Each year, the Mid-America Union Conference’s OUTLOOK magazine invites students from across the region to share their experiences through personal essays that reflect the heart of Adventist education. These authentic stories offer a window into how our schools shape faith, character, resilience and purpose. The following selections highlight just a few of the powerful voices from the Rocky Mountain Conference whose journeys illustrate the profound mission of Adventist education and its enduring impact on students’ lives.
Across the Rocky Mountain Conference, students are experiencing Adventist education as more than academics. It is an environment that dignifies their stories, strengthens their faith, and calls them into purpose. Their voices reveal a truth we cannot ignore. When Christ is at the center, lives change.
For seventh grader Harper Drane, the impact was immediate. After hearing her friend describe her experience in public school, Harper realized what she had gained. “My teachers care, and they value you and your opinion,” she shares. “They always help, no matter how busy they are.”
In a world where young people often feel unseen, Harper has found belonging and guidance.
At Campion Academy, Lillian Resz stepped into a spiritual transformation she didn’t expect. Leaving a public school environment that had pulled her away from church, she discovered a community that brought her back to Jesus. “I now see education as something that helps me grow spiritually and learn real things about life,” she writes. “I view devotion, prayer and my relationship with God as a gift.”
Then there is Max Bicknell, whose journey from skepticism to baptism began with one unexpected moment during Week of Prayer. “I felt like a weight had been lifted off of me,” he remembers. That moment changed the trajectory of his life. “Adventist education helped me realize what I want to do with my life: lead others to Him.”
And beyond the classroom, Adventist education continues shaping lives. Luca Lu, a student who entered Youth Rush carrying “fear, anxiety and depression,” found God waiting for him at the door of a stranger’s home. After a long, discouraging day, his simple prayer was answered when he met a woman who spoke his language and bought every book he carried. “It wasn’t a coincidence,” he writes. “God had prepared that door for me.”
Through friendships, worship, and one powerful encounter, Luca discovered that mission is not about numbers. It is about revealing God’s love to people who need it most.
These students’ stories converge into one resounding message. Adventist education empowers and shapes students’ lives through Christ-centered learning so they can influence the world and fulfill God’s eternal purpose. Supporting this mission means investing in students who are finding faith, courage, identity and hope. These lives are being transformed. Their future impact will be immeasurable.
Diane Harris is education superintendent for the Rocky Mountain Conference.
