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September 21, 2018

Alumni Spotlight: Interview with Tiffany Dawn ’07 (Music)

Tiffany Dawn ’07 (Music) experienced a transformation while at Roberts.  Since graduating, she has taken her experiences and has tried to help as many people as she can.  For years, Tiffany struggled with body image issues, disorder eating, and the emotional effects of a damaging relationship.  Thankfully, during Tiffany’s time at Roberts God worked in her life through faculty and friends to help her overcome and be an inspiration to others.  Tiffany is married to her husband, James, and they are expecting their first child any day!  Let’s hear a bit more about Tiffany in her own words.

What brought you to Roberts?

Funny story. What brought me to Roberts was actually breaking up with an ex-boyfriend! I had already spent two years at a community college and planned to transfer to another college in my hometown, but when the relationship with my ex ended, I just had to get away. Roberts was one of several schools I applied to, and then auditioned for the music program only a month before school started that fall. It was a spontaneous and last-minute decision, but had some really positive long-term outcomes.

How did your experience at Roberts shape your life and career path? 

As a student: When I came to Roberts, I was really struggling with body image issues and disordered eating. I was consumed with my insecurities; they were all I could think about. And that’s when God began doing some really deep work in my heart. I’ll never forget my Old Testament class during my first semester at Roberts. I was so annoyed that I had to take the class, since I transferred in as a junior and felt like it was a waste of time. But the professor offered extra credit to anyone who read the entire OT that semester, and being the definition of an over-achiever, I took him up on the offer. Each day I’d sit down in my room and read 12 chapters. I’d read through the Bible before, but it was different this time. This time, as I was questioning my faith and identity, God started pointing out all these beautiful nuggets hidden in the familiar stories, speaking to me about right where I was, even through the most boring passages! Some days I’d end up sitting on the floor of my dorm room and balling my eyes out before God, and just feeling for the first time like He loved me as me, even though I didn’t feel like I deserved any of His love. Even though I grew up as a Christian, I think that was the first time I started realizing that God loved me not because I was good enough, but because I was His daughter. That’s a lesson He continues to teach me, a lesson that has changed my entire life.

Post-graduation: Roberts was also a huge support for me as I began moving into the work I felt God had for me to do. I can’t imagine another school providing the opportunities Roberts did. After I graduated, they welcomed me back to speak in chapel several times. They wrote recommendations for my ministry. They even sponsored some of my speaking events! It was amazing to be able to graduate and then have a partnership with my alma mater. That’s something you don’t hear about every day.

Describe your current vocation and the way God is working in your life.

I am a YouTuber and author. I’ve spent the past several years traveling around the US on “homemade” speaking tours, talking about self-image and healthy dating relationships. While I’ve cried over the stories I’ve heard of how this has touched other people’s lives, the most amazing part of it has been what God has taught me. Over and over I feel like He’s shown me, “Tiffany, I’m more concerned with your heart than I am with anything you do for me. I just want your heart. You have nothing to earn and nothing to prove; I love you.” It’s changed my life on a very personal level, and taught me how to rest in His love, instead of trying to earn His favor by what I do for Him.

A couple years ago, I started feeling tired from being on the road so much and felt like God was putting on my heart that I should begin cutting back on speaking engagements and begin a YouTube channel. I remember starting the channel and God putting on my heart to pray for 400 subscribers that first year. I thought, “Just 400? After doing weekly videos for an entire year? I’d prefer at least a thousand!” But that was the number on my heart, and so I started praying for it. And once again God kept putting on my heart that it wasn’t about the numbers, it wasn’t about what I was doing for Him—it was all about my heart. That’s what He wanted: my whole heart. And He would do whatever it took to keep my heart. And sure enough, on New Year’s Eve 2016, I got my 400th subscriber. So far this year, I’m a little over 25,000 subscribers. We’ll see what God has in store next.

Describe a person/professor at Roberts who made an impact on you.

There were so many, but the former President and Mrs. Martin are some of the first to come to mind. When they heard about the dreams in my heart as a student—to speak and write books—they began brainstorming how to help make that happen. After I graduated, I was able to come back and speak in chapel at Roberts a couple times, and President Martin wrote me a glowing recommendation to put on my website. Even after they retired and moved to Texas, Mrs. Martin had me over for dinner one night when I was in the area on a speaking trip. We talked for hours. They have been such an encouragement to me. At what other college would the president and his wife make such a personal impact on a student like that?

What advice/insight do you have for current students interested in your career field?

Well, this career field was not something I planned! I went to Roberts as a music major, and then got my master’s degree in Music Therapy! But slowly God took me on a series of wild twists and turns that led to where I am now. (At this rate, who knows what crazy changes will happen and what I’ll be doing in another few years!) But the two most important pieces of advice I could give are these:

1)    Your primary calling is to love God. We put all this emphasis on knowing God’s plan and will for our lives, and there’s truth to that. But what God has taught me is that His greatest plan and greatest will for my life is that I stay close to Him—that I love Him and love others. I actually learned this while at student at Roberts.

2)    Welcome feedback and stay in community. I’ve tried to be very intentional about finding people I trust—older, wiser people who can give advice and friends who aren’t impressed by things you do, but by who you are. And I talk to them. I ask them for their opinions and I try really hard to welcome their feedback, even when it’s not something I want to hear. We were meant to live life in community, which takes humility. And that’s more important than we can ever imagine.

Tiffany and James live in the Capital Region/Schenectady, NY area.  Her YouTube channel can be found at www.youtube.com/c/tiffanydawn and her website is www.tiffanydawn.net.  Tiffany and James also recently released a video series for engaged couples.  Tiffany writes, “My heart is for women to have really healthy and beautiful marriage relationships!”  And through her life and experiences she is helping women do just that.  


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