“The department welcomes all students to ask hard questions, challenge themselves academically, and push further towards understanding themselves and the world around them.”
Sophie chose to major in Religion because of its opportunities to enter various areas of study and to deepen her personal understanding and worldview, while also being able to further understand the views of other people around the world.
Within the Religion Department, Sophie appreciates the challenges that faculty provide students that encourage them to ask difficult questions. Sophie has also found a community within the Religion Department that she describes as, “highly academic, supportive, and open to inquiry.”
Throughout her time in the department, Sophie has been able to develop closer relationships with professors and get to know them on a personal level, saying that her relationship with one of her professors, “has developed over time from one of strictly ‘my advisor tells me I can register for classes’ to one that is more reflective of a deeply impactful mentorship.”
Sophie has also appreciated opportunities to do experiential learning with the department outside of the classroom. This includes doing archival research at the Covenant Church Archives in Chicago, presenting research in Wisconsin, and studying abroad in Sweden. These experiences, along with the environment of the Religion Department, make Sophie feel that her vocational development has been greatly supported, saying, “The department places great importance on vocation in a way that assists students in their discernment at each stage of their college career.”
Outside of her work within the Religion Department, Sophie is also involved on campus with Christ Chapel Ringers, Viking Society, Theta Alpha Kappa Religion Honors Society, and Phi Beta Kappa.