ServantU Gives Prospective Students a Glimpse of Life on the Hill

This summer, DBU Undergraduate Admissions hosted 45 high school students for ServantU. While the circumstances required social distancing, students were still able to experience life on University Hill during this annual event. The week kicked off with a coffeehouse worship session where students were able to enjoy fellowship with others, as well as pie and coffee. Once everyone was settled, students were divided into small groups led by the DBU Summer Staff.

Throughout the week, students engaged in individual quiet time, participated in the Developing a Christian Mind class with Dr. John Borum, and were able to enjoy Chapel worship while hearing from leaders on DBU's campus: Dr. Jay Harley, Allyson Miller, Jon Pendergrass, and David Reyes. Students had the opportunity to then break off into five different groups to experience specific classes geared towards their individual interests, having conversations with the College of Business, College of Fine Arts, and more.

"This allowed the students to get a hands-on feel of the career they are interested in pursuing, a well as giving them applicable insight into the academic and professional aspects of each vocation," DBU Student and ServantU leader Emily Rozenhart shared. "I loved seeing the students walk out of their classes with their eyes wide, discussing passionately amongst their fellow classmates the new concepts just presented. Many of them looked as if a whole new world had just opened up before them!"

After lunch on Monday and Wednesday, students split off into groups to volunteer at two service sites: Mission Arlington and Voice of Hope. Students organized clothes, painted buildings, and put to practice the integration of faith and work. On Tuesday and Thursday, Summer Staff and a DBU Rec Team led students in outdoor games. Every night, they engaged in a fun activity; from dodgeball tournaments in the Burg to a fun sketch competition like DBU's infamous Follies, each high school student got a glimpse of what life is like on the Hill.

"The small groups performed a seven-minute play with storylines based loosely on various movies," Rozenhart said. "From wedding veils made with trash bags to acrobatic tricks, each performance was chock full of surprises and creativity, with each play ending in a group song and dance finale."

At the end of each day, everyone rallied together in Piper Hall for a night of worship led by DBU Patriots Libby Swan and Elliot Kerbel.

"We were continually reminded that if Christ is not the center and the heart of every endeavor, it is a failure," Rozenhart explained. "In preparation for this camp and throughout the week, our hope and prayer were that students would walk away from this camp knowing Christ better, and because of this, better understand how the gospel affects every aspect of life. It was such a privilege to get to host this camp, as we watched new relationships forged, innovative ideas discussed, and memories made. But most importantly, we got to witness 45 high school students grow in their relationship with Christ as they discovered what true leadership looks like."