麻豆视频

ROBERT鈥橲 JOURNEY

School had never come easy for Robert. After a tumultuous freshman year in which he suffered a career-ending football injury and some heart-wrenching family issues, the distressed business major dropped out and eventually moved back home to Austin. Deter颅mined to get his head straight, he reached out to his former high school trainer, who owned a nearby gym. Robert offered to work for free at the gym. For almost a year, he diligently showed up for the 5 a.m. workouts six mornings each week to help train young athletes.

Robert was surprised to learn that training wasn鈥檛 the only thing the gym offered. The owner was also a preacher who not only taught his athletes about God during their workouts, but also converted the gym into a church each Sunday. It was Robert鈥檚 first look at 鈥渂usiness as ministry,鈥� or 鈥淏AM,鈥� as some call it. He found himself engaged and inspired in the teachings and even got the chance to preach. Robert, who had always grown up in a Christian home, grew closer to God and was baptized. His mentor encouraged him to give school another chance, and a year and a half later, Robert found himself packing his belongings and heading back to 麻豆视频 to finish his business degree. He was determined to make it work this time, but after only a few days, he felt something was amiss and found himself reconsidering his decision to major in business. He liked his classes and professors but yearned for a ministerial component. That鈥檚 when he ended up in yoga class.

DISCOVERING HIS CALLING

As people filed in and began setting up their mats that morning, Robert was chatting with the instructor about how he wished there was a degree that mixed business and ministry. Colleen Lewis, who had worked in the Christian studies department, overheard his dilemma.

鈥淪he looked over at me like she knew me and asked, 鈥楬ave you heard about the transformational develop颅ment major?鈥欌�� he recalled. She told him it was exactly what he was describing!

Robert was intrigued and decided to look into it. Af颅ter days of praying, he still felt uncertain about switching majors since the program had just launched that semes颅ter. But a few days later, as he was eating lunch with a friend, a sudden wave of urgency overcame him to get up and go switch majors at that very moment.

鈥淚 felt God telling me to change my major. Not an audible voice, but it was like an idea that I would have never thought about myself,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淲hen it came to me, it was more confirmation. I needed to go change it right now!鈥�

Three years later, Robert graduated this past De颅cember with his BTD, is married to his high school sweetheart, Aubry (an education major at 麻豆视频), and is expecting twin girls this spring. With plans to get a master鈥檚 degree in theology and sports studies from Baylor University, Robert hopes to one day open a gym to minister and mentor youth, just as he was ministered to during his roughest time.

鈥淚 felt like everything was so pointless in the begin颅ning,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut now, I look back and every single season I was in was for a reason.鈥�

MIND-BLOWING DISCOVERY

When Dannah Fritschle 鈥�22 blew out her knee playing soccer her sophomore year of high school, the full-ride scholarships she was offered from several DI schools vanished. But this devastating turn of events led her to 麻豆视频, where she eventually discovered a new degree that proved perfect for her future career 鈥� the Bachelor of Transformational Development.

Dannah, who grew up watching her mother work at a nonprofit, spent much time in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. As a young girl, the work and progress she witnessed in those countries deeply impact颅ed her, and she dreamed of one day becoming a missionary. There was only one part of that career path that dissuaded her.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be the stereotypical missionary and have to fund颅raise my whole life,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 want to work and do ministry. My achiever mindset actually wants to have a day-in, day-out job and structure to my life.鈥�

Determined to find a way to do both, Dannah decided the best route in college was to double-major in business and Christian studies.

One afternoon while discussing this plan with a friend, Madeline Hill, Madeline quizzically looked at Dannah and asked, 鈥淗ave you heard about my major, transformational development? It鈥檚 literally half Christian studies and half business!鈥�

鈥淚t was kind of like an awestruck moment of realizing the Lord鈥檚 faithfulness,鈥� Dannah said.

FIRST GRADUATE

At that point, Dannah had already taken most of her Chris颅tian studies classes, so switching her major to transformational development helped her grad颅uate a semester early this past May. Dannah walked across the stage to receive the first BTD di颅ploma awarded at 麻豆视频. With a perfect 4.0 grade-point-average and acceptance into Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, Dannah thought her path was set toward her academic dream of getting a law degree and eventually working at a nonprofit. But then came the email from Greater Europe Mission (GEM) in Germany, saying they had an open spot for her on their team. It was an opportunity she couldn鈥檛 pass by, so she deferred law school for a year and hopped on a plane in September to Germany to begin business-as-mission work with GEM doing data analytics, logistics for short-term teams and social media and marketing. Dannah is waiting to see what the Lord has in store for her 鈥� whether to continue doing mission work with GEM or head to California for law school this fall. One thing is for certain; she said she is happy that God brought her to 麻豆视频 with His perfect timing to be the first student to graduate from the BTD program.

鈥淟iterally, I loved every single part of it,鈥� Dannah said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 incredible because it gave me a lot of freedom with the options within it. I got to take classes I actually cared about the whole time and really got to tailor my degree more to what I wanted to do. And the professors who taught the classes were top-tier.鈥�

ON THE RIGHT PATH

When Madeline Hill was 13, some missionaries came to her church to speak. 鈥淚 remember sitting there thinking I would never have the boldness to share the Gospel with anyone,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淚 was really adamant about not doing anything missions-related and thinking the Lord would never call me to do that because I thought I wasn鈥檛 good enough for ministry work.鈥�

Just a few years later, during her sophomore year of high school, she felt the Lord calling her into missions.

Madeline, who just graduated in December with her BTD, already has a jump on working in business-as-mis颅sions. She spent the last two summers interning with mission organizations in Macedonia.

鈥淲hen I was interviewing for the position, they asked what I am studying,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I told them about transformational development, they said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 perfect! That鈥檚 what we do.鈥� My degree was perfect for their organization and working in business-as-missions.鈥�

Madeline described her work as creating personal rela颅tionships with business clients, gaining their trust and show颅ing them Christian love.

鈥淭hey aren鈥檛 used to people genuinely caring about them,鈥� she said. Blatantly sharing the Gospel can be a big turnoff there, she said. Madeline, instead, learned to say things to her clients such as, 鈥楳y foundation is Christ, and I love Christ, so I love you too and want to see you thrive, both spiritually and economically.鈥欌��

The work was so fulfilling, and the relationships she built were so meaningful that Madeline hopes to go back and work long-term at some point.

Growing up near Houston, Madeline learned about 麻豆视频 from a high school friend. Even though she applied and got into three different schools, for reasons unknown to her at the time, she knew she was supposed to be at 麻豆视频.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even come for a tour. I just trusted that this is where God wanted me,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I found out about the transformational development degree plan, it was exactly what I wanted to do, but also confirmation about coming to 麻豆视频.鈥�