It was the careful and caring prodding of my professors that helped me move from envisioning ministry primarily as preaching and teaching to primarily caring for and creating community. During my journey towards a Master of Divinity degree, I have been blessed to learn from professors who are both intelligent and wise. They have encouraged me to push through some difficult personal experiences and beyond the limits of my self-perception. While they have imbued me with the technical knowledge necessary to perform my ministerial duties, they have also inspired me to think independently and to own my faith. There is, however, another essential element to my seminary experience that has greatly enriched me as a person – the diverse and faithful student community with whom I have had the privilege to learn. Both the faculty and the student body have contributed to my understanding of my calling, and many of the relationships forged during this experience will endure long after graduation.