Title: Academic Counselor

My husband, Mark, and I grew up in Texas and moved to Columbia in 1997. We have four children: Ethan graduated from Ben Lippen in 2014, USC in 2018, and works as a Cloud Engineer in Charlotte. Graham graduated from BLS in 2015 and USC in 2019.  He just got married to MB and is in his second year of an RUF (Reformed University Fellowship) Internship at Baylor University. Mason graduated from BLS in 2019 and is a sophomore at Clemson Honors; he is studying Political Science in the Lyceum program. Olivia is a sophomore at Ben Lippen and runs Cross Country & Track. Boarding Student Khanh Nguyen is living with us for the second year and has become like part of our family. She is in 11th grade and takes great care of our cat, PJ. We also have two dogs: Ringo and Eevee. We love playing games (we are all very competitive so it gets interesting sometimes), hiking, watching movies and eating good food together.

I continue to be amazed at the impact Ben Lippen coaches and teachers have on my kids. Although three of them have graduated, they still talk about things they learned from teachers here and about the way it has helped them move through issues and questions they’ve had.  It has truly been a partnership! Winterim trips are another great opportunity for students to connect with the Godly teachers/staff at Ben Lippen. New experiences abound during Winterim week and provide opportunity for lots of conversation! I have enjoyed this from both sides – as a mom and also as a staff chaperone on trips for the last 7 years. The time spent with students away from school is priceless and I love getting a glimpse into their lives and sharing life with them for a week.

The value of Ben Lippen for my family is in all the small ways the school and staff consistently show God’s greatness and love to all of us. There are big things too, but all those small things add up to an eternal difference in our lives.