As a graduate student, Monica has only been a part of the Geneva community for a short time, but she has enjoyed every second that she has spent on campus. In addition to her course work, she has been rigorously working for the Center for Student Engagement office (CSE) at Geneva. Throughout her work in the CSE, Monica has found a true love for the Beaver Falls community and hopes to continue that work even after graduating.

Monica attended Malone University for her undergraduate degree where she had the opportunity to run the student newspaper. When going through her undergraduate program, she felt a deep love and drive to serve people in every culture. She changed her major five times but soon decided that Social Work would be the best major to fulfill her calling of service.

Upon graduating from Malone University, Monica thought about continuing her education in Social Work. She began looking for schools and one of her friends suggested Geneva College. She soon looked into becoming a Residence Director (RD) at Geneva, applied and was accepted. Monica is specializing her master’s degree in Higher Education. After graduation, she plans to use the skills she has acquired to work with the nonprofits in Beaver Falls. She loves the community development office at Geneva and has already worked with many non-profits in the Beaver Falls Community while studying for her degree.

Growing up, Monica lived in Ohio in the largest Amish population in the United States with her parents and four siblings. Her family had a farm and was very active in gardening. Monica currently lives in downtown Beaver Falls and enjoys the community there.

Along with her educational endeavors, she enjoys thrifting and attending community events in Beaver Falls. Some mornings, she will head off to the nearest YMCA and spend time with the kids there by doing crafts or talking. Through her advancement in her education, her work in the Center of Student Engagement and her community involvement, Monica is thankful for “the privilege to take care of people who do not have a voice.”

-Abigail Forton ‘22