Evangel University
Nafisa Shah
From India to the Ozarks

Nafisa Shah’s search for a Christian university took her almost halfway around the world. The Hyderabad, India, native followed her heart to Springfield, Mo., to study applied psychology and social work and prepare for a career helping the poor of her country.

“I wanted to study psychology in a Christian school, and since there are no Christian universities in India other than Bible schools I looked into Evangel on the Web,” she says.

Shah, 20, is among 21 international students at the Assemblies of God university, where the staff, curriculum and campus activities center around helping students integrate their Christian faith into their chosen career fields. The international student organization has been critical to helping Shah adjust to American culture and get plugged into the campus of more than 1,700 students.

Shah grew up in an Anglican family and became saved and filled with the Holy Spirit as a young teenager. Evangel’s commitment to cultivating students’ spiritual growth has helped her faith mature as she furthers her education. “When I first came to the campus I found a peace that comes from the presence of God being here. I have come to cherish this place in my heart. That’s what brings me back at the beginning of each year,” she says. “I am a living testimony that an international student from India can find friends in America with common interests and dreams.”

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