Easter Sunday was the perfect exclamation point to Jada Vence’s (g’25) time at Tabor College.
Arriving in fall 2021 to major in health sciences and play soccer, she carried an unquestioned thirst to learn of the Christian faith. In her second-to-last week on campus, Vence shared her testimony at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church and explained her recent decision to follow Jesus Christ.
Vence said her heart is full as she trusts the Lord in her next step, whether that be as a physician assistant, family practice doctor or pediatrician.
“To share my decision publicly meant so much to me,” Vence said. “Through my testimony, God spoke in the plan He has laid out for me, and it was so exciting to share it with the church.”
Vence was a 2021-22 recipient of the Richard G. Wall Endowed Scholarship, and it allowed her to meet with Robert (g’68) and Joyce (Regier fs’68) Wall, brother and sister-in-law to the former Tabor professor (fs’69, ff’77-04) and scholarship namesake.
Joyce and Vence met for Bible studies during her time at Tabor and helped integrate her into the community and local church.
She also worked alongside James Titah, Ph.D., Allen Hiebert Chair of Science, for her senior research, “Synthesis and Preliminary Characterization of Schiff-Base Ligands Derived from Amino Acid Tryptophan and its Ni(II) Complex.”
They studied Bio-Inorganic Synthesis, researching synthesized compounds derived from amino acids for potential medicinal applications such as anti-cancer, malaria, and tumor agents for new drug development. She and other classmates presented their research in April at the second-annual Scholarship Showcase on campus.
That academic and spiritual mentorship drove Vence to pursue internships or job shadows at local health facilities. She was also an orientation leader at Freshman Orientation for three years.
She interned, shadowed, and worked alongside numerous staff members at the Hillsboro Hospital and worked with a hospice care team out of McPherson over her final year as a Tabor student.
“I’m very passionate about helping people, studying science and learning about the body,” Vence said. “Having that 1-on-1 connection with my professors was also important to me. You don’t get that at a bigger school.”
Vence, who will soon get married near her home in Florissant, Mo., said she looks forward to staying connected with her classmates and also participating in any soccer alumni contests.
“It’s bittersweet,” Vence said of graduating. “Having accepted Christ here, I grew closer to a lot of people, and I stepped out of my comfort zone. I am going to miss it, but I know God has a plan for me.”
“To share my decision publicly meant so much to me,” Vence said. “Through my testimony, God spoke in the plan He has laid out for me, and it was so exciting to share it with the church.”