Whether a student, professor or faculty member, every Raven has their own AU story. Perhaps yours is a legacy story or maybe one of paving your own way. People from different states, countries and continents have made AU home over the years. AU is more than just an institution or a college campus. AU is made up of the people who call this place home, and the stories of what brought them here are what keep AU alive.
As we continue to grow in community together, every individual “My AU Story” becomes a small snapshot of our AU story.
This is the third installment of a series sharing the stories of how students, faculty and staff came to AU. The first was published in the Oct. 10 issue and the second in the Nov. 14 issue.
Jacob Burkett
Jacob Burkett is a senior finance and global studies major from Ukraine. Burkett, who lived in Ukraine for 14 years before moving to the United States, travelled more than 5,000 miles from his home to come to AU.
“I first learned about AU through a Google search,” says Burkett. “I originally wanted to go to college for global business, and I also knew I wanted to attend a Christian university in the Midwest. Anderson came up as one of the universities that offered a global business program, so I decided to look into it.”
Having the opportunity to flourish in his faith at AU is something that Burkett values. This was something that separated Anderson from many other schools that he looked into.
“When I first came to visit AU, I met with Dr. Fox, a professor in the Falls School of Business. At the start of our meeting, Dr. Fox prayed with me, and that stood out to me,” Burkett said. “I enjoyed my visits at other schools, but none of them prayed with me or actively showed they were a Christian institution.”
The relationships he has made during his time at AU stand out to Burkett.
“There are a lot of people here who I’ve interacted with who have helped me to grow in my faith,” said Burkett. “The interactions that I’ve had here have been awesome, whether it is with professors, students or working in the financial aid office, the encouragement and love that you get here is a great community for learning who you are and about what you can do in the future.”
Burkett enjoys working in the financial aid office and is a club member for the International Student Association as well as the Asian Student Association. Burkett was a discipleship coordinator in Dunn Hall and currently serves as a lead discipleship coordinator.