Serena Draper: Cultivating Beauty in Residence Life

By: Zoditu Schwind

Photographed by: Victoria Prieto

Fueled by her passion to serve college students, Serena Draper left the beauty of Indiana to come and work in Residence Life at George Fox University (GFU).

It has only been two months since Draper’s move to the Pacific Northwest. She loves Oregon’s rugged mountains, trees, and easy accessibility to the Pacific Ocean. Its geography stands in stark contrast with the landlocked and flat farmlands of the Midwest. Draper insists, though, “There’s more than corn in Indiana! We also have soybeans.” Indiana’s farmlands remind her of the sacredness of human relationship with the earth through crop cultivation, growth, and harvesting.

“As far as culturally, I think my experience in Oregon, specifically in Newberg and Portland, is that people are definitely more open to different identities here,” Draper said. Though it does vary, in Draper’s experience, the Midwest tends to be more traditional. Draper noted that Oregonians do not share in the practice of Midwest friendliness; apparently, waving at strangers is not a “thing” here.

Yet, it’s exactly that friendly personality that has made Draper a valuable member of the Residence Life team at GFU. She originally planned to become a dentist when she was pursuing her bachelor’s degree, but ended up graduating with a degree in finance. However, it was during her junior year of college that she became close with her residence hall director and realized that that was what she wanted to do. “I knew that jumping off the corporate American ladder to pursue residence life made no sense to anyone but me, so I had to take a leap of faith,” Draper said. She went on to get her master's degree in higher education and student development. Draper later learned about GFU through close friends, and when a residence life position opened here, she applied.

Draper is now the current Area Coordinator of Hobson, Macy, and Sutton halls, as well as the suites. “It feels like it is at the perfect intersection of my personality, my experiences, my passions, my skills, and even my faith journey,” she said. She finds her work meaningful because walking alongside students during such formative years is how she is “pursuing good and cultivating beauty in the world.” As students navigate through personal, social, and academic issues, Draper hopes to create a space where they feel supported.

“I feel like I pulled a prank on the world because I actually get paid for this,” Draper said, laughing. “There’s no way that I should be able to love my job as much as this!”