Grad finds home at HU with degree, job
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, January 7, 2014
For most students, searching for a college is a nerve-wracking experience. Besides the significant investment, choosing the right fit is important to a student's success and happiness. But for Amber (Brady) Rensberger, a 2013 history alum, she knew instantly where she ought to be because it felt like home."It probably wasn't a surprise to a lot of folks that I ended up here," she said with a laugh. "But it was a decision I made on my own for the next chapter of my life."
Rensberger follows in a long line of family who also have chosen HU as their homes. After all, her grandfather, Charles Brady, was a business professor at the university for many years, and her grandmother, Doris Brady, had been a student as well as her father, Roger Brady; her mother, Becky (Wallace) Brady; and her cousins, Rachel (Kilbourne) Blue and Jared Blue. When it was her turn to pick a school, HU was on the short list, though not a guarantee.
"I visited a few other schools and thought they might work, but I honestly didn't feel that X factor. Huntington was the prettiest campus, and I felt energetic when I was here. The people were so friendly and welcoming," she said.
In particular, Rensberger felt the history department was exactly what she wanted.
"I had always loved history and wanted to pursue a history degree," she said. "The history professors are knowledgeable and personable. They were genuinely interested in who I was as a person as well as a student."
Rensberger graduated in May, but before she could begin to worry about searching for a job, an opportunity to work for HU fell into her lap. The transferrable skills from her work as a history student enabled her to apply just shy of graduation. In May, she was hired as the secretary to student services, where she currently assists with the administration of Student Life and Campus Ministries.
"It really was a blessing I wasn't counting on," she said.
And she has plans to make HU her home for quite some time as her husband, Andrew Rensberger, started classes in January as a freshman.
"I've always felt like I belonged here and hoped I would be able to stick around," she said. "Huntington is home."
