West Nova News

When Chrissy Schneider started her freshman year at Patrick Henry College (PHC), she was surprised at the sincerity of her classmates and the genuineness of the entire private school community.

“What shocked me in a good way is the fact that the community and the people at PHC were authentic, kind and they truly love Jesus,” said Schneider who graduated in 2009. “They showed me what it meant to be his follower whereas in high school I didn't really have friends but I didn't know it at the time.”

In addition to discovering true friendship, Schneider’s education at PHC prepared her to work hard and to think critically.

Patrick Henry College | File Photo

“I use those skills every day at the camp where I work,” she said. “If I hadn't attended PHC, I wouldn't be in my current role and I love my job. It’s my dream job and I'm so grateful because Patrick Henry College was one of the steps that brought me here.”

PHC's slogan, "For Christ and Liberty," became a reality for Schneider.

“I grew up in a Christian home so I had a good foundation but attending PHC deepened my faith and helped me to own it for myself,” she said. “It’s no longer just a family thing. It’s something that I have personally chosen to follow and believe.”

In addition to glorifying God by challenging the status quo in higher education and accentuating both faith and reason, the PHC curriculum includes an apprenticeship program that facilitates professional experience for students in their chosen fields, according to PHC’s website.

“Attending Patrick Henry College shaped me to be a leader among my peers, which has been helpful because I am in a leadership position now,” Schneider said. “At PHC, we learned about world leaders and history leaders but also we talked a lot about Christian leadership, what it looks like to be a leader and a follower of Jesus. That has really shaped and impacted me as a leader at the camp where I work.”

While Schneider works at a Christian summer camp as an assistant director where she oversees the summer camp and performs office work, the pandemic changed the model this year.

“Our camp experience is about the people, the staff and the kids gathering,” she said. “We felt that wouldn't translate well virtually. So, we've transitioned to one-day camp, day trips and hosting small groups for five hours at a time doing the most popular activities. We're calling them pop-up camps.”

Fortunately, Schneider has not been financially impacted by COVID-19. She is still employed but the coronavirus has changed the face of Schneider’s workplace.

“We're a group gathering space and everything that we do as a camp is about people from different households coming together,” she said. “Cancelling camp has pretty significantly affected our work here but it's been a fun opportunity to be creative and to come up with new ways of doing things and different things that we can offer that fall in line with it. So, my year has been very different than what it would normally be.”

Patrick Henry College is located in Purcellville, Virginia.