Cedarville Magazine Fall 2015

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Cedarville Magazine
251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH 45314
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Two years ago, our daughter, Brie Ahlgrim ’13,
walked across the graduation stage, shook
the President’s hand, and received her degree
in nursing from Cedarville University. It seems
like yesterday we dropped her off at Getting
StartedWeekendwith a dreamto become a nurse.
During her preceptorship prior to graduation,
she cared for a baby in the Neonatal Intensive
Care Unit (NICU) at Dayton Children’s
Hospital who was 2 pounds and could fit into the
palm of her hand. This opportunity was a dream
come true. As she told me of this little baby, my
mind flashed back to Brie as a child playing on
the sidewalk of our little country home. Today
she is a compassionate, strong, and professional
nurse. My heart is full of gratitude for Cedarville
University — for its passionate and professional
faculty and staff, for the transformational
experiences, and for the encouraging and
supportive friends.
When we built our first home, we had the
task of seeding the surrounding three acres.
Brie, 4 years old at the time, had to stay on the
cement patio as the grass slowly grew. Soon,
green, lush grass surrounded our home. One
day as she played on the patio, we realized she
was not venturing out to play in the yard. She
would carefully put her little toes out to touch
the soft blades of grass, but she would quickly
pull her foot back with a giggle. On one hot July
day, I was sitting on our blue front porch swing
watching Brie play. I called out to her, “Step onto
the grass.” Because she had spent weeks avoiding
the unknown territory, she looked at me with
surprise in her face. I said again, “Step onto the
grass. It is OK. Go explore.”
At that moment I didn’t realize that “step
onto the grass” would be a key phrase in our
relationship. As I think of her years at Cedarville,
she not only stepped onto the grass, she jumped.
Cedarville University gave her opportunities to
explore, share the Gospel, and serve Christ on the
other side of the world—as she cared for rescued
prostitutes and their children on the brothel-lined
streets of Chiang Mai, for the sick in a remote
jungle village of Cambodia, and for families in
the slums of poverty-stricken areas of Asia. She
became the hands and feet of Jesus while sharing
the good news of salvation.
Passionate and professional faculty and staff
stepped into her life and made a difference.
After watching our daughter journey through
university life, I observed the impact of the great
men and women of faith who inspired her. They
took the time to encourage, direct, and guide her.
Brie graduatedwith an incredible education from
outstanding faculty.
Brie experienced transformational
opportunities in her time at Cedarville. She
worked as a Resident Assistant; she served as
the Communication Director for the Student
Government Association; she traveled on
the Civil Rights Bus Tour; she studied in Spain
for a summer with Cedarville’s International
Programs; she was involved in community
projects, professional development opportunities,
and much more. Opportunities abounded all
along the way.
The encouraging, fun, supportive friends she
made will last a lifetime. Cedarville is more than
just what occurs inside the classroom; it is outside
the walls of academia, too. I could not recount
all the stories she told me about her four years
at Cedarville. I heard stories full of adventure,
silliness, and fun; conversations about life,
God, and relationships; and grand memories of
concerts, Elliv, sporting events, and more.
Because of her time at Cedarville University,
I saw Brie become more of the woman God
designed her to become.
Because of my faculty status, I sat on the
platform during graduation in my own regalia
and got to meet Brie on stage to congratulate
her. Brie and I cherish this moment and have
talked about it often since she graduated. It was
just a few seconds in time, but it took my breath
away. I looked into her eyes and said, “Step onto
the grass.”
At Cedarville University since
1989, Kim Ahlgrim serves as
Associate Dean for Academic
Enrichment and Director of
The Cove.
32 | Cedarville Magazine
1,000 Days Remembered
In Closing