Pike Scholar Stories

Ashlie Busone '14
Hometown: Ballston Lake, NY
Pike Major: Community Development and Education

Ashlie has always wanted to teach English as Second Language but to delve deeper into her studies she wanted to find out how education influences economy, politics and, ultimately, social change. So she created a major that brought her to Chile for a research project on the indigenous Mapuche people, earned her ESL license, completed the Spanish major coursework as well as 80 credits worth of sociology and economics coursework.

“Developing my own curriculum has been an incredible journey that’s both challenging and rewarding. I know that the depth at which I’ve studied educational systems and societal structures exceeds what an undergraduate title in education would have allowed and I am eager to continue on in my studies both as a teacher and graduate student.”

Ashlie's first job came out of her internship with Operation Bootstrap in the nearby city of Lynn. She is continuing to combine her passion for serving English language learners with an emphasis on adult learners and education reform.

Jenna Nowosacki '10
Hometown: North Reading, MA
Pike Major: Therapeutic Recreation
Current Career: Program Director at Windrush Farm, North Andover, MA

When Jenna began at Gordon she knew she was passionate about two things: riding horses and helping those in need. Through the Pike program she combined psychology, kinesiology, recreation and leisure studies courses with internships that led to her licensures as a Massachusetts Riding Instructor and Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor to teach adaptive riding and horsemanship.

“Every single day I use my Pike major to find creative ways for people with disabilities to interact with horses. It’s exciting and rewarding work that I continue to grow in, most recently as a graduate student of counseling at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.”

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978 927 2300 | admissions@gordon.edu | info@gordon.edu

Gordon College is one of the nation's premier Christian colleges and located just north of Boston. We offer students extraordinary access to leading-edge opportunities for intellectual, professional, and leadership development to address the increasingly complex challenges of a global society. Gordon stands apart from other outstanding institutions in New England by combining an exceptional education with an informed Christian faith.