A Christmas Greeting from Student Mae Mae Johnson '13

Posted December 13, 2012

As Christmas draws near and the end of my time at Covenant comes to a close, my mind is wandering back over the last four years, as well as to the time before I came to Covenant. Despite financial hardship and deep grief, I am so thankful for God’s steadfast faithfulness throughout my life.

I came to Covenant because my high school Bible teacher and his wife could not say enough about the school. They prodded me to visit Covenant, and after some time I conceded. When I reached the top of the mountain, I found the view to be incredible, but it was the people I met who took my breath away—there was an undeniable love I saw among the students, faculty, and staff. I knew in an instant that if I could work it out financially, I would go to this school.

Working through money problems was not a new experience. When I was in fourth grade, my parents, four siblings, and I found that we were staring financial problems in the face. Help from my generous grandparents enabled us to stay in our Christian school, and with help from our church, we made ends meet each month.

Alumni Profile: Sam White '98

Posted November 30, 2012

In 2001 Sam and Jessica Colvert White ’97 moved to the Washington, D.C., area and were amazed at how God opened doors of opportunities. Sam was offered a job within days of arriving in D.C., leading to a five-year career on staff in the U.S. House of Representatives and culminating in a position on the House Intelligence Committee. After his time on Capitol Hill, Sam joined the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

Sam’s job has led him to some pretty interesting places and assignments. He spent six months in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2009 where he led a team of about thirty analysts and investigators looking at terrorist groups such as al-Qaida. Their mission was to figure out the money trail and help stop the flow of money. Sam’s most recent adventure was analyzing information confiscated during the raid targeting Osama bin Laden.

A Christmas Greeting from Student Todd Fleming '12

Posted December 19, 2011

Dear friends of Covenant College,

Hot chocolate, a fire in the fireplace, and time with family signal that Christmas is almost here, but it also means that I only have one more semester until I enter the land of the grownups. Several questions arise when I assess my life at this point. Where is the Lord leading me? Where has the Lord already led me? Will the world be able to harness the vessel of pure talent headed its way? Well, maybe not so much that last question, but having a dramatic change on my horizon causes me to pray diligently about where I've been and where I'm going.

Being the sixth child of eight siblings is where my story begins.

Alumni Profile: Christy Norwood '03

Posted September 30, 2011

Christy Norwood ’03 grew up as a military “brat” who traveled the world, moving every year and a half. She’s had many people of different cultures and ethnicities cross her path, but it was ten minutes during a five-day mission trip to urban Atlanta when she “met a little girl with a soft voice and big brown eyes.” Her tear-filled eyes and pleas to be taken along haunt Christy to this day; it was that day that Christy found her calling and passion. “This little diaper-clad toddler in an instant changed my dreams of becoming a battling lawyer to an inner-city dweller, but I didn’t know how to make that a reality until one day I received a flier in the mail about a new community development program at Covenant College on top of Lookout Mountain, Georgia,” says Christy.

Today Christy is a community organizer/urban planner working in the community development wing of Charis Community Housing, and her job description is long and varied.

Alumni Profile: Rob Peck '99

Posted May 13, 2011

The reality of death is a daily challenge for Covenant alumnus Dr. Rob Peck ’99 as he teaches and practices medicine in the resource-limited country of Tanzania. With only one physician per 50,000, Tanzania has the lowest ratio of physicians to patients in the world. Of the nearly 40 million people living in Tanzania, approximately 34 million will never see a doctor in their lifetime.

Rob is based at the Bugando Medical Center where he is a Weill Cornell faculty member. For the students who come to learn at Bugando, the mortality rate from preventable diseases is shocking and it should be shocking, says Rob. “It should be shocking because it is something that should not occur in this world,” he says. “But I always tell my students, this is part of the learning experience; this is part of understanding medicine in Africa. The hope is that it will motivate them to try to do something about it – to try to make a difference.”

Alumni Profile: Amanda Levi Ross '98

Posted February 28, 2011

Covenant alumna Amanda Levi Ross ’98 lives in a city named the “City of Kings” by the Spaniards who built it in 1535; now 54% of its over 7,000,000 people live in poverty. Amanda’s ministry of mercy focuses on teenage girls who have been “robbed of their dignity, unloved, used and called trash as they are thrown back on the street corner.” She is the director of the Gloria de la Casa (House of Glory), a home for pregnant teenagers and the babies born to them. She co-labors with people from the congregation of the Luz de Vida (Light of Life) church plant in Lima, Peru. Amanda and her husband, Jeremy ’97, are missionaries serving with Mission to the World.

The mission of House of Glory is to bring the light of the Gospel to this generation and the next by caring for these girls in a safe environment where they can personally experience the reconciling and transformational power of Christ for his glory and his kingdom. Amanda and her co-laborers want the lives of teen girls to be transformed through the unconditional love of Christ by caring for their spiritual, physical, and emotional needs in a house filled with his grace and mercy.

Amanda grew up in Miami, Florida, with a pastor for a dad, a high-school biology teacher for a mom, and as the oldest of five children.

A Christmas Greeting from Student Laurel Hoffman '11

Posted December 16, 2010

Merry Christmas from Lookout Mountain! Christmas always seems to be a season for reflection, and as my time at Covenant quickly comes to a close, I’ve spent some time reflecting on the past few years. I am amazed how the Lord has guided my path and used Covenant to bring me to where I am today.

My dad passed away in a tragic car accident when I was two years old, leaving my incredible mom to raise my sister Lindsay and me by herself. Thankfully, I came from a solid Christian family so grandparents, aunts, and uncles helped us in any way they could. My mom’s fervent faith and reliance on God served as a strong witness to me. Her prayer has always been Psalm 68:5, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”

Welcoming New Student Alumni

Posted December 13, 2010

The Alumni Association plays an important role at Covenant through networking, giving, and endorsing the College—and we just got some new members! With at least 33 credits earned, students from the sophomore class were newly received into the Alumni Association by Tim Mahla ’08, assistant director of young alumni.

Office for Advancement Christmas Schedule

Posted December 3, 2010

Covenant College's Office for Advancement will be closed Christmas Eve (Friday, December 24) through Tuesday, December 28, 2010.

The office will be open from 9:00-4:00 Wednesday-Friday, December 29-31.

Normal office hours resume on Monday, January 3, 2011.

You are welcome to call toll-free 800.574.6063 or e-mail advancement@covenant.edu should you have any questions or want to make a gift.

May you and your family have a joyful Christmas season celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Covenant Students Say "Thank You"

Posted November 23, 2010

A number of Covenant students were recently invited to a party just to say, “Thank you,” and all of them had at least one thing in common: they had received a scholarship funded by a specific donor. As the students sipped hot coffee and munched on delicious homemade cookies provided by faculty and staff, they wrote notes of appreciation to those who have made it possible for them to attend Covenant.

Hear what some of them had to say about their time at Covenant and what people giving to Covenant has meant to them.

“My work- study assignment is to call prospective students for the admissions office. Finances are often the top concern of high school students I call. I’m able to encourage students from personal experience by letting them know there are people who care enough to get them here if they’re serious about Covenant and its mission.” –Janessa Chupp ’13, community development

Alumni Profile: Alina Hansinger Kodatt '01

Posted November 3, 2010

What do you get when you take a young lady with a lively and ethnically diverse family background, mix in a lot of creativity, a Covenant College education, and top it off with a master’s in counseling? The answer is Alina Hansinger Kodatt’01, a thoughtful writer and artistic photographer with a worldview grounded in God’s word.

After graduation from Covenant with a major in English and minor in sociology, Alina Hansinger Kodatt ’01 received a master’s degree in counseling from Covenant Seminary. She and her husband, Matt, moved to California where she worked as an elementary school therapist before her daughter was born. “I absolutely loved working with children, combining both talk and play therapy in my sessions.” Alina, husband Matt ’01 and daughter Karis now live in Jacksonville, Florida, where Alina writes for the State of the Re:Union, an NPR radio program that explores how people are building community in their town.

Alumni Profile: Dave Garrett '82

Posted June 28, 2010

Dave Garrett ’82 spent the spare time during his senior year at Covenant cleaning swimming pools and working as a security guard at a townhouse complex, while living with his newlywed wife, Lilly ’82, in a small back-house apartment on Lookout Mountain.

Thirty years later, Dave looks back on a wealth of experience that includes executive leadership roles such as vice president of marketing for Frito-Lay, executive vice president of Camelot Communications, senior vice president of marketing for Brach’s Confections, and vice president of marketing for Mission Foods. And it all began with a degree in business from Covenant College and an entry-level marketing position at Proctor & Gamble. Now Dave is a partner at Trion LLC, a Dallas-based consultancy specializing in strategic partnering, business assessment, and growth opportunities.

Dave says Covenant prepared him well for the business world and for relational ministry within that sphere.

Alumni Profile: Shelmun Dashan '10

Posted May 27, 2010

Hailing from Chicago and Jos, Nigeria, Shelmun Dashan ’10 came to Covenant on a Maclellan Scholarship and began her studies in psychology. Having just graduated, she looks back on four years of growth stemming from various classes, relationships, and experiences—such as attending the Trials pre-law program at Harvard Law School and interning at Emmaus Ministries, a ministry to male prostitutes in Chicago.

What was the biggest area of growth for Shel during her time at Covenant?

BUILD Campaign Celebration Photos

Posted May 3, 2010

The Covenant College community gathered on April 30, 2010, to celebrate God's goodness to Covenant through the BUILD campaign.

Click here to see a photo album of the evening, which concluded with dancing to the music of Sweet Georgia Sound in Covenant's own Dottie Brock Gardens.