Mike Hanck

“After obtaining my BA in Religion at Ashland University in 2008, I found myself in the midst of great opportunity. Using what I had learned from my undergraduate studies, I applied to Trinity Lutheran Seminary and was accepted. I also found myself involved with and useful to a variety of ministries at an inner city church in Columbus, Ohio. The following year, after applying for a year-long leave of absence from seminary, I was employed at a homeless shelter in Tacoma, Washington.” While there, Cody found himself working side-by-side with Catholic Workers, Buddhist monks, and priests who broke into army bases to protest nuclear weapons. Currently, Cody is back in Columbus at seminary, completing his second year of graduate studies. “Next year, I hope to live and work with developmentally-disabled adults in either Oklahoma or Florida. The following year, I will go on internship, serving as a minister to a congregation. Finally, three years from now, I will complete my studies at seminary. Since my time of studying religion at Ashland University, I have been on a long and wondrous pilgrimage, seeking liberation for the oppressed and reconciliation for those who have been estranged. Recognizing that my undergraduate studies contributed greatly to my sense of self, I remain very grateful for all of the valuable things that I was able to learn at Ashland University, the place where I was empowered to share and live out the Gospel with others.”