April D. Shelton--On Media and Technology

Technology and media have become part of our day to day lives. How do you feel about this? Is it a positive thing? Negative thing? How would your life be different without technology and media?
If you had asked me this 5 months ago, I would have had a much different answer. Right now, it’s the only way that I can do anything. I take online classes, use Facebook to communicate with my friends, Skype for my family, and AIM. My life is centered around technology right now. Do I feel it is a good substitute for face to face interaction? No. Do I feel that it is a good supplement? Yes.

Do you think media is biased? How so?
Of course it is! We as people are biased. Media is all about people. Therefore, it’s biased.

News channels, newspapers, movies, TV programs, novels, radio, music – all is about selling itself. Media will do what it has to, to market itself to certain people. That makes it biased, so it can sell.


Favorite Color: Turquoise

Favorite Book: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Favorite Movie: Dead Poet’s Society

Favorite Music: Well, that one’s kind of hard… my favorite song today is “Carry My Cross” by Third Day, so I guess Christian rock? Or maybe “La Vie Boheme” by RENT, so musicals? Or even “Lose Yourself” by Eminem, so rap? Who knows? :-)

Favorite Bible Verse: Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”

Favorite Candy: White Chocolate

April D. Shelton--A Deeper Look

What are your religious beliefs?
I like Jesus a lot. We go for coffee every Tuesday.

If a Christian, when did you accept Christ?
March 7, 2006, after attending a student led worship service at Gardner-Webb. It was one of those things that happens, and you never forget the moment. I felt miserable up until that point in my life. Seriously, it was my mission in life to bring others down to my level. I hated everyone and everything. I am so glad I met Christ!

What church do you attend? How are you active there?
Here, I don’t. I know, that’s going to sound awful, but I’m in Korea. I don’t speak Korean. (I can read it! Small steps!) There aren’t very many English speaking churches in the area, and the ones that are here are very small, and it’s hard to break into it.

Are you active in the community?
The expat community, yes I am. I am a member of the Spanish club here, and I have a lot of friends that I hang out with. I also attend a Bible study here.

However, the actual Korean community, I am not a part of. I can’t speak the language, and in truth, it’s hard for me to get involved at all with those Koreans that can speak English. I always feel like a token foreigner, and I have no clue about a lot of the cultural things that are expected of me. I have met some lovely people who were willing, but I was not.

Have you been on any mission trips?
I went on one to Shelby. That was a good time. I got to help out the local homeless shelter, and work with a lot of amazing people. It was a good experience, but it’s not my calling. (And somehow, I’m in Korea… maybe I don’t know my calling yet! :-))


How do you witness to people?
In truth, I like to live my life in front of them, and then have them make their own decisions. I feel it isn’t my place to force my beliefs on them. Also, another great tool that seems to start a lot of conversations is the fact that I have a cross tattooed on my upper back. Anytime it shows, I am able to have great conversations about my beliefs.

What are your parents’ beliefs?
My father is a Pentecostal minister. He is very deeply religious, and very much a Christian. My mother is an agnostic/uncertain. (It’s been a while since I talked to her about her beliefs.)

What is your political standpoint?
I’m liberal. I find I would rather my government help out those who are disadvantaged, but have a lot of regulations, than a government that allows people to starve to death, and be beaten for lifestyles.

What do you think are some major issues in the world to you? What do you think you can do about them/want to do about them?
I think that hate crimes are my biggest issue with the world. People who hurt other people because they are different. I have seen too many of my friends hurt for things that are out of their control, or just no one else’s business.

I think my biggest want is to rid the world of myths. I went into education to do just that. I want to educate people. A lot of hate crimes start because people are ignorant. Ignorance sparks fear. Fear sparks anger. Anger sparks hate.

Education is the only way to stop people from hurting one another.

April D. Shelton--Who is she?

Tell me about yourself?
I’m a constantly evolving individual, who just wants to become the person I’m supposed to be. I am a graduate student. I love education. I love my family more.

I also love to cut loose and have fun. I am the girl who you see having a dance party by herself simply because it’s 3:11 pm on Monday. I want so much to just have a good time, and help others to do the same!

Where were you born?
I was born in Mt. Pleasant, Charleston, South Carolina. My parents were military, and they decided the smart thing to do would be to take me (the daughter of a marine and an Air Force sergeant) to a civilian hospital. Quick fun story that came of that – they never gave my family my birth certificate. So I was trying to get ready for college, and I realized I didn’t have one. It took 3 years, and a call from my father’s CO in Washington, DC for me to get the little slip of paper that certifies that I do, in fact have a belly button.

Do you have any brothers or sisters? How old are they? Are you close to them?
I am the oldest of five children. The next in line is my brother David. He’s 19. He was born deaf, and after many surgeries, has partial hearing. He’s amazing, and can play a mean guitar when he wishes. Then there is Michael. He just turned 17. I will forever remember him as the chubby cheeked little squirt who would giggle as he threw food at you. Then Rebekah, who just turned 14. She’s growing up so fast! She’s almost in high school. (I feel so old!) And then, there is my unabashed favorite. She’s all of our favorites, so it’s all good. Anna is 11 now. She is the most beautiful little tomboy you will ever meet! She’s amazing.

I am extremely close to my siblings. With the age difference between Anna and I (12 years) it’s almost like a mother daughter relationship there. I guess I would say I have that with all of my siblings, but I’m the closest with Anna.

Did you moove around a lot as a kid/now?
As a child, I moved around a lot before I was 11. When I was 11 we moved back to the family farm my family has lived on for 7 generations. It was the middle of November in my 6th grade year. I remember hating my parents for making me move at that awful time. I had just started to understand middle school, then I pack up and go to one in which no one knows who I am, or cares. However, it was possibly the best thing that could have happened. If I hadn’t gotten out of the school system I was in, I doubt I would have graduated high school. It was a rough school, and I didn’t know it.

Are your parents divorced?
My parents actually just finalized their divorce. I was 21 years old when they separated. I no longer speak to my mother. In my eyes, she left the family when I was 11. She would come back to cause havoc every now and again, but she was essentially no longer part of the family. My father is a single dad, and is doing a bang up job of it though!


Do you want to get married and have kids one day?
No. I can’t see myself ever marrying, due to the fact that I don’t think it’s right for the government to be able to intervene in the way two people who love each other live. Would I swear a vow to never leave of forsake someone, to death do us part? Yes. Would I go to the courthouse and sign a paper that says we are legally bound to each other? No.

As for children, I would love to foster children. I don’t want to have my own, and I don’t want to adopt, but I would love to help the children out as long as I could. Foster parents get a bad rap because of the few bad ones. I want to change that, and the only way to do that is to become a foster parent myself!

How did you come to where you are at right now?
Well, I got on a big silver bird, that rushed me speedily across ocean and land, while giving me peanuts to calm my nerves. :-) I’m in Yeosu, South Korea. I’m an English teacher at a private school. After graduation, like so many people, I couldn’t find a job. I thought I had one, but then the teacher cuts happened, and my little elementary education butt was the first on the list to be chopped.

So, I put my resume on Monster, and got a call from a strange number one Sunday night. It was a recruiter from South Korea, asking me if I wanted a job. We talked for a while, and I jumped through some legal hoops, got a passport and flew to Korea. It was wonderful.

I teach 5 hours a day now, and I am losing all of my free time. I am traveling all over Korea, and some parts of Asia. I’m actually going to Bali for winter break, so that’s going to be amazing! I love it here, even though I’m homesick right now, with the holidays coming up.

What do you want to do with your life?
Well, my dream is to own my own school. I want to have a school that will serve as a massive foster home. I want to employ teachers, social workers, and psychologists that will help my school to become a good college prep school for people who are in foster care. So many times educational life is disrupted by the system. I want to create a place where that doesn’t happen.

I also believe that those in the system are underrepresented in our colleges and universities. By creating a place where the education is part of the home life, I can make a difference in that number, and hopefully better impact the system down the road. If we create leaders out of the disadvantaged, then the disadvantaged will create a world where they are no longer disadvantaged.

Are you dating someone right now?
No, I’m not. I’m enjoying being single. Otherwise, it would be hard to have as many adventures as I do.

How do you relieve stress?
I usually relieve stress by writing. I enjoy writing about life and the thoughts in my head. Like Dumbledore, I often have too many thoughts in my head to keep them all straight. So, my paper is my pensive. I am writing a novel at this point in my life as well, so that is quickly becoming a stress relief.

I also have random dance parties. I love to dance, and so moving to a beat is a good way to get some relief from everyday life.

What irritates you in other people?
I get irritated the most when people won’t tell you something straight. I much more prefer the person who will look at you and say “I don’t like this about you, and this is what I would wish you would do instead,” than the person who will avoid you because they don’t like that about you. I am a big promoter of honesty when it comes to what you like and don’t like about a person. I also realize it’s one of the hardest things to do, so I try not to get too irritated at people about it.

What kind of things do you like to do?
I love to talk and listen. I think it’s my favorite thing to get someone talking about him/herself and to really get to know that person. I much prefer a good conversation to most things.

I also like to climb trees. It’s a good place to hang out and watch the world go by. You begin to realize that a lot of people never look up when they walk, and they miss something very obvious (aka me in the tree!)

What do you want people to know about you?
I care. I care deeply, and I care fully. I really want people to understand that I care, no matter what.

If you could give one piece of advice to the world, what would it be?
If today was your last day, and tomorrow was too late, would it be enough? No? Then make it enough. Take the plunge, ask the girl/boy out, and just live!

If there was one thing in the world that you could change, what would it be?
The amount of hate that people have for each other is so sad. I would change that if I could change anything.

Josh R. House--On Media and Technology

Technology and media have become part of our day to day lives. How do you feel about this? Is it a positive thing? Negative thing? How would your life be different without technology and media?
I think it can be either positive or negative. Technology has made things a lot more impersonal. Instead of talking face to face or through handwritten letters, people communicate through emails, Facebook, text messages, or instant messengers. But then again, technology has made our lives much easier and has brought us great forms of entertainment. For me, technology is kind of my lifeline. Video production and editing would be difficult without technology! So for me, technology has its pros and its cons, but it kind of balances out.

Do you think media is biased? How so?
However unbiased the media may claim to be, biases will always be there. For example, CNN is biased to the left, whereas the supposedly "Fair and balanced" Fox News is biased to the right. I suppose the only way to get an objective view on a story is to hear it from all sides and make your own judgments. But then of course you have your own biases to worry about. So I don't think it's even possible to completely eliminate bias.



Favorite Color: It's kind of a toss up between blue or green. Maybe a good aqua color.

Favorite Book: I honestly haven't read too much recently. I need to get on that. But I've always loved the Chronicles of Narnia series, particularly "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader."

Favorite Movie: That's a tough one, I have several. I'll have to say the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy will always be near the top, though.

Favorite Music: Depends on my mood, but I love Christian music or instrumental (particularly movie soundtracks).

Favorite Bible Verse: I can't say I really have one specific verse as of right now, but the first passage that comes to mind for me is the beginning of John 14. I don't want to quote the whole thing now, but it's where Jesus says, "In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also... I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."


Favorite Candy:Reeses Peanut Butter Cups!

Josh R. House--A Deeper Look

What are your religious beliefs?
I'm a Christian, saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

If a Christian, when did you accept Christ?
Well, which time? I don't necessarily believe that I lost my salvation, but there are two different times where I came go God, once innocently as a child and again later in true repentance from sin.

I was born into a Christian home. My dad's a pastor, my mom's a Sunday school teacher, my grandfather a deacon in his church, so God and church were always a part of my life. When I was 5 I was enrolled at Merrimon Christian School, where every morning started with a Bible lesson. So I always believed in God's existence. But when I was in second grade, we were studying the life of an English missionary to India. I don't remember her name. But when she was a little girl, she heard the words to a hymn in church and realized that being a Christian was more than just knowing in your head, you have to accept Christ with your heart. Well, I figured that must be true for me too, so I thought about it at home later that week and said a prayer along the lines of, "God, I want to be a Christian, so I ask you to come into my heart. In Jesus' name, amen." I hoped that had done it, but for a while I worried that maybe I didn't say the right words or something. What if I had the right intentions but did something wrong?

Well, as time passed I began to understand more about what it really meant to be a Christian. It's about the condition of the heart. Like it says in Romans 10:9-10, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."

I was really on fire for God for a while, striving to live for Him in all that I did. That went pretty well until I got to high school. First of all, I was in a school with a freshman class of nearly 400 students, and I knew no one. And secondly, I had been pretty sheltered my entire life. Suddenly for the first time I was exposed to cussing, talk of sex, drugs, alcohol, and when I did make some friends, they were not Christians and led me to do some non-Christian things. I played the part of a good Christian around my family and church, but when I was at school or with my school friends, I was a different person. I cussed like a sailor. I hung out with people whose sole mission in life seemed to be to help me lose my virginity. And though I doubt my conscience would have let me go through with it, I was curious enough to play along. While I never really did anything terrible, I just got involved with a lot of things I'm not necessarily proud of.


When it came time for me to go to college, I began to set my life back on track. Coming to Gardner-Webb for me was one of the greatest things that had ever happened to me. I made good, godly friends and got involved with campus ministries activities such as the Verge. I turned away from all the mess I had been involved with and got my life back on track with God.

What church do you attend? How are you active there?
I attend Broad River Community Church when I'm in Boiling Springs, and on visits home I still attend my home church, South Fork Independent Methodist. I'm honestly not as active as I would like to be at Broad River. I attend church there every Sunday, but that's really about it. I know I should be more plugged-in there, and I would like to be, I just need to learn to manage my time better.

Are you active in the community?
Again, not as active as I feel I should be. Outside of work, I try to stay involved with the GWU theater as much as possible.

Been on any mission trips?
Not yet, but I would love to.

How do you witness to people?
I would say my witness is mostly through my actions. I'm not someone who is really comfortable at this point in just approaching someone and sharing the gospel with them. But I'm more than happy to share my beliefs with someone if they ask me. I just try to live like Christ would live and be a walking example of Him to the world.

What are your parents’ beliefs?
My parents are very conservative (King James Version only) Bible believing Christian people. I mean, I consider myself conservative and they make me look a bit liberal at times. For example, I don't necessarily like tattoos and piercings too much, but I see nothing wrong with them. But to my parents, the body is the temple of God, and tattoos and piercings defile the temple, and are therefore wrong. I don't cuss, but if I hear cussing in a movie I won't dismiss the movie entirely unless it's done completely out of bad taste. My parents will turn off a movie at the first sign of profanity and never turn it back on. They only listen to Christian music because they believe that music that isn't praising God isn't worth listening to. So because of this, I was completely out of touch with most of pop culture until I got to college. It's one reason why I don't like to visit home too much. I love them and I respect their beliefs, but I just feel boxed in around them, like I have no room to breathe.

What is your political standpoint?
I'm conservative. I would never vote straight Republican, but on the whole I agree more with the Republican party on a moral and ethical standpoint.

What do you think are some major issues in the world to you? What do you think you can do about them/want to do about them?
I didn't really know much about issues in the world until relatively recently. I mean, there's hunger, genocide, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, nations that are closed off to Christianity... the list goes on and on. One thing that all of us can do first of all in pray. Secondly, there are plenty of good organizations and charities out there trying to help out. So I would encourage people to find an organization and research them to make sure that the money is being put to good use, then make a donation. And of course, there's always the option to go and do something personally through mission trips if you feel so led. For me right now, I'm looking for some good organizations to support financially once I fix my budget solidly enough.

Josh R. House--Who is he?

Tell me about yourself?
Well, I'm 22 years old, and I just graduated from Gardner-Webb University this past May with my BA Degree in Communication Studies. I double majored in Video & Film Production and Theater. I'm not really sure what to do with my degree yet, so in the mean time I'm working at Chick-fil-A and looking for some private video jobs to give me some experience.

I come from a small family. I'm an only child and the only grandchild on both sides. My dad is an only child, and my mom has a brother but he still lives at home in my grandmother's basement. I'm a preacher's kid, so for me church and the Bible were always just part of life growing up. I went to a small private Christian school called Merrimon Christian School in Asheville, NC, from kindergarten through 8th grade. I never really hung out with any of the kids my age, so I spent much of my childhood alone or with my family. Then when I was about to go into high school, my parents decided that Merrimon wasn't preparing me well enough for college, so they put me into the public school system... from a class of 30 students to a class of 400. I didn't know how to handle it and kept to myself for a couple of years, and didn't really make any friends until my junior year. And then they weren't friends I should have had. I never really did anything terribly bad, but I just wasn't where I should have been. Coming to Gardner-Webb really got me back on track and introduced me to some of the best friends I could ever have asked for.

I love theater. I’ve been involved with theater heavily since my sophomore year in high school. I’ve been a part of roughly 35 individual productions since then, and have had an acting role in nearly half of those. I love the theater, but I don’t really see myself having a career there. To me, theater is more of a hobby.


Where were you born?
Born and raised in Asheville, NC. Until coming to Boiling Springs I lived in the same house for all but about 6 months of my life.


Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Nope, I'm the only one. My mom was pregnant before she had me but miscarried, so I have a sibling I've yet to meet in heaven. Being an only child was nice at times because it meant I was always the center of attention. But I really feel at times like I've missed out on something by not having a brother or sister.

Did you move around a lot as a kid/now?
My family has never really moved around much. Like I just said, I lived in the same house for all but the first 6 months of my life.

Are your parents divorced?
Nope, my parents are happily married.

Do you want to get married and have kids one day?
I'd love to, but I don't see that happening for a while. First of all, before getting married, I need a girlfriend. And secondly, I've only just recently moved out on my own and tried my hand at taking care of myself. I want to make sure I know what I'm doing there first before trying to take care of a family!


How did you come to Gardner Webb?
Well, my college search came down to four schools, all of which accepted me. There was Appalachian State University, Western Carolina University, Campbell University, and Gardner-Webb University. After visiting Appalachian, I dismissed it pretty quickly. Western had some state-of-the-art equipment I was itching to learn to use, but I just didn't have a comfortable feeling about it. So my family and I decided to pray about Gardner-Webb and Campbell. Well, for some reason I thought that my family would prefer it if I went to Campbell, so my prayers were along the lines of, "God, if you want me to go to Campbell, give me a peace about it and let me know." But I never did really feel like I was certain it was the right thing for me to do.

So I told my family to pray about Gardner-Webb. Suddenly, I felt at peace about it, like there was no doubt for me. So I told my family about my decision. When I told my dad, he told me that he had had a dream that night where God had told him He had told me where I should go and signed it with His name. I thought that was kind of weird. Then I got a piece of mail. You know how you get letters from admissions counselors from all the schools that accept you giving you information or telling you what to do next? And they always sign it, "Sincerely," then their name? Well I got one from my admissions counselor at GWU, Amy Callahan. And she signed the letter, "In Christ, Amy Callahan." Call it a coincidence or whatever, but that's all I needed.

What do you want to do with your life?
Still working on that one. I know I love video production and theater. I'd like to do some independent filmmaking or videography work, but getting into the field isn't as easy as I'd like it to be.


Are you dating someone right now?
Not at the moment, no.

How do you relieve stress?
Depends. Sometimes I like to just relax and listen to some music, sometimes I write, sometimes I enjoy just being alone, sometimes I need to get out and be with friends. It just depends.

What irritates you in other people?
I would have to say when someone thinks that they are right no matter what and will not listen to what anyone else has to say. I don’t care if you’re right or not, at least take the time to consider other people’s perspectives rather than being dogmatic about your own position!

What kind of things do you like to do?
Act, write, hang out at the coffee shop, spend time with friends, hike, watch movies and analyze them.

What do you want people to know about you?
I may tend to keep to myself from time to time, but I really can be quite outgoing and I love being around people. I’ve spent so much of my life alone, I can be unintentionally awkward from time to time just because I don’t know what to do with myself around groups of people. But once I get to know you, I’ll do anything for you.

If you could give one piece of advice to the world, what would it be?
Follow your dreams, but not at the expense of God's will. That's something I've been learning lately. The last thing I want to do is go back to Asheville. I guess I'm kind of afraid I'll get stuck there like the rest of my family. I want to stay near Shelby, where all my friends are. But recently I've begun to feel that I'm being led to move elsewhere, possibly back to Asheville for a while. If that's what God wants me to do, then I need to just do it regardless of what I want. For all I know, something wonderful might happen there.

If there was one thing in the world that you could change, what would it be?
People fighting non-stop over stupid stuff. I wish people could just get along, regardless of culture, religion, race, customs, etc.

Tanika Lee--On Media and Technology

Technology and media have become part of our day to day lives. How do you feel about this? Is it a positive thing? Negative thing? How would your life be different without technology and media?
For me, it’s a positive. I can see the negative. But for me I don’t have enough time in the day and texting is fun. fast easy was to keep in touch. If I have a question, I can just send a text. There's no need to have an awkward conversation with someone, that neither one of you wants to have. It’s quick, it’s easy. If I have a 10 page paper, in a couple of hours I can type it out, and not have to write it out which would take a long time. We wouldn't have medical advances without technology. GPS is crucial to me! I can see how it’s bad. They are using the same technology for medical cures in bombs, and war...there is a heads and tails to everything. It's really where people’s accountability comes into question. It’s using it, not the actually technology that’s the problem.


Do you think media is biased? How so?
Yes. I think that the media is going to take any angle that is going to sell papers and get more viewers. It causes a problem not it's not necessarily about the truth. Because the truth is boring. Making up a lie is much more fun.


Favorite Color: Pink

Favorite Book: Gone With the Wind

Favorite Movie: Deep End of the Ocean

Favorite Music: Broadway! I know, you’re shocked.

Favorite Bible Verse: The Lord’s Prayer. God is really there.

Favorite Candy: Skittles.