Family Consumer Sciences - Individual and Family Development

Christine Miller

Since October 2006, I have had the amazing opportunity to travel as a volunteer chaperone with the African Children's Choir, accompanying 26 children around the U.S. and Canada. The African Children's Choir (ACC) seeks to help Africa's most vulnerable children break out of poverty through education. Money is raised from the touring and performing for audiences around the world; the money is used not only for various educational programs, which include around 7,000 children, throughout Africa but also to support the choir children through university level. It is the hope of ACC that through this support, the children will grow up to become leaders in their communities and in turn help Africa tomorrow.

Because of my college education at Seattle Pacific, and more specifically because of the Family and Consumer Sciences Department, I graduated with a feeling that I wanted to do something out of my comfort zone. The FCS core classes I took got me thinking about my role in society and the world and how I could help make a change to better the welfare and safety of others. Two months after graduation, I attended an ACC concert for the first time and found myself drawn to the mission of the organization; I believe it is in part because it parallels that of FCS, offering hope to individuals and families.

So when I heard God's call to travel as a chaperone, teacher, and advocate, it felt natural to step into the role. Not only did my classes stir the desire in me to do this type of work, but also taught me a lot that has proved to be helpful along the way while working with children and a team of adults! My four years in the FCS department was a very valuable experience.

Rashanah Botley

I had an amazing experience as an Individual and Family Development major. Being a part of this major gave me the opportunity to study a topic that I'm extremely passionate about: how to nurture healthy human development. The interdisciplinary nature of this major allowed me to capture a holistic snapshot of the many areas that are critical to development. As the product of a family that put an emphasis on the importance of education, I found myself focusing on how education plays a role in development, particularly for minorities.

The knowledge I gained as an Individual and Family Development major prepared me to step into my current role as the Director of MESA (Math, Engineering, and Science Achievement) at Edmonds Community College. The MESA program is designed to guide, support, and promote academic and career success among low-income community college students. The program is particularly concerned with providing underrepresented student populations, such as women and minorities an opportunity to excel in these areas of study. My knowledge of development, social services, and education that I gained as an Individual and Family Development major have prepared me to nurture and respond to my students needs holistically and with confidence.

While I have been blessed to find a great career, I plan to go to graduate school to further my knowledge. I plan to return to school to pursue a M.S. in the Cultural Foundations of Education. This masters program will allow me to study the connection between education and culture and how this connection can be used to promote education among minorities. After completing my masters degree, I intend to pursue a doctoral degree. It is my ultimate dream to become a respected voice and advocate for minority education; I want to "Engage the culture and change the World" one diploma at a time. I will forever be grateful for my experience as an Individual and Family Development major for planting the seeds of my dream.