Rachel (Kelley) Dodd ’15 has known what she loves for a very long time. However, following her strengths has required a great deal of faith. Harboring an intense interest in biology and life sciences from a young age, when Rachel came to Covenant, she quickly chose to study environmental biology with a community development minor. Throughout her time at Covenant and after graduation, Rachel has worn many hats, but each role has been a step towards the plans God had for her from the start.  

Seeking Sure Footing

Rachel lived in the Founders residence hall during her time at Covenant and looks back fondly on the strong community there. She moved to the hall Gracewell her sophomore year, getting the unique experience of starting new hall traditions while enjoying building-wide Founders traditions as well. Even though she spent most of her time studying, Rachel found great encouragement in the community of Covenant, and those friendships sustained her as she figured out the places God was leading her.

While at Covenant, Rachel loved taking ecology with Dr. Wenger, interning at the Tennessee Aquarium, and attending in-depth biology classes in Costa Rica and Washington with the Au Sable Institute. These intensive, hands-on classes involved daily field work and brought her face-to-face with wildlife like orca whales. But even with all these experiences, Rachel knew it would take a lot to find a stable job in her field. “Entry into any environmental education job is a leap of faith, because it is not well-funded… so there are very few full-time jobs, unless you get into a manager position. It’s one of those things where you just have to do a lot of unpaid internships or entry-level stuff to get anywhere… it’s like, ‘okay, Lord, I love this, this is fun, and I’m glad to have this entry-level job, but You’re going to have to sustain me.’”

A Winding Path

After Rachel graduated, she got her first opportunity to work with reptiles and teach at an environmental education camp in Charleston. She was also able to work at Reflection Riding, Chattanooga’s nature center, and dabbled in some educational jobs until she ended up at the Chattahoochee Nature Center and the Dunwoody Nature Center in Marietta, doing part-time field trips—this had all been a part of the Lord’s plan. Not long after Rachel began working at Dunwoody, they opened a new program, Oakwood Forest Preschool, which enables pre-K kids to spend about three hours a day in the woods learning about nature through a relaxed curriculum. All the experiences God led Rachel through prepared her for a job just like this, and she will begin teaching at Oakwood this coming year.

Reminders of Faith

Rachel’s faith is greatly encouraged by the beauty of creation, especially as she moves into her new job. She reflects on her time at Au Sable in Washington, seeing the whales and water and snowy mountains and feeling incredible awe in the Lord’s work. Rachel remembers thinking, “I want to tell people all about the glory in this world that You created…how can people not understand that You made this, because it’s perfect?”  When she teaches, Rachel loves that her faith keeps her excited and joyful, even when she has to teach the same thing multiple times—having a personal relationship with the God that sustains the world she inhabits keeps her eyes wide and wondering. As she begins this new teaching journey, she is most excited about the school’s flexible structure, since it provides opportunities for new, unexpected adventures as she explores the woods with her students. Through her many experiences with the wonders of nature and challenging jobs, Rachel can see the sustaining power of God as He leads her into new wonders every single day.

Connect with us