The RDs: Time to “Go Everywhere”

By Harvey Brow – Horizon Sports Editor

If you wander through the nest on any given day, you might hear someone call out the name, “Janine.” She might be short in stature but she’s a colossal source of good advice. She always has an extra dose of caring to give out.  Janine has earned a spot in many of the students’ hearts and she has done a great job of bridging gap between being an RD to being a friend.  Janine says she has had a great time here at Hesston and has learned a lot about herself and what she is capable of.  But it’s time to move on. She made the decision over Christmas break to step away from her job as a RD now, go everywhere.

She says she’s still struggling to articulate what the transition means.

“To put it into words is difficult, but to smile and be excited about it is easy,” she said.

Janine is heading back to San Antonio, Texas, a place she had previously lived for four years while teaching high school Spanish.  It was there, she said, that she found her niche of friends. Now she can’t wait to reconnect with them.

While she’s not exactly sure what’s in store for her in San Antonio, she says her experience at Hesston will help her make that next career step.

“I am going to miss it here and the friendships I have formed but I know this job has prepared me for so much more,” she said. “Regardless of what job I get I will always be working with people.”

Having the privilege of doing this interview only strengthened my friendship with Janine, and I know for a fact Janine isn’t the only one that is going to be missing those late night hangouts in her apartments. I think I can speak for the majority of the student body when I say Janine will be missed.

Janine isn’t the only RD leaving Hesston, though. Over in Kauffman Court Shane Miller is preparing his departure as well.  In my book there are three levels of awesome, and Shane is definitely on level four. Whether it’s roasting coffee beans for his own homemade brew, or roasting some student’s butt in a friendly game of Bocce Ball, he’s always wearing that smile. His demeanor is one of utter chill with a dash of authority, making him not only a great RD, but also a friend.

I managed to grab a bite of Shane’s time and interview him while we strolled across campus.  When I pressed him about his future plans, he chuckled a little bit, saying, “Harvey, I don’t really know. Either Lancaster, Pennsylvania or Hutchison, Kansas.”

Shane said that working for John Deere in the near future is a possibility. He would love to be around agriculture again. After all, he grew up on a farm; but the means just aren’t there for him to hitch up the tractor and start farming for his dad.

Like Janine, Shane said this job has provided an outstanding platform to prepare him for other jobs in the future. Learning to communicate with everybody campus has been a huge plus, because he knows that he can communicate with all different types of individuals.

Even though Shane will miss Hesston College, he is also excited to see where his journey takes him. He’s grateful for both the ups and the downs of the RD job.

“I’m not just going to miss the relationships I built, but also the confrontations,” he said. “I learned from them.”

I’m not sure what size of shoe Shane wears. I didn’t have the chance to ask him, but no matter what, he sure is leaving a big pair to fill.

Both of these RDs will be missed greatly, but Hesston College is a better place because of them. They both have gone beyond what their job entails and it is because of that they are respected and loved. On the behalf of Hesston College I would like to say thank you for being great RDs and good luck on going EVERYWHERE.

 

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