During my senior year of undergrad, I signed up for a class far outside my mechanical engineering curriculum—Freud Debates Lewis—offered through the honors college.
As someone who had grown up loving C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but had never studied Freud, I was intrigued by the chance to explore faith, culture, and reason from two opposing worldviews.
Toward the end of the semester, I met with my professor to discuss my final paper. As we wrapped up, he paused, looked at me, and asked, “Are you a Christian?” I said yes. He nodded, then asked which department I was in. When I replied “Mechanical Engineering,” he said something that has stuck with me ever since: “I used to know a few Christian professors in your department…but I don’t know of any now.”
Reshape My Calling
That sentence sank into me. I realized—I didn’t know any either. In fact, several professors had explicitly stated in class that they weren’t Christians. God stirred something in me in that moment. I began to wonder: What if God wants me to step into that gap? What if this degree, this discipline, could be used to serve a deeper purpose?
At the time, I had been wrestling with whether or not to pursue a PhD. Deep down, I sensed I would go for it, but I still lacked clarity. That short conversation became a holy nudge. God began to reshape how I viewed my calling—not just as a student or future engineer, but as someone who could reflect His light in academic spaces.
Living Faithfully in Academia
Since then, God has continued to confirm that calling. Through transitions, challenges, and now pursuing my PhD at the University of Tennessee, I’ve seen Him open my eyes to how faith and scholarship intertwine. From attending a talk by Heather Holleman, to praying with faculty, God keeps placing people in my path to remind me: He’s at work here, too.
Now more than ever, I feel a sense of purpose—not just in completing research or earning a degree, but in living faithfully in the world of academia. My prayer is that through my work, conversations, and presence, others might see Christ and be encouraged to follow Him.
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Editor’s note: Breanna recently defended her dissertation and ended it with a witness to the wonders of the Creator. Congratulations, Dr. Schaeffer!
Breanna Schaeffer
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
(Ph.D candidate)
University of Tennessee