鈥淵ou can ask me questions later,鈥� she called as she climbed into her friend Robin Lyttle鈥檚 car. 鈥淟et鈥檚 go!鈥�

Allen, who last year published a memoir 鈥淭he Way It Was, Not the Way It Is鈥� about her experiences in the Newtown area during the 1930s and ’40s, spent the afternoon and evening with 28 students teaching, sharing and interpreting African American history, culture and experience.

This was the beginning of a 2015 article about 贰惭鲍鈥檚 local context cross-cultural experience. Doris Harper Allen, who , was a major contributor to that experience. She helped orient students in that class to Harrisonburg鈥檚 racial history through her memoir (self-published, 2015), used as a course reading.聽

鈥淒r. Allen was also a guide of educational learning tours for EMU students collaborating with community and church leaders in the historic Northeast Neighborhood of Harrisonburg,鈥� said Professor Deanna Durham, who with her husband Byron Peachey, now academic advocacy advisor, co-taught the local context cross cultural for several summers.

鈥淚 loved the enthusiasm and seriousness Dr. Allen shared with our students,鈥� Durham said. 鈥淪he wanted them to understand her own history both the immense joy and pride she has for this community and the deep harms caused by others. We left our time with her challenged and delighted!鈥�

Allen, who received during JMU鈥檚 2019 commencement, was born in Harrisonburg鈥檚 Northeast neighborhood on East Effinger Street in 1927, according to her online biography. Barred from attending James Madison University, then Madison College, due to racial segregation, she worked as a cook for Madison President G. Tyler Miller before enrolling at Marshall University in the early 1970s. In West Virginia, she worked as a teacher before returning to Harrisonburg, where she became involved in her native neighborhood鈥檚 revitalization efforts.

鈥淚t is with profound sorrow, we share the passing of our oldest trailblazer,鈥� the NAACP said in a statement posted to its Facebook page late Friday. 鈥淪he left a profound legacy within the city.鈥�

That legacy was recognized last month when James Madison University after her.

聽Harper published a second memoir, 鈥淛im Crow in the 鈥�30s, 40s, 50s and 60s: What was life really like in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County under the Jim Crow laws?鈥� She gives a on her most recent book.

Read and watch tributes from the and

What has been your post-EMU studies and/or career path?

After finishing my English degree at EMU, I entered an English PhD program at Temple University and studied early modern English literature while teaching both literature and writing courses. During my graduate program, I was a member of the first cohort of the Lilly Graduate Fellows Program, a selective three-year program that provides mentorship, support and colloquia for graduate students interested in the intersection of faith and scholarship. After completing my PhD, I began teaching at Hesston College. 聽

How did your academic studies and professors at EMU prepare and inspire you for your graduate studies and/or current work?

Being able to have a faculty member as my advisor at EMU helped me to select coursework that interested me and which has contributed to my scholarship in unusual ways. I might not have taken as much interest in religion鈥檚 role in the early modern world without my introduction to theology course. I also had the flexibility to take senior English seminars in both French postmodern literature and transatlantic modernism, and these courses helped to prepare me for graduate school and to develop my voice as a literary scholar.

The mentorship that I received as a student, both formally through the honors program and informally within the language arts department, was crucial to my decision to pursue graduate study. I developed important intellectual virtues of critical thinking and reflection with my honors cohort, and I was honored to share an informal weekly lunch with Jay B. Landis in my last years at EMU. I鈥檓 immensely grateful for the way that my professors invested in me as a person and future teacher-scholar.

How did your extra-curricular activities at EMU prepare and inspire you for your graduate studies and/or current work?

One of the ways that 草莓社区 helped to make my education affordable was through a campus job. My work in the library and at the reference desk in particular fostered the skills I needed to be a better researcher and gave me a clearer understanding of what an academic library can do for students and the campus community.

What about your experience at EMU has made you distinctive when applying to graduate school or jobs?

Over the years, the positive experiences I had as an EMU student have been an excellent resource for my own teaching practice. When I began teaching as a graduate student, I often found myself returning to the kinds of discussion-focused and student-centered teaching techniques that I saw modeled during my time as an EMU undergraduate. This repository of ideas helped me to be more comfortable and successful in my transition from college student to graduate instructor and finally to college professor.

Similarly, the kind of critical thinking and interdisciplinary openness that my professors modeled helped to prepare me for the kind of inquiry and research that I would go on to do in graduate school. Because EMU is a member of the Lilly Fellows Program Network, my advisor 鈥� Professor Marti Eads 鈥� helped me to apply for a fellowship program that provided financial support and mentorship that helped me to navigate graduate school more effectively.

What attracted you to attend EMU as an undergraduate?

When I was looking for colleges, I was interested in a place where I could work closely with my professors in small classes and where I could explore a variety of different academic areas as an undergraduate. The EMU honors program was particularly exciting to me because of the way it challenged me to grow as a student and as a person.

What are some favorite memories of your time at EMU?

One of my highlights was studying in Guatemala and Nicaragua as my cross-cultural semester. This kind of learning was completely different from the setting and classes that I had taken before, and I know that what I gained through language and cultural study has continued to shape my perspective as a teacher/scholar. Our leaders, Ann and Jim Hershberger, were outstanding academic, personal and spiritual guides for our whole group. 聽

Students on the fall-cross-cultural, led by Professor Mary Sprunger and Myrrl Byler, experienced the vastness and diversity of China, from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Buddhist temples and the Great Wall to villages, rice fields and sacred mountains.聽

While the semester of travel was an experiential introduction to the county鈥檚 social, political and environmental challenges and 4,000-year history, it also provided connection to its people, with the group of 10 students visiting with Chinese Christians and university students, as well as staying with host families.

EMU faculty have introduced students to cultural learning through educational travel in more than 80 locations around the globe over the last 30 years. Graduates call the experiences “life-changing,” and say they provide a foundation for global living, leading and serving. Through studying in China, EMU students gained insights into the country that, with the world’s largest population, will become even more globally significant in coming decades.

The students shared and stories of their experiences during a December campus worship service, and wrote blog posts throughout the semester.

The group was based in Nanchong, a 鈥渟mall provincial city鈥� of 鈥渙nly about 1.3 million,鈥� Brandi Nelson wrote. There they were able to observe urban and rural life away from Western influence and the modernization in larger cities. That location 鈥済ave us a more realistic view of China,鈥� she wrote.

When students met their host families in Nanchong, Anna Cahill wrote, 鈥淚 was terrified, but I was also hopeful. 鈥� I silently prayed to be assigned to a family who knew English.鈥� They didn鈥檛 鈥� but Cahill soon found them to be 鈥渨onderful鈥� and 鈥渓oving.鈥�

鈥淭hey survive off of garbage. The things that we throw away, that we do not take into consideration, they take it and they recycle it for survival,鈥� said student participant Tae Dews. Although the neighborhood looks, well, trashed to an outsider, 鈥渢o the residents of this community, it is full of hope and beauty.鈥�

Five undergraduate students, a graduate student, and two recent graduates joined the Turners and several other travelers from around the country on the trip, a sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. The EMU contingent shared an apartment with 12 other people 鈥� yes, 22 total in the flat 鈥� for six weeks.

The program began with a one-week orientation in Bangkok, followed by six weeks in North Africa. Three other groups also served in United Nations-designated 鈥渟lum communities,鈥� where students give up the American mainstream in favor of spiritual discipline, learning from the urban poor, and discernment about future service opportunities.

Experiencing a different life

One of the most difficult tasks they faced, says Johonna Turner, was reciprocating the hospitality of their hosts, a Coptic Christian community. Not to mention their faith in God, joy and dancing.

Noah Haglund, a sophomore peacebuilding and development major, recounts speakers stacked upon speakers outside of their apartment, where people danced through the night to celebrate births and weddings.

鈥淲e were fasting from excess,鈥� says Haglund, who taught English to unschooled boys working as recycling sorters. With limited clothing, technology and diets, the group focused on celebration and spiritual practices.

From the trip鈥檚 beginning, an eight-hour delay at Dulles International Airport, followed by a 12- hour flight to Beijing, followed by a 13- hour layover before the flight to their orientation in Bangkok 鈥渂rought all of us closer together,鈥� says Brittany Williams.

Johonna and Julian Turner became InterVarsity鈥檚 first black Trek directors after a Washington D.C. church contact 鈥� who became an InterVarsity coordinator 鈥� invited them to apply. Julian says their diverse group drew surprised comments from residents, who were only familiar with white Americans.

Witnesses to love and joy

Julian and Johonna pointed out that the Coptic community provided more of a learning than missions opportunity for their students.

鈥淎s Christians, we鈥檙e often anxious to find spaces where we can go in and be the hero,鈥� says Julian. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 always have to be the person starting something. Sometimes your most powerful impact is made by coming alongside someone who鈥檚 already started something.鈥�

The Turners were joined by a support staff including graduate student Matthew Nyce and recent graduates Shirley Steward-Jones and Jolee Paden.

The students spent their days volunteering at a hospital, center for children with disabilities, community education center, daycare, or artisan women鈥檚 recycling cooperative.

Williams did physical therapy with children with cerebral palsy. Lacking money to purchase wheelchairs, mothers carried children, whether toddler or teenager, on their backs to the center. 鈥淭hat really hit home to know that a mother鈥檚 love is so strong, to carry her child,鈥� says Williams.

鈥淎gape love,鈥� is the concept that Rachel Sturm says she鈥檚 taken away from this trip. Her friendship with a colleague taught Sturm that 鈥渓iving in such a poor area, you have to be happy by loving God and loving your family and your peers. Otherwise, you have nothing.鈥�

To learn more, read the group’s blog posts . Applications are now open for the 2017 .

Speaking to about 100 members of the dining at Spotswood Country Club, Swartzendruber offered several stories to explain the transformative impact of the , including one involving his son Steven.

Steven did his cross-cultural in Central America as a 20-year-old in the spring of his junior year. Inspired by that experience, he did a year-long service stint in Mexico after graduating in 2000. There he lived with a family whose host mother became ill. Steven was holding her hand when she died. He returned to EMU to earn an MDiv in 2005. Today, as a 36-year-old hospice chaplain, he often relives his Mexico experience by being present for, often holding the hands of, people who are dying.

For students who feel unable to spend a semester off campus, such as some collegiate athletes, Swartzendruber said EMU offers shorter-term possibilities, often during the summer.

鈥淏ut we would prefer that our students do their cross-cultural internationally and for a full semester,鈥� he said, adding that 鈥渋nternationally鈥� typically means in a second- or third-world country, rather than in a 鈥減osh鈥� location.

He cited standout volleyball player 鈥� who graduated from a local public high school 鈥� for choosing to go to Spain and Morocco in the fall of 2013, though she missed a season of playing. The cross-cultural sparked her interest in doing three years of service in Central America after she graduates this academic year.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 send them as a single student to take a course in a university on their own,鈥� he said. EMU sends students as a cohort, accompanied by a faculty or staff member who typically has years of experience in that culture.

The first question from the audience after Swartzendruber鈥檚 talk pertained to the process by which EMU selects the homes where students stay during their cross-culturals.

The president noted that the university鈥檚 decades of experience with these trips, coupled with the on-the-ground knowledge of the EMU trip leaders, has enabled the university to build up a base of host families and to know how to locate other suitable families as needed.

Another questioner wanted to know about opportunities for people from other countries to study at EMU. Swartzendruber cited 贰惭鲍鈥檚 , which has attracted more than 1,000 students from 62 countries since it began in 1989 and is one of the fastest-growing programs at EMU. Once these IEP students have mastered English, they often go on to enroll at EMU or at other area colleges and universities.

He also spoke of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 20-year-old , which hosted 184 students from 36 countries in 2014. Since its founding, the institute has brought more than 2,800 participants from 121 countries to Harrisonburg.

Finally, he noted that about 37 percent of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 incoming class is 鈥渄iverse,鈥� meaning they are not Caucasians from the United States.

The luncheon wrapped up with a Rotarian offering his congratulations to EMU for having a and a among its alumni group.

鈥淚 was already accepted to Howard University right here in D.C.,鈥� Grandison Hill said in recent interviews with two EMU writers. 鈥淏ut my father knew I was hanging with the party crowd, and I鈥檇 be doomed academically if I went with my friends across town to Howard.鈥�

Hill鈥檚 parents had learned about EMC from relatives living in Luray, Va., 鈥渁 hoot and a holler鈥� from Harrisonburg. 鈥淢y uncle was a master barber in Luray. He and my aunt knew black folks in Harrisonburg, who knew what kind of folks they [the Mennonites at EMC] were.鈥� Bingo! The Hills were seeking 鈥渁 Christian experience without social distractions.鈥�

Jolting adjustment, but no quitting

The academic and socio-cultural scene Hill found when he arrived on the Harrisonburg campus was a jolting cross-cultural experience for a city-raised African-American teen. He had a girlfriend back home, a love of dance parties, and a repertoire of easy-flowing curse words from the usual trash-talking on D.C. basketball courts.

In 1962 at EMC, the percentage of white Mennonite students easily ran into the 90s, typically from rural backgrounds. Hill was one of four U.S.-born black students enrolled in EMC, based on photos in that year’s Shenandoah yearbook. All faculty men were required to wear plain coats; all faculty women, the prayer covering and very modest dresses. Males and females did not publicly hold hands. Chapel attendance was mandatory every school day.

Now a successful trial lawyer in D.C., Hill stayed at EMC only one year. 鈥淢y pillow was wet many a night,鈥� Hill recalls, loath to disappoint his parents who had made huge financial sacrifices to put him at EMC. 鈥淢y mother鈥檚 theme song was, 鈥淲e don鈥檛 quit.鈥�

Hill was the first-born of three sons, raised in a home headed by education-oriented parents who brought home middle-class salaries for those times. Howard University was six blocks from his home. 鈥淚 walked through campus when going to junior high and to my favorite public swimming pool.鈥� Next door was Arthur Paul Davis, a famed literary figure who taught at Howard and had earned his PhD in English from Columbia University. As a boy, Hill saw luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance 鈥� James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks 鈥� relaxing on Davis鈥� front porch. Another neighbor was Thomas H. Countee Sr., the first African-American to get a PhD in physics (earned at a Dutch university, as Hill recalls).

Preparing for success

In short, Hill was surrounded by upwardly climbing folks who were preparing their children to continue to challenge racial barriers. Hill鈥檚 father was a businessman and employee of the U.S. department of defense; his mother managed a D.C. playground. When Hill said he hoped to become a basketball coach, his father angrily made it clear that Mom and Dad weren’t working themselves to death for such an aspiration. The Hill boys had just three options 鈥� to be a physician, dentist or lawyer. (Two ended up as attorneys, the other a dentist.)

The summer before Hill arrived at EMC, his father had scraped together the money to send him for six weeks to one of the best private schools in D.C., St. Albans, an Episcopal school that catered to well-to-do boys from (almost always) white families.

Hill took calculus and made friends with the son of a Swedish embassy official. 鈥淭he academic experience at St. Albans was so tremendous. It was a great experience 鈥� the guys at St. Albans accepted me. It was so relaxed and so much fun 鈥� they didn鈥檛 have that religious thing on them.鈥� St. Albans offered Hill the option of enrolling in a post-secondary school year, which he desperately wanted to do. But it was beyond the financial means of his family; EMC was viewed as his next-best option.

Among Mennonite boys in Brunk

Hill dormed in the Brunk House adjacent to campus with a six Mennonite guys from various class years, with last names of Good, Driver, Ranck, Clymer, Reed. 鈥淲e all had separate rooms and studied a lot. Many had part-time jobs. One guy would return from his job around sun-up and wake the whole house with a booming, 鈥楪ood morning, world!鈥欌�� By mid-fall, Hill was on the varsity basketball team.

Hill recalls 鈥渕any impressive speakers鈥� at daily chapels, which were different in style from his family鈥檚 Methodist church. 鈥淭he first time I heard a cappella singing, tears literally rolled down my face. I had to pinch my eyes to keep from making a scene. I was stunned how beautiful it was.鈥�

After chapel, came the highlight of Hill鈥檚 day: a cafeteria meal served family-style, three girls, three guys to a table, assigned randomly by number. 鈥淭here was a rhythm and ritual to it, standing until all arrived, the saying of grace, the singing of a song, the passing of the bread to the right, the filling of water glasses. And then the pleasant conversation, getting acquainted around the table, each day learning to know a new set of students. By the end of the year, everyone on campus knew each other. And the food, like my parents promised, was always excellent.鈥�

Encountering racism

Dean of men Alphie Zook had counseled Hill when he arrived on campus, 鈥淣ot everyone here will welcome you. Unfortunately, you may encounter some racism.鈥�

One racist encounter happened on a Saturday, when meals were not served family-style. After a morning studying in his room, Hill went to the cafeteria for lunch. He sat down with his tray at a convenient table where several other students had gathered. Conversation at that end of the table stopped when a guy diagonally across from Hill interjected, 鈥淵ou should be eating that meal on the back porch.鈥�

Hill felt his anger rise to within a scintilla of striking back. 鈥淚 thought how disappointed my parents would be if I was kicked out for fighting. I calmly laid my fork on the tray. I locked gazes with the guy, neither of us said a word. Eventually he looked away. I picked up my fork and continued eating.鈥�

Other painful memories: The time a student got up and left when Hill came to a non-assigned table. Overhearing someone say, 鈥淲hat the h..l is he doing here?鈥� when he walked by. Being called a 鈥渘鈥�.r鈥� by a child in the presence of his Mennonite parents, who said nothing. A female student who met his eyes as they passed on campus, but seemed fearful of saying 鈥渉i.鈥�

Getting support too

Yet Hill also experienced inter-racial solidarity. He described a time when he and a few schoolmates went downtown to see a movie, an activity that was then against school rules for everyone. 鈥淎fter we鈥檇 bought our tickets, the manager told the rest of the group, 鈥�You can sit in the regular seats, but he has to sit in the balcony.鈥� They all decided to join me in the balcony. About ten minutes later, the manager appeared upstairs, saying there鈥檚 an official from EMC downstairs looking for us. And he showed us a side door to exit. I knew he was lying, but we all left on the slim chance we鈥檇 be caught.鈥�

The one place Hill could relax was playing sports, especially basketball on a team that traveled to play games at Goshen College in Indiana and Messiah College in Pennsylvania. He recalls two Yoder brothers, Paul R. Jr. ’63 (now a local eye surgeon) and N. Wayne ’66 (now a psychotherapist based in Florida), as tough competitors with serious talent.

One time in chapel, Paul helped Hill to navigate a cross-cultural snafu. 鈥淚 was sitting at the back and someone up front said something that caused everyone to stand, look straight back at me, and kneel down with their elbows on their seats. This caught me totally by surprise. They鈥檙e all looking at me. Paul locked his eyes with mine and let me know I needed to do what he was doing.鈥� (This method of praying is no longer practiced in modern Mennonite churches.)

EMC had a handful of students from Kenya and Tanganyika in 1963. 鈥淭he international students from Africa didn鈥檛 know what to think of me; I was so different from them. And the average Mennonite kid had never been around a black guy on a daily basis. Should I act friendly or keep him at arm鈥檚 length? Or just treat him as a human being? For my part, I tried to never offend, to keep a smile on my face and be open to conversation.鈥�

At first the coursework was tough for him. 鈥淢ost of the Mennonite students were well prepared for the seriousness of the studies. I had to really buckle down and study hard. But I moved fast on an upward learning curve.鈥�

Meeting the Lord

Hill鈥檚 biggest take-away, however, wasn鈥檛 in the academic realm. 鈥淚t was here that I met the Lord. It was a combination of things that got me thinking. Everywhere I turned I鈥檇 find more evidence of the resurrection. The guys had an early morning prayer group. It wasn鈥檛 a devotional thing as much as learning from scripture, reading the stories in a deeper way. And coming to my own conclusion 鈥� He鈥檚 real!鈥�

Before Christmas break 1962, Grandison Hill returned from class to his room to discover a box on his desk. He opened it to find a King James Bible, and inside the simple inscription, 鈥淭he Brunk House.鈥�

Despite meeting 鈥渕any genuinely good people who did a lot to make me feel comfortable,鈥� Hill felt lonely away from 鈥渕y own people.鈥� Bringing along his new Bible in the fall of 1963, he transferred to Virginia Union University, whose roots go back to the end of the Civil War, when the American Baptist Home Mission Society started offering classes to African Americans emerging from slavery. At Virginia Union, with a Baptist seminary at the heart of its campus, Hill got much of what his family liked about EMC, without the racial and cultural issues 鈥� 鈥淰irginia Union was small and everybody knew you and nurtured you 鈥� there was no foolishness or you would be sent home.鈥� He majored in biology and minored in chemistry, then taught middle-school math for three years in his home city before going to Howard University鈥檚 School of Law on a full scholarship.

For more than half of his life, Hill has practiced as a civil and criminal defense trial lawyer, admitting he is addicted to the drama of jury trials. His home way from home is D.C. Superior Court. At 69, he is tempted to 鈥渞educe the case load a bit. But a serious jury trial is thrilling. You just never know the outcome; it’s so much fun with so many surprises.鈥�

He has these lingering questions from his year at EMC: 鈥淒id anybody get anything from me? From their experience meeting me? Did it open anybody鈥檚 mind?

For more information about the history of African Americans at EMU, see these stories and podcast:

鈥淭ake the First Step in Faith: A History of Inclusion at EMU鈥� 鈥� podcast featuring Mark Metzler Sawin

Slashcheva emigrated from Kazakhstan to the United States with her family at age 5. She started kindergarten in Harrisonburg, Va., with no knowledge of English. Thanks to an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher, though, she got off to a good start.

鈥淭he ESL teacher engaged in my siblings鈥� and my lives well beyond the classroom,鈥� Slashcheva says, 鈥渆quipping us with the skills and motivation to succeed and excel in academics even as immigrant children.鈥�

Ten years later Slashcheva was the valedictorian of her graduating class at Turner Ashby High School. At age 16? Yes, she had just finished her sophomore year, but she had acquired two years鈥� worth of credits by taking classes on the side at Blue Ridge Community College.

That fall of 2009 she planned to follow her older sister who had earned a at 草莓社区. 鈥淣ursing seemed like an attainable goal for an immigrant child,鈥� she says, 鈥渁nd I was fascinated with science and passionate about serving others.鈥�

But two weeks before starting college, Slashcheva went to a dentist鈥檚 office with her father to interpret for him. Dr. Dave Kenee was impressed with her and challenged her to consider a career in dentistry. Within a few weeks, she was shadowing Kenee at his practice and had transitioned into a at EMU.

Slashcheva was in a hurry to get started in her life鈥檚 work. It took her only 2陆 years to get through EMU, by taking summer classes and applying previous college credits from Blue Ridge. And she was already building her r茅sum茅. While at EMU she worked in the university鈥檚 , volunteered at , and traveled to Lithuania for three months as part of .

She found time to continue her interest in music by playing flute in and directing the choir at her church, .

Slashcheva looked for a dental school that shared 贰惭鲍鈥檚 emphasis on service. She won a competitive scholarship to dental school from the federal government鈥檚 , which pays her entire tuition bill as well as a monthly stipend. She chose Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.

So how did Slashcheva spend her time between graduating from EMU in December 2011 and entering VCU in August 2012? Take a break and leisurely prepare for dental school? No, she went on a four-month mission trip under the . She worked in dentistry and oral health in Honduras and Peru. 鈥淭hat developed my fascination for public health,鈥� she says.

At age 19, Slashcheva entered the VCU School of Dentistry, plunging into her studies as well as student clubs and professional organizations. Her growing r茅sum茅 now includes president of and nearby Medical College of Virginia (now with over 300 student members), director of tEEEth talk Community Education Workshops, founder/president of Special Care Interest Group, student leader of Christian Medical and Dental Association, and graduate teaching assistant for undergraduate students who are about her age.

Some of Slashcheva鈥檚 professors question why she is so involved in service programs at a time when she should be focusing on her professional development as a dentist. 鈥淏ut I want to be a Christian who happens to be a dentist鈥攁nd not the other way around,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 learned that at EMU.鈥� She also learned to integrate faith and science.

Slashcheva is active at , where she is the music coordinator and a delegate to .

What鈥檚 next for the future Slashcheva when she graduates from VCU in 2016? 鈥淎s a National Health Service Corps dental scholar, I have committed to practicing dentistry in an underserved area for four years at the start of my career,鈥� she says. The commitment can be deferred, however, if she wants to seek specialty training. At this point she is thinking about post-graduate study in dental public health and geriatric dentistry.

A long r茅sum茅 is not Slashcheva鈥檚 goal. But she is determined to surpass boundaries that were considered insurmountable. And she is driven to pursue a life of service that comes from her Christian family upbringing in a disadvantaged immigrant community.

鈥淓arly in my immigrant life, I realized that I may never completely assimilate into my surroundings,鈥� says Slashcheva. 鈥淪o I found it necessary to choose between being inferior or being extraordinary among my peers.鈥�

Since 2001, EMU has offered the 鈥渓ocal context 鈥� program for students whose work and/or family responsibilities preclude lengthy travel, says , assistant professor in the and the program鈥檚 course leader.

Sarah Baker, starting her senior year at age 26, was one of 13 this May who explored diverse communities locally during evening sessions, and in Washington, D.C., for a weekend.

Perfect for single parent

鈥淚t was perfect for me because I鈥檓 a single parent,鈥� says Baker, who had wondered since entering EMU how she would complete the cross-cultural graduation requirement. She and her son, in third grade, live with her parents in Rockingham County. Having never traveled further than Florida, she hopes to go overseas someday, but not without him now.

However, Baker told fellow-students in a recent chapel service that having been raised locally, when the class studied Harrisonburg history, 鈥淚 thought I couldn鈥檛 learn anything new. How wrong!鈥�

She explained, 鈥淲ithout this class I would never have heard about Zenda or Newtown.鈥� Newtown is the historic name for the area settled by former slaves. 鈥淲e鈥檇 always considered it the 鈥榖ad鈥� part of town. I had no idea why,鈥� Baker recalls, although her aunt attended school with Newtown鈥檚 basketball icon, Ralph Sampson. Studying Newtown and Zenda (a historic black community in northern Rockingham County), meant enjoying a home-cooked meal and hearing residents鈥� stories. Learning about 鈥渦rban renewal鈥� decimating Newtown in the 1960s, Baker empathized, recalling woods and fields of her childhood being razed for development.

Discovering “bad” part of town. . . isn’t

Students visited a Newtown church and a local mosque 鈥� both 鈥渄ifferent, very different, but good,鈥� says Baker. And although raised in the Brethren church, she encountered fresh history when visiting the .

Carrie Allen McCray鈥檚 book, Freedom鈥檚 Child: The Life of a Confederate General鈥檚 Daughter, served as a reference, Durham says 鈥� giving perspective from black descendants of Gen. J.R. Jones, buried in Harrisonburg.

More lessons came with viewing the locally produced documentary, The Latino Underground, and meeting , who advocates nationally for the Dream Act proposal to allow a citizenship path for undocumented youth such as herself, brought to the United States as a child.

鈥淪he is amazing,鈥� says Baker, who grew up observing immigration changing the local community. Early in elementary school, Baker met her first, lone Hispanic classmate, while adults complained, 鈥淭hey鈥檒l steal our jobs.鈥�

Eager not to be narrow minded

She says that mindset had been a 鈥渟ingle story鈥� for her 鈥� referring to a video the class saw in which Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie addressed The Danger of the Single Story. Starting with childhood memories of reading, and trying to emulate, British tales containing snow and ginger beer, Adichie said such a 鈥渟ingle story鈥� may crowd out other perspectives. 鈥淲e form our own opinion from others鈥� stories. It makes us narrow- minded,鈥� explained Belinda Hinkle, of Grottoes, who also spoke in chapel about the class, calling Durham鈥檚 teaching 鈥渁wesome.鈥�

Baker 鈥� who had only seen one large city (D.C.), and that only with her son to visit museums — shared a poem it inspired her to write:

The city created beggars and riches.###Starvin鈥� people in line for soup kitchens. . .

The students visited office, studying its work of public advocacy. They stayed at Church of the Pilgrim and visited the multicultural .

Exploring non-touristy D.C. on foot

Durham, sending them off in small groups to explore city neighborhoods, advised sampling ethnic foods, adding, 鈥淒on鈥檛 go as a tourist. Go to feel and see.鈥� She reported, 鈥淭hey walked their legs off鈥� 鈥� estimating 15 miles for many.

鈥淚t was real,鈥� Baker recalls. When she suggested her group visit the historic , and two young men realized they would be the only Caucasians present, she says, 鈥淭hey freaked out.鈥� She smiles: 鈥淚 told them I was going in, so they had to follow me.鈥�

She recalls an earlier 鈥渨ow moment鈥� when employed in the during a . Clearing tables as an African group finished dining, she realized she was the only white person there. 鈥淚 was sticking out like a sore thumb,鈥� she laughs. 鈥淚t was humbling.鈥�

Changed forever

In the class and on the trip, conversing and keeping journals, she feels 鈥渁 lot of us learned from each other鈥濃�� often from sharing uncomfortably different reactions. Some, herself included, were moved, but others not, by the film, Chocolate City, depicting black residents displaced by gentrification. Seeing homelessness troubled most classmates. Baker observed, 鈥淲hen you鈥檝e got the super rich, you鈥檝e got the super poor.鈥�

She鈥檚 determined to attend graduate school. The local context class, Baker says, 鈥渃hanged me forever.鈥�

The , a program combining internships with classroom study in Washington, D.C., is also occurring this semester.

And his arrival in the Chinese capital 鈥� home to somewhere around 20 million people who speak a language entirely foreign to his own 鈥� was the first time the Crozet, Va., native had been to a big city.

鈥淭hat as a really big eye-opener for me,鈥� Martin says. 鈥淚 really had no clue what to expect.鈥�

He certainly wasn鈥檛 alone. Trip leader Myrrl Byler estimates that about one-third of the last EMU group he led to China was flying for the first time, and the experience often represents students鈥� first time outside the United States. Byler, director of the program (a partnership between several church mission boards and , a relief and development non-profit), has led three-week cross-cultural study trips to China every May since 2004. In 2012, math professor was the faculty co-leader of the trip.

The curriculum includes an introduction to written and conversational Chinese, lectures on Chinese culture, tai chi classes, a several-day homestay with a Chinese family, and plenty of interaction with Chinese university students.

After some sightseeing in Beijing, Byler takes the group to a 鈥渟maller鈥� Chinese city where they spend the majority of their time. In May 2012, the group went west to Nanchong, a Chinese city populated by around 1 million in Sichuan province. (Nanchong also rates 鈥渟mall鈥� by another metric useful for assessing Chinese cities: it has just one McDonald鈥檚).

With the enormous language and culture barriers, the unfamiliar food and the sometimes overwhelming attention that the group can attract from curious Chinese people with little exposure to foreigners, Byler says the trip forces students far out of their comfort zones. The homestay in particular, he says, can cause particular anxiety, although many of the students end up looking back on the experience as one of the highlights of the trip.

鈥淵ou had to build patience,鈥� says Valerie Burton 鈥�10 Moore, who went on the China cross-cultural in the summer of 2010. 鈥淵ou just had to relax.鈥�

New food experiences were among the things that placed demands on Moore鈥檚 patience and, ultimately, widened her horizons. These included all kinds of seafood, noodles for breakfast, unusual (from her American perspective) preparations of chicken, pork, duck and lamb, unfamiliar vegetables and dishes so spicy her nose broke out in a sweat. While she likely wouldn鈥檛 have tried these foods if the decision had been up to her, Moore eventually came around, and after returning home, resisted eating American 鈥淐hinese鈥� food for more than a year 鈥� not wanting to tarnish the memory of the actual, real Chinese food she鈥檇 come to enjoy.

Moore, a four-year member of the EMU soccer team, also says the attention she and the other students received from Chinese people took some getting used to.

鈥淭hey almost treated us like celebrities,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey were gawking all the time.鈥�

The American students鈥� height was often an object of great interest, as were those with blonde or red hair. EMU senior Jennifer Blankenship, who went on the 2012 China cross-cultural, recalls Chinese people often crowding around members of her group, asking for autographs, or even pushing babies into the students鈥� arms for photo ops.

鈥淓verybody wanted pictures with us wherever we went,鈥� says Blankenship, a four-year member of the EMU basketball team.

At least one basketball or volleyball game is usually on the agenda during the group鈥檚 visits to Chinese high schools and universities 鈥� often the Chinese school鈥檚 varsity team versus an ad-hoc team of cross-cultural students 鈥� as when Blankenship and a few other students played basketball against a Chinese team in Nanchong. Blankenship says the court was surrounded by hundreds of fans 鈥� more than typically attend her games at EMU 鈥� and the atmosphere was electric.

鈥淲hen I made a good pass or basket, everyone went crazy,鈥� she says.

The attention wasn鈥檛 all positive, however. Dirty looks from men sometimes made female students feel uncomfortable, and Blankenship says some vendors tried to take advantage of the students鈥� na茂vet茅 by ripping them off. Blankenship, who is white, says the experience gave her insight into how minorities in the United States might feel when they are subject to discrimination based on skin color or unfamiliarity with American culture.

Blankenship, Moore and Martin all say one reason they chose the China cross-cultural was because it happens during the summer, when it didn鈥檛 interfere with their sports schedules. (Numerous athletes have been on Byler鈥檚 five summer cross-culturals to China, although he is now planning a semester-long trip for the fall of 2013, to be co-led with math professor .)

In almost all cases, Byler says, his students have arrived back home with new appreciation for travel and interaction with unfamiliar people and places, after being stretched out of their comfort zones by the trip.

Though he discovered he has a strong anxiety about flying, Martin said he 鈥渄efinitely wants to travel abroad again.鈥�

Martin graduated from EMU after the cross-cultural, and is now working in Harrisonburg. He will start a baseball-coaching job next spring at his alma mater, Western Albemarle High School outside Charlottesville, Va.

Blankenship returned home equally enthusiastic about the experience.

鈥淚 want to go back,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 have to take my future spouse. I want to share that. I can鈥檛 imagine only going that one time.鈥�

Staying with host families, immersing themselves in the local culture, Holly鈥檚 student group shared stories and experiences that proved to be life changing.

Read journals and view photos:

• Bulgaria
• Guatemala and the U.S./Mexico Border

Other student groups traveled to Zambia, China, and EMU’s and participated in group living and meaningful and seminars.

About the EMU cross-cultural program

is a graduation requirement for every EMU student. Our well-known program – over three decades old – is boosted by a majority of teaching faculty who have lived and worked overseas, often partnering with people far from the tourist circuit.

Most students are immersed for a whole semester in another country, often living with local families in places such as the , India, , or Africa. Some students live and learn at 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Washington Community Scholars鈥� Center in Washington, D.C., doing internships in places like the or the .

Celebrations will include recognition of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 30th anniversary of the cross-cultural programs. All cross-cultural programs will be recognized including the early days of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 study abroad program. Other events include:

• A festive gathering preceding class reunions on Saturday, October 13
• Class reunions for years ending in 鈥�2鈥� and 鈥�7鈥�
• A Jubilee Alumni event and program for alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago
• Mainstage theater production
• Sporting events, soccer, field hockey and volleyball
• Special interest reunions and departmental breakfasts
• Sunday worship service with alumni award recipients
• Cross-cultural group reunions (Middle East, Central America, South Africa, Europe, Ireland, etc.)

See the .

Remembering 2011

In 2011, EMU celebrated the lives of two peace activists; embraced music and theater performances; enjoyed fellowship with alumni and donors; and cheered on the Royals during . Browse and learn more about the honorees and .

Future Homecomings

Don鈥檛 forget to for the 2013 celebrations. The 2013 Homecoming and Family Weekend celebration is scheduled for Oct. 11-13, 2013.

鈥淭here are more options out there for today鈥檚 students,鈥� says Dula. 鈥淩ather than joining a traditional church structure, they sometimes choose to search for something even more Anabaptist.鈥�

The emerging church movement and New Monasticism have created alternatives to traditional church that draw from and can inform an Anabaptist perspective, says Dula, a 1992 graduate.

鈥淣ew Monasticism focuses on prayer, communal life and reaching out to the poor… Ideas that are rooted in the Christian tradition, but in a way Anabaptists can recognize as their own. It is an interesting time to teach and think about Anabaptism.鈥�

Embracing the change

Instead of resisting alternatives to traditional worship, Dula and , a 1981 EMU graduate and Bible and religion instructor, see an opportunity to embrace alternatives and use them to engage and inform students.

鈥淥ur goal is to equip students to engage in shaping the future of the church,鈥� said Schrock-Hurst, who also serves as co-pastor at Immanuel Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg, Va. 鈥淎ll these ideas are available to this generation and we can create space for them to explore and figure out what works in their faith journeys.鈥�

贰惭鲍鈥檚 Bible and religion department tries to continually learn from students, says Dula. 鈥淢any of them are way out ahead of us as teachers.鈥� We want to be a 鈥渕eeting place,鈥� he notes, where Mennonite and students from diverse backgrounds can share ideas on faith and God鈥檚 calling in their lives.

鈥淪ome of our best students enter EMU without a background in Anabaptism or the Mennonite church,鈥� said Dula. 鈥淭hey find here, however, a space to own, appropriate and transform what they learn in our classrooms in ways that manage to be thoroughly Anabaptist.鈥�

, professor of Bible and religion added, 鈥淚 find that sometimes the students who are not from Mennonite backgrounds add a kind of new-discovery freshness when they embrace the peace position. Other times, we get challenges to pacifist assumptions born out of different ways of thinking about the Bible and Christianity.鈥�

More than a classroom

贰惭鲍鈥檚 provides an alternative classroom for many Bible and religion students with profound results. The experience, led by , professor of culture and mission and his wife, , showcases the history of the Bible while exploring current conflicts. Students are immersed in language and cultural studies while living in Palestine and Jerusalem.

After spending a semester in the Middle East, senior Jamie Hiner, from Culpeper, Va., observed, 鈥淚 can connect to the stories [of the Bible] on a completely different level. I understand who Jesus was on a human level, and I have a connection to the land, people and cultures.鈥�

In addition to the Middle East cross-cultural program, EMU is the only higher-education institution offering a major in . , associate professor of , says that while Catholics and Protestants have a long academic tradition in philosophy, Anabaptists are important contributors 鈥渂ecause our own history of having been marginalized, our understanding of concrete embodied community, and our commitment to peace and reconciliation.鈥�

Senior Ben Bailey, from Simsbury, Conn., found his knowledge of the Bible to be 鈥渓imited compared to my peers at EMU.鈥� A double-major in and , Bailey says his studies have provided him with a 鈥渃omprehensive base knowledge to build upon.

鈥淚 continually feel the need to understand and question the Bible and theology on a deeper level.鈥�

Hiner, a major with a minor in , added, 鈥淚鈥檝e learned so much from personal relationships with my professors. I love having real conversations with them outside the classroom.鈥�

Looking ahead

Bible and religion department faculty envision their department鈥檚 influence expanding across campus and in the community through dialogue with campus ministries and local churches. Interest in the department鈥檚 is growing as opportunities to explore internships outside of 鈥渢raditional鈥� pastoring arise. The very definition of 鈥減astor鈥� and 鈥渃hurch鈥� is changing; students are interested in how they intersect with these concepts.

“Students have an advantage with on campus, in addition to and numerous Mennonite churches nearby to integrate and connect with pastors, leaders and teachers,” Schrock-Hurst says.

Dula agrees, adding, 鈥淭he goal is to make the discussion and debates that occur in our classrooms become the heart and soul of campus. This will encourage growth not only in the department and across campus, but in the broader church.鈥�

The trip, called, will begin in Antalya, Turkey, on May 13, 2012, and end 18 days later. Using small sailboats, the class will cruise along the southern coast of Turkey, exploring remote, beautiful impressive sites such as Andriake harbor, Patara, and other key historical sites. From Ephesus, the group will take ferries to the island of Samos, Greece, then across the Aegean to Athens where the seminar ends.

Besides experiencing the Roman Empire from the sea, students will engage in intensive reading and discussion of the culture, politics, religion, and economics of the first century world. They will also learn to work together as sailors, said Stutzman.

Experiences change thinking about New Testament

Michael Swartzentruber, a first-year seminary student who traveled with Stutzman in 2011, said: “There is no better way to study the early church than on a boat, taking whatever the sea throws at you. Living that experience forever changed the way I read Paul and Acts.”

Betsy Fisher Rhodes and her husband Philip had just concluded their year in Nazareth, Israel, when they took this trip. “This course was a real highlight of my year abroad and will continue to influence my thinking of the church in the first-century as well as the church today,” Betsy said.

Stutzman is a veteran of sailing on the Mediterranean and following the journeys of Paul. In 2004-05 he and his wife Janet spent 16 months visiting every port linked to Paul鈥檚 travels in Acts. The journey is detailed in Linford鈥檚 book “Sailing Acts,” published by Good Books.

Students from will join graduate students from Jerusalem University College for this trip. It costs $2,825, including three semester hours of tuition and all expenses for the three weeks in the Mediterranean. It does not include international travel to Antalya and from Athens, passports, or visas for Turkey. Final costs are subject to adjustment, depending on exchange rates or tax increases.

Contact Linford Stutzman, director of the program of Eastern Mennonite Seminary, for further information and reservations.