Living Faith Workshop Connects Students with Christian Alumni

Christian students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered on March 5 in Axinn 229 to discuss how to find communities of faith and meaningful work after graduation. The all-day workshop, titled “Living Faith: Christian Leadership on Campus and Beyond,” featured a morning prayer and panel discussions with alumni who graduated as early as the Class of 2005.

For Gilbert Kipkorir ’16, the weekend provided an invaluable forum to network and meet alumni several steps ahead of him on lives driven by faith in God.

“If my experience this weekend is anything to go by, such events are definitely vital,” Kipkori said. “Not only was this event encouraging to me, but it also gave me a picture of what life might look like after graduation. Being a senior, this could not have come at a better time.”

Chaplain of the College Laurie Jordan ’79 described the event as helpful for students who hope to incorporate Christian values into life after graduation.

“The weekend was supposed to be a chance for people to talk about these things that I think they really do think about,” Jordan said. “Often, the faith dimension, the religious values dimension isn’t always pulled in and so it was fabulous to have these alumni talk because they were very willing to be transparent and open to talk about what kind of journey they’ve been on.”

She said that the use of “God language” varies among people. “Compared to your average conversation around work and talent and passion, this was a time when people could really freely use their God language.”

Armel Nibasumba ’16, who sits on the leadership team for Middlebury Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, said he enjoyed the event because it stressed that there is “no model path” for Christian life after college.

“This past weekend’s event raised questions I never considered,” Nimbasumba said. “The different experiences that the speakers voiced showed the various paths taken but importantly the importance of keeping Christ at the forefront of their careers. It is possible to prioritize one’s Christianity in non-religious careers.”

He added that alumni of faith bring a different wisdom and breath of experience that current Middlebury students can benefit from. “It’s always great to hear perspectives of people who have been in your shoes and can now look at it from a different angle.”

Jordan organized a workshop similar to this one in 2006, when she hosted alumni who returned to the College to share their working experiences with students curious about Christian life after graduation. The event focused on vocational and cross-cultural aspects of the Christian faith.

Jordan said that the term “vocation” is now seen through a secular lens, but that it has historical roots in Christianity.

“In the Christian tradition, the word ‘vocation’ comes from the Latin for ‘to call.’ So both vocational and talking about your ‘calling’ were originally theological concepts,” she said. “Many of these theological concepts have obviously and easily been secularized. So now, vocational sometimes as a track in high school means that you’re learning some kind of trade or skill.”

Jordan explained that for some of the alums who returned Saturday, their vocation is both their calling and their day-job work. For others, the work they do pays for their passion, or their true vocation.

“Sometimes you get really lucky, and you feel, ‘God has given me the brain, the skills, the talents to be a really good doctor, social worker, whatever.’ Then your paid work and what feels like your mission and life are the same,” Jordan said. “Sometimes it might be that computer coding you’re remarkably excellent at it, but that actually is just going to help you fund what you feel is your passion in life, which might be completely unrelated.”

“Of course, it could be that computer coding is also your passion and you’re going to figure out a way for that to be grounded in your values and you won’t choose to work for certain kinds of companies and so on,” she added.

For alumnus Devon Parish ’05, the faithful foundation she laid at the College served her during the move to working life.

“I think my undergraduate years were kind of a huge growth time in terms of my faith. I was also a religion major, studying it and experiencing it at the same time. I think since then it’s been about how to fit faith with experience of the real world. If it hadn’t had that strong of a foundation, there wouldn’t be that much left,” Parish said.

“Having the community of people that you can come back to even when you’re in a period of transition or you don’t have a church, you don’t have a body to relate to, I still have my Middlebury people to relate to. This was the place where I understood my faith and these were people with whom I could be my true self.”