People of TFC: Abigail Haydel
“My time at TFC is hard to put into words. … It has been a time of learning about myself, others, and the innumerable ways that God shows His love to us… in times of great joy and sorrow,” Toccoa Falls College student Abigail Haydel said.
To know Haydel is to know kindness, grace, strength, and beauty. She is a senior majoring in Counseling Psychology with a minor in Biology. Raised near Charlotte, North Carolina, she has always known that God’s call on her life is greater than herself. “I knew from middle school that I wanted to work with people of different religions and cultures and was thankful to have people around me who supported and encouraged that leading in my life,” Haydel said.
Haydel said she was drawn to TFC because of its ability to weave the Great Commission into every program. Though many people mistake her for a Global Missions Department student due to her love for other peoples and cultures, Haydel originally intended to pursue a Nursing degree. After realizing her fear of needles, she switched majors to pursue Counseling Psychology. She recently completed an internship with the Department of Family and Children Services. Haydel said of her experience:“It has helped me understand the work that goes into social work and the not-so-glamorous or idealized sides of it. I have since decided that my passion lies more with that therapy than in social work but it has been helpful to learn where I see myself more!”
In her nearly four years at TFC, Haydel has held many titles on campus: Resident Assistant, Assistant Resident Director, Admissions Assistant, Odyssey Coffeehouse barista and Student Missions Fellowship council president. Today, she maintains three of those roles while also completing her senior year. When asked how she manages all of it, Haydel said: “Something that honestly helps me balance different responsibilities is enjoying everything that I am a part of. I have also found that self-awareness is key in balancing any type of responsibility; I have to know when I need to take some time to myself and when I am good to keep going.”
Maintaining balance in life covers more than just her many areas of responsibility – it encompasses mental/emotional, physical and spiritual health. Haydel reminds herself: “We are created as wholistic (sic) beings and each part is important not just to our overall health but to the Lord. We can honor Him with our rest in each area. From there I have a mental list of different ways I best encounter rest in each area.”
Of her roles on campus, Haydel said that serving in Residence Life has been most influential: “In my three years serving in this department, I have seen a lot but have equally learned as much. It has taught me skills that I will carry with me into my future career and life. ResLife has also taught me much about what it looks like to live in ministry.”
Katie Skeen, the resident director of Fant and LeTourneau Halls, has been a friend and mentor to Haydel for the past three years. During the two years Skeen worked with Haydel on Residence Life, Skeen said that Haydel’s time as RA and ARD has been quite challenging. “Abigail has walked through some of the hardest situations in Residence Life. She took each hit with grace and made a point to find herself on her knees before the Lord as one of her first responses. The way she carried herself in those situations and challenges set a fantastic example of what it looks like to be a believer facing hardship,” Skeen said.
Haydel said that during her time at TFC, she has struggled with the role that her spiritual walk has in her daily life. Because TFC is made up of a highly saturated Christian community and students are required to take Bible classes, Haydel said it was hard for her to connect with God in her own quiet time during her early years. “Now that I'm a senior I have found the ways and the joys in living in unbroken fellowship with God which will aid me as I step into a community different from TFC,” she said.
Speaking to current and future students, Haydel highlights the importance of being vulnerable. “I came into college as a very guarded person and didn’t let many people into my life. Over the past four years, I have developed friendships where I have felt safe to share things that I am struggling with along with things that warrant celebration,” she says. Vulnerability can be scary, but Haydel encourages students to engage in the life-giving and biblical act: “It is a living example of sharing burdens with one another!”
Haydel will be working as a summer camp and after-school program facilitator with refugee youth in Charlotte, North Carolina, after she graduates.
