Written By Kathryn Ross
For Jordan Rice, God’s voice has been clear and present in his growing vocation. Currently a Science teacher for 5th-8th graders at Genesis School in Kansas City, Rice finds that each moment of his work is more rewarding than the last. At APU, Rice majored in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Spanish, a path he chose thanks to a high school teacher who had a great impact on him.
“When I was in high school,” he says, “I had a close relationship with [my teacher] in a class I struggled with--English.” Rice goes on to say that, over three years, he grew to trust this teacher as a guide. “I was unsure of what major to declare when I was accepted into APU, and she encouraged me to consider education.” A Teach for America corps member herself, Rice’s teacher informed him about the advantages that Teach for America could offer during college and beyond. Her influence was just the beginning of Rice making an impact on others.
During his time at APU, Rice gleaned from many meaningful experiences that helped him grow personally and professionally. One in particular was APU’s Mexico Outreach program. “Mexico Outreach changed my perspective of how God, the world, and people work,” says Rice. “I went on more than 30 trips within my four years with [Mexico Outreach] and even met my wife through the program. Those experiences launched me into a career where I have the opportunity to deliver an excellent education to incredibly underserved populations within our own backyard.”
In his major, Rice found that the best part of his program was being able to spend several hundred hours immersed in schools similar to the one he’s working in now. During those hours he worked, learned, and formed relationships that resulted in tremendous growth for Rice personally and spiritually. “[The hours] gave me opportunities to see expert teachers in their practice and they gave me advice I could not have obtained in a traditional course setting,” he notes.
After graduating in 2016, Rice continued to lean into education as his vocation, earning his Masters of Education with a concentration in Secondary Science from the University of Saint Louis in 2018. While pursuing this advanced degree, he also earned several certifications to help deepen his impact on the students he works with. From being a Teach for America Alumnus (2016), to a Certified NASA Lunar and Meteorite Sample Disk Program Leader for students K-12 (2018) and a TEACH KC Ambassador (2018), Rice has certainly grown what was once a suggestion into a calling.
Rice’s desire to help students and people around him is a direct result of his faith and the relationships he formed while at APU. In addition to his studies, Rice looked for various opportunities to be discipled, something he encourages future and current students to do. He joined and lead a D-Group as well as APU’s one-on-one mentorship program, Blueprints. Rice feels these choices furthered his vocation, saying, “My administration saw me as someone who could mentor a resident teacher beginning their practice,” Rice explains. “I believe I was equipped for this position because of the involvement in D-Groups and BluePrints at APU. I feel like, because of my training and discipleship in undergrad, I was prepared for natural growth in my career.” Today, Rice is the Ambassador for Genesis School, a position that allows Rice to encourage college students to consider the field of education, and he owes it all to the opportunities, choices, and relationships he experienced while at APU. “Find people who pour into you so that you can pour into others,” he says. “It may even benefit your career like it has mine.”
