Three Students: "How I'm Affording Bethel"

Issue 16 | Spring 2009

Huldah Omesa

She’s an R.A. in a sophomore dorm. A competitive track runner. A part-time tutor in the Academic Enrichment & Support Center. A youth leader at her church. And a triple-major in international business, international relations, and reconciliation studies.

"I love to travel internationally, and I want to experience everything!" says Huldah Omesa, almost a junior. "If it's not a challenge, it's not worth it."

With that kind of ambition, Huldah's grateful financial aid has come through to study at Bethel. "I would have been in a community college," says the tall athlete with parents from Kenya, both nurses. "Yet I definitely wanted to attend Bethel. I was interested in playing sports, but only at a school where they didn't limit the college experience to just that area."

With Huldah completely on her own to pay for college, financial aid counselor Deb Cordova has helped her tap a combination of endowed scholarships, state grants, federal loans, and Bethel grants. "Bethel offered me a financial aid package that was good enough to enroll, and the balance was obtainable," says Huldah. "Deb is more than my financial advisor; she's the bridge between my being able to afford to stay in school and dropping out."

It hasn’t been without effort on Huldah’s part. During interim of 2008, she had to work "all the shifts I could get" as a nursing home aid to pay off her tuition balance and register for spring classes. This year, with more financial aid and complimentary housing as an R.A., "I'm able to take more credits and focus more on school," she says.

Huldah’s financial needs will increase again next year, since Bethel tuition covers only one of the two study abroad courses (in Europe and South Africa) she needs for two of her majors. She is trusting God as she pursues further sources of aid. "When one door closes," Huldah says, "another door opens. I can definitely say my faith in God has been tested and increased."

In addition to financial aid, Huldah is grateful for counseling from the Office of Career Services: "You're going to do this for the rest of your life," she was told. "Do something you’re going to love." With that advice, open to the Holy Spirit, she feels she has an "unlimited future" pursuing her passion for global issues.

"I have family members in Kenya still living in poverty," says Huldah. "And here I have a car and so much food! I’m like 'God, what's your plan to use me?' I'd like to go back to Africa and help somebody else. Growing up with limited resources makes you appreciate every opportunity you have."

Abdiwak Yohannes

Unlike many students who seek out Bethel, Abdiwak Yohannes had some initial concerns about attending a Christian university, and they weren’t just financial.

“I am a Christian,” says Abdiwak, from the Oromo Ethiopian community in the Twin Cities. “But I’ve been part of the public school system, a source of wonderful cross-religious and cultural relationships that I was afraid I’d lose,” he explains. “To my surprise and joy, I’ve been able to continue those relationships and make new ones due to Bethel’s proximity to the city and through ministries Bethel has in the community.” 

Now in the flow of his freshman year, Abdiwak is comfortable with his college choice in other ways, too. “Academically, Bethel has been a challenging and well-rounded place to gain skills that will help me in whatever vocation I have in the future,” he says of his major in communication (production emphasis) and minor in studio arts. “And, like a muscle, my ideals and beliefs are constantly being tested and strengthened.”

Abdiwak’s family is hard-working and typical economically, his dad a social worker with refugees and his mom a nurse working two part-time jobs. With a sister also in college, he was concerned about straining the family budget when he opted for Bethel.

“My grades in high school were very helpful in getting financial aid, but there was still a large gap that had to be paid,” Abdiwak explans. “Bethel supplies enough aid for my parents to contribute what they can, while loans do
the rest. Even though I came as a wide-eyed student with no idea what I was getting into, I was treated with respect and kindness [by the financial aid office]— much more than I’d expected.”

For example, when Abdiwak was denied a federal PLUS loan, a counselor helped him find alternatives: more private scholarships, a student job on campus, and a larger loan through the Stafford program. “I took comfort that Bethel and God were working

Like many college students, Abdiwak will have a college debt to pay off, but he’s not worried. “I’m completely satisfied with my award package, though most of it hinges on my ability to strive after college,” he owns. “I look forward to that challenge knowing God can take me through the future just as He’s helping my family and me now.”

Alicia Chong

One of the most adaptable students at Bethel has to be Alicia Chong.

Parents born in the Hakka region of China—and time there with grandparents after her mother died—gave her a heritage and the language she speaks best. But she was raised mostly in Panama, where she learned to read and write only in Spanish.

When Alicia’s dad moved the family to Minnesota in 2004, she had to pick up English to get through Osseo High School. Now a freshman at Bethel, she keeps an English-Spanish translation tool open on her laptop as she studies for a major in psychology.

“I’m really proud and I think it’s basically a ‘God thing,’” Alicia says of being able to attend Bethel, grateful for financial aid. “I’m learning a lot. The professors tell you it’s not just about passing; it’s learning what God is trying to teach you.”

Alicia and her twin sister Lisa, who plans to attend Bethel in the fall, felt a spiritual draw to Bethel. Just three years ago, they both came to Christ from a Buddhist background and are active in the Twin Cities Chinese Christian Church. “I chose Bethel because of the mission it has,” says Alicia. “I wanted to be in a community surrounded by other Christians.”

Highly motivated to afford college, in their senior year of high school, Alicia and her sister searched and applied for 10 scholarships each, receiving five and six respectively.

Working with Deb Cordova in financial aid, Alicia is paying for her Bethel education through a combination of those scholarships, a grant, two loans, and six to 10 hours of employment every week with Sodexo, Bethel’s food service.

“They [Bethel’s financial aid staff] were really a help,” says Alicia. “I never gave up, and they never gave up on me. If you work hard and try to do your best and ask God for help, that’s when God will help you.”

Growing through a small group Bible study, as well as through her classes, Alicia is thankful for Bethel. “I love how the professors care for not only your grades,” she says, “but what you get for your life.”