Jocelyn Chavous ’17
Garnet valley, Pennsylvania
Until Messiah College reached out to Jocelyn Chavous to ask her to join the basketball team, she’d never heard of the school that was less than two hours west of where she grew up.
“Listen to your gut,” she said. “After visiting other schools, I thought, ‘I want to be at Messiah.’”
Elliot Rossomme ’17
Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania
Messiah College wasn’t the first choice for Elliot Rossomme ’17. Then Massachusetts Institute of Technology put him on the wait list. A teacher at his small Christian high school asked if he’d ever considered attending Messiah. Rossomme regrouped and headed to Grantham.
“We learn to trust God a lot more when things don’t go the way we want them to,” said Rossomme. “God has changed my perspective on what it means to succeed and do well.”
Emmeline Zhu ’17
Chelmsford, Massachusetts
The daughter of missionaries in China, Emmeline Zhu ’17 says attending Messiah just “felt right.” The studio art major culminated her four years at Messiah with a senior art project titled “Becoming of Place,” a trio of wood block prints of three places she has lived: Beijing, China; Chelmsford, Massachusetts; and Orvieto, Italy, where she spent a semester abroad.
Ryan Gephart ’17
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
As a Center for Public Humanities fellow, politics major Ryan Gephart ’17 conducted research on mass incarceration and the criminal justice system. He will continue that passion for social justice when he attends law school at Georgetown Law.
“Combatting racial discrimination,” said Gephart, “is a great opportunity to show God’s love and compassion.”
Leslie Giboyeaux ’17
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
For Leslie Giboyeaux ’17, the Messiah College always has been a familiar place. A Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, native, she grew up going to summer camp on campus. Even her research centered on the city she knows so well.
Yacoub Seyni ’17
Maradi, Niger
Only one of four Christians in his entire high school, Yacoub Seyni ’17 grew up in Niger, where 99 percent of the population is Muslim. In search of a college with a combination of excellent academics and a Christian environment, he says he had never traveled outside his home country before flying to the U.S. to attend Messiah. The chaplain team bought him a jacket.
“I didn’t know it would get this cold,” he said of the Pennsylvania winters.
Olivia Mingora ’17
York, Pennsylvania
For Olivia Mingora ’17, gardening serves as a ministry and a form of therapy. Although she came to Messiah planning to pursue biblical and religious studies, she switched in her sophomore year to a degree in psychology with a pre-counseling and therapy minor.
“You don’t need to major in ministry to pursue ministry,” she explained. “I felt called to counseling.”