Adam Villanova, a recent graduate who earned degrees in religious studies and history from the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, has a tendency to challenge himself. This Louisville, Kentucky native began his academic journey studying mathematics, but fell in love with the study of peoples’ beliefs after his first religious studies course.
While pursuing his degrees, he was an active duty sailor in the U.S. Navy, so finding a school with the support and in-depth courses he craved was of utmost importance. At SHPRS, he experienced course work that pushed him to go beyond where he thought he could and was the recipient of the Friends of Religious Studies scholarship last year.
The scholarship opened up doors for Villanova and his family. We caught up with him to ask how the scholarship has impacted his academic career.
Q: What has winning this award meant to you?
A: This award allowed me and my wife to go to school at the same time. Without this scholarship, we could not have afforded to do so. This has created an environment at home in which both of us can succeed and show our son that perseverance and determination are important values to get what makes you happy in life.
Q: Throughout your time at SHPRS, what classes or professors have made the biggest impact?
A: Dr. Joel Gereboff hands down taught me the most important lesson I could have learned in any institution, four-year or otherwise. I had hit a roadblock in my writing process for his Religious Studies Capstone II course. I was completely overwhelmed with my subject matter for my research paper. I could have turned my original idea into a full blown doctoral dissertation, given the time and chance. Dr. Gereboff taught me that I needed to take a look at my surroundings and to prioritize my tasks. This was another big shift in my perspective of the world, and let me slow down enough to choose a more appropriate topic to write my paper on.
Q: What have you done with the scholarship or what do you plan on doing?
A: Having the SHPRS Friends of Religious Studies scholarship gave me the freedom to help my wife’s goals and dreams come to fruition, and that is priceless. Being able to provide for her emotionally, as well as financially, is incredibly important to me.
Q: What do you plan on doing with your degree once you’ve graduated?
A: Now that I have graduated, I am pursuing my master’s in religious studies at the University of Missouri. I will start in the fall 2019 semester after I separate from the Navy. This is the next step in my journey to my career in academia.
If you would like to help students like Adam achieve their dreams, click here to see how!