As a high school student in Seneca, Mo., Tiana Brownen had never heard of Southwest
Baptist University, even though it was located only about two hours from her hometown.
Tiana had her sights set elsewhere, but learned that God had other plans for her.
“When I was first applying to colleges, SBU wasn’t on my radar,” she said.
She visited another college and said that “it didn’t feel right. I can’t tell you why, but it just wasn’t there.”
Discouraged, she returned home, checked her mail and found an SBU brochure sitting right on top. Tiana did some research and learned that SBU was a Christian school, and since the application was free at the time, she applied. An email from Dr. David Bailey, associate professor of communication arts and SBU’s forensics director, soon followed as did a campus visit for Tiana.
“When I walked onto campus, I felt at ease and I felt like this was home,” Tiana said. “Looking back, I think it was God’s hand pushing me here. SBU chose me in the sense that when I got here, it felt right and the people here seemed so genuine and caring.”
Tiana, who graduated in May with degrees in English and communication, wasn’t convinced that she wanted to major in English when she arrived on campus as a freshman. But once she took an English class as part of her general education requirements, she discovered how much she enjoyed it, and how SBU helped her discover and develop her talents.
“SBU has helped expose me to new ideas, exposing me to new things I wouldn’t have done on my own otherwise,” Tiana said. “SBU does a great job of pushing students to try new things, while having the freedom to do so and the encouragement to do so. It has allowed me to be more willing to try new things as well as become more of an encourager for others to try a class they might be scared to take. Because you never know – that could be your calling; that could be something that has influence on the rest of your life that you never would have experienced if you hadn’t received that little push.”
A little push is what Tiana received that led to the next step in her journey – teaching English and coaching debate in Bulgaria, starting in September.
During an International Club meeting, Tiana learned about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program from Dr. Perry Tompkins, dean of the College of Science and Mathematics at SBU and a Fulbright Scholar. Tiana had plans to begin pursuit of her master’s degree. But once she started looking into the program more in-depth, she decided the opportunity to get some teaching experience first was a good idea. And, to do that abroad was especially appealing to her.
“I still want to (pursue my master’s) when I get back, but I thought what would be really cool would be teaching abroad or going abroad for a year,” Tiana said. “I don’t have anything really tying me down, so it is the perfect time. It’s a transition; a good transition kind of move.”
So, Tiana began the rigorous application process, which included a Statement of Grant Purpose, a personal statement and three letters of reference, plus a letter of reference from Dr. Tompkins, since SBU is a Fulbright school.
Tiana submitted her application in October 2017 and didn’t learn until April 2018 that she had been accepted. She will travel to Bulgaria in early September for a two-week, training-intensive language course before she begins her nine months as an English Teaching Assistant (ETA) and debate coach.
“A lot of the students who are in Bulgaria want to go to college in the United States, so we are supposed to be that middle person who gives more information in our experiences as well as be conversational tools,” Tiana said. “We’ll teach them English, but mostly through conversation.”
What stood out about Bulgaria for Tiana, in addition to the fact it is a mostly Christian nation, is the fact that the area where she will be has a debate team.
Tiana, the 2018 female Life Beautiful Award recipient, also was an SBU debate team captain and a Pi Kappa Delta All-American Award recipient in speech and debate in 2017.
“That was the break point that pushed me over – ‘this is it; this is the country,’” Tiana said. “(The program) does require you, as an ETA, to have a community involvement aspect. You have to start a club or you have to get involved with a club.
“It’s nice to get plugged in, and debate will be my plug.”
The encouragement of the SBU faculty has helped Tiana step out into an arena she might not have otherwise entered.
“SBU faculty have empowered me to see how my voice can make a difference,” Tiana said. “They empower students to realize: You are important to God. You are important to this campus. You are important to this field of study.
“All of my professors have been very encouraging. I feel like everyone wants you to succeed. There are extremely difficult classes here, but for the reasons of making you a better person, making you grow, and making you think more critically.”