Penn State Christian Grads - Meet the Leadership

We all have a story about how we became the people we are today, and how we came to Penn State. To help give you a chance to get to know us a little bit better, the members of our leadership team have shared their stories below.

	Meet... Tracy Conklin Once upon a time... I was born into a Christian home in south Florida. I became a Christian at a very young age and grew up in the church. I attended a Christian school until I entered a public high school. Needless to say, I thought I knew what it meant to be a Christian. I was wrong. During my undergraduate studies at the University of Florida (Go Gators!) my faith was severely tested. I wrestled with questions like: Is the Bible true? Am I worthwhile? After experiencing a painful relationship I began to ask another question: Is God good? In the end I realized that despite my failures, God never failed me. I decided to enter graduate school... after I realized just how cool bugs were. I always liked playing outside and looking at leaves and dirt and insects under the magnifying glass. It didn’t take long for me to find my calling in entomology – it was clear to me that this is what God created me for. After completing my undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Entomology at Florida, I decided to go to Penn State to get my PhD. I’m currently having a serious love affair with honeybees. But... as exciting as my research is, I am constantly trying to scrape together the motivation to do the work. The old issue of self-esteem still plagues me as I look around at the other productive graduate students in my program. God is teaching me a lot about relationships too, allowing me to experience true Christian community and all of the challenges that come along with it.
	Meet... Jared Lee (President) Once upon a time... I grew up in a Christian home in Cumberland, Wisconsin's "Island City," and my Dad was a pastor for several years. I was homeschooled from 3rd through 8th grade, but attended a public high school. I went to undergrad at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, majoring in Physics, with most of my friends and roommates being either non-Christian or openly hostile to Christianity, and for awhile I mostly tried to go it alone in my Christian walk. Midway through my junior year at Gustavus, however, I reached a bit of a breaking point with how my life was going, and began seeking out Christian fellowship on campus. That "practice" served me very well when I studied abroad for a semester at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, where I found a solid Bible study group (Monash Christian Union) and really came alive in my faith. Now I'm at Penn State, found PSCG, and am also active in my church here in State College. I decided to enter graduate school... when I was in high school, believe it or not. I've been interested in weather since I was 5 years old, and once I chose to go to GAC for Physics, I knew I wanted to go to graduate school for Meteorology/Atmospheric Science. Penn State is one of the best schools in the world for Meteorology, and I felt like this was where God was leading me when I was doing my grad school search. But... while it's certainly encouraging to be around some fellow Christian grad students, it's tough to get many of my other friends interested in talking seriously about Christianity or spiritual things at all. I always hope that I'm not missing chances to witness to my friends or plant seeds, but it's hard to know sometimes when it's best to speak up and when it's best to keep quiet. I struggle with that, and pray that God changes the heart of my non-Christian friends.
	Meet... Dan Schmehl Once upon a time... I grew up in Lancaster, PA, and was raised in a Christian family. I attended Lancaster Christian School from 3rd-12th grade and began my undergraduate education at Messiah College in Grantham, PA, where I received my B.S. in Biology. I was surrounded by Christians all throughout my life to this point and it was a very comfortable place spiritually. It was easy for me to continue believing what my family taught me over the years, however despite asking Jesus to be my savior very early in my life, I truly learned what it meant to be a Christian during my junior year of my undergrad. At this time, I was diving deep into the world of biology and I truly was touched by God’s amazing creativity and love for creation. And if He cares this much for all of creation, how much more does He care for us who were created in His image! During this time, I also developed a deep desire and passion to teach others about His creation and the intricate beauty of everything around us! I decided to enter graduate school... the minute I decided to switch my undergraduate degree from Mechanical Engineering to Biology freshman year. However at this point, there was no reason to go to graduate school beyond the fact that I did not want to be a lab technician my whole life. Yet as school progressed and I learned more about God’s elaborate creation around every corner, there was no doubt that God was calling me to further my education in graduate school where I am pursuing a degree in entomology. I love living life on the edge- that is why I chose to study the amazing world of honeybees… What other animal can tell you the distance, direction, quantity, and quality of a food source through a dance in the dark?!? But... I never thought God would give me such a heart for my non-Christian classmates and labmates. I love the encouragement and fellowship with my numerous Christian friends in State College, however God has drawn me into amazing relationships with non-Christians that I am very grateful to have. I have no doubt that I was placed here at for a strategic purpose for showing God’s love to those around me, and I pray that this is my main focus while pursuing my PhD degree. I desire to show God’s love through the way I live my life despite my failures, and allow God to use these friendships and interactions to bring about conversations and transformations within people’s lives. My daily prayer is Jeremiah 29:11-13… If we seek God with all of our heart, God will use each and every one of us for great things.
	Meet... Katie Tenny Once upon a time... I lived in a land far far away called Bellevue, WA. During high school I found out about this guy named Jesus and was intrigued by him. After graduating high school, I packed up and headed out to York College in Nebraska. It was a Christian college that changed my life. At this point I really learned how to follow Jesus while being surrounded by people who cared about me. While at York I double majored in Psychology and Education, and minored in Religious Studies. I also played softball and was involved in campus ministries. After graduating from York I worked as an admissions counselor for two years while I decided what my next step would be. I decided to enter graduate school... I was pretty positive that I wanted to be a school counselor. Up to this point I was considering it, but wasn’t quite sure that was the direction I wanted to go in. I began looking into programs and randomly happened upon Penn State’s website. The more I looked at what the program offered and its core values, the more certain I became of wanting to be here. The College of Education also offered a dual-title degree in Comparative and International Education which sealed the deal for me. I really think that God has led me to Penn State for a reason and has put things in place more perfectly for me than I ever could have fashioned on my own. He has continuously blessed my time here. But... Getting a Master’s degree is hard work and takes up a lot of time. I have found that I do not have time to be involved in even half of the things I would like to be involved in. Sometimes I think this stifles the effectiveness of God’s work in my life. There is so much I want to do here, yet not much time. The challenge for me is to maintain a balance in my life and to try my best to keep God at the forefront of my life despite the busyness and requirements of graduate school.
	Meet... Brendaly Drayton (ex officio member of Servant Leader Team) Once upon a time... I set out upon a journey which took me from the beautiful island of Barbados to Brooklyn, NY. Although it was a foreign land, it was not so foreign because East Flatbush carried the tastes, the smells and the culture of the West Indies. My journey introduced me to a personal relationship with Jesus, took me to Vassar College where I majored in History, then into the sales and marketing industry for several years, and now here to Penn State to acquire my doctoral degree in Adult Education with a focus on language and literacy. In the process of my journey I have learned the difference between Christianity as religion and Christianity as relationship, and that God is bigger and His love is greater than I can ever imagine. My experiences have taught me that He is truly my Father and my Provider. So I look to the future with expectation and excitement grounded in Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 3:20 and 1 Corinthians 2:9. So I conclude with the words of Elizabeth Barrett Browning: “God’s plans put man’s dreams to shame.”
	Meet... Kerrie Long (part-time staff with Campus Crusade) Once upon a time... I lived in New England. It was great place to live. I could drive to the beach or the mountains. But New England is not exactly a haven for Christianity. As a child I had a certain amount of religious education but I never believed it. Fast forward to a few years out of college. I was just beginning my career and my future looked bright. I worked hard and I played hard. By the world’s standards I was very successful. But I wasn’t satisfied. The party scene did not bring me joy. Neither did the car or the sweet apartment on the harbor. My life lacked purpose and I knew it. Desperate for a change, I decided to apply to graduate school. But... I had no idea what God had in store for me. The move to Pennsylvania brought with it the challenges of graduate school, the end of another relationship, and this time I didn’t have my support network. My life was in shambles and I was completely alone. Though I wouldn’t have admitted it at the time I began to desperately seek God. I started going to church to fill the emptiness but it didn’t help. Then one day a classmate asked if I would like to go to PSCG Bible study. With much hesitation I decided to go. It was there that I first learned what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. After several months of attending Bible studies, I realized that I believed. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that God desired a relationship with me. From then on God began to transform my life. The growing process has not always been easy and I am in constant need of God’s grace but my life has a purpose and direction now. I decided to enter ministry when... I went on vacation by myself. God can do amazing things when you break from your routine and allow him to work in your heart. Armed with some books and no agenda I set off for Vermont one summer. It was there that the Holy Spirit brought to my attention that I had no personal ministry. I had spent my early Christian years being fed by my church and community but thinking that I had very little to offer them. God impressed upon the importance of not only loving and encouraging my fellow Christians but also the need to reach out to those who are lost and hurting like I was.