Ashlynn McGuire, Guest Writer
Every residence on campus has a person in charge of the details of planning and keeping up with the building and its residents. These people are the ones that send out emails about anything that might interest or inform their residents. These resourceful and driven people are called our Resident Directors and have more to them than meets the eye.
“I graduated from SNU and this place and the people here had an incredible impact on my life. I wanted to give back to a place that invested so much in me and hopefully provide the support for students that I appreciated so much when I was a student. The Lord has been so faithful along my journey in Residence Life to continue to place me in situations to get to see and experience student’s lives forever changed and that never gets old. I love every moment spent celebrating awesome news with students, encouraging and walking alongside them in the middle of tough life circumstances and seeing students create memories that will last a lifetime. I love my job,” said Katy Bradley, Asbury and Imel RD and Director of Resident Life.
Tim Cole, AM HIlls RD, is grateful to give back to the community. “I am excited to see what our amazing God is going to do with our students! That is why I love my job. Seeing students come to SNU as one person and leaving here as another. I know that is what happened in my life. SNU made me so much of a better man, and I am so grateful to now give back to this powerful community.”
Cole came to SNU because he was originally recruited to play baseball.
“When I decided to come here it was because of baseball, but then when I got here I fell in love with this school. [There are] so many incredible people here. I love the SNU community,” Cole said.
The opportunity to coach football at SNU and serve the young men of Snowbarger brought Hodam to SNU.
All three RDs interviewed look forward to the coming year.
“[I am excited for] the opportunity to build solid, content-filled relationships with the young men of Snowbarger and offer myself as a resource to them as they traverse an extremely demanding, challenging, yet exciting time of their lives. I am excited for this opportunity because I personally benefited from my dorm experience as well,” Hodam said.
Bradley is excited to see students continue to get connected and to find new ways for Residence Life to create community among the student body. She is excited to hear new ideas from students on what they want to see in the Residence Halls with programming, facilities, etc. and intends to do her best to make some of those things happen.
“I am so excited to see all of our RDs and RAs pouring into and investing in the lives of their residents,” Bradley said.
RD Q&A:
Dream Trip:
Bradley: Swaziland, London or Australia
Cole: “If money wasn’t an option, I would have to say New Zealand or Scotland.”
Hodam: Scotland. “It’s the birthplace of golf.”
Favorite Movies:
Bradley: “My favorite movie is Hoosiers, Coach Carter, Remember the Titans and P.S. I Love You.”
Cole: Braveheart.
Hometown:
Bradley: McKinney, Texas
Cole: Wichita, Kansas “I was born and raised there. I left in the summer of 2008 to go play on a faith based baseball team here in OKC called the Ambassadors.
Hodam: Lansing, Kansas. However, he has spent the last ten years in Lincoln, Illinois working for Lubbock Christian University.
Travel Out of the U.S.:
Bradley: She has helped sponsor a Pine Cove family mission trip to Costa Rica. “Brett and I loved everything about it.”
Cole: “I went to Nicaragua on a baseball mission trip in 2008. It was incredible, and the experiences I had there were amazing. God worked so much in my heart on that trip. I also went to Mexico on a missions trip in 2009. We built a house for a family there. That was one of the most humbling experiences I have had as well. The family was so grateful, and it was so cool to see how much they were thanking our amazing God for the house we built. I have also been to Canada a couple of times for baseball. I will say that they do have some pretty amazing maple syrup!”
Hodam: “I have been to Canada for fishing trips with my dad in the summers and the Bahamas on a cruise with Steph for our honeymoon.”
Favorite Food:
Cole: A medium rare steak at a restaurant named Country Bob’s.
Bradley: “My favorite food would have to be dirt cake and sushi.”
Hodam: “My favorite food is buffalo chicken wings.”