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