Student Feature: Meet Rebekah

Starting this week, IPS will feature a different student on our blog once a week.

It’s a chance to get to know our students better and for our students to connect with one another.

So without further ado…

Meet Rebekah.

Full name: Rebekah Turnbaugh

From: Sacramento, CA

What is your previous education?
I graduated in 2008 with a BA in Sociology from California State University, Stanislaus.

What were you doing before beginning your IPS journey?
Prior to moving to Chicago I was working at a statewide public policy and advocacy nonprofit organization called The Campaign for College Opportunity, which aims to ensure that all students in California have the opportunity to pursue and be successful in higher education.

What made you decide to come to Loyola IPS?
I decided to come to Loyola because of the MA in Social Justice degree program. I was drawn the unique blend of faith and social justice, as well as the openness of the program to welcome individuals of all faiths or of no articulated faith at all. For me, the potential for a diverse student body and being able to hear and learn from a plurality of perspectives was really appealing.

What are you most looking forward to accomplishing during your time here at Loyola IPS and how does that relate to your future goals?
I think one of my primary goals here is to have a better understanding of what I may be called to after graduation. I’m looking forward to exploring new issues, developing my own skills, and using both to inform my direction moving forward.

Do you have a favorite class or one you look forward to taking?
I am really looking forward to the Contextual Education class that I will take next year. I am excited to be able to work with a local organization and also have a place where I can engage in reflection about that experience and what I am learning about my own vocation.

Do you see any challenges you will have to overcome during your time here?
While I have an understanding of an issue [criminal justice] about which I am passionate, I think I will be challenged to discern how/if God is calling me to lend my voice to this realm.

In what way will you go forth to “change the world?”
With openness to the idea of this changing entirely while I am here, I have an interest in engaging in research and policy analysis around criminal justice issues, lending a voice of compassion and forgiveness to public discourse.

What is a fun fact/story about you?
I love the mishaps of travel. Once as an exchange student in Mexico, some friends and I took a weekend trip to Oaxaca. After driving most of the night, we decided to spend the night in Puebla. We had not made any hotel/motel reservations and simply assumed that we could easily find an inexpensive place to stay at any hour. This, however, was not as easy a task as presumed. We ended up finding a motel that would only rent rooms to us for four hours at a time. Ahem. They were gracious, however, and permitted us to stay for eight hours.

Some of her favorite books: Little Women, Tattoos on the Heart, The Shack, The Autobiography of an Execution

Connect with her on Facebook: facebook.com/rebekah.turnbaugh