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You Never Know Where Your Roberts Experience Will Lead You – Beka Watts ’08 (English)
Beka Watts ’08 (English) didn’t have a typical start to her Roberts experience. She remembers being “not all that enthusiastic” on her way to Rochester from the Albany area. In fact, by not all that enthusiastic, she really means that she cried the entire four-hour drive to N. Chili on Move-In day. That’s a rough beginning. But, fortunately, it got much better from there (as evidenced by the fact that she spent two years working in Admissions and also as a Resident Director after graduating).
When asked how Roberts had made an impact on her, this was Beka’s response, “I doubt there is any aspect of my life today that hasn't been influenced by Roberts. I changed my major from elementary education to English in the second semester of my junior year; it was a change that would become symbolic of the overall impact of my Roberts education. Roberts as a whole -- faculty, staff, friends, courses, experiences -- taught me to trust who I was made to be and what I was made to do, even (and usually, especially) when it fell in the ‘unconventional’ category. I learned to serve the Lord simply by doing what I love, and doing it with excellence, and that is a lesson that has served me very well ever since.”
Faculty like Dr. Hurley taught her that it's ok to have fun while learning something challenging. Dr. Quinlan taught her how to be a girl with well-formed thoughts and opinions. Dr. Caton taught her the value of working harder than you want to. Dr. Stewart taught her to stand up and speak. Dr. VandeBrake taught her that if it's wrong to be grammatically correct, “I don’t want to be right.”
All of those lessons and experiences have led to a life full of diverse experiences. Currently, Beka works as a Content Coordinator for CURE International. CURE is a non-profit organization that heals kids with physical disabilities and shares the Gospel with them and their families.
Beka gets to talk about her work through social media, blogging, and other written forms of communication. She also travels as part of the media team, doing videography and interviews at CURE International hospitals and programs in 30 countries around the world. Beka has had the opportunity to meet a lot of incredible people and tell many amazing stories. She is truly grateful for the opportunity she has been given.
For more information on CURE International click here.