job of a · -- \\ et\me Overseas programs were a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most students. For senior Steven Chandler, however, opportunity knocked twice. Chandler was hired at the beginning of Nov. 2010 as the new assistant to the director. He began in the spring of 2011, joining HUG directors Mike and Beth James at the Artemis Hotel in Porto Rafti, Greece. "This is all just so surreal," Chandler said. "This is the sort of job I have been dreaming about, and now it is going to be real. I am really, really excited." Chandler graduated in December as a public relations and leadership and ministry major. He immediately began preparing for the JOb overseas, knowing his arrival one week before the students got there would leave him little time to adjust. "I am trying to memorize simple Greek terms while I am here," Chandler said. "I am also trying to freshen up on my Greek mythology. When Ifound out I got the job, I watched 'Hercules,' which is not exactly an accurate depiction, but it still got me excited." Chandler himself was a student on the HUG program in the summer of 2009, and he said it was there that he discovered a passion for Greece and its history. "Being a communications major, I love the concept of stories," Chandler said. "And so many stories have connections to Greek mythology and its history. And then when you travel to Israel and Egypt, with older histories, you finally see places that you have heard about your whole life. That is why I love the program, and that is where my passion stems from." Chandler sa1d he was also looking forward to working with Mike James, who was his professor when James was dean of the College of Communication. "Even before I heard about an opening in the assistant position, I was thrilled about Dr. James becoming the new director," Chandler said. "He is always a fun guy, and I will be working with him in just about everything." The International Programs Office agreed Chandler was an exceptional choice for the job. "Dr. [Jeff] Hopper, Dr. James and myself are all impressed with Steven and his character," Janis Ragsdale, Harding's International Programs administrator, said. "We are confident that he will do an outstanding job." Sophomore Kimmy Miller, a member of the HUG spring 2011 group, said Chandler and the group were getting along very well. "Steven is a great assistant because he also spent a semester at HUG so he can give us advice that no one else would,'' Miller said. "He's really easy to relate to because he's not that much older than us, but he also keeps us in line if he needs to." Taking on this new role in a foreign country without knowing the language would likely seem daunting to most, but Chandler said he was not worried. "I am not really nervous," Chandler said. "I was put in a lot leadership roles in high school and college, so I am really looking forward to mentoring and getting to know the students." john Mark Adkison who's who 245
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