The following students received this top honor at Corban's 2015 Oregon Commencement Saturday, May 2, 2015.
Traditional Undergrad (tie): Emily Childers and Nathan McFadden
Adult Degree Program: Joi Leahy
Emily Childers
"All the Glory goes to Him." That is the conclusion of the video interview of this nominee, and this is what is seen through her life-all glory given to God.
She is a Health Science major who is pursuing a career in Physical Therapy. In the Science Department, she has demonstrated excellence across the spectrum. She strives for far more than the grade. She succeeds by using the intelligence God gave her, and the tendency to take her studies far deeper than the breadth of the syllabi. She has also given back to others by tutoring and even by teaching labs for the Scientific Inquiry: Life Sciences students.
She is also a runner who was one of 340 nationally recognized in November by the NAIA as a 2014 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
She is running the race, yet it is not for her glory but for her Lord. She came to Corban following the Lord's leading and here she has sought to lift others closer to God. With an endless desire, she encourages others to a closer walk. In her very humble way, she mentors other students so that they too may fix their vison on the Lord. One by one, she has touched the lives of those around her. As an athlete, as a student, and as a friend, she challenges others to walk with the Lord.
Nathan McFadden
Our second honoree is, in the words of one faculty member, someone on the campus who is "universally loved and respected." He is a purpose-driven Christian. He embraces the journey to reflect humility as a disciple of Jesus and his focus is to "serve well" in his interactions with people on campus. Mature Christians love God with all of their heart, soul, strength and mind. Nathan is an exemplar in an area where many of us fall short.
He loves to learn, and wrestles to gain knowledge mastery over wherever his curious mind takes him and he inspires others to do the same. He goes much deeper than the surface in his attempt to see things accurately and clearly and employs honest effort to bring the mind of Christ into his own mind as he interacts with our complex world.
Here you see a Corban student who serves as an example of what we want in one of our scholars. He blends real compassion along with some solid thinking. He is someone who is dependable and level-headed. He chooses words carefully and tries to gets to the heart of a matter. He is a precision speaker and writer. Furthermore, his academic work is excellent. One professor noted that he does "top level work, he sets the bar high and his insights are most impressive."
He has been an active leader off campus assisting on Martin Luther King Jr. Service Days. He participated on a Christian Missions team that went to Chicago in 2014. He has been a leader in youth group ministries at Salem Alliance Church. On our campus his is a highly respected resident assistant and this year was an assistant area coordinator who has effectively discipled and encouraged resident assistants.
Joi Leahy
Joi is the 2015 distinguished graduate from Corban's School of Professional Studies, our adult degree completion program. She graduated with a degree in Psychology: Family Studies. As a student in the program, aside from being an excellent student, she exhibited a high degree of care and empathy for God's children, both for their educational and spiritual welfare as well as their future after high school.
This caring attitude was specifically exemplified by her Independent Study Project that focused on preparing students for life after their teen years through an agency called Cascade Youth & Family Center, which is an organization focusing on prevention, intervention, and crisis services for adolescents and their families. As a part of her work there she was asked to help implement a new grant program entitled Project CLOUD which is a youth job advocacy program designed to prepare youth for careers and help them secure the tools they need for success. Most of the youth in this program have never created a resume, held a traditional job, had an interview or been exposed to job resources.
This Independent Study Project and being a psychology major at Corban University had a direct correlation to her being promoted to her current position as School-to-Career Manager at Mountain View High School in Bend, Oregon, where she continues to have a positive impact on youth and their families.