More Than Just a Hangout: Alumni Memories the Student Center

The loft above the dining hall wasn’t much to look at. You had to climb the stairs, and honestly, it never seemed that crowded.

“When they built the loft, we felt we finally had a student center, but it was kinda hard to get to (up the stairs over the dining area),” remembers Pastor Stan Lightfoot. “My memories of it are that it was not very popular. Maybe I just went up at the wrong times, but there never seemed to be many students up there.”

But Stan’s quick to add: “The Eagle’s Nest is a HUGE step up. I love it!”

And the Eagle’s Nest? Well, that’s where most of the memories have been made.

Tortillas and Blown Fuses

David Mohler’s junior year in 2014 started a Thursday afternoon tradition for the off-campus students—potlucks in the student center.

“I brought in a tortilla press to press fresh tortillas,” David recalls. “And we blew a fuse and took out the lights.”

He laughs about it now. “In hindsight it was definitely a situation where we asked forgiveness rather than permission. But we made some great memories sharing food.”

Late Night Coffee and Hugs

Taylor England remembers working behind the Twigs counter, serving up caffeine to students who probably needed something else entirely.

“Late-night coffee chats with friends around the Twigs counter,” Taylor shares. “I have such fond memories of handing out caffeine to students who really needed sleep instead and handing out hugs to friends who could always make me laugh.”

Where Life-Changing Friendships Begin

Jared Ball was just following his friend Kara into the Eagle’s Nest after class one day. She insisted he had to meet this guy named Marcus who was visiting campus.

“I saw this guy hanging out by the pool table who, by Kara’s description, had to be Marcus.”

A week later, they were fast friends. A year later, Jared was working on Marcus’s home island in the Pacific. And a year after that, Jared was taking Marcus and his fiancée’s engagement photos on the beach.

“By the way, I just so happened to sign my first career contract in the Eagle’s Nest, the one that took me to the job I have now (in my field of study, OL),” Jared adds. “Many great memories in the Eagle’s Nest, all with people the Lord brought to Faith.”

Athletes and a Card Game

Jay Nihart arrived early for soccer training camp and ended up at a meet and greet with the ladies soccer and volleyball teams in the Eagle’s Nest.

“I ended up playing a card game with a group of new students—one of them being someone who I thought was really cute.”

Two years later, she became his fiancée. Today, she’s his wife of 12 years.

A Wedding by the Fireplace

For Heidi Slischewski, the Eagle’s Nest holds her most precious memory, and it was more than just a place where she met her future spouse.

“My favorite memory is the day that I married Willi by the fireplace with just a few friends and my parents present,” she shares. “After finals, before Christmas break, we quickly changed and met in the student center that afternoon for our wedding.”

Not many people can say they got married in their college student center. But for Heidi and Willi, it was perfect.

College Is More Than Student Hangouts

Of course, not every student had the luxury of hanging out in the student center. Richard Shoup was a student with five children, working to support his family and doing pulpit supply most weekends.

“There was never time to use the student center,” Richard admits.

But his experience at Faith is a reminder that Bible college is about much more than spending time with friends in the student center: “I do appreciate the memories that I have of my time at Faith and especially the professors which prepared me for forty years of ministry in four churches and 5 years of special ministry conducting game banquets in churches in 13 states!”

More Than a Building

Whether it was the hard-to-reach loft above the dining hall or the Eagle’s Nest by the fireplace, the student center has always been more than just a place to grab a snack or play pool between classes.

It’s where fresh tortillas led to blown fuses and lasting friendships. Where late-night coffee turned into conversations and hugs that kept students going.

Where a quick introduction by the pool table launched a friendship that would span the Pacific. Where a casual card game turned into a 12-year marriage. Where a couple said their vows surrounded by the people who mattered most.

The building itself? It’s just brick and mortar.

But the moments that happened there? Those shaped lives.

And those moments and memories continue to be made today.

A New Study Space

As Faith continues to grow, we are looking for ways to offer more spaces for our students to study and spend time together.

Below are some artist renderings of what a new study space could look like in our library. It will also be a space for us to reach out to our community.

If you are interested in giving to this project, you can fill out the form below, call us at 515-964-0601, or mail a check to:

FBBC&TS
Attn: Advancement Department
1900 NW Fourth Street
Ankeny, IA 50023