Rachel Wright is a 2017 graduate of Geneva’s Master of Arts in Higher Education (MAHE) program. Rachel currently works at Houghton University as the Director of Vocation and Calling and the Associate Director for the Center for Student Success. In these positions, she often advises students as they transition into college and transition out of college. In her academic history, she has experienced a lot of learning and transition herself preparing her to guide current students as they try to find their place in the world.
Rachel earned her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Houghton University in 2007, and she remarked that she is grateful for the opportunity to return to her alma mater to work in a professional position. After earning her undergraduate degree, she enrolled in Geneva’s MAHE program. After her first semester, she chose to leave the program because, “I initially did not want to stay as an RD for my entire career, and I did not know what other options there were.” She began working in the field of higher education in an admissions role, and seven years after she left the MAHE program, Rachel began the process of returning to the graduate program. She completed her master’s degree with Geneva in 2017 and went on to earn a second master’s degree from Asbury Theological Seminary in Leadership. Now, she is currently working to earn her EdD in Higher Education Leadership from Bethel University.
Throughout Rachel’s educational journey, she has experienced a great deal of learning and transition. She expressed that her education at Geneva College provided her with a strong foundation to think deeply and equipped her with numerous resources that have continued to be valuable throughout her career. As she thought back to her Geneva experience she said, “I felt like it was very helpful for networking and for strengthening my own research abilities.” The MAHE professors at Geneva teach students to find current resources, interpret the data, think deeply about the material, and see both the theoretical foundation of the resource and the practical application. Rachel has continued to stay in touch with her professors and to build on the connections she made while in grad school. She says her professors at Geneva were “incredible teachers and mentors, and really passionate about what they are teaching.” Her experience at Geneva made a positive impact on her and she has even kept her textbooks and will reference them in her daily work. The MAHE education equipped Rachel with skills and resources that have contributed to her success in further academic work and professional work.
In her position at Houghton University, Rachel has many opportunities to integrate her faith into her vocation. She gets to fulfill a lot of responsibilities in her roles, but she specifically loves “walking students through their whole journey”. She teaches a first-year experience course with new students and also meets with senior students as they look toward their futures giving her the opportunity to be a resource for students at every point of their college experience. Rachel admits that working at a Christian school makes integrating faith a bit easier, but as with any position, “the day-in-day-out of integrating faith and work is not just working at a Christian organization but it should be integrated in every ordinary action and interaction of my life”. Integrating faith into work is not always a monumental action, but rather a series of small, intentional actions that add up. Integration of faith looks like asking, “What is God calling me to today in this moment?” In every meeting with a student, in every conversation with a coworker, and in every ordinary action, Rachel seeks to follow God’s calling on her life.
When one pursues calling in every ordinary moment of life, the result will be high-quality work and a meaningful impact on the lives of others. Rachel was shaped by her experience at Geneva and is now shaping the lives of the students that she works with at Houghton University. When you trust God through the bumps and uncertainties of life, He will ultimately guide you to the purpose He has for your life, just as He has led Rachel through all of the twists and turns of her journey.
-Mattigan Burleigh '24
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