Cedarville Magazine, Spring/Summer 2015

“Our people are in demand,” Leightenheimer added. “With what they’re getting in the classroom and what they’re getting to apply here, they graduate with a high knowledge and skill level. I’m so thankful for our graduates and their willingness to partner with us. “God has blessed us with an amazing network.We stay in touchwith our grads as much as we can, and they let us know about internships, they hire, they come back and share. I can’t think of a time someone has been asked to help our program or students and refused.” Back to You, Mr. L In the end, it comes back to Leightenheimer and his willingness to not just instruct, but invest. “I have the privilege of working with students from freshman year to senior year,” Leightenheimer said. “I meet with our leadership team for the radio station every week. We talk about the business of the station and I do leadership training with them, but I also have the privilege of talking with them through all kinds of issues just because we spend a lot of time together. My office is right here with them.” Leightenheimer takes his student radio crew on a “boot camp” at the beginning of each school year. Last fall, they camped in West Virginia and rafted on the New River. He also takes them to the Christian Music Broadcasters Momentum Conference in Orlando every fall. “They get to learn with professionals from professionals, and get to network, too,” he said. Leightenheimer approaches his work with students humbly. “I get to spend a lot of time with them, and we build relationships and trust,” he said. “God’s given me the opportunity to be here for them when they have questions or need direction, even after graduation.” As Managing Partner for one of Nashville’s premier talent agencies, Houser works with big names in a high- powered industry. But he remembers how Leightenheimer reached out to himwhen he was a hurting and lost freshman. “When I came to Cedarville, I was struggling with the loss of my dad and had deep questions about my faith,” he said. “I’m incredibly grateful for the wayMr. L poured intome at that pivotal life moment. He’s a spiritual role model and caring mentor with an open door. He finds ways to be a ‘fan’ of his students in the right moments.” “Being a part of the lives of students is a privilege God has given me,” Leightenheimer said. And it’s that sincere, self-deprecating, and honest stewardship of his role at Cedarville that may be Mr. L’s greatest legacy. Clem Boyd is Managing Editor of Cedarville Magazine . by Joy McBride ’11 “You could have a real future in radio!” Professor Jim Leightenheimer was the first person to ever say that to me. I was one of those students who had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, but I fell into the broadcasting and digital media major at Cedarville. Working at Resound Radio, the on-campus radio station, started as just a favor for a friend. However, Mr. L saw something in me that I did not even see in myself. He told me that I was a natural on the air, and he helped me to hone my skills. I had never imagined radio to be an actual career option until he pointed me in that direction. The classes I took in my broadcasting major prepared me so well for an actual radio job! I will never forget Mr. L making us do “exactly three-minute” impromptu speeches in front of the entire Media Performance class. I got so nervous that I ended up crying in front of everyone, but now impromptu speaking is a skill that I use every day to be successful at my job. He expected a lot of us, like a father would from his children, because he wanted us to grow to our full potential. Students cannot help but rave about Mr. L, withmany considering him more like family than a teacher. We all knew that he truly loved us and if we needed help with a serious problem, needed guidance, or just needed to relieve some stress by jumping in the leaf piles in his backyard, he was there for us. I wanted to be the best that I could be, not just for me, but to make him proud. Mr. L used his connections to get me an internship with WAY-FM radio. After only a few weeks of interning, I was hired to a full-time position as the local morning show co-host in Fort Myers, Florida. I have since been promoted, and I am now the national afternoon show host for theWAY-FMRadio Network in Nashville, Tennessee. I talk to more than a million people every day, and it all started at Cedarville University. Stepping into my dream career right out of college was possible because of the incredible education that I received, the holistic shaping of my mature Christian worldview through my Bible minor, and the care of a professor who took me under his wing. I owe my entire career to Mr. L, and Cedarville is lucky to have him. He believed in me before I believed in myself. Joy McBride ’11 — or Joy Summers as she’s known to her radio listeners — is the WAY-FM afternoon show host. She lives in Franklin, Tennessee. MR. L BELIEVED IN ME 20 | Cedarville Magazine