Faculty Mentors Who Embody Love of Neighbor

By Bridget Hall

Posted January 16, 2019

Bridget is a 3rd-year MDiv student from Greensboro, North Carolina. She is the 3rd-year MDiv representative for Candler's student government association C3, as well as secretary for the Candler International Student Association (CISA). Bridget has served with the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools Program for over six years at local sites in Greensboro and Atlanta. Currently she is actively serving as an Ella Baker Trainer for the CDF Freedom School.

There are moments when the pursuit of higher education can become emotionally and mentally challenging. One can feel exhausted or even question if the endeavor is still worth the effort and sacrifice. In my own journey I have found myself challenged with trying to balance motherhood, work, and being a student. My family and friends often ask, “How do you maintain your life like this?” The formula for my success thus far is owed to the examples that are set by my community.

I have been blessed with strong family support, incredible friends, and the phenomenal faculty here at Candler. Specifically, the faculty has given me extra support outside of the classroom to ensure my personal and professional success after graduation. I have recently begun to take more advantage of the resources and expertise from my professors. As a result, I am more confident than ever in my next steps academically and professionally. Though the pursuit of my education is taxing, the assistance that the faculty provides gives me the ability to finish with renewed strength and confidence.

The faculty at Candler include exceptional scholars who have made an impressionable mark on my journey as a future teacher and minister. The care, concern, and mentorship of professors such as Dr. Nichole Phillips, Dr. Ellen Ott Marshall, and Dr. Gregory Ellison II—who teach with an intentional pedagogy of presence and liberation inside and outside of the classroom—are invaluable to my growth and development as a future minister and scholar. It has been in their courses where the relationship between theory and practice came alive for me. Witnessing professors who embody the love of neighbor through teaching, listening, and advising exemplifies the actions that I hope to live out in ministry and in life.