Seventeen of the 28 in the group flew in from as far as California and Texas to talk about their experiences and how the semester changed their lives. Some of the experiences were difficult, especially in the French-speaking West African country where they spent the second part of the spring term of 1994. Other experiences were exhilarating.

The group gathered during , Oct. 10-12, at the home of their faculty leaders, Carroll and Nancy Yoder. The conversation time, which went late into the night, was preceded by a pig roast next door at the home of Joel Yoder, the leaders’ son and a member of the 1994 group. The reunion included seven spouses and more than 20 children.

Carroll Yoder, a former French professor who retired about 10 years ago, recalled a night in an Ivory Coast village when the EMU students were sitting around a fire under the starry skies. “This sure ain’t Nebraska,” said Brant Burkey, who grew up in Nebraska. Replied Kacey Bowers (now Raines) from West Virginia, swiping at the insects flying around her: “But it feels a bit like West Virginia!”

The students recalled the homes they were assigned to, sometimes with no running water and electricity – and sharing a bed with one of the family’s children.

“When you go through challenges, it makes you stronger,” said Ben Bolanos. Added Jo Wenger Fisher: “Shared experiences, especially in the face of adversity, drew us close together as a group.” Anne Charbeneau Zapanta said she had to “dig deep within herself” and that processing her experiences with her close-knit group helped a lot.

Katrina Wyse recalled vividly the night her host mother walked to a nearby clinic to give birth to a baby and then walked home before dawn with her new child. Maybe there is a connection, she said, but now she is a physician herself, delivering babies.

One student gave credit to the cross-cultural semester for the fact that he now devotes his life to Africa. Mark Schroeder is vice president of Africa analysis for in Austin, Texas. said the unforgettable experience “still permeates my life 20 years later.”

The reunion group surprised the Yoders by announcing they were donating over $2,300 in the Yoders’ honor to the .

Highlights of the weekend

This year’s Homecoming and Family Weekend also included reunions for all graduating classes ending in “4” and “9,” starting with 1964. Graduates from before that time, called “jubilee alumni,” met together for a reception and program.

EMU recognized three outstanding alumni during the weekend:

• . A pioneer in helping children with autism, he is longtime director of an autism clinic in Richmond, Virginia, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University. He earned two master’s degrees and then a PhD in psychology from Virginia Tech University.

• . His lifetime of Christian service included 10 years in Saigon during the Vietnam War, refugee work in Thailand and Honduras, pastoring churches, and victim-offender reconciliation. He has a master’s degree in religious education from New York University.

• . Working as a hospital nurse, she quickly earned promotions, including director of the 150-employee emergency department at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. She has master’s degrees in both nursing and business administration from Case Western University.

EMU inducted two 2004 graduates into the Athletics Hall of Honor – Ellie Lind Holsopple in women’s soccer and Kristin Moyer Vasey in field hockey.

Other weekend events included a donor –appreciation banquet for 375 guests, a one-man theatrical presentation of C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, an organ concert by recently-retired professor John Fast, a Sunday-morning worship service, an art exhibit opening, four intercollegiate games, tours of two renovated facilities, a panel discussion of retired science faculty, and departmental programs.

of Homecoming and Family Weekend events

During her early years as a nurse at several hospitals, Good’s leadership abilities were quickly noticed. She chose a challenging program at Case Western Reserve University, and in 2007, received dual master’s degrees in business administration and nursing. “EMU helped me develop all the essential skills for my time in graduate school,” she says. “The school curriculum was very rigorous and required us to develop strong study schedules, to work hard, to be organized and prepared.”

Several years ago, Good was promoted to director of the 150-employee emergency department at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, which cared for 90,000 patients a year. She led her team to win the prestigious Lantern Award presented by the .

Good is now director of corporate education at Aultman. As she moves into leadership positions and away from frontline patient care, she still draws on the philosophy of whole-patient care she learned at EMU. “Consistently, throughout the curriculum, we were reminded that we weren’t just caring for a specific disease or injury.

“The patient’s physical, mental, and spiritual health were all part of the disease and healing process,” says Good. “In my present role, I can’t just focus on the financials or the more business-related aspects of the job. In order to be most successful, I must make room for the heart.”

Her caring heart has led Good to participate in service trips to Liberia and Puerto Rico. “I went to Liberia as a result of attending the a few years ago when .  I attended about every event where she was present or spoke. I was so inspired. A few months later, when I learned a group from was planning a trip to Liberia, I asked to go. Learning to know the girls at was a wonderful mentoring experience.”

Good is a sponsor of her church’s youth group and traveled with them to Puerto Rico on a mission trip. “The biggest takeaway I had from that trip was how amazing our youth are,” she says. “We hear a lot about the youth in our country and how bad they can be. But we really should be thankful for and proud of our youth and how they represent the Mennonite church.”

Good serves on the board of the Domestic Violence Shelter of Stark County, Ohio, volunteers for Meals on Wheels and has served as a mentor in the , to name just a few of her civic activities.

“My EMU semester to the Middle East changed my life forever,” says Good. “I just can’t sit still anymore! While on cross-cultural, we moved about every two weeks to a different city or town. A fellow student commented, ‘What are we going to do when we get back to the States, and we aren’t moving every two weeks?’ I feel like I haven’t stopped moving since!”

Good will be honored with the Outstanding Young Alum award during Homecoming and Family Weekend 2014 at EMU, Oct. 10-12. Celebrations include: class reunions for years ending in “4” and “9”; community picnic on Saturday, Oct. 11, for all members of the EMU community; sporting events; !