Meet Sam Steeles, a member of the 2022 class of Geneva graduate students, working on her M.A. in Higher Education. Her goal is to one day work in residence life at a college directly interacting with students. Originally hailing from Aurora, Ontario in Canada, Sam grew up with one brother, three dogs, and had a very active childhood. When she was younger, Sam participated in gymnastics, soccer and karate. She even became an instructor in karate! In addition to sports, Sam grew up with a love for music; singing, playing piano, and playing guitar were some of her most cherished pastimes.

Sam wanted to be a Police Officer when she grew up, but that changed when she became an RA (Residence Assistant) during her undergrad program. She completed her B.A. in Higher Education at Tyndale University in Toronto. Much like Geneva, Tyndale, as described by Sam, is a Christian college with a curriculum immersed in the word of God and in Jesus. In Residence Life, she knew she had found her calling and her passion. She felt fulfilled through her service, and it has become her goal to be open to “whatever opportunities God has for me.”

Sam is highly motivated, energetic and passionate about her field of study. She loves people and the Lord, which is evidenced in her compassion and her great desire to grow the community of Geneva College. Sam says that throughout her time at Geneva, God has shown her what it means “to be content in his love,” and not to lean on the love and acceptance of others. She says He has shown her that she “needs Him most of all,” rather than relying exclusively on other people.

As part of her degree program, Sam works as a Residence Director (RD) in Geneva’s women’s residence hall, Clarke. The combined Graduate Assistant/RD position was a big reason she chose Geneva College. She even notes that this is a unique feature at Geneva, because she gets the experience of being a student and an RD. “This is exactly what I want to do,” she says. Getting to connect with people through her GA position while earning her degree is Sam’s dream coming true.

In addition to her busy schedule of working in Residence Life, Sam stays involved in many events that take place on Geneva’s campus, such as, intramurals, Film Fest, and most importantly, Covey Cup! In fact her favorite memory at Geneva is competing in and winning Covey Cup for the first time. She recalled how proud and elated she was the whole night after the Clearcechardson (the collective team of Residence Life staff from Clarke, Pearce, and Richardson) team won the coveted Covey Cup.

Covey Cup is an annual competition at Geneva College comprised of indoor and outdoor activities and sports. Teams of representatives from each residence hall on campus compete in athletic events, intellectual challenges and really enjoyable competitions in order to get to know their neighbors while enjoying good, old-fashioned fun.

Anyone who knows Sam would be able to say that Covey Cup was made for someone like her; someone with a great love for people, competition and connections. Geneva College has been the perfect place for Sam to grow in her faith, her career field and as a person, and it could be the right place for you, too!

Geneva offers in-demand graduate degrees by way of traditional classroom, totally online or hybrid methods. Geneva’s excellent quality and Christian perspective pervade all programs, which offers schedules to accommodate the life of busy working adults. Check into Geneva’s master’s programs today - geneva.edu/graduate.

• Master of Business Administration (MBA)
• M.A. in Counseling
• Ed. with School Counseling Certificate
• M.S. in Cybersecurity
• M.A. in Higher Education
• Post Baccalaureate Certification
• M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction
• Master's in Leadership Studies