beyond the green

Rachel Gaeddert

Hometown: Larned, KS
Current Grade: Junior
Majors: Social Work and Spanish major, I’m interested in working with immigrants and immigration policy. I love Spanish culture. I want to help people with my life, and find who people truly are.
Involvement on campus: Chapel Planning Committee, Bethel Choir, International Club, Cross-Country, Avenue Eight, Intramural Volleyball
Hobbies: I love hanging out with friends and listening to music, playing the piano, running, playing volleyball, and stargazing.
Why I chose Bethel College: I liked the strong music program, it was relatively close to home (2 hours), and I got the most financial aid here out of the other schools I was looking at.
Other interesting facts: I love traveling. I love being challenged.

Heather Garrison

Hometown: Hesston, KS
Current Grade: Senior
Major: Music Education, because I love music and I love sharing it with others
Involvement on campus: band/orchestra, forensics/theatre, SAA, costume assistant
Hobbies: reading, sewing, mentoring
Why I chose Bethel College: I was unsure of what degree I wanted, and Bethel offered a great music program as well as a great science program. I either wanted to be a veterinarian or a music teacher, but either way, I wanted a well-rounded education with professors I could trust.
Other interesting facts: I got married this summer and commute to school

Ryan Goertzen

Hometown: Goessel, KS
Current Grade: Sophomore
Majors: My majors are Social Work and a History and Government Teacher Licensure. Reasons for choosing them? Well I guess with Social Work I was just looking for a career path where I could help people (as corny as that sounds) and get something out of my job other than money. I couldn’t imagine just sitting in a cubicle all day every day working for my own wealth, and though that sounds noble, it’s more that I think I’d get bored. As far as the History degree goes, I’ve always loved history and had to face the fact that if I ever want a job in the field it would probably have to be a teaching position. I would prefer secondary education, but we’ll see.
Involvement on campus: On campus I’m involved in Concert Choir, Jazz Band, SAA (I think that’s the name…whatever Dave Linscheid is in charge of), Informal Worship, and Radio…I think that’s about it, at least for now.
Hobbies: My hobbies include but are not limited to, singing and listening to/playing music, spending time with friends, reading, working on my car, watching movies, etc.
Why I chose Bethel College: I chose Bethel rather reluctantly at first, because my whole family wanted me to come here, and I figured I should be a good teenager and rebel. Overall however, I chose Bethel because of the great academic standing it has, the Christian values it tries to teach, and its music program. I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but I love this place now.

(Center in photo)

Naomi Graber

Hometown: Elkhart, IN
Current Grade: Sophomore
Majors/minor: Psychology & Bible and Religion/ Peace, Justice, Conflict Studies. Reasons? Concisely- I looked at all the classes I wanted to take, and these were the categories most of them fit under.
Involvement on campus: Collegian, Student Ambassador, Concert Choir, Women’s Chorus, Wind Ensemble, and different worship gatherings
Hobbies: reading
Why I chose Bethel College: Because Bethel is home. Which sounds funny, since I’m one of the few out of staters here, but really, the community feel of Bethel is UNBEATABLE. It’s not perfect, and no one would ever try to tell you it is. But that’s what community is. After a year of service and living in community, I realized that relationships are what make life worth living, and the relationships I saw during my visit and have formed while I’ve been here are some of the most amazing I’ve ever seen.

Clint Harris

Hometown: Manhattan, Kansas
Current Grade: I am a Junior at Bethel.
Major and Minor: I have a deep interest in talking. Hence my Communication Arts Major and English minor. I get to go to classes were I talk about why people talk, what they’re talking about, and their reasons for talking the way they do.
Involvement on campus: This interest overflows into my chief extracurricular activities here at Bethel of being in shows and being a section editor at the Collegian, our campus newspaper; talking on stage and talking on the page, I love it.
Hobbies: I do other things, sure; I play MarioKart Wii with my modmates and tell bad jokes. I’ve even done a bit of homework here and there. Hey, I’m in college.
Why I chose Bethel College: And what a college. Bethel has been an incredible experience for me so far, and I can’t wait for the rest of it. To be honest, I was a little hesitant coming here at first. Being from Manhattan, K-State was the obvious choice (especially since my father is a professor there), but I felt like I needed a little more distance from where I spent the previous 18 years. I’d been raised in a Mennonite church, and had friends there who had gone to Bethel and couldn’t stop recommending it. Ultimately I visited and after staying on campus and eating lunch at a table with a group of people the admissions folks later apologized for letting me meet, I was hooked. There are good people here, smart people, funny people, interesting people who can’t wait to meet you in the dorms, in the classrooms, in the caf (that’s what we call the cafeteria; pretty clever, I know), or even chilling out, playing frisbee on the green. I’m glad you read this far in my bio and hope you’ll continue reading my blogs about my home-away-from-home, my future alma mater, my primary source of entertainment, my leg up in life, my intellectual stimulation, Bethel College.

Krishna Phifer

Hometown:Humble, Texas
Current Grade: Junior
Major: Biology - I want to do something with the medical field
Involvement on campus: Sports - basketball
Hobbies: Watching movies
Why I chose Bethel College: Sports and good degree opportunity
Other interesting facts: I love to laugh.

Kelly Reed

Hometown: Edinburg, TX
Current Grade: Senior
Major and Minor: Social Work, Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies
Involvement on campus: concert choir, drama productions, sometimes help with chapel, member of social work and Spanish clubs
Hobbies: reading, talking with friends, cooking, knitting and crocheting
Why I chose Bethel College: I wanted to come to Bethel because I liked the close-knit environment. I liked knowing that I was going to really get to know people on campus, and that they were really going to get to know me. I like that Bethel nurtures all of my talents and interests, regardless of whether they have to do with my major. It was a much more personable environment than any other state school I visited.

Monica Schmidt

Hometown: Haven, KS
Current Grade: Junior
Major: English Education–I’ve always felt that teaching is a passion of mine, and I chose English because I enjoy writing and editing papers and want to help kids who struggle with writing improve their written communication skills.
Involvement on campus: Concert Choir, Avenue 8, musical/opera, private voice lessons
Hobbies: Jogging, riding horses, crocheting, playing acoustic & bass guitar
Why I chose Bethel College: I first heard about Bethel College through my cousin who graduated from here the year before I started. I visited her a couple of times as well as went on a few campus visits and just felt comfortable with the feel of the campus. I also wanted to go to a school where it would be easy to get involved in activities on campus and interact with people from all different disciplines instead of just my own. Bethel has provided me with these opportunities.
Other interesting facts: I love to travel and will be studying abroad in Germany spring semester!

Sharayah Williams

Hometown: Kalona, Iowa
Current Grade: Senior
Major: Elementary Education
Involvement on campus: I’m a member of Chapel committee, Concert Choir, Avenue 8 (the student led women’s vocal ensemble), and Student Activities Committee
Hobbies: reading for fun, writing poetry, yoga, dancing around with my friends, checking facebook, drinking coffee and enjoying good conversations with friends
Why I chose Bethel College: There were many reasons and events that led to my decision, but ultimately it was the faculty that drew me in. I knew that if I was going to be working closely with the Education department, and with the choir, I wanted to be somewhere where I felt supported and cared for by the faculty. Bethel has been that place.
Other interesting facts: I’m allergic to cats, but I have 3 at home. I’d rather be wearing a cute blouse and heels than a t-shirt and sneakers. And I love words.

Angela Wood
Hometown: Wichita, KS
Current Grade: Junior
Major and minor: I am majoring in Business with an emphasis in marketing and management, and I am also doing a Communications Minor. I chose to major in business because I believe that it fits me best. I am very interested in the business world and would love to eventually be in that industry after I graduate.
Involvement on campus: I am involved in Women’s Basketball, and have participated in Multi-cultural club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Hobbies: In my free time I love to read, play games, relax, and bake!
Why I chose Bethel College: I chose Bethel because it was where I could play basketball and still get a great education. I also love the smallness of the college and the class size. I knew I would not do well at a big school, so I know Bethel is the place for me.