“You can have an impact right after you graduate from Olivet Nazarene University,” said University President John C. Bowling as he presented the 2017 Young Alumni Award during Homecoming chapel on October 27. This year’s recipients are Andy K. and Susan K.
In accepting the award, Susan said: “Thank you, Olivet, for creating a safe, nurturing place to figure out how we fit into God’s picture.” Among those attending that morning were Andy’s father and grandfather, both of who are pastors.
When a graphic designer marries an engineer and both share a desire to serve the Lord, God definitely blesses in ways neither of them could have imagined 10 years ago. Andy and Susan are sharing a life of service together as they both work for Engineering Ministries International (EMI) while parenting their two children.
EMI provides architectural and engineering design services for Christian ministries worldwide. Andy serves as a structural engineer and director of the EMI India office. During his directorship, the team has grown from five to 14 employees, and has become a much more stable entity during this time of uncertainty for Christian NGOs in India. In 2015, he coordinated EMI’s response to the Nepal earthquake. He holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Memphis and earned his Professional Engineer (PE) license in 2013.
Susan is a graphic designer for EMI and has designed three editions of its annual global magazine. She also designs all EMI India publications, marketing and branding materials.
While they were Olivet students, Andy led a senior project to design and install a water purification system in Argentina. He also led a spring break mission trip for the Tiger football team to do inner city home repairs in Memphis, Tennessee. Susan, an art major, fondly recalls her senior art show and the support of her friends and family. She was on the Aurora yearbook team and also served on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.
“Susan and I are simply being faithful with our blessings and obedient to what God has placed before us to do,” Andy says. “Receiving Olivet’s Young Alumni Award is a testimony to the fact that God calls each of us to be useful in building His kingdom. We want to continue to be a light for Christ wherever he places us.”
