Tell Your Story

Sue: My Grove City College Story How Grove City College Impacted This Mom

My Grove City College story is not typical. You would expect something like, “My family had a lot of connections to GCC”, or “I went to GCC, met my husband at GCC and three of our children went to GCC.” My GCC story is quite unique as is the impact GCC has had on me.
I’m not sure I heard of GCC until 2016 when my oldest son was applying to colleges. I grew up in Lancaster, PA, and while we have many GCC grads in the area, I hadn’t heard of the college. My husband attended the United States Naval Academy. I attended a liberal arts “Christian” college for one year. The Christian college was not a very good experience for me and I finished my education at Millersville University. In fact, while my five children were growing up, I told them they were not allowed to attend a “Christian college” based on my experience.
When my oldest started looking at colleges, he visited a few colleges including GCC. I knew it was not the college for him. I had always said I wanted my children to be at the college God called them to. GCC was not the one.
When my second child started to look at colleges, we visited a few and I can recall the very moment I realized GCC was where God was calling him. We were sitting in football Coach DiDonato’s office. Coach recalled his salvation testimony. My son’s elementary physical education teacher’s son was integral to that salvation story along with a Fellowship of Christian Athlete (FCA) staff member, who had influenced my son. I didn’t tell my son, but I knew this was where God was calling him.
In the fall of 2019, we loaded a car and began the over four hour trip to GCC. Thankfully, my cousin is the pastor at a church in Grove City, so I at least had family in the area. We helped Tim move into the dorm, attended the football parent meeting with Coach and drove back home. Little did I know how important GCC would become in our lives.
We attended football games that fall, and enjoyed a wonderful “normal” college semester. We were embraced by the football family and knew our son was thriving at GCC. Granted, it wasn’t all perfect, but it was good.
Then came the spring semester. Tim headed back to GCC and thrived yet again. I’ll never forget March 2020. We told him to pack his car with everything he needed on Friday, March 13, 2020. We waited and waited. On March 16, Tim headed home. He had turned in his dorm key and was unexpectedly home for the semester. In this time of uncertainty, we waited and prayed. In the fall of 2020 we dropped Tim off at campus with plans for a spring football season. We were grateful for in person learning.
Our daughter, Grace, came along for this trip in the fall of 2020. We received a call from admissions just as we were nearing Grove City College. They were wondering if Grace was still interested in Dual Enrollment. In events only God can orchestrate, we met with Dr. Crute in person last minute and arranged for Grace to start dual enrollment classes. This was a welcomed experience since her junior year of high school was going to be quite challenging due to six foot social distancing and mask mandates. GCC worked with us to get the necessary paperwork and approvals for her online classes.
Tim was thriving at GCC in the fall of 2020. He had kept up with all his studies, and adjusted to a unique football season that was pushed to spring games. However, just before Thanksgiving break he was quarantined at the local hotel. We tried to make the best of it. I even had a men’s bathrobe delivered to the hotel with help from the store located at the outlets. However, it was soon too much and I traveled to GCC to bring him home for Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Traveling home my heart broke when he tried to join class online and was dropped due to lack of cell service somewhere in central Pennsylvania. He was so frustrated.
Spring 2021 brought an exciting, new, freezing cold football season. Coach made the best of it and we froze sitting on the visitor’s side of the stadium. That spring also brought a burden to pray for GCC.
Back in the fall of 2012, I was introduced to a ministry that impacts children and schools worldwide for Christ by gathering mothers to pray, Moms in Prayer International. Moms in Prayer (MIP) has shaped my life in many ways, including helping me to launch my children off to college. When Tim went off to GCC, I thought for sure I would find “my people”, the sisters in Christ who also had a burden to pray for their GCC students. However, no group was praying specifically for GCC. Women were praying across the US but not necessarily together. In 2021 the country had just experienced online meetings. I knew I was being prompted to start a GCC MIP group. We met for the first time on April 20, 2021.
Tim’s fall 2021 semester started with what finally seemed like “normal”. The football team had a wonderful parent tent, we were making many connections with the team, Tim was thriving in his major and very excited to be a part of Fellowship of Christian Athletes on campus.
My daughter, Grace, had continued her online dual enrollment classes at GCC and started her college search. She visited one other college in addition to GCC. Grace and I met with women’s lacrosse Coach Jackowski (now Holbrock). I briefly shared my involvement with MIP and she shared that her mom had been involved with MIP. This, in addition to other factors, convinced me God was calling Grace to GCC. Grace decided the same and knew she was headed to GCC in the fall of 2022.
We had been traveling back and forth for football games and were now adding lacrosse games to our travel plans. The thought was planted that maybe we should look for a house in Grove City. Hotel rates had skyrocketed since COVID. Our realtor found a house, and the market was moving very quickly. The relator had a video call with my husband for a brief tour and that was it. We placed an offer sight unseen in February 2022 and bought a house in Grove City. We took a trip to actually see the house and it was perfect. It is close to campus, small and has a very manageable yard. We affectionately named the house “The Den” because where else would wolverines live? We knew this house was special. However, we wanted Tim and Grace to live on campus. We knew GCC was special and wanted them to have the full 4 year experience on campus. We did allow missionaries to live in the house for short stays as well as friends visiting campus. Little did we know how this house would be used.
Fall of 2022 brought Grace to campus for her move in day. We have already sent Tim for his senior year move in for football. I need to be honest that we were disappointed during Grace’s move in. We had heard campus move in goes smoothly and many hands make a traditional move in go very quickly. We had never experienced a traditional move in due to both our sons being fall athletes with early move in. Imagine our disappointment when no one helped to move Grace into her dorm. (Others have apologized for this, but it reminds me that when I look for the perfect college, I haven’t found it yet.) Grace adjusted well; the women’s lacrosse team was a big help to that adjustment. The fall football season went well as did the spring lacrosse season.
We had two students at GCC and the GCC MIP group continued to flourish. On behalf of the Moms in Prayer group, I would email three staff each week asking for confidential prayer requests. I am intentional to keep emails focused, assuring professors and staff that I do have a clear connection to GCC and am not looking to hurt GCC. One professor was so touched by the group asking for prayer requests and shared that no parent had ever asked her for prayer requests.
May 2023 brought our first GCC graduation. It was a very special day for our son, Tim, but we knew he would be returning to GCC in the fall to help student coach football and earn a minor in Christian Ministries. He also let us know that God was calling him to full time ministry with Fellowship of Christian Athletes hopefully serving at GCC.
Tim returned in the fall of 2023 for another winning football season. Grace was back again working though her degree. Tim completed his minor and returned back home to Lancaster to start fundraising so he could serve full-time on staff with FCA. We think Tim is the first full-time FCA staff at GCC.
In the fall of 2023 our second daughter, Leah, began to look for colleges. Everyone had asked her the obvious question, “are you going to Grove City College”? We realized later if she only had a dollar for every time she was asked that question she may have fully funded her college education. She wanted to visit a Christian college over 8 hours away. I had a feeling this was not the school for her, but obliged. I knew she needed to make her own decision on where God was calling her and not attend GCC because her siblings were there or her parents expected her to attend there. We planned a visit. Her turning point came when she was alone with one of her sister’s friends and asked about connections and fellowship at the college. This individual shared very openly about how she found connections at GCC. This was Leah’s decision point. Shortly after that she decided she wanted to attend GCC in the fall of 2024.
The spring of 2024 brought an incredible winning season for the women’s lacrosse program. We hosted the team several times in our home in Grove City. I was busy attending lacrosse games, leading the flourishing MIP group, watching Leah compete in track for her high school and planning her graduation party. The women’s lacrosse team qualified for NCAA playoffs. As I was leaving GCC and waiting to hear the location of the playoff game, I shared with assistant coach Emily Rowell and one of the players, “I won’t be at your next game, I really need to get ready for Leah’s graduation party, unless the game is in Lancaster.” Shortly after, I found myself preparing to host the entire women’s lacrosse team at our home in Lancaster just before their game at Franklin and Marshall College!
Hosting the Wlax team in Lancaster along with their families was definitely a highlight for our time at GCC. Sadly the game didn’t go so well, but we enjoyed having many family and friends come to see the team play.
In the fall of 2024, three of my children were ready to head to GCC. Tim had raised enough support to start as staff for FCA serving at GCC and moved into the Den. Grace was a junior and Leah was starting her freshman year. I am happy to share that we moved Leah into her dorm in record time with more than enough help. President McNulty even stopped by.
Leah adjusted well and quickly became involved in Young Life. She has continued and serves at Mercer Middle School. Leah and Grace look alike and are both education majors. I felt bad for the professors who had them back to back in class, called them the incorrect names (which happened a lot in high school) and for the time they actually wore the same sweatshirt to intentionally throw Dr. Chapman off (it didn’t work.)
In the spring of 2024, we traveled to South Carolina for Spring Break with the women’s lacrosse team. My three children also continued to delight in becoming more acquainted with my cousin and his family. From the start of their GCC journey, I told each of them they did not need to attend the church he pastored but they should attend a church. I think they were all heavily influenced when my cousin’s wife invited them over many times for a delicious lunch after church.
The fall of 2025 brought Grace’s student teaching experience, a thriving FCA ministry and Leah’s continued service with Young Life. The MIP group continued to meet and pray weekly for GCC. We would often have special times to meet in person at Homecoming or Family Weekend. These have been and continue to be special times. We have rejoiced, cried and prayed long and hard for our GCC students. Many alumni moms continue to attend. Strong friendships have been formed as we trust God with our students. We share advice and encouragement, but most importantly we pray.
The spring of 2026 was Grace’s final semester at GCC and final lacrosse season. To say that the team was close would be an understatement. My husband and I grew to love these “girls” and their families. We traveled to many games. (I have perfected trying to stay warm in GCC weather. Heated coat, heated mittens, heated socks, etc.) We also enjoyed watching the team play in Florida for spring break. Leah was unable to join since she spent her spring break serving on a mission trip.
As the season was coming to an end, we knew there was a real possibility the seniors would not walk for regular graduation due to NCAA lacrosse playoffs being held on the same day as graduation. Thankfully the Lord had prepared my heart for this. The Wlax players who graduated in 2025 had experienced the same scenario. Grace had a small graduation on campus two days before actual graduation. Then off to New York for NCAA playoffs. Again, another disappointing loss, but we were so grateful for this team, the players, coaches and families
Perhaps one of the greatest testimonies of how GCC has impacted our family was evident when Grace was married on June 6, 2026. Two of her lacrosse teammates were bridesmaids. All but three or four of Grace’s teammates attended her wedding. All three of her coaches came. This was a beautiful reflection on how GCC Wlax impacted not only Grace but our family. As my husband introduced her GCC coaches to her high school coach, her GCC coaches expressed their gratitude for instilling a love for lacrosse in Grace.
I continue to lead the GCC MIP group. We are always praying for new women to join. God has provided ways for us to share about the group. Tim continues to serve with FCA. Leah has served at Young Life Camp and continues to serve with Mercer Young Life. This fall, in 2026 she will is serving with Orientation Board.
In addition to working with MIP, I took on the role of “scholarship headhunter” for my college students. I can’t tell you how many conversations I had with the Financial Aid office to go over, clarify, check on holds on accounts since we were waiting for scholarships to come in or ask questions about scholarships my students had won. The Financial Aid department has been amazing. My students did all they could, and I reminded them their full-time job was to be a student. Taking care of financial aid was one way I could help.
Grove City College has had and continues to have a significant impact on our family. Through their college experiences my children have developed life long friendships. Through my involvement with MIP through GCC, I too have been impacted by GCC. We are grateful to GCC for the impact it has had on our family. Sue Forry

Paige: Another Alumni Romance

Grove City College was the school I felt called to go to since I was a teenager. My brother was the one who toured the campus, not me. He eventually chose a different school. But when it was my turn to begin my college search, I immediately knew where I wanted to go.

I ended up going to my local community college for two years before transferring over, and my experience as a transfer student, staring as a second-semester sophomore was a bit of a challenge. I had to take the freshmen classes with students not exactly my age before I could finally be surrounded by peers. Even to this day, when I am asked “Do you know so-and-so from Grove City?” my response is typically an easy “no”. I studied abroad for a semester and returned for my last two semesters, completely changed and ready for whatever my future held.

In my final semester, I met my husband (who graduated the year before I transferred from GCC). Conversations began over teachers we both had, how our social lives died during exams, and just how great the community is. We love to head up to campus even now, bringing our daughter with us and seeing just how much it has changed since our times there.

Something my husband likes to remind me of is this: “I almost didn’t go there. I had other options. But in the end, that’s where I chose to go. It didn’t quite make sense at the time I was a student. It felt just like another college to attend. But God must have known there was a reason for me to go there… and what a coincidence, you ended up there too.”

Different years. But even though we weren’t on campus together at the same time, God used Grove City College to connect us. And what memories we have made together as alumni traveling back!

Margo: Every Expectation Exceeded

When I reflect on my time at Grove City College, my expectations were not met. They were exceeded.

I expected to be educated in a Christian environment. Not only were my professors followers of Christ, but they taught each academic discipline through a biblical lens in ways I had never considered. Each class shaped me spiritually as much as it did intellectually. The boldness and depth of Christian faith that was nurtured at GCC is what equipped me to navigate life after graduation. Even four years later, I am regularly in touch with many of my professors who encourage and guide me as I progress through adulthood and my career.

I hoped to receive an education untainted by the modern progressive influence that seems to have swallowed whole nearly every institution. Not only was I spared of haphazard indoctrination, I was blessed to learn the roots of Western Civilization, the truth of American exceptionalism, and the significance of the permanent ideas that always lead to human flourishing. The Austrian economics curriculum trained me how to think, not what to think. My appreciation for Grove City College’s commitment to remaining entirely independent of government funding grows stronger every day.

I dreamt of graduating college with lifelong friends, like my parents did from their time at GCC. Not only did I graduate with friendships of this caliber, but my social ecosystem of Grovers has only multiplied since graduation. At work, church, Alumni Council, and everywhere else, I am perpetually adding Grovers to my collection. Better yet, GCC has become a shared home not just for my parents and me, but for my in-laws. While my wonderful husband is a Grover-In-Law, I now share my alma mater with my younger brothers-in-law, sister-in-law, and cousins-in-law. How special it is to see the way God, through Grove City College, has woven together not only my friendships, but also my family.

Prospective students be warned: there is a high chance GCC will not meet your expectations, either. Grove City College has the audacity to exceed them.

Steve: Nothing but gratitude

Grove City challenged me, introduced me to remarkable friends and mentors, and connected me to an alumni network that has influenced nearly every chapter of my life. That’s a big part of why I now spend my time trying to give back to the institution that gave so much to me.

Pam: The Tie that Binds

I fell in love with Grove City when I was in high school and I knew it was where I wanted to attend. Early decision and I was set! Grove City gave me a very solid education to start my career in the business world. I was well prepared to work in Human Resources until my retirement. But the biggest impact on me are the people I still call friends. It has always been about the people for me. My friends, classmates (Yay class of 1979!), college administrators and my new group of friends on Alumni Council. The people have always been my blessings!! GCC is the tie that binds.

Steven: Affordable Excellence, Lasting Impact

As a young man of modest means, I chose a college for value. With 30 years of hindsight, I see how special Grove City College is and how fortunate I was to find it. Few places deliver a private‑college education of this quality with such affordability. It set me up for success early in my life and I understand now, beyond just the cost, how much Grove City gave me.

From my education to my wife to the ethics and skills I use every day in my engineering career, Grove City has provided me more than I can ever give in return. My engineering program taught me not just how to solve technical problems, but to think, reason, and make ethical decisions.

Looking ahead, as the level of excellence, affordability, and experience a school provides will become even more paramount, I believe Grove City will continue to distinguish itself. Grove City’s grounding in faith, independence from outside influence, core convictions, and vision for its growth will keep the college a special place for years to come.

Brian: An Unexpected Starting Place

Like some other stories out there you may have come across, where I ended up for college was an unexpected starting place. Grove City College was not on my list. It was a school I had actually never come across growing up on the Eastern side of the state of Pennsylvania. In high school, my eyes were set on studying finance and landing a career in the world of investments. I had believed that attending an East coast school with connections to Wall Street would have been my best bet. I am thankful the Lord was able to set my path to a career in asset management with a start at Grove City College.

My Dad’s friend had passed through Grove City, PA one day and came across this Christian college that looked like it was out of a storybook. Thankfully, he shared with my Dad that it might be a place worth a college visit for me. We did and I am even more thankful that it felt like the exact type of school for me to attend. Fast forward now ten years after graduating with a degree in Finance and enjoying a career in the asset management business I am thankful for my unexpected start at Grove City College.

John: A Small Institution With a Big Impact

Starting in 9th grade I was determined to become a dentist. Living 30 miles from GCC, having had my mother, uncle and brother-in-law as alumni and with a high acceptance rate at medical and dental schools, it was the only college to which I applied. Graduating number two from my high school, I was confident of being accepted. It was one of the best decisions I made. With a major in Chemistry, I had some of the best instructors with Dr. Ed Naegele as a demanding but brilliant and supportive chairman who took a personal interest in his students. Initially I was not all that enthusiastic about having to participate in the then required Air Force ROTC program for freshman and sophomore males. I learned they had a full tuition scholarship program for the third and fourth year for those who qualified for a commission as an officer. It was another good decision, as the Air Force in my senior year offered a full ride scholarship to dental school which I was very fortunate to secure, one of seven accepted in the program that year across the US. Coming from a family of modest means, the opportunity to graduate from dental school without any student loan debt was immense. The values and lessons I learned at GCC have helped shape my decisions and life path creating a course I have enjoyed and appreciated. I am most thankful to the influence and conservative foundation provided by the Board, the administration, and the faculty for the opportunities I was given. As a result of my success and a sense of gratitude, I was able to enhance the Jane Toy Shaner Scholarship with a sizeable addition of funds. I am confident that those who will be fortunate to attend Grove City College in the future will benefit from the traditions that have made this institution so successful.
Respectfully,
John W. Shaner, D.M.D, M.S.
Colonel, USAF, (Ret)
Associate Professor Emeritus, Diagnostic Sciences
Creighton University School of Dentistry
Omaha, NE

Chuck: Sacred ground for our family!

It is difficult to put into words (unless writing a book) all that GCC has meant to me and my family. In addition to the phenomenal education and the wonderful Christian fellowship and teaching, above it all I give thanks because this is the place where I met my future wife. Cheryl Abrams (class of 1980) and I were married 6 days shy of 41 years. Cheryl went to be with the Lord in June of 2021. As our son (Charlie, class of 2025) said at her memorial service, “We learned that the most special place in the world was Grove City College, particularly Harbison Chapel.” There are many reasons but a few of them are these: We got engaged in the Chapel. We got married in the Chapel. I got ordained in the Chapel. I preached a weekday chapel service in the Chapel. I performed a wedding in the Chapel. I played the piano for four years for the Gospel Team in the Chapel. We had our wedding photos taken in the Chapel gardens. Today, there is only one plaque in those gardens and it is in memory of my sweet wife, Cheryl. Grove City College is sacred ground for our family! Our youngest son, Caleb, is also a graduate of GCC (Class of 2021). I am very proud of my school for the high value that is placed, not only on the educational standards but also the character and intergrity that is expected of incoming students and facalty. Grove City College has its best days ahead!

Steve: Built by Discipline, Driven by Purpose

When I first arrived on campus as a student at Grove City College, I knew I was stepping into something different. I didn’t yet have the language for it, but I could feel it immediately. This was a place that expected more of me. More discipline. More focus. More personal responsibility. More growth, not just academically, but spiritually and intellectually.
At the time, I might not have fully appreciated how rare that environment was. Looking back now, I see it clearly. Grove City College didn’t just educate me, it formed me.
The expectations were high, and there was no way around them. You had to show up. You had to do the work. You had to think deeply, write clearly, and engage seriously with the material. There was an unspoken understanding that excellence wasn’t optional; it was the standard. That kind of environment can feel demanding when you’re in it, but it builds something lasting. It built resilience in me. It built discipline. It built the ability to stay committed even when things were difficult or inconvenient.
Equally important was the faith-based foundation woven into the experience. This wasn’t simply about adding a spiritual layer to an otherwise traditional education. Faith informed the entire framework, how we approached truth, how we understood purpose, and how we were challenged to live with integrity. It created a context where questions mattered, where conviction mattered, and where character mattered.
That combination, rigorous academic expectations and a deeply rooted sense of purpose, became a defining influence in my life.
When I graduated and stepped into the real world, I began to see how much of an advantage that formation provided. In my career as an author and speaker, discipline is everything. Writing requires consistency long before it yields results. Speaking requires preparation, clarity, and the ability to communicate ideas that resonate. There is no shortcut to doing that well.
The habits I developed at Grove City College, the ability to focus, to think critically, to push through resistance, became the foundation of my professional life. The same discipline that got me through demanding coursework became the discipline that allowed me to write when I didn’t feel like writing, to refine ideas until they were clear, and to continue building a career over time rather than expecting immediate success.
Just as importantly, the emphasis on faith and purpose shaped the “why” behind what I do. My work isn’t just about producing content or delivering keynote speeches; it’s about impact. It’s about contributing something meaningful, something grounded in truth, something that serves others. That perspective traces directly back to the environment I experienced at Grove City.
As Grove City College celebrates 150 years, I think its impact is more relevant than ever. We live in a time where distractions are constant, expectations are often lowered, and purpose can feel fragmented or unclear. Grove City stands as a counterexample, a place that calls students to rise to a higher standard, to think deeply, to work hard, and to anchor their lives in something enduring.
For the future, that matters. It matters a great deal.
The world doesn’t need more shortcuts. It needs more people who are willing to do the hard work, intellectually, professionally, and personally. It needs individuals who are grounded in conviction, disciplined, and committed to using their gifts with purpose. That’s what Grove City College cultivates.
I am grateful for the role it played in my life. The lessons I learned there didn’t stay on campus; they became the framework on which I have built my career. And if my experience is any indication, Grove City’s legacy isn’t just in its history, it’s in the lives of the people it continues to shape for generations to come.

Benjamin: A Grover’s Journey

My Grove City journey began at a college fair in my hometown when my History teacher suggested I visit the Grove City booth in 1995. I added GCC to the schools I was considering, including the University of Cincinnati and General Motors Institute (now Kettering). After multiple visits, meeting Dr. Clauss, and talking with my parents, I decided on Grove City—if I was accepted. Looking back, there was no way I could have fully appreciated what a life changing decision that would be. My primary considerations in choosing Grove City were the environment, the size, and the cost. I grew up in a Christian home, attended a small-town high school, and was going to be paying (or borrowing) for college myself. Reflecting, the person I would marry, churches we’d attend, the work I would do, how we’d raise our children, and even where our oldest child would attend college all were impacted by that single decision. Because my time at Grove City would be formational in my worldview, theological grounding, career perspective and purpose, and more.

I grew up in Northwest Ohio on a (very) small farm. I have two brothers and one sister. My dad worked in a foundry and then a machine shop, and I started working with him during the summer when I was 14. I developed a curiosity and creativity around mechanical design and working with my hands to create things. Two of my uncles are engineers and enjoyed the work they did and allowed their nephew to explore AutoCAD at a young age. I was good at math and science and decided pretty early in high school I wanted to be an engineer.
Reflecting on my time at Grove City, I remember feeling driven (it was difficult and a LOT of work!), challenged (I was thinking about who I was and who God is differently than I had), and anxious for what was next. The engineering curriculum was challenging and demanding, and there wasn’t a lot of spare time. Freshman year, I played string bass in the orchestra and I joined the Tri Rhos my sophomore year. As I recall, I played intramural ultimate frisbee, football, softball, and basketball with the Rhos and served as our Chaplain senior year. I also worked as a security guard in Siberia during the school year and had two summer jobs until the summer between my junior and senior years, when I landed my first and only internship with Delphi Packard.

So there wasn’t a lot of free time, but I do remember quiet moments of reflection and prayer in Harbison some evenings and many walks around the campus enjoying the beauty of each season. Of course, whatever was left of my “spare” time vanished starting at the Graffiti dance freshman year, where I (literally) bumped into a girl from Texas, Diane Schaeffer (’01). Diane and I started dating not long after that and shared many of those walks across campus together over the next four years. We were engaged the summer before our senior year and married the September after we graduated in 2001, two weeks after 9-11. We shared time together during intervis, in the Gee, studying in the library, attending the Crimson Ball and other school dances and events together, and grew closer to each other during our time together at GCC. This year, we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary, and I’ll be forever grateful that God led us both to Grove City and to the same time and space at the 1997 Graffiti dance.

Specific classes and professors that stand out to me include Bib Rev with Dr. Thrasher, Calc II with Dr. Thompson, Fluids with Dr. Clauss, Design with Dr. Reuber, and Senior Design with Dr. Archibald. I also really enjoyed Dr. Allison’s classes, as he brought his practical experience to the coursework in a helpful and relatable way. I have no doubt that my education prepared me for my career and, more importantly, helped shape my values.

I started my professional career two days after graduation in Houston, Texas, as a Design Engineer with Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America. Today, I serve as the Vice President of Engineering for Designed Conveyor Systems, where I lead a remote team of over 100 engineers in the design and integration of automated material handling systems for the likes of Amazon, FedEx, UPS, Walmart, and others. I am most proud of our family and the values our kids live. Not perfectly, but consistently. They know what they believe and love others. On the professional side, I’m most pleased with the culture change I have been able to implement in multiple organizations and the leaders of people we have developed in the process. Which, again, goes back to knowing what we believe and loving others.

A few years ago, as our oldest son was making his own decision to attend Grove City, we realized that he would be a “legacy” student. That term, legacy, that we use for second generation Grovers is really what it’s all about. The legacy of what we do lives on in the impact we have on the lives of the people we live and work with—our families, our coworkers, and our friends. And I think that’s the real story of Grove City College for me. The legacy of that one decision to attend Grove City has had such an impact on my own life and on the lives of the people I’ve lived and worked with. Not perfectly, but thanks to the grace of God and for His Glory, the legacy is made in the day-to-day ordinary living of life over those four years on campus and in all the years since. And I believe that legacy of impact will continue in my own life and in the lives impacted by all alumni, students, and future Grovers because of who Grove City is and the ongoing commitment to independence, academic excellence, and Christian character 150 years after its founding.

Gregory: GCC campus tour, to LECOM! A “FAITH-BASED” decision in college, major, and career!!

During our Daughter’s Junior and Senior years of high school, Elisabeth toured numerous schools and campuses throughout Ohio & Pennsylvania, explored many others on-line, and contemplated various majors in college from Engineering, to Optometry, and Pre-Medicine. During our first tour, we were very impressed with the traditional design and beauty of the campus. Obviously, it’s a very hard decision for both students and parents alike. While at first, Grove City College(GCC) may not have been first on the list, as time went on, additional visits to campus ensued for scholarship interviews, and Grove City College quickly climbed to the top of her choice of schools and majors! While each school and program had many pros and cons, the beautiful and safe campus, friendliness of the students, strong academic record, overall affordability for an out-of-state private school, faith-based Christian mission, and affiliation with the Lake Erie College of Medicine(LECOM) Early-Acceptance Program directly out of high school were ALL a perfect fit for college and undergraduate studies prior to medical school. Elisabeth said, “it felt like home!!” As Elisabeth’s Father, with a life-long career in medicine as a Family Physician, and her Mother, as a longtime Pharmacist as well, we couldn’t be any prouder of Elisabeth and how she has grown and matured academically, personally, and in her Christian faith since her time at Canfield High School in Canfield, Ohio at GCC!!! We look forward to her future graduation, and the next phase in her medical education to begin and thank everyone at GCC for nurturing, protecting, and teaching her in such a beautiful campus environment and community she, or we, will never forget!!!!

Gary: ‘Grove City Groovin’

So thankful for astonishing memories at the beautiful campus and surrounding region!🙌. Bowled a league sanctioned 300 game – first ever in Slippery Rock.! 🏆
Lettered as a baseball manager, played IMO sports,
And experienced incredible friendships.
After 12 years in sales and management, called to evangelize JESUS and pastor. ☦️ Led to serve in West Virginia, Pa. and Florida. Thank You.
Gary Fuss. 🕊️
Agape Rom.8 / Eph.4

John Paul: Lost but Found: The Search for Identity

Grove City College started as my least likely choice—a small, random college in Pennsylvania and the only school I was and considering outside of the other 6 I had been accepted to in my home state of Michigan. Grove City was thr furthest and least practical as well as the least familiar….and yet after a lot of prayer and an impressionable visit during a admitted students day, I decided to commit, and life became very real shortly after.

During my freshman year, my mom made the decision to leave my dad after 34 years of marriage. At the same time, I began to realize that my faith had been a shallow façade—something I used to make myself feel good. That realization came as I spent time with people who had a genuine knowledge and love for Scripture, and a relationship with Christ that I didn’t even know was possible in my arrogance and ignorance.

Being able to grow as a young man, surrounded by professors who offered not only knowledge but also wisdom, is something that’s hard to overstate. On top of that, I was surrounded by peers who sharpened me and pushed me to grow. The education I received gave me an in-depth, Christ-centered view of the world and prepared me to pursue a career with confidence—grounded in a perspective that brought hope and peace, knowing my identity was rooted in Christ rather than in my accomplishments.

On top of all that, I met my wife and formed lifelong friendships. During that same season, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Even in that hardship, I was supported and surrounded by friends and professors who prayed for me, helped prepare me to say goodbye, and walked with me through grief—grief that, by God’s grace, carried an underlying sense of peace despite the pain of losing a parent.

Grove City didn’t just prepare me professionally—it helped lay the foundation for me to become a better son and husband. And now, as my wife and I have stepped into foster care and welcomed our first placement this past year, it has also shaped me into a better foster dad.

My hope is that one day my children will also discern a path that offers them the same kind of development—intellectually, but even more importantly, spiritually—that I was blessed to experience.