It's All a part of THE PLAN "What /Jove is that our field is so diverse on different ways you can help people. It is unique and limitless," graduate student Jake Severson said. H arding graduate programs attracted students from all over the United States, such as Jake Severson, from California State University in Long Beach, Calif., who came to pursue a master's degree in communication sciences and disorders. Severson graduated with a communication sciences and disorders degree from CSU but wanted to attend a private university for graduate school. "I really wanted missions to be a part of [graduate school], and Harding is one of the only universities for graduate school that offers speech-language pathology," Jake said. Severson's enthusiasm for Harding grew when he discovered the HIZ-PATH trip, a five-week summer program for graduate level speech-language pathology students in Zambia. When Jake visited campus with his new wife Kelsy, they discovered that a Starbucks would be opening soon. Kelsy was particularly interested because she had previously worked at a Starbucks for six years. During their visit, she met with the manager of the store and was hired as the opening supervisor. "Everything lined up according to God's plan," Jake said. "A year ago, I really couldn't tell you where Arkansas was on the map." Jake also served as the graduate assistant for the theatre department. He was recommended for the position by Dr. Daniel Tullos, program director and chair of communication sciences and disorders. Jake was excited to work "out of the box" in an unfamiliar department. Though initially nervous, Jake enjoyed the job and the people he worked with. Though the life of a graduate student could be stressful, Jake was consistently joyful. He was the only male in his class in the speechlanguage pathology program at the time, but he handled it well according to fellow graduate student Natalie Berrios. "He is very even-keeled and in the midst of panic is always pleasant, calm and kindly straightforward," Berrios said. Jake was thrilled to be in a Christian atmosphere, where faculty and students had close interpersonal relationships. According to Jake, at CSU, professors did not know their students' names, but Harding professors cared about their students, a difference that he treasured. He also loved being surrounded by people who shared his passion for speech pathology. "Getting the opportunity to help people communicate is a big thing," Jake said. "We are able to be a part of that process that God created to be so vital for humans' natural communication. That's why I enjoy it." Kimberly Miller Graduate Feature 1183
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