Katie Snyder has never been one to fit into predetermined standards. She is known around campus as “Katie Stacy,” a nickname she partially bestowed on herself. “When I was a freshman, there were tons of ‘Katies’ in Clarke. I had the nickname ‘Stacy’ in my youth group, and the rest is history,” says Katie.

Her outgoing, “outside the box” attitude has helped her to define her own Geneva experience and where it will take her in the future. Katie began her study at Geneva as a student ministry major, but soon realized that her calling was very broad. So, true to form, she decided go independent. “My major is equal parts student ministry, Spanish linguistics, and culture and community studies,” says Katie.

She loves the freedom that Geneva gives her in exploring her passions. “I love all of my classes because they are all relevant. I can see the direct application in them to what I want to do in Kansas City.”

Speaking of Kansas City, it is the city that Katie has made her home away from home. She was assigned there as part of an internship with Youthworks that she discovered through the ministry program. Upon arrival, Katie quickly fell in love with the city and found that its problems lined up perfectly with her passions.

“Kansas City is a place that has a large community of Hispanic immigrants and refugees,” says Katie. “In the future I would love to work in grassroots community development with these types of communities. I already have a large support network in the city that will help me settle in and get connected right away.”

Katie has immersed herself in the culture of the city through her visits. She spends every Thanksgiving with her mentor at Youthworks, Josh Sheppard, and his family. She has spent every summer since she began at Geneva in Kansas City with Youthworks. Katie has also become a diehard Royals fan, but don’t accuse her of being on the bandwagon!

Geneva has had a large role in preparing her for her future ministry. She studied abroad in Seville, Spain, because she loved the idea of “moving fully from proficient to fluent.” Katie loves the Bible Department and has great relationships with all of the student ministry professors, especially Doug Bradbury.

Bradbury is the professor who she says has had the greatest impact on Katie’s time at Geneva. “Professor Bradbury is always willing to help students learn and grow. Once he invests in a student, he will dig much deeper into their lives and help them in every way possible.”

Bradbury was also a part of the event that Katie feels was most influential to her during her time at Geneva. “It was freshman year and I was in Intro to Student Ministry. We took a quiz and I got one of the answers wrong. So many people did poorly on the quiz, and it was obvious that Professor Bradbury was disappointed in us. When he saw me after class and I was visibly upset, he encouraged me and told me that he had no doubt in his mind that I was meant for ministry.”

Katie is tough to pin down on campus because she is involved in so many activities. She is a Resident Assistant in Clarke Hall and used to serve as a Student Activities Coordinator. She is also very involved in student ministry activities, such as being a mentor for Terry Thomas’ Closing the Gap program.

But whatever she’s doing or wherever she is, you can be sure that Katie is marching to the beat of her own drum.

-Brett Williams ’16

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