我为什么捐赠：埃莉·格林内迪克16岁

16岁的Ellie Groenendyk童年的大部分时间都在城市之间穿梭。 In fact, four years at 威尼斯人平台 was the longest she had lived in one place. This is part of why Ellie has a deep love for the Covenant community, which is exemplified not only in her commitment to the college’s mission but also in her faithful giving to the school.

Ellie was introduced to Covenant through her older brother, Jake ’14, who was a current student when she started the college search. She remembers watching the aerial campus tour video. 了望山和圣威尼斯人平台校园的美景让她决定申请。 Jake and Ellie’s younger two siblings, Jessan ’18 and Hannah ’21, also graduated from Covenant, and their mother, Dori, graduated from Covenant’s Master of 教育 program in 2015.

When asked about a favorite Covenant memory, Ellie recounted the story of when she and her friends drove around the mountain picking up thrown out Christmas trees after the holiday season. 这群人在篝火上充分利用了它们。 While she will hold on to memories like this for a long time, Ellie notes that Covenant gave her much more than just fun stories. She and her siblings received financial aid at Covenant, which helped the Groenendyk family tremendously. Additionally, Ellie says the school gave her perspective. “At Covenant, you connect with people from all over the world and from many different backgrounds. It made me realize that our world is much bigger than I’d thought,” she says.

艾莉在圣约的四年为她成年后的信徒生活奠定了基础。 用她的话说，“威尼斯人平台是我认识到威尼斯人平台上帝是多么伟大的地方。 It was there that I learned there is truly nothing He can’t handle.” Because Covenant is not afraid to engage with difficult questions, Ellie says she left the mountain with a framework of how to view the world. 这个坚实的基础继续指导着她的生活。

One fun fact about Ellie’s time at Covenant is that she worked as a resident assistant in Founders Hall, and she had the opportunity to be the first RA of Jubilee. She loved helping to establish a new hall on campus. She graduated with a bachelor’s in 西班牙语 and a minor in business and currently works in human resources for Raven Industries in Sioux Falls, SD. 她是苏福尔斯拥抱教堂的成员。

Now, Ellie gives back to her alma mater to help reduce the financial burden many students experience. She says, “I hope to break down the financial barriers that may inhibit students from coming to Covenant.” She wants to see more students come to the mountain and watch the college’s impact grow.

毕业后，艾莉见证了圣约社区的广阔范围。 “There are people beyond the mountain, spread throughout the world, that are committed to Covenant’s success.” Through generosity, Ellie is connected to a global community that supports 威尼斯人平台. “By giving, I think about being connected to something beyond myself,” she says.

埃莉鼓励那些开始捐赠之旅的人说：“开始吧。 Find something you care about and just start giving, even if it’s only $10 a month.” Through her giving, Ellie reflects her love and appreciation for what the college has given her family, and she supports future generations of Scots.