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Ishea Jennings - Human Services Major

Ishea Jennings ’13 came to Geneva to earn a degree in human services, but has received so much more. With a caring heart and a loving personality, she had no problem getting involved with the students and community of Geneva. And a love for mentoring children has motivated Ishea to work to change the negative views some young adults have of authority. Ishea is not just learning to be a servant-leader; she already is a servant-leader who is impacting the world.

During her high school years at The Christian Academy in Brookhaven, PA, Ishea was the class clown who was friends with everyone. She thrived on sports, and her favorites were basketball and field hockey. When it came time to decide on college, Ishea was unsure of where she wanted to go. A few students who already attended Geneva invited her to come for a visit and her decision was made. Geneva felt like more than just another Christian college to Ishea: “I fell in love with the community of Geneva. I made it my home away from home.”

Another reason Geneva was easy to call home was the Geneva Golden Tornadoes women’s basketball team that Ishea joined her freshman year. Because she played basketball from a young age, it felt natural for her to play in college and being part of a team was the perfect addition to her studies at Geneva. “We became more like a family rather than a team,” says Ishea. “This is where I made nearly all my friends.” The coaching staff also played a big role. “Since home was so far away, Coach Drake always made sure I was OK and not homesick.”

Ishea also found ways to get involved in the community through joining Aliquippa Impact, a ministry focused on elementary school students, where she mentored fifth and sixth graders. She explained, “We created a safe place for the kids to come in the summer. We would do anything from teaching them to read to taking them on fieldtrips.” Through Aliquippa Impact, Ishea was able to help build structure in the lives of children who come from broken homes and show them that authority figures could be a positive influence.

Ishea has a passion to become a state trooper. She minors in psychology and criminal justice to further concentrate her study. And her classes and professors at Geneva have only provided further inspiration, particularly Professor of Psychology and Human Services Stephanie Schindel’s psychology class. “When Professor Schindel told our class about when she was a probation officer, and all of the stories of what she dealt with, it was so interesting.” Captivated by those accounts, Ishea feels more motivated than ever to pursue a career in law enforcement.

- Julia Schademan ’13

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