Whitworth University Mission Statement

Ibrahim Danladi

I'm currently pursuing a Master of Art in Theology at Whitworth University. The degree is a two-year program therefore, I will graduate in the fall of 2018. Whitworth's mission is to equip its diverse student by providing an education of the mind and heart. This mission statement attracted me to Whitworth among other things. An education of the mind seeks prepares a student to pursue a rigorous study that will enable them to discover solutions that will make the world a better place, while an education of the heart seeks to kindle the compassion to heal, inspire, protect and provide for the weak, marginalized, and the poor amongst us and globally. After completing my first semester, I have concluded that I made the right choice

Theology wasn't the program I expected to be studying since I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs (Summa Cum laude) from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014. After that, I took a job in Montana with Lustre Christian High School as a Residential and International Student Advisor. The school had international students who were studying to pursue a U.S high school diploma and were there as exchange students. The most rewarding aspect of the job was creating meaningful relationships with the students, which made them comfortable to approach me with their educational, social, and cultural problems. I refused a contract to work the following school year because I wanted to go back to school. What I learned the most from the job was that all youths need people in their lives to speak truth, guide, advice, and someone they can always approach during a difficult

Moreover, I also learned that the solutions to the global crisis are more effective when carried out on a smaller scale which diminishes the ineffectiveness of bureaucracies. The reason we have a lot of nonprofit organizations today is because they are efficient in tackling the issue or cause they are devoted to. A graduate degree in theology will not only prepare me to become a pastor, but it will also set me up to pursue a Doctorate degree in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminary which I'm planning to pursue. This degree is designed around theoretical content and research methods to solve practical problems in an area where the student wants to see change. The change I want to make is to things improve the living conditions of at-risk children and youths. Through my graduate studies, volunteer experiences, and mentorship, I hope to learn how to become an effective leader and a person who can make a difference in the world by finding ways and means to better serve the children and the youths in our communities and