EMU senior Arelys Martinez Fabian caught the teaching bug in first grade.

The Winchester, Virginia, native would print out math worksheets for her younger sister to complete. With a classroom of stuffed animals gathered around them, she taught her sister, then a preschooler, basic lessons in addition and subtraction.

“I’ve switched my career choices through the years, but I’ve always gone back to teaching,” said Martinez Fabian, an education and Spanish double major. “When you make a connection with students and they realize, Oh, I can do it, that’s my favorite part of teaching.”

A first-generation college student, Martinez Fabian fully immersed herself in EMU’s rich campus life. She served as co-president of the Student Government Association and as orientation leader, worked as product manager for Common Grounds Coffeehouse, and held leadership roles with the Latinx Student Alliance (LSA). She also served as a student representative on the Interim President Search Committee last spring.

It’s difficult for her to imagine herself anywhere other than EMU. That wasn’t always the case.

During her senior year at Millbrook High School, she learned she had been accepted to the University of Virginia. It was her lifelong dream school. The decision should’ve been an easy one.

“At the same time,” she said, “I kept seeing signs that I should attend EMU.”

High school teachers would unexpectedly mention EMU in passing. A coworker at her day care job shared how impactful her own EMU education had been. 

When EMU accepted her and offered its highest academic award, the four-year, full-tuition Yoder/Webb Scholarship, the choice became clear: she would become a Royal.

Looking back, she’s sure she made the right call.

She believes EMU’s nationally accredited teacher education program has prepared her well for the realities of the classroom. As a student teacher at Bluestone Elementary in Harrisonburg, she spent the first week of school last fall observing how teachers set rules and expectations. 

EMU’s small class sizes have allowed her to form close relationships with professors. She said she has always felt comfortable seeking their guidance and support. 

During recent immigration-related crackdowns across the country, Martinez Fabian, who has relatives from Latin America, said professors regularly checked in with her to make sure she felt safe.

“I knew I could go to them for support,” she said. “I was able to get through some tough times because of them.”

Your support helps students like Arelys pursue a quality college education without financial barriers. Join us for the 10th annual LovEMU Giving Day and contribute to the scholarships that empower future EMU students. On April 1, let’s show that our generosity knows no bounds…for the record!

No matter where you come from or which language you speak, there is a place for you in Harrisonburg and at EMU, and Nasser Alsaadun MA ’17 (education) is living proof of that.

The Iraqi-born educator, who came to the United States in 2008, became the first refugee councilmember in the city’s history when he was elected last fall and began his in January. He says his presence on council sends a clear message that Harrisonburg is diverse and accepting and that local immigrants can feel welcome as a part of the community.

“People can all live in peace and learn from one another—your culture, my culture. We’re all in the same pot,” Alsaadun said. “I think that’s actually a unique thing about this area.”

Through his advocacy work, Alsaadun ensures that the Friendly City lives up to its name as a welcoming place for people of all backgrounds. He volunteers with , a local office of Church World Service that serves and advocates for refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, and immigrants in the Shenandoah Valley.

He is also a founder and board member of the , a community group that works to make the city more inclusive and supportive for immigrants and newcomers, addressing challenges they face, building relationships with them, and connecting them with resources.

One of those resources is EMU’s renowned Intensive English Program (IEP). Alsaadun, who teaches Arabic courses as an at James Madison University and English Language Learner (ELL) classes for Rockingham County Public Schools, often motivates residents to enroll in IEP classes. The program, hosted in EMU’s Roselawn Building, helps English language learners from all around the world find their voice and build a better life for themselves. In a typical semester, IEP has 60 to 80 students of varying ages and language skill levels representing 15 to 20 countries.

“EMU has one of the best English programs in the area,” Alsaadun said. “It has a great reputation with the immigrant community.”

He added that graduates of IEP are highly proficient, professional, and well-prepared to continue their education, not just at EMU, but at any university. “From Winchester to Charlottesville, (that program) is the best there is.”

Did you know?
In Harrisonburg City Public Schools, more than 70 languages are spoken by the student population. The No. 1 spoken language isn’t English—it’s Spanish! Source: in the Daily News-Record. Learn more about IEP at .

Escaping danger

Alsaadun grew up in Iraq and graduated from the University of Basrah in 1997 with a bachelor of arts in English. When the Iraq War broke out, he served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in 2003. Because of his help, he became a target of militia insurgents, who came looking for him. When they couldn’t find him, they kidnapped his father for two days, then tortured and killed him.

Alsaadun and his family fled to Syria and later relocated to Lebanon, where they received refugee status from the United Nations. They arrived in the United States in July 2008 and were resettled by CWS Harrisonburg.

While serving as a temporary instructor for JMU’s foreign language department, Alsaadun started working with the refugee resettlement office and other organizations to welcome newcomers and help refugees adjust to their new life. As he helped connect immigrants to EMU’s Intensive English Program, he learned more about the university. He had heard so many success stories about its graduates and decided to enroll. And in 2017, he graduated from EMU with a master of arts in education.

It had always been his father’s dream to see him earn a master’s degree, shared Alsaadun, and so it was especially meaningful to him. “I cried,” he said, “because I couldn’t have him there with me seeing that moment.”

‘A different touch’

Since graduating from EMU, Alsaadun has continued his studies through courses at JMU and the University of Virginia. He said EMU professors are unlike any others he has encountered in his education.

“I was blessed to have professors who recognized and appreciated the gifts I had,” Alsaadun said. “They knew I wasn’t a native English speaker and that I came from a different culture. Some teachers expect you to know everything, but my teachers at EMU understood that sometimes you struggle. That kind of understanding is unique to EMU.”

In August, while attending a city/EMU liaison committee meeting as a council representative, he received an email confirming his acceptance into the doctoral program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is now in his first semester, pursuing a PhD of education in curriculum and instruction, and credited EMU and its professors for providing the tools and skills that have helped him succeed.

“It’s absolutely a different taste of education,” he said. “The courses at EMU have a different touch.”

Alsaadun, now a U.S. citizen with a wife and four children, opened Babylon, a Middle Eastern restaurant and market in Harrisonburg, in 2016. He’s been invited to the White House on two occasions. He met former President Barack Obama in July 2016, in appreciation for “serving the community and being a good role model for refugees” and attended a leadership summit on refugees at the White House that September. He received the Leader of the Year award from Church World Service in 2022.

Kendra Conrad Bailey ’03, MA ’05, a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) at her own private Iowa practice, was in a client session when her office received a call from ��ݮ����. When she checked with members of her staff, they assured her the call wasn’t important.

She later learned that while she was helping clients that day, her colleagues were dancing in the halls. They had heard that Bailey, whom they had nominated, had been selected by EMU’s Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee as the 2024 Alum of the Year.

The award is given annually to an alum who has been recognized for significant achievement in her/his/their profession, community or church. Given to honor the alum, it is also awarded to inspire EMU students and fellow alumni to live lives of service and vocational excellence.

“I felt honored and humbled [to receive the award],” said Bailey, who added that being viewed by her staff in a way that drove them to nominate her was “the greatest gift.”

Bailey, 43, lives on a farm in Riverside, Iowa, with her husband, Jace Bailey ’04, and their three children: Bryce (17), Kale (15), and Jalise (11). An Iowa native, she learned about EMU when college recruiters made a stop at the school she was attending. Upon visiting EMU, Bailey said she “just overwhelmingly felt it was where the Lord was calling me.”

Bailey went on to attend both undergraduate and graduate school at EMU where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2003 and a master’s degree in school and clinical counseling in 2005. She credits her EMU professors with noticing her strengths in the classroom—and recognizing how she might excel as a therapist, a career she decided to pursue after undergrad.

Bailey had no intention of starting her own business until some former clients, colleagues and her husband started asking, “Why not?” She told them she couldn’t imagine it. When her husband suggested it might be God’s will, Bailey confessed there was one place she could see God leading her: to downtown North Liberty, Iowa, in a particular neighborhood that, as far as she knew, had no suitable space.

The following day, a man approached her husband at the bank where he works as a commercial loan officer and asked if he knew anyone looking to rent a space in exactly the spot Bailey had named. She recalled the space needing a lot of work but could “see the vision.” “It’s like the Lord opened my eyes and allowed me to see what could be.”

Bailey obtained a LMHC license in the state of Iowa and opened her business Imagine Therapy Solutions, which draws its mission statement from Ephesians 3:20: “And to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, to Him be the glory.”

That was nearly 10 years ago. Now with two locations, the business provides in-person and telehealth services to children, adolescents, adults, and families with a variety of mental and behavioral healthcare needs. “From the day we opened, we’ve had a waiting list and never advertised,” said Bailey, who along with 10 other therapists and five office staffers help clients throughout Iowa to envision themselves achieving their goals so that they can take the necessary steps for self-improvement.

“I enjoy sitting with clients one-on-one to be able to walk with them,” Bailey said. “I am humbled that people allow me to journey with them in their life story.”

In addition to carrying a full-client caseload at Imagine, Bailey provides supervision to therapists in training who are working to acquire their mental health license. She wrote “Tower of Trust,” an interactive storybook for children teaching them the value of second chances, and also speaks publicly on the topic of mental health to surrounding organizations, churches and schools.

EMU’s 2024 Teachers of Promise are:

• Maria Bettilyon, from Ashburn, Virginia; Mathematics, Secondary Education, 6-12
• Lucy Unzicker, from Benson, Illinois; Spanish, Secondary Education, 6-12
• Erin Keith, from Stuart, Virginia; Health & Physical Education, K-12
• Shania Coleman, from Stanardsville, Virginia; Elementary Education, PreK-6
• Lyndsay Harris, from Stuarts Draft, Virginia;�� Elementary Education, PreK-6
• Alex Gulisano, from Chesapeake, Virginia; Elementary Education, PreK-6

The honorees exemplify strong potential for impacting students in the classroom, high academic standing, commitment to the teaching profession, and embody EMU’s teacher education mission to “teach boldly in a changing world through an ethic of care and critical reflection,” said program director and professor of education Holly Rusher.��

“This is a delightful group of honorees,” Rusher added. “I am confident that these future teachers will positively influence the lives of each student in their classrooms as they create and advocate for just and equitable learning environments.”

Professor Barbara Wheatley is the students’ teacher education faculty advisor. 

EMU’s education program values experiential learning, offering early practicum experiences that help candidates determine their professional path. Teacher candidates choose from 15 different licensure programs. The teacher education program is National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) accredited through the (CAEP).

Story and photo by Harleigh Cupp / DN-R

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the new position accepted by Dr. Basil Marin.

America’s youth face myriad risks and challenges meeting them head-on. From mental health struggles and bullying to academic concerns and the perils of social media, vulnerable children in the U.S. have a lot on their minds—and many just need someone to show that they care. 

prides himself on being that person, continuing his work with students who act out and struggle in school. By parlaying his lived experiences with advanced degrees in the field of education, he also has blossomed into a sought-after keynote speaker on education topics. 

As selected by ��ݮ����’s Alumni Association and its Awards and Nominations Committee, Marin is the 2023 Outstanding Young Alum of the Year. The Outstanding Young Alum Award is given annually to an alumna or alumnus who, through her or his professional achievement and/or Christ-like compassionate service, is making a significant contribution to the local, national or global community. 

“I am grateful to the EMU community for thinking of me during one of the lowest periods of my adult life,” Marin said of winning the award. “Losing my father a year ago has truly impacted my life in a significant way. Being the Outstanding Young Alum of the Year is not only an honor but a dedication to my father’s legacy of serving others. This award has given me hope in the Bible verse Galatians 6:9, which states, ‘Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.’” 

Marin, previously principal of Thomas Harrison Middle School in Harrisonburg, is a self-described “disruptor of the status quo.” Whether he’s in the classroom, mentoring teachers, leading in various capacities or volunteering with professional organizations — he counts at least five he’s currently involved with — Marin stays busy. In the 13 years since leaving EMU with his business administration and management degree in tow, he’s hardly stayed still. 

Marin recently accepted a new position within Harrisonburg City Public Schools, where he will be working with Equity and Community Engagement to extend the work of the office into support of students with disabilities, according to a release from the school division on Friday.

“He always exhibited a remarkable amount of passion, dedication and drive when it came to students, parents and the community,” said Shawn Millaci, principal of Churchland High School in Portsmouth, Virginia. “Basil’s demeanor was calm and supportive, and he always put students, parents, colleagues and stakeholders at ease. He could often be found counseling at-risk students and gave many of our students the hope that they needed to persevere.” 

His master’s degree in special education and teaching from Liberty University preceded a pair of degrees from Old Dominion University, including a PhD in educational leadership and administration. That formal training has proven invaluable since his first high school assistant principal post in 2017. 

As a high school student, Marin’s inspiring mentor instilled in him the power of education. 

“I believe wholeheartedly that I was placed on Earth to help young scholars who have the mentality that they will never amount to anything,” Marin reflected. “Too easily, our underserved youth believe the societal lies that they will never be successful nor have access to quality educational experiences.” 

Marin will be recognized on Saturday, Oct. 14, at the Opening Homecoming Celebration Breakfast in Yoder Arena. Following a morning worship service on Oct. 15, EMU also will host a luncheon in honor of Marin, 2023 Alum of the Year Andy Dula ‘91, and 2023 Distinguished Service Award co-winners Paul and Lisa Zendt Shelly ‘89. 

“In order to be a Christian, one must have a personal connection with God,” Marin said. “I struggled with this concept growing up but always felt God calling me in with a small, still voice. As I got older, I started to develop a stronger connection to God, and my years at EMU also helped to deepen my walk with Christ, as many of my professors and other leaders showed me grace and compassion day in and day out.”

“Christianity is a major component in my life, and I could not see me living life any other way.”

Honorees demonstrate a strong potential to impact students in the classroom, high academic standing, and commitment to the teaching profession. EMU’s Teachers of Promise were chosen by EMU teacher education program faculty. “I know these five future teachers will be a positive influence in the lives of their students,” said Professor Barbara Wheatley, the students’ faculty advisor.

EMU’s 2023 Teachers of Promise are:

• Morgan Evans, from Dayton, Va.; Biology, Secondary Education, 6-12
• Amanda Kibler, from Woodstock, Va.; Music Education; PreK-12
• Stephanie Palomino, from Goshen, In.; English as a Second Language (ESL), PreK-12
• Caitlin Weaver, from Rockingham, Va.; Elementary Education, PreK-6
• Carrie Yoder, from Harrisonburg, Va.; History & Social Science, Secondary Education, 6-12

“The institute was an exciting opportunity to bond with EMU education students as well as other Virginia college education students,” said Yoder, who was also able to get advice from a mentor educator about her first year of teaching. Palomino was honored to be nominated for the institute and says she left feeling “inspired and re-energized” about her future career as an ESL educator.

EMU’s education program values experiential learning, offering early practicum experiences that help candidates determine their professional path. Teacher candidates choose from 15 different licensure programs, which are approved by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and accredited by the (CAEP).

The was established in 2004 to identify and recognize the best prospective teachers from college and university schools of education across Virginia. The Institute is funded by The Teachers of Promise Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization based in Roanoke, Virginia, and is organized by a team of practicing educators. To date, the Institute has honored more than 3,650 Teachers of Promise from more than three dozen institutions of higher education.

Our teacher education program has carried the highest national accreditation standards in the nation for more than 40 years. Find out more at: .

That’s not the only partnership the White House has lately touted. In early March, the president and first lady launched “,” an initiative that taps the Peace Corps to focus on girls’ education and empowerment. Heading that program is alumna , a veteran administrator of training and education programs in the Peace Corps. She assumed her duties May 18.

“This is an exciting opportunity for us,” Rigalo said. “While the Peace Corps has been involved in supporting and encouraging girls since we first sent volunteers overseas in 1961, we see this as an opportunity to be more intentional about our present-day efforts. We know that investing in girls, a moral imperative in and of itself, is a proven catalyst for development.”

Girls who complete secondary education marry later, delay childbirth, have better spacing between their children, are more likely to educate their children and often see up to a 20% increase in earnings over their lifetimes, continued Rigalo. “And yet, 62 million girls are currently not in school.”

She said that Peace Corps volunteers are uniquely placed to work with girls and communities to address barriers to girls’ education. In much of the world, the barriers are numerous and include lack of educational opportunities, lack of funds for school fees, lack of sanitary hygiene products during menstruation, lack of girls’ latrines and lack of local schools.

In the first year, the program will target the following countries: Albania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Georgia, Cambodia, Uganda, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Thailand and Togo.

Rigalo has long been involved with the Peace Corps, first as a volunteer in the late 1980s and early 1990s, then later as country desk officer, program and training specialist and chief of programming and training for the Africa region.

Following service as a Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) volunteer in the eastern Congo, Rigalo came to ��ݮ���� to pursue an . She graduated in 2000 and returned to Africa with MCC to work at the Africa Peacebuilding Institute in Zambia. She also worked for MCC in Angola.

In 2003, Rigalo entered the doctoral program in conflict analysis and resolution at George Mason University. She began working on the Peace Corps staff in 2005.

Under Rigalo, the Peace Corps will recruit and train additional volunteers to focus specifically on girls’ access to education while volunteers already in the field can apply for funds through a newly established girls’ education fund.

Let Girls Learn will empower “local leaders to put lasting solutions in place,” says the website. “Peace Corps volunteers who live and work at the grassroots level will serve as catalysts of community-led change.”

“Right now, more that 62 million girls around the world are out of school – a heartbreaking injustice that deprives these girls of the chance to develop their potential,” wrote First Lady Michelle Obama in a . ��“Girls’ education is a global issue that requires a global solution … because every girl, no matter where she lives, deserves the opportunity to develop the promise inside her.”

“You can ask me questions later,” she called as she climbed into her friend Robin Lyttle’s car. “Let’s go!”

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

Why a cross-cultural course in Harrisonburg, Virginia?

The “Local Context” cross-cultural course is just one way EMU students can fulfill the university’s . While many students choose the traditional semester-long international travel, other students find that a semester living at the (WCSC) and interning in Washington D.C. fits their needs. There are also shorter trips that work better for students with less flexible schedules, including and the local cross-cultural experience.

“If it wasn’t for the program, there’s no way I could have completed the requirement,” said Kristy Wertz as the group left the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center. A nursing student, full-time patient care technician at Rockingham Memorial Hospital, wife and mother, Wertz noted the impracticality of leaving her family and job behind for a full semester, or even three weeks.

“Here I’m learning about the wide variety of populations that live in Harrisonburg, and the resources available to them. As a nurse, it’s crucial that I know how to best serve my patients. Like the parenting program we just saw,” she said, pointing back at the Simms Center. “How great was that?”

Outside Broad Street Mennonite Church, one of several historic Mennonite church plants in the northeast neighborhood, the group was greeted by Harold Huber. Huber, who began attending Broad Street in 1968 and at various times has served as administrator, secretary, trustee and historian to the congregation, passed around photos of the congregation’s early years. Allen hooted when she spotted her ten-year-old self in one of the pictures. A clutch of students gathered about her as she pointed out the bright-faced young girl.

, assistant professor of applied social sciences, and her husband are teaching the course this summer. The group is divided into two sections for classroom discussions and folded into one group for field trips. Durham first led a local cross-cultural in 2007; this is her fifth time teaching the course.

Like all cross-cultural trip leaders who escort students on trips, the couple are experienced inter-cultural navigators. Before coming to EMU, they spent years living and working in inner-city Washington D.C. as well as four years with Mennonite Central Committee in El Salvador. Peachey has led several cross-cultural trips to Guatemala, Cuba and Mexico, including one during the previous spring semester.

The most transformative aspect of the course, Durham says, is that students living in the Shenandoah Valley begin to think of their home differently. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had students say, ‘I had no idea this place, this community, this challenge…existed right here!’” she said, gesturing at the front of First Baptist Church, where the group had just listened to Judge Anthony Bailey give an impromptu talk on his role in the local justice system. “In some ways, the students in the Local Context course have a more difficult time settling back into a comfort zone once finished with their cross-cultural because it’s right in their face every day.”

Reflecting on the difference between groups that go abroad and those that stay close to home, Peachey pointed out that there are many benefits in the experience of global travel. “However,” he added, “there is great value in deeper learning about the people and places that surround you on a daily basis. Becoming familiar with various immigrant populations, learning about how Harrisonburg has grown and changed over the past half-century, these are experiences that will help these students greatly post-graduation, in their work, and how they approach interacting and engaging with the communities they are a part of.”

Peachey also noted that students on the recent Guatemala trip, which started on the U.S.-Mexico border, learned about the political clashes of immigration policy and reform and explored the personal struggles of those affected by immigration. “Those same struggles are happening right here in Harrisonburg,” said Peachey. “We just need to be willing to see them.”

A rich and surprising diversity

Additional field trips bring students on explorations into the rich diversity of the Shenandoah Valley. The African-American focus continues with trips to Zenda, a community started by former slaves in Rockingham County, and to the Franklin Street African-American Art Gallery. The gallery visit is hosted by owner , founder and director of the at James Madison University. (Luminaries in the African-American poetry world flock to conferences and poetry summits hosted by Furious Flower, and the center offers a slate of workshops, readings, slams and lectures.)

Students also discuss immigration issues with Harrisonburg resident ’07, a nationally-known activist for DREAM Act immigration reform who founded the youth-led National Immigrant Youth Alliance.

One Friday, the students meet with Dr. Mohamed Aboutabl at the mosque, the only place in the region for Muslims to worship. Friday prayers draw a diverse group of Muslims from around the world, with Sunni and Shia participating together.

Students also delve into the Old Order Mennonite culture, with a visit to a home for meal, accompanied by professor and Mennonite historian Nate Yoder.

At the end of the tour, the group enjoyed a meal of barbecue and deviled eggs prepared by the congregation of John Wesley Methodist Church. Allen stood in the center of the room and fielded questions from the students. They listened attentively as she described growing up in Newtown and her involvement in the civil rights movement, and how she found herself just feet away from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during the 1963 March on Washington as he delivered his famous words.

“Having Doris talk to us was one of the best parts of the night,” said student Kaitlin Roadcap. “This program is teaching me to be more culturally receptive, and has really opened my eyes to the diversity in this area. I have lived here my entire life and am finally realizing just how much I didn’t know.”

“[Teachers] get anxious,” he said, chuckling. “I’m the one they try to get a hold of.”

A computer resource technician with Harrisonburg City Public Schools, Shoemaker (’78) likens his job during the school year to firefighting, swooping in to sort things out whenever someone can’t log into their computer or get their projector to behave. Shoemaker is responsible for one high school and one middle school in the city – though these days, he’s able to fix lots of problems remotely without leaving his office.

During the summers and other calmer times, Shoemaker also keeps the schools’ computers and other devices, like iPads, up-to-date and in good working order.

In neighboring Rockingham County Public Schools,��Obe Hostetter ’00��has a slightly different role as an instructional technology resource teacher. Though he also gets involved in technological troubleshooting, he visits all the division’s 24 schools to train teachers on how to better use technology in their classrooms, and sometimes co-teaches technology-enhanced lessons with them. A recent example: teaching a kindergarten class how to scan QR codes with iPads.

“I enjoy the teaching part, seeing the kids getting excited [about technology],” said Hostetter, who spent his first five years after college teaching elementary and middle school before going down the technology path.

One of the tricky technology-related issues that comes up in school settings is the fact that after Hostetter’s lesson on QR codes, those kindergartners may well be more adept at using them than many of their teachers.

“They’re not as comfortable, because they have not grown up with it,” says Shoemaker, of teachers who began their careers before computers had so thoroughly infiltrated education.

While younger teachers, as a rule, don’t tend to be as intimidated by technology, there’s a flipside.��Doug Moyer ’91, a systems technician for the Warren County (Virginia) Public Schools, tells of a young teacher whose Smart Board went out of service and was thrown into a tizzy by the prospect of resorting to primitive substitutes like the markerboard.

Moyer and Shoemaker both spent some time in the business world before getting into school technology, and both say they enjoy the general lower-pressure school atmosphere. Computer emergencies happen both places, but the stress and aggravation just usually aren’t as great in education.

“It has its moments of intensity, but it’s not nearly as great, and I appreciate that part of it,” said Shoemaker.

Mike Stoltzfus ’98��also began his IT career in private business, beginning with CMDS (now Jenzabar; see story p. 15) after graduating with a computer information systems degree. He then spent several years handling IT for Harman Construction, a company that has worked on numerous projects at EMU over the years, including the ongoing renovations of the Suter Science Center. While he worked for Harman, Stoltzfus also ran his own web hosting business on the side. One of his clients was Eastern Mennonite School (EMS), which created a full-time IT position and hired Stoltzfus to fill it in��2008.

With just under 400 students in grades K-12, the school’s IT needs are modest enough that Stoltzfus handles most technology-related issues (Andrew Gascho ’09��assists him, and teaches digital communication classes at EMS). Those range from systems maintenance to troubleshooting to repairs to keeping up with the rapidly changing digital world by planning things like a Chromebook-for-every-student initiative that the school is exploring.

“That’s something that really attracts me about working at a place where there isn’t a huge technology infrastructure,” Stoltzfus said. “I can be involved in all those different things…. I enjoy seeing the whole picture.”

(Since starting at EMS, Stoltzfus’s job has expanded well beyond that whole IT picture; now the director of business affairs, he also oversees school finances and a few other operational matters.)

There’s never a time when there’s not something new to check out. With a relatively tight budget to be conscious of, for example, Stoltzfus has been exploring opportunities offered by open source software.

“I really enjoy learning new things. That’s one thing that I’ve always enjoyed about technology – it’s always changing,” said Stoltzfus, who majored in computer information systems. “As you learn about things, you realize more and more how much you don’t know.”

Like Stoltzfus,��Jon Harder ’82��also works as a technology generalist for a small school system, handling “pretty much anything to do with technology” for Mountain Lake (Minnesota) Public Schools.

In addition to all the usual school troubleshooting and software updating, Harder has been able to put his programming background to good use as the schools’ technology coordinator. When a need was identified for a computer-based method for staff to reserve rooms or vehicles to use, Harder couldn’t find existing software that fit the bill. Instead, he created his own web-based application that’s now in use. It’s the kind of thing that’s kept the job interesting for the past 14 years (prior to which, he was a software engineer in the Twin Cities).

“I guess I’m a real problem solver,” he said. “It’s always fulfilling to run into new challenges and figure out how to do something.”

When Harder was at EMU, tinkering with the mainframe computer that used to be in the old Administration Building or the few really early Apples that belonged to the Psychology Department, he had no clue that computers were going to become such a thing. The Internet as it exists now wasn’t something anyone could conceive of.

That makes it hard to hazard a guess as to what sorts of technologies people like him will be troubleshooting in schools in decades to come. Fewer keyboards and more spoken commands, he suspects.

Hostetter concurs on the voice-interfacing thing. 3-D printers are coming, too. Maybe “wearables” like Google Glass will make their way into classrooms eventually. Whatever it is, it’s bound to be something that seems hard to imagine right now.

“It is pretty amazing what all we can do now that just a couple years ago wasn’t possible,” he said.

Then, again, this is a Christian university that says it is “like no other.”

The week was intended to encourage both interfaith dialogue and intercultural awareness, said , EMU’s director of and .

Events included a lecture on Muslim prayer practices, a ������á’í devotional, worship services conducted in the Orthodox, Mennonite, and Methodist traditions, a lecture on Jewish faith practices on death and dying, an interactive faith talkback, and an international food festival.

The week opened Friday, Sept. 12, with the Islam-themed talk, sponsored by . “Religions are the most important part of our cultures,” said , at the beginning of his hour-long lecture about the history of Islam, basic Islamic beliefs, and what the ritual Islamic prayer practice (Salat) looks and sounds like.

Lectures, prayers, incense, music

Monday morning, a mostly different group of EMU community members gathered into a tight circle in the EMU Discipleship Center. The facilitator, senior Julie Huffer, welcomed the group and briefly explained how the ������á’í devotional would run. Several participants were given yellow strips of paper containing portions of a single scriptural passage. Like Akrami, Huffer took time to explain the basic history and beliefs of ������á’ís before moving into the main part of her program, which included hearing the words on the yellow strips, experiencing silence and prayer, and listening to music from a ������á’í artist, before breaking for refreshments.

Rabbi Joe Blair’s explanation of Jewish practices on death and dying was both interesting and educational on Monday afternoon. “I learned that the Jewish tradition has a specific process of honoring the souls that have passed and honoring the family that has lost them,” said Huffer. “It was interesting because I didn’t know that in Judaism they have such a specific process.”

Held in Martin Chapel, both the Mennonite and Methodist worship services – Tuesday and Thursday, respectively – were sponsored by the , which is accredited by both denominations. They both included hymns, a short message on church history, and what a typical service looks like.

The thurible emitted a faint waft of incense as the priest swung it back and forth in front of the makeshift altar he was blessing in Lehman Auditorium on Wednesday. Although he later explained that his church, , was affiliated with a “simple” branch of Orthodox Christianity, the beautiful icons, heavy, ornately embroidered priest-robes, and formal blessing ceremony seemed mysterious and involved to eyes used to “plain” Mennonite worship practices.

Eye-opening for students

“It was eye-opening and refreshing to participate and experience another faith tradition,” said senior Philip Yoder, raised Mennonite. “I never realized they codified their faith tradition in the 10th century, and they have been worshiping the same way ever since. Even though the practices were old, they infused the service with heartfelt prayers for the students and professors at EMU, and that was pretty cool.”

On Thursday evening, around 50 people gathered in to view the Faces of EMU Exhibit and participate in an “interactive faith talk-back.” The evening included playing get-acquainted games, circulating through the exhibit, chatting, writing impressions on a large sheet of newsprint, and watching a short movie about the two largest minority groups on campus, Hindus and Muslims (from the series on the YouTube channel SoulPancake).

Senior Jordan Luther said “it was neat” to move beyond the Christian majority on campus and have his eyes opened to the religious minorities in the EMU community.

Popular food festival

By far, the most-attended event of the week was Friday’s International Food Fest and Games. This is perhaps to be expected since the time of the event did not conflict with classes or most work-study schedules, and the email reminder sent out by Lepley encouraged people to “bring your taste buds” to partake of enticingly described international foods.

Over 30 vendors prepared food that represented cultures in Saudi Arabia, Korea, Nepal, Kenya and Italy, among others. Students, faculty, staff and other community members intermingled together over what could be described as “a diverse fellowship of believers” or “interfaith communion.” With the Food Fest, the organizers of International Education Week showcased the different faith traditions present at EMU in a common space where everyone could laugh, break bread and celebrate their diversity.

The week was organized in conjunction with EMU’s International Student Organization, led by junior����of Somali origin and senior Sun Ju Lee of South Korea; the , led by Carmen Witmer; the , represented by ; Cross Cultural Programs, represented by , and , led by

The International Food Festival was part of the International Education Week and occurred for the student body and community to experience foods and cultures from different parts of the world.

It was a way for people to get to know each other. Multicultural Services and International Student Organization (ISO) planned the whole event. Susannah Lepley, ISO advisor along with Junior Kaltuma Hassan, Senior Sun Ju Lee, and the members of ISO, helped plan for this event during the summer. And with the help of undergrad students, CJP, faculty, and other community members the event was made possible.

“The ISO members and Multicultural and International Student Services’ work study students planned the dinner venue at Thomas Plaza. We had over 30 tables arranged in a circular manner, and all the cooks put their foods on their tables and decorated them,” co-president Lee said.

“Students and community members were given five tickets, and were charged an extra dollar if they wanted to buy more tickets. The tickets were used to vote for whichever meal that they like the most.

“Wendy Yu won the competition. There were also a lot of games, which were organized by Priyanka, Nana and Mary, and just the overall atmosphere was great.” This event was a way to celebrate different nationalities and educate about other cultures, but it also created connections throughout the community and students.

“There were almost 300 people that attended the event. We really enjoyed it. The atmosphere was relaxed, and people really engaged with each other well,” Hassan said.

A big part of the dinner was the celebration of different cultures connecting, and the diversity. “We like to engage people who feel excluded from the community at EMU, and through peace building, we know that community building is key and that engaging all varieties of people is important,” Lee said.

It was an informal setting for people to get to know each other through activities. “The games and dancing wer every exciting, people had good laughs, and the little children got involved,” Hassan said. The international dinner is continuing to grow each year.

“This year was the second time the event occured, and proved to be better attended. I think the student body, community members, and faculty have been very supportive. We feel blessed,” Lee said.

Sarina Hartman, Circulation Manager

Joining two Muslim scholars from Iran is a Jewish scholar from Chicago, who does martial arts when he’s not leading synagogues, being sought by the media, and writing books (he’s working on his 10th), plus a Harrisonburg-based professor of the arts who was raised in a liberal Jewish family, knows Hebrew and Arabic, and is married to a Mennonite.

Below are brief descriptions of the fascinating lives and myriad interests of these two men, beginning with rabbi Niles Goldstein followed by professor Bob Bersson.

Niles Goldstein

Niles is a forward-looking rabbi and award-winning writer. He is passionate about renewing an ancient faith (Judaism) and dialoguing with people of other faiths. In 2000, Niles was named one of the “Top 40 People to Watch” in the 21st century by The New York Observer.

Niles came to EMU for the 2014 spring semester as part of the visiting scholars program of the Center for Interfaith Engagement. The program is funded for three years by the of New York City. Niles is teaching a course in spiritual writing as well as a course in comparative monotheistic religions with a Muslim scholar and Christian scholar.

Niles is currently based in Chicago, where he is the community rabbi and rabbinic scholar for two large Reform Jewish synagogues. He also teaches a graduate course on moral leadership and leads seminars on comparative religion and spirituality at Loyola University.

Niles lived previously in New York City, where he co-founded an innovative and independent Jewish congregation in 1999 called The New Shul. He served as senior rabbi of the 200-household synagogue until 2010.

While at EMU, Niles is completing his tenth book – Question of Faith: Timeless Questions from the Bible that Guide and Ground Our Lives. He travels frequently to the Washington D.C. area to lecture on the book and to promote EMU’s Center for Interfaith Engagement

His book, Gonzo Judaism–A Bold Path for Renewing an Ancient Faith, was a finalist for the Quill Award for best religion book of 2007.

Niles authored, co-authored or edited eight other books: The Challenge of the Soul–A Guide for the Spiritual Warrior; Craving the Divine–A Spiritual Guide for Today’s Perplexed; Lost Souls–Finding Hope in the Heart of Darkness; God at the Edge–Searching for the Divine in Uncomfortable and Unexpected Places; Spiritual Manifestos–Visions for Renewed Religious Life in America from Young Spiritual Leaders of Many Faiths; Duties of the Soul–The Role of Commandments in Liberal Judaism; Forests of the Night–The Fear of God in Early Hasidic Thought; and Judaism and Spiritual Ethics.

The essays and op-eds of Niles have appeared in many publications, including Chicago Sun-Times, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Newsday, The Forward and Moment. He has been featured and interviewed in Time, New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Jerusalem Report, Belief.net, Yahoo Internet Life, New York Observer, New York Magazine and Jewish Week.

Niles has appeared on television and radio, such as NBC, CNN, NPR and BBC. He was a regular contributor to the show New Morning on the Hallmark Channel and was the voice behind Ask the Rabbi on the Microsoft Channel.

In the late 1990s Niles was involved in two ground-breaking projects in New York. As senior fellow for the , he developed and taught curricula on leadership development and community building at conferences and seminars throughout the United States. As program officer for the , he helped establish a national Jewish retreat center with a focus on spirituality and pluralism. He was also the founding editor of , a journal of Jewish thought and opinion.

Niles is a 1988 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in philosophy and minored in English literature. In 1992 he earned a master’s degree in Hebrew letters from Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion. He was ordained as a rabbi two years later.

Niles’ activities and skills range from fluency in Hebrew to black belts in karate and tae kwon do. He also created and led Jewish Adventure Travel trips to domestic and international destinations and created and led humanitarian missions to overseas locations.

Bob Bersson

Bob’s interests are innumerable, his experiences are deep and wide, his vision is broad, and he has a passion for mutual understanding. Professionally, he was a professor of art and art history for 23 years at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

At EMU’s Center for Interfaith Engagement, he teaches a course on films about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (He teaches the same course at JMU.)

Raised in a liberal Jewish family in New York City, Bob has visited Israel, where he has family and friends, three times. His longest stay was for six months when a work-study program (ulpan) took him to a kibbutz. After he retired from JMU in 2003, he spent 14 months in Egypt, where he became familiar with Muslim and Coptic Christian cultures. Added to his religious experience is that he is married to a Mennonite who is an EMU alum, Dolores Shoup.

In Harrisonburg, Bob founded the , focusing especially on getting Muslims, Jews and Christians to work together on thorny problems like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is currently publishing a book titled Three Years in Cairo: Stories from the Egyptian Street.

Bob speaks the languages of both sides of the conflict in the Middle East – Hebrew and Arabic.

Bob’s academic career started at Brandeis University, where he graduated in 1968 with a degree in studio art and art history. Later he earned an MS in art education from the State University of New York and a PhD in art education from the University of Maryland.

At JMU he taught modern and contemporary art history, aesthetics, art criticism, and art appreciation. He wrote two textbooks on art history and art appreciation − Responding to Art: Form, Content and Context (McGraw-Hill, 2004) and Worlds of Art (Mayfield, 1991). He produced an illustrated children’s art-appreciation book titled Stripes and Stars (Crystal, 2004). He also directed a documentary for JMU, “Hard Times for the Truly Needy,” about government budget cuts that hurt the elderly, disabled and others in the Shenandoah Valley.

While at JMU, Bob won a distinguished teaching award and an “educator of the year” award for higher education in the Southeast from the .

Bob seems interested in everything and everyone, from golf to guitar. He not only plays golf and performs in local bands with his guitar, he can’t get away from teaching. He teaches private guitar lessons and offers a course on “Golf Made Easier” in the local Lifelong Learning Institute.

In addition to the Interfaith Initiative for Peace and Justice, Bob founded other local projects − Citizens for Downtown, Caucus on Social Theory and Art Education, Fridays on the Square arts series, and Blacks Run Greenway.

Interviewed in their living room, the Riehls speak of drones that conduct surveillance and drop bombs, of military bases, activist contacts across the country, disseminating information, warfare. An eavesdropper picking up snippets of their thoughts might peg them as spies or covert military operators, or perhaps violent revolutionaries or dangerous criminals.

But this couple, both in their early 80s, are peace activists utterly committed to nonviolence.

“What can I do to stop our wars?” says Daniel, a retired physician. He has hope, though: “If people get information, they might do something about it.”

In the late 1950s, at what was then Eastern Mennonite College, Marie Keener studied before graduating with a ; E. (for Evan) Daniel Riehl was a major. Raised in opposite corners of Lancaster County, Pa., they re-settled in southeastern Pennsylvania as a married couple. He worked with the state public health department for many years, then as a medical consultant for . She mainly focused on their home and raising their three children, Jan Marcia Orndorf�� ’85 (now a teacher and pastor), Eric (computer professional) and Carl (lawyer). The Riehls have two grandchildren.

Hundreds of hours protesting wars

In recent years Daniel and Marie spend much of their time as enthusiastically engaged activists, going to places near and far from home to communicate their anti-war messages. “I’ve spent hundreds of hours on street corners protesting wars,” Daniel says.

Among other activities, they frequently borrow the model drone from its owners, the Wilmington, Del., chapter of Pacem in Terris, and haul it around in an effort to inform folks. It’s a 1:5 scale model of a Reaper—an unmanned, remote-controlled aircraft that the U.S. Air Force and CIA use for reconnaissance and for launching missile strikes in places like Yemen and Pakistan.

“The first time we hauled the drone,” Daniel recounts, “we had it in the wrong way, with the back end in front. I could hardly see over the top.”

The duo has since learned that the drone fits into their car better with the front end facing towards the windshield. And it still only just fits. When in place, the fuselage protrudes through the gap between the front seats of their 2006 Toyota Prius Hybrid, occupying the space between the driver’s and passenger’s heads.

For in November 2013, the Riehls transported the drone nearly three hours from its storage place in Delaware to Harrisonburg, where it was positioned by the main-floor picture windows in the Campus Center. The exhibit was organized after a mutual acquaintance put the Riehls in touch with campus pastor , who helped round up students to hand out flyers about the child victims of drone attacks.

The Riehls also do street vigils, screen films, join demonstrations, and write articles and letters to the editor. Daniel is the author of a piece in Mennonite World Review, “,” and one on the web site of The Mennonite, “.” The pair’s annual calendar includes a trip to Georgia to join the . They are also involved with various organizations and groups near their residence in the in Lititz, Pa.

‘Killing Muslim civilians is savagery’

For the last three years, the Riehls have played leadership roles in a small group called 1040 for Peace, which aims to create a national movement of taxpayers who withhold $10.40 each year from their federal tax payments as a symbolic gesture against military spending. The pair first used the drone replica as part of their work with 1040, taking it on a tour of six venues in Pennsylvania. The model drone also makes frequent appearances at monthly protests in Horsham, Pa., where a command center for drone operations is planned.

“The purpose of our wars is to make the rich people richer. And the rich people – the defense companies – put the people in Congress who they want,” Daniel says. “The military-industrial complex rules our nation for the good of the very wealthy at the expense of the poor.

“Killing civilians in Muslim countries like Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen is savagery,” he continues. “The war in Waziristan, the drones are flying 24/7. One person said he saw nine drones at once flying around. And they are very scary because you don’t know when they’re going to shoot you.”

Daniel is the more vocal of the pair, a fount of ideas and energy. Marie seems to provide the moral and grounded direction for the pair. ”My wife got me started. She advised that I take a course on Latin American cultures,” Daniel says. ”It made me realize what was really going on.”

The Riehls seem determined to continue to educate themselves so they can continue to educate others. ”I don’t think any of the churches are doing their jobs,” says Daniel. “The churches, including the Mennonite church, facilitate the crimes of our government. I think we should talk about these things a little bit more.” The Riehls offer their criticisms as devoted Mennonites – they are active members of in Akron, Pa.

During their times of relaxation, Daniel and Marie enjoy exercising and taking in the tranquil views of farmland surrounding their community of retirees.

Asked about possible downsides of the couple’s golden-years activism, Daniel offers two responses. ”Marie gets tired of driving,” and “we used to go on vacations.”