Every graduate has taken their own unique path toward moving their tassel. Here are just a few of their stories. The Liberty Journal congratulates all 2015 graduates (read the Commencement story) who have now entered the world as true Champions for Christ.
John Weber
OVERCOMING LOSS
John Weber
After serving in the Army National Guard for 10 years, including during Operation Desert Storm, John Weber of Kettering, Ohio, made the decision to return to school for a master’s degree. He narrowed down his choice of schools to Virginia Tech, University of Massachusetts, and Boston College before setting his sights on Liberty University. He chose Liberty after a friend from the military explained the tremendous benefits Liberty offers to military students and described the convenience of an online education. In May, Weber received his M.S. in Information Systems Technical Management.
When Weber enrolled, he was not a Christian. But his father-in-law (who was a Christian) encouraged him along the way. Tragically, after Weber’s first term as an online student, his father-in-law perished in a house fire, along with his sister-in-law and two toddler nephews. Weber and his wife were the first people on the scene that night, and witnessed their deaths.
The loss has shaped how Weber views his education.
“I have dedicated the hard work of attaining this degree to the memory of my father-in-law, who would have loved to see that I am now an active Christian,” he said. “While studying at Liberty, I have reignited a willingness to learn as much as I can about my faith, and I strive to incorporate it into every aspect of my life. My education here has not only give me the skills necessary to succeed in life, but it has also helped me in the healing process.”
Throughout the course of his studies, Weber has spent much time searching through Bible verses and incorporating them into his classwork.
“It is during the course of those activities that I felt that something really clicked for me,” he said. “The suggested readings and integration exercises allowed me to discover, through reading, a sense of calm and understanding that has strengthened my faith, allowing the healing process to continue.”
Weber plans on using his master’s degree to continue teaching at-risk students at a nearby community college who were placed in a work-release program through the courts. He teaches introductory skills courses for computer technicians seeking certification.
“As a Liberty graduate, I feel a great sense of accomplishment, and I hope to use my degree to become not just an instructor to these kids, but also a Christian mentor.”
Cheryl Dubrow & Barbara Connor
FAMILY TIES
Barbara Connor and Cheryl Dubrow
While Cheryl Dubrow of Marlton, N.J., was working toward her B.S. in Psychology as a residential student, her grandmother, Barbara Connor, of Davidson, N.C., was secretly working toward the same degree through Liberty University’s online program. Connor surprised Dubrow with the news three weeks before Commencement. The rest of the family didn’t find out until they saw the two in their regalia on the field together. President Jerry Falwell even mentioned the surprise in his Commencement address.
“My granddaughter inspired me to finally go back to school to earn my degree,” Connor said. “This is so special for me, and I never thought that I would earn my bachelor’s degree on the same day with my only granddaughter. It is an unexplainable experience, but it is all joy.”
Connor said she told her granddaughter the secret only because she wanted to ask her if it would bother her to share her special day with her grandmother. Dubrow said she was overjoyed to learn that she would graduate with her role model.
“I am so blessed to be able to graduate with my grandmother because she has impacted my life the most,” Dubrow said.
Dubrow was born with a cleft lip and palate and has had 14 operations to correct it. Through all of her hardships, her grandmother was by her side. Connor even led Dubrow to the Lord and paid for one-third of her tuition.
“I am excited to be a graduate from Liberty University and use what I have learned to impact the world for Christ,” Dubrow said. “The coursework at Liberty has not only helped me to meet an amazing academic goal, but it has helped me to mature in my faith in ways I never knew were possible.”
The future is bright for both granddaughter and grandmother. Dubrow plans to attend Liberty’s graduate school to obtain a degree in clinical mental health counseling, and started a new job at Virginia Baptist Hospital’s adult psychiatric ward after graduation.
“My grandmother and I hope to use our degrees in secular settings as well as in the church to show the love of Christ to believers and unbelievers alike,” Dubrow said.
Candice Combs
NEVER TOO LATE
Candice Combs
When she was 50 years old, Candice Combs enrolled at Liberty University School of Law, proving there is no age limit on achieving one’s dreams. In May, Combs received her Juris Doctor, a defining moment in her life.
Combs was obtaining her undergraduate degree in 1981 when God put a law degree on her heart. But her life took a different turn after she fell in love with a Navy pilot and became a mother. When her husband passed away unexpectedly, Combs realized she needed to take a step of faith and enroll in law school.
“Attending Liberty University was an absolute must because God was clearly guiding the way, and the school had to be a place where His view was predominate,” she said. “During my time here, I have been nurtured and loved in a way that I could heal from the passing of my husband.”
Looking back, Combs recalls people telling her that it was too late for her to pursue a law degree.
“You are never too old, and God’s plan is right on time,” she said. “This desire was placed on my heart so many years ago, and I have always lived believing that your dreams must be so overwhelming and so huge that only God could bring them to fruition.”
As encouragement, Combs reminds herself of the great heroes of the Bible that God used to impact the world despite their age.
“Liberty University has not placed an expiration date on what I can do,” she said. “If you trust that God has directed your path, do not be afraid to forge ahead.”
Combs plans on relocating to Nashville, Tenn., to pursue a legal career in support of Christian ministries, specifically to help artists who travel spreading the Gospel.
Amen Mibaraka
INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS
Amen Mibaraka
Loss is not a foreign concept to Amen Mibaraka of Rwanda, Africa, who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering. When she was 2 years old, Mibaraka lost her father during the Rwandan genocide. Her mother, along with her four older sisters, raised her.
When she was 7, Mibaraka was diagnosed with a rare skin disease that the local medical community could not cure. When she was in 10th grade, Mibaraka came to the U.S. on a medical and student visa. During her senior year of high school, Mibaraka’s mother visited her to attend her graduation, but was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer upon her arrival.
During her mother’s month-long battle with cancer, Mibaraka wondered how she would cope with the imminent death of her mother while attending college.
“My dream in life was to always take care of my mom like she has always taken care of me, so I decided not to worry about anything else except being with my mom in the present time,” Mibaraka said. “I thought that after she died, I would just go back home to Rwanda, because at that time I had spent a good four years in America.”
Two hours after her mother passed away, Mibaraka received a phone call from Michael and Brooke Den, a couple who had heard of her mother’s diagnosis and had been praying for her. The Dens explained to Mibaraka that they knew she had been accepted to Liberty, and they wanted to cover her tuition in full as well as provide anything else she needed.
“After attending College For A Weekend, I had always wanted to come to Liberty, but I thought it was impossible for me, financially,” Mibaraka said. “When the Dens called me and told me they had everything I needed to go to college, it was like God immediately changing the course of my life.”
Looking back, Mibaraka is nothing but grateful for the Lord’s goodness and provision in her life.
“I grew up seeing real poverty everywhere, never thinking that my life would ever be this wonderful,” she said. “I want to use my Liberty degree to not only bring resources to people in need, but to also bring the goodness and the provision of God to those who do not know Him.”
Charles Vazquez
A SECOND CHANCE
Charles Vazquez
When Charles Vazquez graduated from Liberty in 2012 with a B. S. in Worship Ministry, he thought that he was done with his college career. Instead, Vazquez walked across the stage at Commencement in May to receive his B.S. in Aeronautics, becoming a Liberty graduate for the second time and achieving his childhood dream of working with airplanes.
Vazquez originally thought God was calling him to serve in the ministry, but when he took an elective aeronautics course during his senior year, he knew immediately that he wanted to find a way to pursue his passion for aviation.
After his first graduation, Vazquez worked at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., as a refueler. He soon learned that Liberty had a flight training affiliate in nearby Manassas, Va., that provides pilot instruction for students while they take online aeronautics classes with Liberty. Vazquez acquired a similar job at Manassas Regional Airport and joined the flight affiliate program during the summer of 2014.
“Working with my professors online was a privilege, and I have excelled as a Christian under their leadership,” he said. “Liberty worked with me to figure out how to finish my degree quickly.”
Vazquez plans on becoming an airline pilot and would like to add unmanned flight and aeronautics systems to his skills.
“By the grace of God, I will continue on the path to fulfilling my lifelong dream because flying comes very naturally to me,” he said. “The sky is literally my limit.”
