Melissa Troutman (’18)

Melissa Troutman (’18) graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a Spanish minor. This fall, she’ll begin the Master of Spanish as a Second Language program in Spain at the University of Alicante. “My major not only showed me the need to engage my culture but also equipped me to do so meaningfully and biblically,” she says. “My minor made me bilingual and gave me a new life direction. At MBU, I learned many valuable lessons, both academic and spiritual, that I’m thrilled to pass on to others.”

Bridger (’17) and Hannah (Pill, ’13, ’15) Buchi

Bridger and Hannah Buchi live in South Bend, IN. Hannah graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and then with a master’s in Intercultural Studies. She currently works as a project coordinator for the audio/video team at Revive Our Hearts, the ministry of author Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth. Bridger received his bachelor’s degree in Communication Arts and is now employed as a field technician for Allegro, a home automation and entertainment system company. “Both my undergrad and grad school experiences at MBU taught me to evaluate cultural values, art, and belief systems based on Scripture,” Hannah says. Bridger adds, “My major, coupled with the leadership opportunities I was given as an RA and Dorm Sup, greatly challenged me to become a more effective communicator in my sphere of influence.”

Mark Zockoll (’11) 

Brian Mark Zockoll, a 2011 English graduate, reflects on his MBU experience: “A degree in English gave me a content-based, wide-open college experience. My professors knew me, students with similar values sat around me, and classics which best exemplified human nature were torn apart.” Brian completed a master’s in English and then a doctorate from the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. Looking back, he says, “I value most the ability I acquired at MBU to convey a Christian’s academic response in discussions of the secular.”