Lynsey Auell


Lynsey Auell

Upon graduating from high school in 2010, Lynsey Auell had no idea that she would spend the next seven years at Geneva College. With a desire to help people, Lynsey planned on becoming a chiropractor and initially majored in Biology at Geneva. However, after a year and a half, she decided to switch her major to Public Relations. “I did a lot of soul searching,” Lynsey says. “After talking with Career Development and Dr. Jeffrey Schindel about the nature of public relations, I knew it was a good fit.” During college, she was the Communication Coordinator for the Geneva College Student Union, where she was heavily involved in campus improvement and played an integral role in creating the overlook by Pearce Hall. She was also the secretary for the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), a position that enabled her to know the college better and opened her eyes to the meaning of a communications degree.     

After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in 2014, Lynsey knew three main truths about herself: she loved communication, she loved people, and she loved making a difference in peoples’ lives. Applying for a position as an Adult Degree Program (ADP) Enrollment Counselor at Geneva, Lynsey decided to earn a Master’s in Organizational Leadership. “After talking to people about what I could do with this degree and whether or not it aligned with my goals, I found this degree to be a perfect fit,” Lynsey recalls. “It has been challenging, but it has been a rewarding challenge that has grown me as a person. The nature of the program allowed me to be a full-time employee at Geneva, a full-time student and a full-time friend and family member; I loved it.”

Lynsey is a natural leader. When she was younger, she served at summer camps, and as the oldest child, her leading personality came into play often. Lynsey says,

“You can be a leader even if you’re not the director of the program or the lead counselor; the behaviors and qualities of leadership can be applied even if you are the lowest person on the totem pole. Leaders meet the needs of their followers, they love people in the process and people look up to them–that is why I want to be a better leader.”

As she moved forward after earning her degree, Lynsey realized she has much to offer. By getting out of her comfort zone, she became equipped to use her skills and gifts to help others and lead them toward the love of God.

Now, seven years later, Lynsey is willing to follow God’s call for her life wherever He may lead. With her college education complete, Lynsey would love to someday serve with a Christian non-profit helping with child sponsorship or human rights.

During this season of her life, Lynsey finds great fulfillment and purpose in her job as an ADP Enrollment Counselor at Geneva. “At graduation, I saw many of my students walking, students who have overcome barriers that had prevented them from finishing their degree,” says Lynsey. “My job is to help them achieve what seems unattainable to them; the Adult Degree Program is such missional work for the college and something I am proud to be a part of.” Lynsey’s work at Geneva has helped non-traditional students reach their goals while she worked toward her own. She has made an impact on their lives and has felt the impact of her service to them as well as God’s calling on her life. With a servant’s heart, Lynsey has worked faithfully and diligently, reaffirming that Geneva is truly the place for service to God and neighbor.

-Olivia ‘19