Seven Goshen College students participate in summer Service Inquiry Program
GOSHEN, Ind. – From Palestine to Scotland to Georgia, seven Goshen College students are spending the summer in service around the world with a church-related service or mission agency through Goshen College’s Service Inquiry Program (SIP).
The program allows students to engage in service for three months while under the sponsorship of a church agency and under the tutelage of an onsite mentor. During service, students are exposed to societal inadequacies and injustices, challenged to come up with creative responses to perplexing human problems and encounter people from other cultures and backgrounds. At the end of the summer, each volunteer receives a scholarship of up to $1,500 toward tuition costs for the next academic year. In many cases, though not all, students receive a summer stipend from the agencies being served.
The 2011 Goshen College SIP participants are:
Marcelle Al-Zoughbi, a sophomore elementary/special education major from Palestine, is working at Wi’am Palestinian Resolution Center in Bethlehem, Palestine. Al-Zoughbi is a 2009 graduate of Hillsdale High School.
Josh Delp, a junior English major from Sellersville, Pa., is working at Casa Colibri in Mexico. Delp, son of Gary and Julia Delp, is a 2008 graduate of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School and attends Blooming Glen Mennonite Church.
Emily Hedrick, a sophomore Bible and religion major from Telford, Pa., is working at the Iona Community in Glasgow, Scotland. Hedrick, daughter of Merlin and Deborah Hedrick, is a 2009 graduate of Christopher Dock Mennonite High School and attends Souderton Mennonite Church.
Alison Reist, a sophomore sociology major from North Liberty, Ind., is working with Mennonite Central Committee’s Sharing With Appalachian People (SWAP) program. Reist, daughter of Merv and Kay Reist, is a 2009 graduate of George Washington High School and attends Kern Road Mennonite Church.
Rebekah Steiner, a sophomore biology major from Geneva, Ind., is working with Patchwork Central in Evansville, Ind. Steiner, daughter of George and Anna Steiner, is a 2009 graduate of South Adams Junior-Senior High School and attends First Mennonite Church.
Mara Weaver, a sophomore history major from Bloomington, Ill., is working at the Open Door Community in Atlanta, Ga. Weaver, daughter of Barry and Marge Weaver, is a 2009 graduate of Normal Community High School and attends Mennonite Church of Normal.
Lynelle Yoder, a sophomore elementary education major from Goshen, is working with Inner City Development in San Antonio, Texas. Yoder, daughter of James and Patricia Yoder, is a 2009 graduate of Bethany Christian Schools and attends Berkey Avenue Mennonite Fellowship.
Participants in SIP engage in a three-month term of direct, meaningful service for others while testing their fit for future long-term service. Students applied for assignments and were matched with opportunities available with service agencies.
Participation in the college’s inquiry programs (Camping Inquiry Program, Ministry Inquiry Program, Service Inquiry Program) includes the opportunity to take a one credit-hour May term course that explored vocation, goals for the summer, prayer methods and a blessing ceremony.
– By Alysha Landis
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.