Professor. Writer. Wife. Mother. Amy (Smith) Reeves juggles these roles on a daily basis. As a professor at the University of South Carolina in Beaufort, she strives to teach engaging literature courses. As a writer, she pursues publication in scholarly journals. As a wife and mother, she seeks balance between career and family.

A 2001 Huntington University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English and history, Amy believes her baccalaureate education gave her a solid foundation for further study.

“I felt very prepared during my first semester at graduate school,” she says. “I was scared to death that everyone in my classes would know more than me but that wasn’t the case.”

Amy credits her English and history professors with strengthening her research and writing skills. Specifically, she acknowledges Dr. Paul Michelson, distinguished professor of history, for teaching her how to research both primary and secondary sources. She says Dr. Del Doughty, professor of English, assisted her with applying literary theory to her papers.

“This turned out to be invaluable when I came to graduate school,” Amy says. “All of my professors at Huntington University showed me in various ways what it means to be an excellent professor. They were all great role models in terms of teaching me how to be both compassionate and professional.”

Having the opportunity to get to know professors on a personal level changed Amy’s perception of what a professor is and confirmed her desire to pursue teaching.

“Many times, professors would have our class over to their houses to visit, watch a movie, or have discussions,” Amy says. “This reinforced my dream to become a professor as it showed me that I don’t have to be locked in an office writing all the time but that I can be a mentor, personally involved with students who love literature. Because of my experience at Huntington University, even though I’m currently working for a big university, I try to have drop-ins at my house once a semester for my students—this way I can get to know them more personally.”
Huntington University faculty not only encouraged Amy’s academic prowess but also her spiritual growth. In one of her classes, she wrote a paper defining and describing her worldview.
 
“Doing this, actually thinking through what I believed as I wrote, helped to solidify my perspective as a Christian academic,” she says. “The classes at Huntington University helped me solidify my Christian worldview through providing me with a Christian perspective in all of my studies. The emphasis on a Christian worldview helped me to understand how faith and learning can interact.”

While Amy solidified her own worldview at Huntington, she also appreciated the variety of perspectives her professors and peers presented. Other viewpoints challenged her to think critically and ask difficult questions of herself and her faith.
“Many Christians are afraid of different opinions, political views and cultural perspectives,” Amy says. “I was pleasantly surprised during my first year at Huntington University to discover that my professors were pleased when students voiced various views in the classroom.”

In addition to classroom discussions, experiences also broadened Amy’s worldview. She worked as an intern at the Olive Branch Mission in Chicago, a Christ-centered ministry committed to the development and restoration of individuals, families and communities around the world. As part of her internship, she served as an ESL teacher for World Relief, an organization that equips churches and communities to help victims of war, poverty, disease, hunger, disasters and persecution.

“Besides teaching me about their goals as a mission, the employees at the center educated me about inner city needs and issues,” Amy says. “I would recommend this experience to anyone.”

Her involvement in Ekklesia, a student-led worship service, gave Amy a chance to break out of her shell and build up her confidence.

“Ekklesia was a great experience,” she says. “I tend to be very shy, and it helped to develop my speaking skills in front of large audiences. When I started teaching, I was grateful that I had had some experience with this.”