Bryn Athyn College Alumni Magazine Spring/Summer 2018 | Page 21

W When eight-year-old Veronica “Ronni” Selvan (’21) first visited Bryn Athyn, she had no idea that years later she would call this place “home.” At the time, she had driven with her parents from their home in Holland, Pennsylvania to see Shoemaker and the Elves at the Mitchell Performing Arts Center. Ronni’s mother liked that the community had a Christian foun- dation, and remembers thinking, “Maybe one day we could send Ronni here for college.” Today, over a decade later, Ronni is a student entering her sophomore year at BAC. She said, “It’s different here. The people are friendly, and the atmosphere is so peaceful. And it’s the New Church —a different kind of Christianity.” Faith has always played a role in Ronni’s life. Though her fam- ily didn’t attend church, they’d gather on the couch on Sundays to read the Bible and sing along to Christian radio. As non-denomi- national Christians, Ronni’s par- ents believe in “living according the commandments and trying to be kind.” Ronni said, “My parents like the ideals of religion more than the specific dogma. I think that’s what is good about religion —the universal principles.” Ronni enjoyed those Sunday mornings. She said, “I loved the time with my family, and the feel- ing of warmth and love around me.” She added, “When I came back to Bryn Athyn for a college visit, I thought, ‘I remember this feeling. I feel love here. I feel warmth.’” In middle school and high school, Ronni went through the struggles of trying to fit in, and she started to drift away from her strong religious upbringing. Though she never lost the belief in God, she didn’t want a religion that demanded blind adherence. She explained, “I never really be- lieved that God is a judging deity, but I never said anything about it. I just knew I wanted to be around people, and to be a part of some- thing bigger. That is what attract- ed me to the New Church.” During her junior year in high school, Ronni found herself increasingly burdened with con- cerns about fitting in, grades, and friendship breakups. At one point, realizing the self-focused nature of her anxieties, she thought, “Some- thing has to change.” So, she be- gan looking outward, exercising more, learning new music, talk- ing to different people without expecting too much, and think- ing about the future. Ronni said, “I started to wake up. I realized I needed to keep moving with my life and find something to look forward to.” During her senior year in high school, while working on a mythology project, Ronni came across the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg. She said, “I started re- searching Swedenborg and I thought, ‘Hey this is super cool. He doesn’t believe that God is a judging de- ity who’s going to blow up the universe, but that God is loving and wants us to be good people.’” And then Ronni came across one thing that she deeply appreciated: “Everybody is accepted no mat- ter where you’re from. As long as you’re a good person and you try, God loves you.” Ronni thought to herself, “How come I’ve never heard of this religion?” Not long after, while re- searching colleges online, Ronni came across Bryn Athyn College. Her mother reminded her that she “I’m really happy I’m here. It’s a good place.” had come to Bryn Athyn as a little girl. When Ronni came back to visit the campus, she thought, “I feel happy here.” Ronni has decided to study education. She recalls, “When I was young, I thought I wanted to be a chemist because I did an ex- periment with a tube and chemi- cals, and I liked the colors.” Soon however, Ronni came to realize that she simply loved the process of learning and watching others learn. She began volunteering at a local library, helping younger chil- dren read. Ronni said, “I would make crafts or even set up obsta- cle courses to help the kids under- stand a concept.” Expressing appreciation for her current education professors, Nina Philips (AA ’76) and Angela Rose, Ronni said, “Here, when the professors teach about edu- cation, they focus on the bigger picture. It’s not about teaching kids so that they pass a test, but about teaching kids to be happy about life, to love learning, to look at what’s around them, and to be good people. That’s why I like this place, and why I wanted to come here.” She added, “Today, educa- tion is something I love, and I’m proud of it. It’s about helping oth- ers be successful.” To a new student consider- ing coming to the College, Ronni would advise, “Expect a different atmosphere. Expect a place where people are respected, where peo- ple’s opinions matter. You’re not a number here; you’re a person." B RY N AT H Y N A LU M N I M AG A Z I N E | 21