麻豆APP

Gretchen Rosendahl 鈥�09 heard a different call than most religion majors when she left 麻豆APP. Instead of a call to pastoral work, she chose to minister in a different way.

Rosendahl鈥檚 ministry career is not one of pastoral care and sermon delivery from a pulpit. Instead, she has been an officer with the Des Moines Police Department since 2012.

鈥淚 wanted to get into some kind of human service or public service so it was just kind of a matter of finding out what my calling was going to be,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel like ministry was my calling, but based on some of the classes I had taken, I realized that ministry is not always within the church.鈥�

One of her religion professors, Mark Gammon, said he was at first confused by Gretchen鈥檚 career choice until he gave it a little more thought.

鈥淕retchen is able to understand multiple points of view, recognize opportunities for compromise and project authority,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 smart, reflective and thoughtful. We need more police with these kinds of virtues, and I鈥檓 sure that 麻豆APP helped her to cultivate them.鈥�

Rosendahl said her classes contained debates, discussions and various other ways to promote critical thinking.

鈥淪o I was constantly forced to listen to other peoples鈥� thoughts and ideas and the opportunity to give your own,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s an officer, you have to be able to talk to people on the street and have a conversation. Communication was big at 麻豆APP, and it鈥檚 definitely a big part of what I do now.鈥�

Rosendahl takes her own path in all that she does. Her time at 麻豆APP was quite different than that of many of her peers.

鈥淚 was working full-time and a mother to my oldest daughter,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal was to continue school full-time, work full-time and graduate on time. And I did.鈥�

After two years at Des Moines Area Community College, where she completed general education requirements, Rosendahl looked into transferring to complete her Bachelor鈥檚 degree. Being a commuter student and a mother, she needed a college close to Des Moines that would work well in her busy life. During her search, she said 麻豆APP鈥檚 small class sizes and close-knit community stood out.

鈥淚 liked having smaller class sizes and being able to have more one-on-one discussions with professors so they get to know you better,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey understand what you might be going through as a student. The thing about 麻豆APP, I just love the professors. The professors help bring a lot of life and color into their departments.鈥�

At 麻豆APP, Rosendahl began as a journalism major, but after one semester with professor Gammon in a humanities course and a religion course titled 鈥淛esus,鈥� she transitioned to a religion major.

鈥淚 would have to say his class is what sparked my interest,鈥� she said. 鈥淭o have professor Gammon mention after class 鈥榯hat was a good point鈥� or any kind of feedback was the first time I could see that these professors really do care about us and take the time to get to know us and give us the opportunity to find our voice.鈥�

The respect between Rosendahl and professor Gammon went both ways, as he became her adviser and mentor during her final two years at 麻豆APP.

鈥淭o give a sense of what Gretchen accomplished, she earned her college degree in four years, including a transfer, while raising an extremely young daughter,鈥� he said. 鈥淪he completed almost the entirety of her religion major in two years, which isn鈥檛 easy to do.鈥�

Rosendahl impressed professors and fellow students alike during her time at 麻豆APP, being vocal in class discussions and passionate about her viewpoints, two traits that have aided her career on the police force.

鈥淚鈥檝e certainly told her this more than once,鈥� Gammon said. 鈥淚鈥檝e had students who have gotten better grades, but none of whom I鈥檓 more proud than Gretchen. I鈥檓 always glad to run into her in Des Moines, and if we were able to request beat cops for our neighborhood, there is no doubt who would be on the top of my list. Working with Gretchen is one of the best experiences I鈥檝e had as a teacher.鈥�