��͹��Ƶ

Nia Boentoro has always been intrigued by the criminal justice system.

“I went into college considering pre-law,” says Boentoro. “Through high school mock trial, I found that I loved arguing criminal cases, which is why I chose criminal justice.”

During her first year at Dordt, she discovered another area of interest: psychology.

“The psychology classes I took were really interesting to me, and I figured understanding people better is beneficial for any job I hold,” she says.

Boentoro has enjoyed learning about a wide range of topics in her psychology courses: “In the psychology program, I’ve loved learning about psychology throughout our lives, the psychological disorders in-depth, theories on personality, and conducting research as part of the senior research class,” she says. “And we always have captivating discussions surrounding psychology and Christianity.”

While her classroom experiences have been engaging, Boentoro says some of her favorite experiences at ��͹��Ƶhave happened outside of the classroom. “Participating in worship arts, forensics team, choirs, theatre, and various clubs have been some of the highlights during my four years here,” says Boentoro.

She has also enjoyed a variety of off-campus experiences such as a criminal justice field trip to a nearby state penitentiary, competing at the National Christian Colleges Forensics Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee, and being one of several students to represent ��͹��Ƶat the National Association of Evangelicals Student Leadership Conference in Washington, DC.

“I’m grateful that ��͹��Ƶprovides opportunities for students to have experiences like these,” says Boentoro.

One of Boentoro’s motivations for attending ��͹��Ƶwas faith integration. She says that’s been another highlight for her: “My faith has grown through the classes, professors, friends, and campus community. Being surrounded by people who truly live out their faith has influenced me to take my faith more seriously.”

Boentoro has met some of those people through her involvement in student government and Residence Life (Res Life) at Dordt. She has been involved in Residence Life for three years. Last year, she served Residence Life as an advocate for Resident Life concerns within student government and facilitating communication between Residence Life staff and student government.

“I mainly wanted to be part of student government because I think it is important for groups to be represented in the decisions that affect the student body,” says Boentoro. “And I enjoyed being an advocate for both Res Life and student government.”

Plus, her time serving in Res Life has been one more opportunity to challenge her faith. “Res Life this year has been especially impactful for my faith,” she says. “My coworkers are people who are on fire for Christ, and that has been refreshing to see.”

“It has been valuable to serve the campus community through this role because not only do I get to pour into so many people, but I am also impacted by those relationships. I can’t imagine my ��͹��Ƶexperience without Res Life,” she adds.

Boentoro plans to continue pouring into others after graduation. “I plan to find a job within the criminal justice system and work for a few years before pursuing law school,” she says.

Regardless of where she lands after graduation, Boentoro feels confident ��͹��Ƶhas prepared her well for her calling in her professional and personal life. “I have gained tools for integrating my faith into whatever job I hold in the future. It’s been an honor to learn from, grow with, and contribute to the campus community.”