GraduationBethel College is proud of the Class of 2014. A total of 523 students participated in commencement ceremonies on May 3, including those from adult programs, traditional undergraduate and graduate programs. Here are just a few examples of how our graduates are accomplishing great things after Bethel.

Baker-Amy2AMY BAKER (Bluffton, Ind.), English and Economics

This past spring semester, Amy Baker completed an internship with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and was accepted to the American Enterprise Institutes’ Summer Institute. This six-week program at the American Enterprise Institute is fully funded and explores key public policy issues with leading thinkers on today’s issues. Past speakers at the institute include Ari Fleischer (former White House Press Secretary) and Paul Wolfowitz (former President of World Bank and Deputy Secretary of Defense). Baker is among the 25 students accepted this year from an application pool of more than 500, many from Ivy League schools.

Hiester2GARRETT HEISTER (Bremen, Ind.), Accounting and Business Administration

Garrett Heister has accepted an accounting position with Clunette Elevator Co. Inc. in Leesburg, Ind. Clunette is a family owned company and one of the largest agricultural retailers in northern Indiana. In the summers during his college tenure, Heister worked not in accounting or another related business department, but out in the fields. Yet, his hard work did not go unnoticed by the company. In fact, it led to a job offer and great future opportunities with Clunette.

Baker-Allison2ALLISON BAKER (Bellefontaine, Ohio), Philosophy and Theatre Arts

Allison Baker has been accepted in the MFA program in stage management at Wayne State University. This highly competitive program generally requires candidates have 1-2 years of professional experience prior to admission. Additionally, due to her success in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, she has been invited to attend a week at the prestigious Stagecraft Institute of Las Vegas (SILV) where she will go behind the scenes with Cirque du Soleil and work side-by-side with professionals in the industry.

Christenson2CASSIE CHRISTENSEN (Carol Stream, Ill.), Math

Cassie Christenson received some very prestigious honors over the course of her college career. She was selected her freshmen year by the Air Force as an Information Assurance Cyber Engineering (IACE) Program participant, one of only two freshmen ever selected. She was asked to return to the IACE Program in 2013 and work as a project manager, and then was recruited by Dr. Kamal Jabbour, a nationally-renowned expert on information assurance, for a research position at the Air Force Research Lab in Rome, NY. While working at the lab, she will pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics.

Hood2ALLEN HOOD (Union, Mich.), Human Services

There are two things you should know about Alan Hood: he earned his bachelor’s degree in human services with a gpa of 3.976 – and he’s legally blind. When he suddenly lost his sight five years ago, Hood resolved to not let his cane and blindness define him. After attending a school for the blind in Kalamazoo and earning an associate degree from Southwestern Michigan College, he enrolled at Bethel in January of 2013. Now, he’s going on to pursue a master’s degree in social work at Indiana University South Bend, with the goal of working with teens or senior citizens. He wants to make a difference in the community – something he’s already done by inspiring other Bethel students and staff members through his determination and positive outlook on life.