Jonathan Owens
Hometown: Irving, TX
Favorite Aspect of CTS: I greatly appreciate the care and friendship offered by the staff and faculty
Best place to study: On-Campus, the Quite Study Room – it’s convenient between classes. Off-Campus, home – so that I can take a break from studying and play with my daughter.
Where I hope to be after CTS: in a fine theological program working on my PhD.
One piece of advice I have for incoming students: Go to chapel; take time for these opportunities of corporate worship and personal reflection.
Shelby Gemmen
My hometown is West Olive, Michigan, although I currently live near the seminary in an apartment in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
My favorite aspect of CTS is the breadth of classes that the seminary offers. There are so many different fields that we have to choose from. I personally love philosophy and theology. I think Calvin Seminary helps to make well-rounded teachers and pastors because of the scope of information that is provided here. Ethics and Apologetics have been my favorite classes in seminary. I love how reasonable the Christian faith is. If you do not see me at the seminary or in the library, I am most likely in my apartment relaxing in my brown recliner chair with my laptop resting on my lap. My chair is a few short steps away from my personal library. I cannot think of a better place to be with such a vast amount of information.
If I could give one piece of advice to any incoming student, it would be to study hard your first year of seminary to learn Greek and Hebrew well. That strong foundation of the Biblical languages will aid you immensely in your future classes and ministry.
After seminary, I am open to a lot of different possibilities. I want to be somewhere that helps educate people about the Gospel and grow in a love and knowledge of Jesus Christ. With that being said, I plan on going where I am called and needed. So, I could end up living anywhere and I find that exciting!