Adam Kovach's Story

During my senior year of high school, I didn’t think that a four-year university was within my grasp because of how much it cost. I had two older brothers who were already in college, so I thought that community college was all I could afford.

When I toured Hardin-Simmons, the staff here told me, “Even though you think you can’t come here, we’re going to help you make it affordable. You’re going to get a great education at a great price.” The affordability was what got me here, but the people are what kept me here.

As a ministry major, one of the reasons that I’ve stayed here is my professors. I can definitely see that they’re passionate about what they’re teaching. My professors told me that their main focus wasn’t on tests, but on challenging and equipping students to develop their own theology. They said that they don’t want to teach at students, but to grow with them as they learn from us too. They challenged me to think about why I believe what I believe. From my freshman to senior year, I can tell that I have grown and matured so much both in my faith and who I am as a person.

The faculty and staff here have also given students a chance to succeed, be involved, and have their voice heard on campus. Students really do have an impact on the campus past our graduation year. At bigger universities, you can get lost in the crowd, but at Hardin-Simmons, you’re valued as a person, not as a number or a tuition check.

As a freshman, I got involved with FreshCo, which is a Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) leadership group for freshmen. The way that the upperclassmen had such an impact on the freshmen really touched me, and I decided that when I was a senior, I wanted to do that for freshmen too. My junior year, the BSM offered me the intern position. This job has easily been my favorite part of Hardin-Simmons.

The opportunities that HSU provides are what makes it so special. My freshman year, I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland with the BSM; my sophomore year I got to do a study abroad program in London; and my junior year I got to go to Greece with Logsdon. HSU made these trips super affordable because every scholarship I got here transferred. They offered so many amazing opportunities and helped me find a way to get there. They truly set me up for success.

Hardin-Simmons is home, it is unique, and it is not a place that I want to leave.