Ben Graber is a new adjunct professor of Spanish this semester at Goshen College. The position opened when Cristobal Garza filled the role of SST leader in this semester’s Ecuador unit, and with the opening, Graber is taking over the Spanish 101 course.
Graber graduated from GC in 2008 with a degree in Spanish education. In his time at GC, he went to the Dominican Republic on SST for further Spanish immersion and spent a semester in Ecuador with Brethren Colleges Abroad for his major.“I was excited about doing something different like this,” Graber said. “I’ve been a homemaker for the last nine or ten years.”
For the last four years, he has also been attending Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, taking one class at a time on top of caring for his family. “Once I committed to taking on this responsibility I decided to take a break and get experience doing something like this,” Graber said.
Though he has only been teaching for a week, Graber’s presence has been well received.
“Ben is great,” said Charlie Aldrich, a junior communication major. “You can tell he’s passionate about what he does and really cares. He’s also very approachable and quick to give grace to students like myself who struggle.”
Coming back to GC has been good for Graber as well. “I’ve been enjoying the experience and getting to know the students,” Graber said.
For Graber, his goals are looking toward helping students in a different way. “I look forward to being a professor who can be providing instruction to help students learn across cultures,” Graber said. “I’m a big fan of trying to bridge cultures. Even though it’s an initial class, it can serve as a stepping stone for the students.”
