“I didn’t think it would be a reality to go back to school or come to Geneva. I was focused on raising my daughter and teaching, but I realized I would regret it if I didn’t try to go back and get my master’s degree.”
Emma Zhu, MAHE’23 was a teacher in China for 10 years. She attended a Reformed Presbyterian church in China. Through a church connection, Emma came to Geneva for an RP family church camp and met many staff and faculty members. Emma then decided to pursue her dreams of higher education and moved to Beaver Falls with her daughter, Grace.
Emma is currently working on her capstone project researching the long-term effects of liberal arts education for STEM majors. Her research is rooted in her passion for learning and liberal arts education. Emma describes higher education as being commercialized, transformed into a career training place, and not a place for deep learning.
In STEM fields, liberal arts education is often seen as having less value. Emma believes that liberal arts education may have more benefits in these fields.
“Before I was a Christian, college was just a stepping stone to a career. I think it is important for people to explore not just the skills needed to get a job, but what is the meaning of your life, what is your place in the world, and those hard questions that impact everything, including your career.”
Emma became a Christian in college, and her worldview slowly began to change. This research, Emma hopes, will help shed light on the value of liberal arts education to others. Emma speaks of Beaver Falls, Geneva, and her research as part of God’s divine providence in her and her daughter’s lives.
“I am so glad to be here. People ask if it is hard here with just my daughter and me. It can be challenging, I am away from my family, but I am in a Christian community, so I feel like I am family with them as well. I feel at home here. In China, we are not surrounded by Christians. Here we read the Bible and have a good routine, are involved in church, and have a Christian family.”
Emma has felt the impact of liberal arts education in her own life, and through her research, hopes to bring that impact to others by demonstrating the value of coherent, biblically based, education.
Emma also recently gave her testimony at chapel. You can listen to more of her story by watching here.
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