Abigail Bankes ’20 followed an unexpected path as a student at Geneva, but can now clearly see how God worked through each unplanned change in her education.
Bankes came to Geneva as an education major, and after two and a half years switched her major to missions. Throughout her time, she retained a Spanish minor, completing nine semesters in total. In 2020, the last thing Bankes needed to graduate was an internship, but the pandemic caused a change in plans again.
In the fall of 2019, Bankes met Nahun Martinez through an introduction at the Geneva Reading Series. He shared with her his vision to start a Hispanic church in Beaver County. His church plant, Comunidad Cristiana Hispana, along with Champion Life Church and Tiger Pause Ministries, created an internship for her for the summer of 2020. Much of the internship was focused on contacting people to help start the church. The church plant launched that summer and has now been running for four years.
Bankes still attends and leads worship at Comunidad Cristiana Hispana. Through the church, Bankes tutors several of the congregation members in English and recently graduated from ministry school. In addition to this work, Bankes has a full-time job with Vector Security. Education, missions, and Spanish were the perfect combination of study to help her do the work she is called to now.
“I am using all of my gifts and talents in the Hispanic community. I was working with one woman — I started working on her English 10 months ago — and now she can speak it daily. It is moments like this where you see them start to get it and break through that is so cool. It actually matters.”
Beyond the classes at Geneva, Bankes says one of the most influential parts of her Geneva experience was the people.
“The community at Geneva is next level. Everyone in the community makes a difference. Every single person in my life now, beside a select few, [are] from Geneva or Beaver County. My close relationships are all because of Geneva.”
While a student photography intern in Geneva’s Marketing & Public Relations Department, Bankes befriended staff member Mike Duncan through music and Spanish. They now lead worship together at Comunidad Cristiana Hispana. Her professors also had tremendous influence in her life, and still do.
“I love Dr. Curtis. Because of him I developed a deep love for the Old Testament. Dr. Watt has also had a great impact on my life, he still prays for me and speaks into my life regularly.”
Wendy Shidemantle, professor of Spanish, and Jamie Swank, vice president and dean of student development, also had a significant part to play in Bankes’ experience.
“Wendy Shidemantle was my saving grace. She is an amazing professor, gave me so much grace, but also challenged me so much. Jamie Swank was another person who really impacted me. She came in towards the end of my time at Geneva and was such a foundational person during my last year. She will still message me to meet up and get dinner, and Wendy and I talk all the time.”
As a culmination of her education, relationships, and skills, Bankes and her church are opening Beaver County’s first Hispanic Cultural Center. The center will be a place for the Hispanic community to gather, offer resources and classes, and provide Spanish classes for English speakers.
“Geneva is such a unique community. I didn’t realize until I was graduating how unique it was — it is actually a healthy community. The professors and staff care about you. I know that I have people that care about me. It is astounding. Now I have relationships, connections, and skills still after leaving that I am investing back into the community.”
Geneva’s mission of education is about equipping students to be faithful servants to God and neighbor wherever they are in their jobs, community, and families. Geneva alumni are called to a lifelong mission of investing their abilities in growing and serving the Kingdom of God. Bankes and many others do so faithfully. Beaver County has its first Hispanic church and cultural center because of the volunteer work of Bankes and many others who have chosen to follow God’s call on their lives.
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