Each issue of the Messenger, we provide a profile for one NNU faculty member, one staff member, one undergraduate student and one graduate student. Meet Kelly Covington, our staff profile for Winter 2023.
NAME: Kelly Covington
PROFESSION: Executive Assistant for Student Life
HOMETOWN: Nampa, Idaho
FUN FACT ABOUT YOU: I find hearts everywhere, rocks, clouds, in food and other places in nature. God shows these to me to remind me He is always there and sees me.
FAVORITE NNU MEMORY SO FAR: The first year back from COVID was incredibly stressful and it was harder to do things together with students. SGA had bought some Nerf guns and it was game on from that point. We would have daily Nerf gun fights and you always had to be prepared. We had so much fun, laughed so hard and found it was one way to bring “normal” back to our lives.
FAVORITE THING ABOUT NNU: All of the random conversations I have with students. I hear so many stories about what is happening in students’ lives. This is the best part of my job, listening to and loving students and being a part of their journey which enriches my own journey. Sometimes those conversations are really hard, but walking alongside them to pray with them and watch how situations unfold builds an awe of the many ways God works. It builds their faith as well as my own as we talk through the changes that happen.
SOMETHING VALUABLE YOU LEARNED AT NNU: We all are here for this specific time in our lives for a purpose. We all matter, we are all in this together and it is a beautiful messy thing to share life with others here.
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM YOUR TIME AT NNU: I think my proudest accomplishment is being a person students seek out when they need someone to care for them without judgment. Someone who will listen, guide, pray and give a hug, then will check in on them because I do honestly care. Years later some have shared how much it has meant to them but I think I am the one who is blessed because I have grown through the journey with them.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”—Pericles
HOW DO YOU KNOW BELONGING BECAUSE OF NNU? This definition sums up how I know belonging because of NNU: Belonging is the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion and identity for a member of a certain group. This is NNU to me and is my hope for everyone who comes here.