Dr, Sherry Story In her 12 years at Emmanuel College, Dr. Sherry Story and her story have impacted the lives of many Emmanuel students and staff members. The passion that she has for teaching and sharing God’s Word with students makes her this week’s Faculty Staff Spotlight.
As an undergraduate, Dr. Story attended Fort Valley University where she obtained a bachelor of science in Chemistry. Afterwards, she went on to the University of Georgia for an M.S. in Biochemistry where she discovered her passion--teaching.
“One of the requirements for the program was to be a teaching assistant,” Dr. Story said. “This is when I fell in love with teaching and decided to get my PhD so that I could teach at the college level.”
Dr. Story arrived at Emmanuel College 12 years ago as an adjunct professor, realizing quickly that Emmanuel was a place for both academic and spiritual growth.
“Emmanuel is a place where professors can be more than just a figure standing in front of the classroom,” Dr. Story said. “He or she has the ability to mentor students and serve as a Christian model to lead students to Christ or help them to grow in their faith.”
Currently Dr. Story serves as the Chair of the Natural Sciences Department and an Associate Professor, teaching biology, chemistry, and biochemistry.
“As the Department Chair, some of my duties include overseeing the business of the department such as managing the budget, encouraging and supporting faulty development, to develop and regularly assess the curriculum and the hiring of new faculty.”
But to Dr. Story, interacting with students and creating life-long relationships will always be her favorite part of teaching.
“The small class size at Emmanuel allows me an opportunity to know my students,” Dr. Story said. “I call them 'my' students because I feel as if they are my children. I believe that each life I come in contact with leaves a footprint of significance in some way. I’ve developed many life-long friendships with students over the years and it has been such a blessing.”
At Emmanuel, Dr. Story is given the freedom to share the Lord’s Word in her classroom, something she finds absolutely exhilarating.
“I love those moments when I go into 'preaching' mode and can share Christ with students,” Dr. Story said. “It saddens me to know that there are so many students who believe, but do not fully understand God’s love or who He is. I am so thankful that I have the freedom to enlighten them. On the first day of class I always tell students, “In this class, you will not just learn scientific concepts, but you’ll learn life lessons.” "Teaching gives me the opportunity to drop “spiritual seeds” into the life of each student.”
What is Dr. Story’s favorite memory at Emmanuel?
“My most memorable experience is of a student who told me that he didn’t believe in Jesus,” Dr. Story said. “He told me that he had read about many religions and didn’t’ follow just one in particular. A few years after that, this student returned to Emmanuel for a visit and told me he was a believer in Christ.”
Dr. Story is thankful that God allowed her to serve at Emmanuel College.
“I’m thankful for the many wonderful students that I’ve met over the years and will continue to meet,” Dr. Story said. “I’ve often heard that I’ve made a difference in their lives, but the truth of the matter is--they have made a difference in my life as well.”
As an undergraduate, Dr. Story attended Fort Valley University where she obtained a bachelor of science in Chemistry. Afterwards, she went on to the University of Georgia for an M.S. in Biochemistry where she discovered her passion--teaching.
“One of the requirements for the program was to be a teaching assistant,” Dr. Story said. “This is when I fell in love with teaching and decided to get my PhD so that I could teach at the college level.”
Dr. Story arrived at Emmanuel College 12 years ago as an adjunct professor, realizing quickly that Emmanuel was a place for both academic and spiritual growth.
“Emmanuel is a place where professors can be more than just a figure standing in front of the classroom,” Dr. Story said. “He or she has the ability to mentor students and serve as a Christian model to lead students to Christ or help them to grow in their faith.”
Currently Dr. Story serves as the Chair of the Natural Sciences Department and an Associate Professor, teaching biology, chemistry, and biochemistry.
“As the Department Chair, some of my duties include overseeing the business of the department such as managing the budget, encouraging and supporting faulty development, to develop and regularly assess the curriculum and the hiring of new faculty.”
But to Dr. Story, interacting with students and creating life-long relationships will always be her favorite part of teaching.
“The small class size at Emmanuel allows me an opportunity to know my students,” Dr. Story said. “I call them 'my' students because I feel as if they are my children. I believe that each life I come in contact with leaves a footprint of significance in some way. I’ve developed many life-long friendships with students over the years and it has been such a blessing.”
At Emmanuel, Dr. Story is given the freedom to share the Lord’s Word in her classroom, something she finds absolutely exhilarating.
“I love those moments when I go into 'preaching' mode and can share Christ with students,” Dr. Story said. “It saddens me to know that there are so many students who believe, but do not fully understand God’s love or who He is. I am so thankful that I have the freedom to enlighten them. On the first day of class I always tell students, “In this class, you will not just learn scientific concepts, but you’ll learn life lessons.” "Teaching gives me the opportunity to drop “spiritual seeds” into the life of each student.”
What is Dr. Story’s favorite memory at Emmanuel?
“My most memorable experience is of a student who told me that he didn’t believe in Jesus,” Dr. Story said. “He told me that he had read about many religions and didn’t’ follow just one in particular. A few years after that, this student returned to Emmanuel for a visit and told me he was a believer in Christ.”
Dr. Story is thankful that God allowed her to serve at Emmanuel College.
“I’m thankful for the many wonderful students that I’ve met over the years and will continue to meet,” Dr. Story said. “I’ve often heard that I’ve made a difference in their lives, but the truth of the matter is--they have made a difference in my life as well.”