Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2017 | Page 23

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Finding the College
Though Zach had begun working
full-time in a sheet metal factory,
he found time before and after
work to read the Writings. As the
months passed, Zach found him-
self looking online for any other
connections to the New Church.
That’s when he came across Bryn
Athyn College’s website. Delight-
ed, he immediately considered at-
tending.
Two challenges presented
themselves: How would he pay the
tuition? How would he tell his par-
ents? Although his family attend-
ed church, they seldom discussed
religious topics. Zach explained, “I
didn’t know how to say, ‘Hey mom
and dad, I want to move out to
this small school in Pennsylvania
to study religion.’”
In the spring of 2013, after
months of consideration, Zach de-
cided to fly out east for a campus
visit, hoping that the visit would
ease the transition by showing his
parents his level of commitment.
Upon arrival, he knew the College
was the right fit. Although he’d
planned to wait one more year and
save up money, he changed his
mind and decided to enroll for the
fall term. Only a few months later,
Zach and his father embarked on a
trip across the country with a car
full of Zach’s belongings.
Over the course of the next
four years, Zach enriched the Col-
lege community with his depth
and sensitivity. As Chaplain Thane
Glenn said, “Zach consistently el-
evates the discourse of every class-
room in which I’ve had him. He
is deeply thoughtful, probing the
details of Scripture and theology
for their wider implications.”  An-
other of his teachers, Scott Frazier,
remarked, “When Zach speaks in a
classroom, the other students lis-
ten. He knows what he thinks and
he thinks very clearly.”
It was not just academics,
however, where Zach shined. As
Thane explained, “As impressed as
I am with Zach as a student, I am
more deeply impressed with his
role as a leader among his fellow
students. Ever steady and reliable,
he is invariably kind, quietly atten-
tive, and calm. I’ve been happily
amazed at the variety of students
from many different backgrounds
who seem to connect with him
and look to him for steadiness in
the often tumultuous world of
campus life.”
Although his parents didn’t
quite understand Zach’s desire to
study theology, they have grown
to support his choice. Zach said
with a smile, “I go back on break
and tell my parents that I’m taking
a class in accounting or photogra-
phy, and they’re like, ‘Isn’t it nice
to take a class that will actually
apply to your life?’ I want to tell
t