Centennial Class Profiles

 

Gabriel Fickett

Major: Biology with Teaching Certification
Hometown: Waukesha, Wis.
Campus Activities: Student Government Association, recreational sports, Ultimate Frisbee

 

Through his teaching-certification and biology classes at Messiah College, Gabriel Fickett has benefited from numerous field-experience opportunities that he claims have helped him to become more confident in the teaching role and have given him a deeper appreciation for biology.

 

One of his favorite experiences is engaging in thoughtful discussions of important topics with faculty and friends. “The people [at Messiah] are open to civil dialogue, but are not afraid to ask the hard-hitting questions that really get at the heart of tough issues,” he says.

 

While venturing through the tough questions, Fickett has realized that being a scientist and being a Christian is often conflicting. He says his time at Messiah has helped him to combine the two into one, adding that “finding the beautiful intersection between God's written scripture and his created nature is exciting and rewarding.”

Reflecting on his college years with his classmates, Fickett prays that the centennial class of 2010 will leave behind a legacy of hard-work, genuine care for one another, and a desire to seek God. He claims that one of things he will most miss is the community life of Messiah:  “The ability to talk to and hang-out with just about anyone, any time of day or night, will definitely be missed. I will sorely miss spending my evenings with the best of friends at study parties and in front of video games.”

After graduation, Fickett plans to teach high-school science for several years, but says he may eventually move on to something else. Regardless of what his final career path may be, however, Fickett says, “My ultimate goal is to serve God in the capacity for which he is continually forming me. Whether that is in education or another field in the long run, I have yet to find out.”
Fickett’s hope for the future of Messiah College is that “[Messiah] would continue to be a place where people delve into academics on a very serious level … from a yearning to know God and his world more fully, and not by a desire for personal gain.”