We’re happy to share that 48 Albert Baker Fund (ABF) recipients in the U.S. completed degree or certificate programs this year with our financial support. The ABF Class of 2019 includes 32 Bachelors students, 13 Masters students, two Doctoral students, and one student who earned a vocational certificate.
What will our students do with the degrees they earn? Although a student’s major doesn’t always reveal a specific career direction, this year’s graduates have aspirations that include dancing, acting, teaching, farming, managing environmental resources, practicing law, and designing exhibits! And they can inspire their career search even more by taking advantage of the resources of the ABF Career Alliance.
Overall, our graduates specialized in 34 different fields of study.
What were the most popular majors of our Class of 2019? Theatre and performing arts, business and accounting, education, engineering, environmental studies, media arts, public administration, and sciences—from computer science to chemistry.
The most unusual field of study we came across this year? There were two.
One student earned a graduate certificate in Geospatial Intelligence Analytics from Penn State University, and quite frankly, we needed Google to help us understand what it is!
The simplest way to explain it is, a geospatial analyst analyzes overhead and aerial imagery developed photographically or electronically so that the intelligence community can link geography to events. It allows leaders to know what is happening, why, and where events are occurring. For example, geospatial intelligence provides military personnel with critical information about enemy forces, potential battle areas, and combat operations support.
And one student, who works in the entertainment industry, just received a certificate in Precision Driving which enables him to perform highly skilled driving stunts that fall outside the capability of a generic stunt person. Now that’s a first for our graduates!
It’s exciting to think that we have Christian Scientists letting their light shine in such diverse fields! We’re proud of the unique paths they’ve chosen—from the creative to the technical, from the traditional to the non-traditional. Congratulations to each one!
This year’s graduates matriculated from 27 colleges, universities, law schools, (and one vocational training program!), scattered throughout the United States. (Note: Our international students in 18 countries graduate on a variety of academic cycles. We will share their good news as it comes in throughout the year!)
Colleges attended by ABF’s 2019 Graduates:
- Drivers East Precision Driving School, Englishtown, New Jersey
- Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis
- Emerson College, Boston
- George Washington University, Washington, DC
- Guilford College, Greensboro
- Hastings College of the Law, University of California, San Francisco
- Juniata College, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania
- La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Marquette University, Milwaukee
- Northwestern University, Evanston
- Penn State University, University Park
- Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
- Principia College, Elsah
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
- Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
- San Francisco State University
- School of Visual Arts, Manhattan, New York
- University of Central Florida, Orlando
- University of Denver
- University of Hawaii, Hilo
- University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne
- University of Missouri, St. Louis
- University of North Carolina, Greensboro
- University of Southern California
- University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
- Vermont Law School, South Royalton
- Washington University, St. Louis

Maddie Milligan, 2019 graduate of North Carolina School of the Arts, is on her way to a career in arts administration

Alex Mietchen, a 2019 Business Administration graduate of University of Southern California, just landed his dream job managing corporate sponsorships for an NFL football team.

Susan Wright, who earned her Masters of Public Administration from the Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, just began a new career as a Senior Sustainability Specialist for Energy and Water in her Northern California County.