Ryan Scott Bomberger ’93
Marketing major
Atlanta, Georgia

Adopted into a multi-racial family of 15, Ryan Scott Bomberger’s acceptance into a loving Christian home fostered his own passion for adoption and seeking God’s purpose in his life.  Today, he and wife Bethany Koopalethes Bomberger ’97 are co-founders of The Radiance Foundation (www.theradiancefoundation.org), a life-affirming organization that seeks to empower people by building their sense of purpose. 

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Tshana (Guiswite) Jamara ’09
Broadcasting major
Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania

Contributed by Erin Kriner ’09

As a broadcasting major with an emphasis in production, Tshana Jamara ’09 took full advantage of her Philadelphia campus experience by landing an internship at the local ABC television affiliate, WPVI-TV, Channel 6. 

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Rachel Moffett ’09
Elementary Education major

Every Tuesday afternoon Rachel Moffett ’09 boards a bus to work with inner-city youth at the Allison Hill Community Center in Harrisburg.  After four years of helping with homework, cleaning, serving meals, and lending a shoulder to cry on, this elementary education alum bids farewell to the individuals that have helped shape her life, broaden her horizons, and strengthen her fortitude. 

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Cameron Rutt ‘08
Summa Cum Laude graduate, biology
Currently resides in Borneo, Southeast Asia

Lions and tigers and bears? How about leeches, leopards, and pit vipers? Collecting data from bird’s nests in Borneo, Southeast Asia comes with unexpected dangers and welcome rewards for this biology alum from Messiah College. Read the rest of this entry »

Scott Hoeckele ′11
Biochemistry major
Langhorne, Pennsylvania

Welcome to the world of a transfer student. Unlike traditional first-year students, transfers come to Messiah College with at least a year of college experience under their belts.  They have an inkling of what to expect.  Yet, they’re not like sophomores either.  Transfers don’t know anyone, haven’t established themselves in clubs and student organizations, and are unfamiliar with the territory.  “It’s like being new and not new at the same time,” says Scott Hoeckele ‘11, a pre-med transfer student who gave up a free ride at a college closer to home to get into Messiah’s highly regarded science program (see sidebar).

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Emily Rainville ′04 
English Literature major
Currently residing in South Asia

Study abroad experiences in West Africa and France shaped this student’s view of the world and convicted her about the investment she could make in the lives of those outside her immediate circle of influence. Read the rest of this entry »

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Jess Unick ′04
Exercise Science major
Rockaway, NJ

Research design and development, presenting at conventions, and publishing in national journals, gave Jessica Unick, a 2004 exercise science alumna, a distinct advantage when applying for graduate school and beyond. Read the rest of this entry »

Lawrence A. Q. Burnley, M.Div., Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Multicultural Programs, Messiah College

Extending education beyond the classroom helps faculty members like Lawrence Burnley develop students’ appreciation for cultural traditions significantly different from their own, including contemporary and historical tensions and contradictions. Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Cohen ′09 
Music major with a concentration in commercial music 
Rochester, New York

A gifted performer and composer, Paul Cohen ‘09 uses his musical talent to delight and faithfully inspire audiences from Grantham, Pennsylvania, to Rome, Italy.  

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Lacey Ward ′09
English major with an emphasis in literature, and a minor in Urban Studies
Catasauqua, Pennsylvania

Throughout the 2009 academic year, Lacey Ward hit the streets and the books as both a student at Messiah’s Philadelphia Campus [MCPC] and a teacher’s assistant at William Penn High School, ultimately earning her the right to stand among Philadelphia’s finest young educators.  Now, as she prepares for her greatest challenge—the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program—Ward looks back to what got her started on this unexpected journey. Read the rest of this entry »

Amanda McMillan ′08
Politics major with a minor in environmental studies
Hometown:  Herminie, Pennsylvania

Amanda McMillan ‘08 is on a crusade for conservation. In just her first two months on the job as the executive assistant to the president of a worldwide Christian environmental protection organization, McMillan travelled from New York City, to Barcelona, and then back to the company’s operation in southern France. Read the rest of this entry »

Ryan Witmer ′09
Environmental Studies major
Hometown:  Wooster, Ohio

Planting gardens in abandoned lots strewn among Philadelphia’s economically disadvantaged neighborhoods is more than a beautification project. To Ryan Witmer ‘09, and others studying at Messiah College’s Philadelphia campus (MCPC), the ongoing service project is an effective way of combating gang warfare, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, in addition to supporting ecological sustainability among the historic city’s 30,000+ vacant lots. Read the rest of this entry »

Richard Hughes
Distinguished professor of religion and senior fellow, Ernest L. Boyer Center
Messiah College

Is America a Christian nation? Not likely, according to Richard Hughes, distinguished professor of religion and senior fellow of the Ernest L. Boyer Center at Messiah College. Listen to excerpts of Hughes’ new book, “Christian America and the Kingdom of God,“ to draw your own conclusions. 
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Housing crisis moves agency to pick up the pace

Becca Knight ’03
Majored in Sociology
Director of Home Repair Ministries
Appalachia Service Project, Inc. (ASP)
Johnson City, Tennessee 

The national housing crisis has been in the news lately but housing problems are not new to Appalachia (pop. 20 million)—one of the poorest, most isolated regions of the United States. Yet, as the economic downturn deepens and the number of troubled families continues to rise, there are those who plan to not only meet the need, but to double their efforts.  Becca Knight ’03 is among them.

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Paul Gustafson ’09
Engineering major
Chester, Vermont

“Whatever your plans are for the summer, cancel them. I’ve got the best job for you that you’ll ever have.” Those immortal words—etched indelibly in Paul Gustafson’s memory—led to a once-in-a-lifetime experience for this Messiah engineering major and honors program participant.

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Scott A. Heintzelman, ′89
Partner, McKonly & Asbury, CPA, CMA, CFE

For the unstoppable Scott Heintzelman, success is a journey, not a destination. At 42, this self-directed, self-proclaimed “exuberant accountant” holds a list of noteworthy achievements that reads like a who’s who of Pennsylvania movers-n-shakers, yet he’s only just begun to live a life of significance.

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Chris Book ’78
Religion major
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Chris Book ’78 views his years at Messiah College as the formative years that confirmed God’s call to a life of Christian service. Now executive director of Paxton Ministries in Harrisburg, Book and his wife Marlys have a goal of continuing in service that makes a direct impact in improving the quality of life for people in a way that honors God.

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Patrick Wolfkill ′89 and Todd Suessmuth ′90
Marketing and Business Administration majors respectively

It’s game time at Messiah College. Soccer fans eagerly seek bleacher seats in anticipation of what most believe will be game of the century-the NCAA tournament’s Final Four. Shoemaker Field, home to the College’s six-time national soccer champions, abounds with nervous anticipation … and the alluring smell of the infamous, grilled “cheesy dogs.” Read the rest of this entry »

Steve Sylvester ’09
Business Information Systems major
Hometown: Cinnaminson, New Jersey

Steve Sylvester might be a self-proclaimed “nerd” but to most who know him, including the Department of Defense (DoD), that’s a good thing.   

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