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 Miya Ingram, our undergraduate student profile for Winter 2023.
NAME: Miya Ingram
MAJOR/MINOR: Secondary Education with endorsements in English and Communication
FUTURE PLANS: I’m going to teach and hopefully coach speech and debate!
GRAD YEAR: 2025
HOMETOWN: Mountain Home, Idaho
FUN FACT ABOUT YOU: I was the police chief for a day when I was in middle school.
FAVORITE NNU MEMORY: My very first Week One is my favorite memory. It was full of so much joy and picturesque moments, and I clearly remember the moment I met all my best friends. That week was the start of all the best moments I’ve had at NNU since!
FAVORITE THING ABOUT NNU: I love how relationship-oriented NNU is. Before anything else, professors want to know you as a person. Because of this, I can walk into any of my departments and have a genuine conversation before we address academics. This attitude extends into student life as well, where everything is geared toward making genuine connections with your peers, too.
SOMETHING VALUABLE YOU LEARNED AT NNU: I’ve learned how to represent Christian values even in a career where you can’t be overtly Christian. As a future teacher, I can’t explicitly state my values. However, by teaching our students literacy, we give them the ability to learn about God on their own. I didn’t think it was possible for these values to be evident in my career, and it’s been amazing to learn how to be Christian in everything we do.
PROUDEST ACCOMPLISHMENT FROM YOUR TIME AT NNU: I’m really proud of my national titles in Forensics (Speech and Debate)! I performed at the Pi Kappa Delta showcase in 2022 and placed 5th at the National Christian College Forensics Association National Tournament in 2023.
FAVORITE QUOTE: “You’ve gotta start romanticizing your life. You gotta start believing that your morning commute is cute and fun, that every cup of coffee is the best you’ve ever had, that even the smallest and most mundane things are exciting and new. Because that’s when you start truly living.”—Unknown
ADVICE YOU’D OFFER TO FUTURE STUDENTS: Communicate, communicate, communicate! If you need help—in class, with a personal matter, advocacy, anything—talk to someone. The faculty and staff are more than willing to help you, but you have to reach out to your peers, RDs and other faculty to get that help.
WHY YOU CHOSE CHRISTIAN HIGHER EDUCATION: Before coming to NNU, I kept hearing that not only was NNU a Christian university, but the faculty truly represented it. I was really drawn in by the idea that my professors would pray with me and I’ve found that to be true. I never considered higher education where the faculty not only knew me as a person but also supported me spiritually as a possibility before coming here.
HOW DO YOU KNOW BELONGING BECAUSE OF NNU? NNU does a phenomenal job of ensuring that you are seen as an individual, not just a nameless student. The faculty plays a huge role in this, but between the various clubs, events specifically geared toward forming a community, and individuals who make an effort to know your name, you feel truly seen everywhere you go on campus.