Jag Williams of Clearwater, Florida, was among 245 graduates to walk the stage for Covenant College's 64th annual commencement on Saturday. Williams double-majored in history and philosophy at the Christian liberal arts college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Here he talks about life after graduation, his favorite classes and how pie helped shape his decision to attend Covenant.
Q: Why did you choose Covenant?
A: I had a strong desire to learn history and philosophy for my undergraduate degrees in a Christian environment. I know my own tendencies to doubt the truth claims of Christianity, and thus, I wanted a safe environment where I could express my doubts, but ultimately be surrounded by faithful Christian students and professors. I met an admissions representative at my high school who told me all about Covenant's strong reformed tradition and qualified professors. In addition to that, all the other colleges I had talked to gave me really weak and cookie-cutter theological answers to my questions, but she dove directly into the topics with me. From then on, I knew where I wanted to go.
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Find Covenant College student profiles at covenant.edu/students/profile.
Q: Did you visit Covenant as a high school student? If so, how did that visit impact your decision to attend Covenant?
A: I attended Covenant for a preview weekend and scholarship weekend. For the most part, I felt very welcomed into the community by the students and faculty. The guys I previewed with even took me to City Cafe. I may have come for the academics and community, but I have definitely stayed for the pie.
Q: How is Covenant unique?
A: Covenant's uniqueness is rooted in its rigorous pursuit for holistic education. Covenant engages its students with multiple perspectives in class and does not shy away from hard topics. Furthermore, we are learning through community and service. It is important to have all three of those things for useful and proper education.
Q: Describe Covenant in three words.
A: Fun. Rigorous. Imperfect.
Q: What person at Covenant has had the greatest impact on you, and why?
A: I cannot pinpoint an individual, but I can say my hall (Catacombs) has profoundly impacted me. They have shown me the wonders of vulnerability and how love can exist amidst disagreement. Most importantly, that sometimes, chaos can be just as beautiful as order in the hands of God.
Q: What has been your favorite experience at Covenant?
A: It is impossible to narrow it down to one, so here is just one of many of my favorite experiences: the first 20 minutes of the Catacombs Toga Party. It was perfect, because no one had shown up to the party yet so it was just us Catacombians. We danced. We yelled. We moshed. It was truly a time of beauty, chaos and truth.
Q: What is your favorite class so far?
A: My favorite class thus far has been Epistemology with Dr. [William] Davis. The class has truly pushed me to acknowledge the complexity of what it means to claim knowledge about things, especially truth. It is important to understand how social structures impact our understanding of knowledge, rationality and truth. This understanding can help Christians engage different cultures and peoples with the truth of the Gospel in a more empathetic and engaging way. This class has helped me see these things, which I am supremely thankful for.
Q: What makes hall life at Covenant unique?
A: Hall life is unique because of all the different personalities that intermingle into one hall.
Q: What are some things you enjoy about your major?
A: Both of my majors cause me to think hard about the human experience and the systems of thought that have guided and continue to guide the story of mankind. It is very cool to see how brilliant men and women have engaged this thing we call life. It is even cooler to see how God's thoughts are so much bigger and wiser than the wisest of thoughts formed by man - and how the beautiful story we call history was first conceived in the mind of God before it was performed by men.
Q: How is Covenant preparing you for life after graduation?
A: Covenant consistently directs me to use my talents and opportunities for the glory of God. I am not just learning things for the sake of knowledge but learning things for the sake of Godly living and Christian service. For me, this means learning how to properly engage tough questions about existence, meaning and truth within philosophy and history in order to help better pastor a church in the future.
Q: How is Covenant equipping you for active membership in the church?
A: It is showing me how to use the gifts and desires God has given me for building up of the church. Covenant has also shown me the blessing of diversity within the church. We all have different giftings, personalities, passions, etc. and that is a good thing.