Hi, I’m Susanna Im…

Where are you from?

My story begins with my parents immigrating from Korea to America where I was born in New York City. I grew up in Queens eating great food and cycling through the other boroughs for my education. I love the diversity of people and experiences in New York, but right now I cherish being closer to nature in Massachusetts.

Why is discipleship important to you?

Discipleship is important to me because through it, I understood God’s relational nature and I experienced how transformative healing takes place in relationships and community. Walking alongside and supporting one another in our faith journeys is a priceless gift. After all, we are all “walking each other home” and discipleship allows you to experience the joy and wonder of that privilege.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

College is a time of wrestling with the antinomies or apparent contradictions of life, making it both eventful and chaotic. It’s also a time where we can truly be countercultural in how we live our lives and love others. Consequently, I’m passionate about sharing the buoyancy of joy together, navigating the storms of life while being anchored in faith, and holding onto hope for others during difficult circumstances.

How have you been discipled in the past?

I have been discipled by pastors and professors during key transition points or “critical periods” in my life—high school, college, and seminary—all of which have helped to change the trajectory of my life. Discipleship offers a unique type of support and guidance different from the kind that family and friends give. The combination of objectivity, nonjudgmental empathy, and diverse life experiences from my disciplers allowed me to experience a special kind of healing and growth that can only happen during discipleship.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

I love learning about self-improvement, the resiliency of humanity and nature, and the beauty of God’s Creation. I’m constantly seeking ways to live a holistically healthier life while researching new “life hacks” that increase my efficiency. Stories of incredible human beings and animals never fail to inspire and move me. Understanding and experiencing the beauty of God in nature is becoming my preferred part-time job.

What do you like to do for fun?

My idea of fun involves reading a good book in a café, exploring new cuisines during restaurant weeks, having deep conversations with friends, taking zoomed-in-pixilated pictures of animals, shamelessly marveling at animals in the zoo, researching facts about my latest favorite animal, meditating in nature, hiking on easy trails, and attempting to improve my burgeoning rock-climbing skills.

Hi, I’m Julia MacCready…

Where are you from?

I am originally from Michigan, but spent close to 7 years in Colorado after college. I also spent a year in upstate New York in a discipleship program. I came back to Michigan during the pandemic and then moved to Massachusetts last September, which is now my favorite place to live.

Why is discipleship important to you?

It has been an integral part of my spiritual journey and I would not be where I am today, and more importantly, who I am today without those who have discipled me. I think it’s a non-negotiable aspect of the Christian journey and something we are called to be a part of. It’s also a joyful experience for me because of the quality and depth of relationship that results from discipleship.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

I have worked with young adults for most of my adult career, whether it be college age, high school or middle school and deeply enjoy them all for different reasons. I think college was such a pivotal point in life and I know how much I longed for adults in the next stage of life to help guide me. I am excited to potentially provide this for young women who want this also. I also did not grow up in a predominately Christian home, so having discipleship was huge for me to create a better foundation for my faith.

How have you been discipled in the past?

I was discipled through the Gordon-Conwell Discipleship Experience which was a beautiful experience. It was a group that aired questions and shared honestly with each other about our experiences and spoke about how we saw Jesus working in those things. I also was discipled in a leadership program in upstate New York where I was mentored one-on-one, in a small group and discipled in a larger group as well. This was highly formative in giving me a stronger foundation for my faith that I never got in my childhood.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

I love learning about how people work within a Christian theological framework, specifically how embodied practices, relationships and spirituality intersect with our biology to create change and newness. I also love learning about my hobbies, such as baking, cooking and gardening or reading books on history.

What do you like to do for fun?

Bake, cook, rock-climb, run, hike, garden, play piano and read.

Hi, I’m Seong Min Nam…

Where are you from?

I am from Daegu, South Korea. My favorite place that I have ever lived in would be Osaka, Japan, where I grew up from the ages five to ten.

Why is discipleship important to you?

Discipleship is the foundation of faith journey for all believers. It is the very heartbeat of the church and it is the purpose of all who have been called by Christ.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

I am elated to walk in the light with young adults and create space at the table for the weary and lost so that they may ultimately, build other disciples and light-bearers. My life calling is to be a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19) and I am most excited to live out my calling through this experience.

How have you been discipled in the past?

I have been discipled by numerous spiritual leaders in the past. Despite many spiritual storms, it is because of discipleship that I am here today walking with Christ at seminary.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

I love to learn various languages, arts and crafts, storytelling, instruments, and sports. Additionally, I enjoy learning about different ways to do the same thing and ways to improve my efficiency on completing certain tasks.

What do you like to do for fun?

I love to paint, bullet journal, knit, cook, and watch animated movies. I recently watched “Bubble” on Netflix and it was highly captivating. Another hobby of mine is reorganizing my room and space. I have rearranged my dorm room five different ways since last September.

Hi, I’m Anthony Rando…

Where are you from? What is your favorite place where you have lived?

I’m from Long Island, NY where I was born and raised. At 19 years old I moved to North Carolina and lived there for about 8 years before coming to Seminary. I’ve done missions work with YWAM in Brasil, Angola, Italy, and Portugal. It’s hard to say a favorite place because they have all impacted me in different ways!

Why is discipleship important to you?

Discipleship is important to me because I have seen the value of someone who is a bit older than me and who has been walking with Christ a bit longer than I and can inspire me and help me along the way. I hope to be that for others just as others have been (and presently are) for me.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

College is certainly a time where our identity is put under fire and tested. It is such an opportune time to seek God—He has so much to say about our identity! Because we live so close to each other, it will be very easy to spend time together and hang out in different places on the North Shore.

How have you been discipled in the past?

Since I have become a Christian, I have had people that I considered mentors. To this day, I have mentors who I can call at any time for advice and guidance. To have people in my corner who want the best for me, love me, and are there for me gives me the courage to face many different obstacles and struggles in my life.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

I enjoy learning about psychology and especially its integration with Christianity and discipleship. I also have appreciated the biblical languages. I’ve done some missions work and love to hear about other languages and cultures from around the world.

What do you like to do for fun?

For fun, I enjoy playing basketball, going for walks, hiking, or drinking coffee with friends. I love road trips and visiting new places. I like lifting weights and reading good books.

Hi, I’m Gregory Scalise…

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Brewster down on Cape Cod and have lived all but a year and a half of my life here in Massachusetts. I love the small town life, where it’s easy to know the people around you and to spend lots of time in the great outdoors.

Why is discipleship important to you?

I wouldn’t be where I am today without older Christians who took an interest in me. The time I’ve spent in other people’s homes studying the Bible, eating good food, and talking about life both set me in the right direction and was always a relief in the midst of a busy life. Plus Jesus told us to do it.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

College was a formative time for me in my walk with Jesus. It’s a time when we’re establishing the habits and values that will be with us the rest of our lives. Having just walked through that season myself, I’m eager to walk with people along that path now. Also growing up and teaching in Massachusetts, I’ve known lots of people who have gone to Gordon.

How have you been discipled in the past?

Mostly small groups where we would get together to share a meal and read the Bible. It helped me to keep life in perspective when I was caught up in doing so many things for school or work. It was a chance to pause and reflect on where I was actually going with my life.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

Early 17th century English literature and the ancient Greeks. I was a philosophy major in college and love all the humanities. When they made me take two science classes to graduate, I took acoustics and fish biology; the intersection of those two, fish-hearing is actually pretty interesting.

What do you like to do for fun?

Walking and watching sports. Here on the North Shore I’ve walked around Agassiz Rock, Bradley Palmer, Stage Fort, Rafe’s Chasm, Tompson Street Reservation, Ravenswood, Chebacco, the Ocean Lawn, Dogtown, Boxford State Forest, Millstone Hill, Red Rock, and Mount Ann. Always looking for new hikes. I watch the Sox in the summer, the Pats in the fall, and the Bruins in the spring.

Hi, I’m Mary Sedler…

Where are you from?

I was born and raised in Massachusetts but have spent lots of time in New Hampshire as well. I attended Gordon College for my undergrad, so I have been on the North Shore most of my life. I love learning about new places, but I will always love my hometown near Newburyport.

Why is discipleship important to you?

Discipleship allows Christians to walk alongside one another just as Jesus intended. I have been so blessed by being discipled as well as discipling others. It has been a critical part of my faith journey. Discipleship allows for deeper, more meaningful relationships as we pray for one another and worship God alongside one another.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

College is such a pivotal time in life and the people that discipled me in that time made all the difference. I want to make a difference in college students’ lives. I have worked alongside middle school, high school, and college students for many years and I see that college students are at such a turning point in their faith and their life. God has put college students on my heart as I pursue my seminary degree and I am so excited to be back at Gordon College, now as a discipler.

How have you been discipled in the past?

I have been discipled by the high school youth directors at my church, not only through high school but even through my college years and beyond. They trained me for ministry and walked alongside me no matter what life brought along. I was also part of the Gordon-Conwell Discipleship program last year and learned so much through my discipler and the other people in my cohort. God used the other people in my group to speak to my heart and help me grow tremendously in my faith. The diverse experiences of the people who have discipled me has shown me the beauty of diversity in the kingdom of God.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

Currently I love learning about how mental health and Christian faith interact. That is why I chose Gordon-Conwell—to integrate faith with counseling practice. I also love learning biblical history and geography as well as anything about other cultures and how to understand people better. I am also on a constant pursuit to know more about God and my faith.

What do you like to do for fun?

Taking walks, having coffee with friends, doing crosswords and sudoku puzzles, watching movies, listening to podcasts or audiobooks, reading, and finding places to try something new.

Hi, I’m Toby Westberry…

Where are you from?

I’m from Dahlonega Georgia. It’s a college town in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. My favorite place that I’ve lived is worlds apart from that though and is without a doubt Istanbul, Turkey.

Why is discipleship important to you?

Discipleship is not just necessary for the fulfillment of the great commission it is also necessary for the health of the local body. Taking an active role in our spiritual communities starts by participating in their transformation into the image of Christ.

What makes you excited to disciple at Gordon College?

College is such a formative time in life. The community that one finds, decisions that one makes, and the worldview that one embraces often has an outsized role in the rest of a person’s life. The opportunity to play a meaningful part of that time in someone’s life is a joy.

How have you been discipled in the past?

I had two mentors during an extended part of my life and a crucial season of my faith namely my high school and college years. They intentionally discipled me and therefore played a large role in shaping who I am today.

What are your favorite things to learn about?

One of my favorite things to learn about is Church history. I kind of stumbled into it while living in Istanbul and feel like ever since then I’ve been trying to catch up on something I had been missing out on.

What do you like to do for fun?

As if seminary wasn’t enough reading, book-related activates also take up a lot of my spare time such as book clubs with friends. To mix it up though, I play a lot of disc golf. I’m also a visual artist and so I’ll make art occasionally.