The Courier sat down with graduate student Enock Berus to learn more about growing up in Haiti and how he engages with student life at Concordia with a smile.

Q: Where are you from and what is your upbringing?

A: I am from Haiti, my whole life I have been in Haiti. We are in between the poor and middle class. My entire life I went to Lutheran school. The school would ask us to go to church once a month. That’s how I was exposed to school and the Lutheran Church.

Q: Do you have any siblings?

A: I am the oldest; I am the chief! I have a sister who is here as well.

Q: When did you come here?

A: In 2012, there was an earthquake in Haiti, and in the earthquake, my dad passed away. And then Concordia put a team together and went to Haiti. My church pastor asked me if I wanted a job. After two weeks of working with them (Concordia Team) they said, “Hm, I think we need to bring that guy here.”

Q: Have you visited back home?

A: I went in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The reason I haven't gone back is because of the situation in Haiti; it's not safe and I’m also working with my visa situation.

Q: What are you studying? Tell me about your master’s program.

A: Theology. It’s called a CMC course. Concordia has a partnership with St. Louis. You spend your entire four years here and it's like Seminary but not exactly Seminary. And then once you’re done, you have a Master of Divinity, and also this program has an emphasis on mission. Once you graduate and you get your certificate, I’ll become a missionary pastor. 

Q: What are your plans afterward?

A: Once I am done a church can call me to become their missionary pastor in their location. But my goal is every year when the country of Haiti is safe to travel, is to build a mission team and then go back the same way I met these students here from Concordia. I would like to build a team and go to Haiti once or twice a year. 

Q: What are some things that make Concordia stand out?

A: I think the first thing is this campus is not a big campus, so everybody kind of knows everybody. Once you come on campus you have all these Christian symbols that this is a blessed campus. What I like about it, is that you don’t have to be a Christian to be a student here. We are not forcing anyone to be a Christian. You are exposed to it, but you have not forced anything.

Q: Is there any advice you would have told yourself when you first got here?

A: I think the first time you will feel alone, you will feel like you don’t belong kind of. But to me, to know why you are here and don’t keep yourself in a little bubble. When you expose yourself to talk to people, sometimes I say something, and it's not right so the person will say it back to me for me; I am very observant. And then I say okay that's how I need to learn things. For me, it was trying to be part of any group here. Everyone is friendly here but if you stay away you won’t see it. 

Q: Is there any relationship or interaction you’ve had on campus that stands out to you?

A: During my undergrad, I was also an RA. That was the most impactful. As an RA you have a community that you supervise, not only to make sure they follow the rules but at the same time to build a community. Making everyone feel welcome and building events was the most impactful for me. 

Q: What makes you happy?

A: I think that seeing the blessings of God in my life. Coming from Haiti, we are surviving over there. Seeing someone from Haiti coming to Concordia would never happen, so for me being here, it has nothing to do with me, my parents, or anyone else. It's just God. 

 

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