at 3:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and I look forward to it every time. Dr. Kapic has an incredible way of making doctrine real and meaningful. He introduces each semester with a quote from Warfield describing the inseparability of theology and godly living: "There can be no either-or here - either a student or a man of God. You must be both. Religion does not take a man away from his work; it sends him to his work with an added quality of devotion." That's what we learn in the class and I couldn't ask for a better education.

Dr. Bill Davis. I took Cultural Heritage of the West with him and was so impacted that I decided to become a philosophy minor. At first I was intimidated (but excited) to be in his class because he has such a reputation for academic rigor and for being fabulously intelligent (both are fair evaluations). But I was shocked to find that he was also one of the most amiable people on campus. I learned more in his class than in almost any other class that semester - he challenged us in what we thought we knew, forced us to articulate thoughts (both our own and others'), and invested in us as individuals. Through his instruction, he taught us to be rigorous thinkers; through his character, he showed us that intelligence and Christian love should go hand in hand.

 

What's your favorite part of the day?
Dinner in the Great Hall is one of the best aspects of life at Covenant. I love going downstairs, entering the bustling Hall, and spending time with all my friends around the tables. Everything is loud and fun at dinnertime. I look forward to it all day. The Great Hall is a huge part of the community on campus.

 

What are your post-graduation plans?

I hope to take a year or two off to travel, possibly with a journalism internship. After that, I'm considering law school and pursuing a career in human rights - specifically human trafficking and sex slavery. I'm interested especially in developing education and advocacy among church groups and businesses. I'd love to work with an organization like the International Justice Mission one day.

 

How do you think Covenant is preparing you for the future?
In class settings, I'm learning how to think; my understanding is growing in all different fields of study. In extracurricular activities, I can further explore my specific interests and lay down a foundation for future endeavors. Covenant is great about bringing in quality chapel speakers and getting students involved in programs that fit their interests.

 


 

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