Speaker: Dylan Pohl, Director of Student Services
Please introduce yourself, your job title and your degree. What led you to work at Asbury Seminary? Share your story.
Dylan Pohl: Hello, my name is Dylan Pole and I serve as the Director of Student Services here at the seminary. Uh Prior to coming here, I studied history and business across the street at Asbury University where I also met my wife, I went on to serve in several nonprofits in the region. And when I heard about the opportunity to uh come and serve at the seminary and, and to serve those who God has called to, to minister to the world. Um I knew I had to, to take advantage of that opportunity. So I'm super excited to be here.
Take us through a typical day in your role at the seminary. What are some tasks or challenges you encounter regularly?
Dylan Pohl: You know, as far as a typical day in my role, uh student services covers a lot of areas especially outside of the classroom. So that, that includes housing and residential, that includes uh health and wellness, uh community gardens, uh disability services and, and uh student accountability and, and mediation. Um So, you know, in the morning, I might be um helping a family move into their new home around noon. I might be uh helping the the residential life team playing the the fall kickoff and by the end of the day working on some um academic accommodations for um students and, and their faculty. So again, it can just look very different from one moment to the next.
What's a common misconception people might have about your role or the work that happens at the seminary, and how would you clarify it?
Dylan Pohl: As far as any uh common misconceptions about my role here at the seminary uh as the Director of Student Services and part of the student service team in general. Uh We're here to be uh a support and advocate for the students. Um But at the same time, in order to, to maintain healthy uh community living and, and residential living, part of my role is is to help keep students accountable to each other. Um And, and to, to make sure that they're um contributing members of, of the Asbury community and, and the, the seminaries to ethos. Um So, as far as the question, you know, who am I here to represent here in student services? Is it the individual student, the student body? Is it the institution? Um really, it's all of it because it's, it's all important in, in creating that cooper environment?
If you had to describe your role at the seminary using a fictional character, who would it be and why?
Dylan Pohl: So if my role was being played by a fictional character, um that's a tough one. while my age and somewhat limited life experience um would disqualify me as a Gandalf or a Yoda might try to categorize myself as an airborne from Lord of the Rings or maybe more like a SAM wise GMG aspiring to be airborne, you know, here to serve, get in the trenches, fight off a few orcs and on occasion help redirect a, a wandering hobbit.
Can you share a personal story that has had a significant impact on your spiritual journey and how it relates to your work here?
Dylan Pohl: As far as uh personal experience that's uh significantly impacted my, my spiritual journey. Um Prior to starting at the seminary, I had an opportunity to serve in Dayton, Ohio at a great nonprofit called The Victory Project which uh mentored uh male youth in, in inner city Dayton. Um And, you know, most of these young men were, were fatherless and lacked a, a, you know, general direction in their life. And um you know, as they joined our organization and we're, we're exposed to, to weekly Bible study and life skills classes and tutoring and, and shared meals together every day and uh and opportunity to work in our micro uh business there. Uh these young men uh really began to capture an identity um and, and, and purpose through their fellowship with each other. And of course, uh in, in Christ and began to live the life God had intended for them. And, you know, my time at Victory Project uh combined with the experience of being a father for the past nine years um has led me on in, in the type of, of a mission of helping other people find uh purpose through, through hard work and living um in intentionally, in, in their community and most importantly, uh in their identity as a child of God.
