Charting the Future: Alissa Vinje
As we chart the future at Northwest University, we have rolled out a theme this year on campus and in our marketing: “Jesus First, Jesus Always.” In the wake of the pandemic and the changes that accompanied it in American society and especially in higher education, we decided to emphasize our distinctive identity more clearly. NU exists to know God in Christ, to discern God’s call on our lives, to prepare for and participate in the mission of God, and to declare that Jesus Christ is the only answer for our society in division and turmoil. And we want students to come to Northwest with a clear understanding of our priorities.
Alissa (Accetturo) Vinje’s story in today’s video illustrates a point I try to drive home to every student who visits us: choosing a college means choosing how you want to change. College inevitably changes students, and the people students spend their college years with will have the largest impact on how they change. While they will retain the same personality they largely developed by the age of five, their values and behavior patterns and style will adapt to the people around them during these highly formative years. So when students visit a college, they should be deciding how they want to change, and their big question should be: “Do I want to be like these people?” If they can leave a visit saying, “I want to be like the professors and students I saw today,” there’s a great probability that the college will be a good fit for them.
Alissa tells about her experience choosing Northwest and about the students around her that shaped her life here. She found amazing support for her growth in faith, married Robert Vinje—one of her classmates—and came to work for Northwest in the Admissions department. She wants to help other Jesus-focused students find Northwest as their “best-fit” university. When we enroll our best-fit students, it makes a great contribution to our nonnegotiable goal of putting Jesus First and keeping Him always at the center of our learning community.