Lauren Harms - Class of 2010

Why did you choose to come to MCI?
I came to MCI, because it truly felt like the right thing to do. My grade 10 school year was spent in a huge public school in Calgary, with nearly 3000 students over three grades. The sense of a community is almost non-existent in a place like that. I had known about MCI for my whole life, both my parents had been gone to MCI and it had always been an option for me. I had never really considered it until the summer after grade 10, and it just seemed that this school in the middle of nowhere in southern Manitoba was exactly the place I was supposed to be. 

Based on your experiences at MCI, why should other choose to come here?
MCI is a place that is based around community. A community of people where you can talk openly about your faith and have the support of other believers all around you. One thing that really makes the difference is the residence life. You really get to know people here, and fast, because you are with them all the time. There are so many ways to get involved too. There's the athletic teams where you can have a chance to rep the blues, there's all the choirs, there's student council, the musical that gets put on each year. Believe me, you are lucky if you have room for boredom, because there is always something going on. 

How has MCI had an impact on your faith?
I am challenged daily about my faith in Jesus. Whether it be daily chapels, that can be super thought provoking and so incredibly funny that you wont ever forget them. Being involved in choirs and singing chapels definitely are times when I feel closest to God. When all these different voices are coming together and praising God it's such a incredible experience. Then their are the amazing friends all around you, who are always caring and supporting you. This can be your peers, but it's also the deans and the teachers. Everyone is growing at some level on their walk with God and I know being in this place has caused me to grow, more than I probably know yet. 

How would you describe the MCI community?
MCI is a place where you learn that it's actually OK to be yourself. It's an open an accepting community that wouldn't want to be anyone else.