Introductions of the Semester Students of 2009

Taylor Mugge is a senior from Sutherland, Iowa. His major is Ecological Science. His most valued backpacking item is his Tilly hat (#1 for adventure!). If he had to pick a favorite word, his would be "cupiditas" which is Latin for longing, desire and/or passion. What he is most looking forward to about the semester abroad in Romania is simply an adventure. Something that is little known about Taylor is that the only bone he has ever broken in his body is is right big tow and he actually broke it on two separate occasions.

Michelle Cundy is a senior from Madison, South Dakota. Her major is Business Administration and Finance. Her most essential backpacking item is toilet paper. Her favourite word is "laugh" because if you look at it long enough it really looks ridiculous. What she is most looking forward to about the semester is staying with her host family and getting to know their language and culture. Something most people might not know about Michelle is that she always dreamed of being a flight attendant when she was young.

Heather Talbot is a junior from New Providence, Iowa. Her major is Missiology/Philosophy. The most important thing that she will bring backpacking is her journal. Her favourite word is "beautiful." What Heather is looking forward to most about the semester is the process of being refined. Something little known about her is that she actually had the chicken pox upon birth and she has never had the chicken pox again.

Emma Roetman is a 5th year senior from Sioux Center, Iowa and her major is Sociology and Psychology. Her most valued backpacking item is her camp mug for hot chocolate, coffee and tang. Her favourite word happens to be "enigma." What she is most looking forward to about the semester is communicating with strangers in broken English and Romanian but understanding each other and being able to laugh together and discover similarities. Something you might not know about Emma is that she mowed the lawn for the very first time this past summer. Unfortunately, her dad had to re-do it when he returned home since it didn't go so well.

Matt VanderMolen is a junior from Holland, Michigan. His major is Biology. His most valued backpacking item(s) are oranges. His favourite word is the word "hearth." What he is most looking foward to about the semester is getting to know the IMPACT and Viata kids, experiencing Romanian culture, being in the mountains and experiencing the change of being in a new place with new people. Something interesting about Matt is that his last name literally means that he comes from windmills.

Beth Pekar is a sophmore from Ghent, Minnesota and is majoring in Math Education. The most important thing she will bring backpacking is her fishing hat as her cross-country coach had one just like it. Her favourite word is "robin." What she is most looking forward to about the semester is learning about Eastern Orthodoxy. Something that you might not know about Beth is that one of her biggest heroes is Robert E. Lee.

Matt Gray is a senior that hails from Bright, Ontario, Canada. He is majoring in Christian Education. His most valued backpacking items are a toss up between his orange knife and his head lamp. His favorite word is "gitchigoomie" which means "Lake Superior" in Native North American. What he is most looking forward to about the semester in Romania is meeting people, hearing their stories, learning, being in a beautiful place, and seeing the effects of an NGO that uses experiential education that has been put in place over time. Something little known about Matt is that he is acutely cross eyed.