From the Graduation Files: Lipscomb provides student opportunity to visit four continents in four years

Lipscomb relationships provide Ralston Drake experiential learning opportunities

Anna Moseley | 05/01/2019

In honor of the May commencement ceremony, follow the Graduation Stories Series to read about some of the experiences of the May 2019 graduates. Family and friends are invited to join in the celebration at commencement on May 4 at 10:30 a.m. for graduate students and 3 p.m. for undergraduate students in Allen Arena.  

From the Graduation Files: Lipscomb provides Drake opportunity to visit four continents in four years

Ralston Drake, a Bible major from Blairsville, Georgia, decided to come to Lipscomb four years ago to venture on a new journey. Little did he know that journey would lead him to numerous states in America and to four other continents.

“I knew I wanted to study abroad when I got to Lipscomb, but I never thought I would have the chance to travel to as many places as I have during my four years,” said Drake.

His time at Lipscomb allowed him the ability to visit New York, San Francisco, Chile, Israel, Kenya and Australia. Drake has now set foot on five of the seven continents and plans to continue traveling after graduation.

As Drake recalled the trips he was able to take, he realized many of them fell together seamlessly because of the relationships he built during his time at Lipscomb.

“Traveling really made me thankful for the Lipscomb community I have,” said Drake. “If it wasn’t for the people I have met and the people at this school that are so passionate about students, I would have never had these opportunities to travel the world.”

During his freshman Bible class with Scott Sager, vice president of church services, Sager used photographs and experiences from his time in Israel to teach the course. From that moment on, Drake had a desire to travel to Israel himself.

“I told Dr. Sager if there was ever an opportunity to go to Israel with him that I wanted to go. Out of the blue, I learn he is leading biblical worldview, a Maymester course in Israel,” said Drake. “I immediately emailed him asking how I could get on the trip and then everything fell together.

Drake later found out a donor decided to pay a large portion of everyone’s trip and when he learned that, he said going was a “no brainer.”

“It was really neat to take classes and write about my experiences as they were happening,” said Drake. “Being able to go to the temple mount in Jerusalem after researching and writing about it the night before and hearing from experts on the temple mount and piece together the work we did was incredible.”

Not only did his professors provide him with experiences to travel the world, but he was also presented with opportunities from connections he made on previous trips.

While catching up with a friend he met his freshman year during his trip to New York, Drake was presented with an internship over the summer at a church in Australia as the church intern.

“Church is not the normal there, so this church was very community and outreach oriented,” said Drake. “I learned a lot from this church about what it means to be the body of Christ and they really helped me think about what I wanted to do with my life.”

Before he started as a student at Lipscomb, Drake already had two adventures in mind he planned to pursue. He knew he wanted to study abroad in Chile and he had a strong desire to travel to Kenya with Made in the Streets.

He first heard of Made in the Streets at Impact, a summer camp held at Lipscomb University for middle and high school students. Drake held onto this dream and once he found some friends interested in going, he traveled to Kenya, Africa on a mission trip  in December of his freshman year.

“My time in Kenya was a huge eye-opener for me,” said Drake. “It was probably one of the hardest trips I have ever been on because you see the poverty and struggle the children have to go through.”

Drake’s team started at Made in the Streets, the children’s home, and was then taken into the slums where the team travels daily to provide meals and a Bible study to any kids who want to attend.

“Being with these kids really inspired me to think about what more I could be doing for people in the U.S. and what more I can do to help in places like Kenya,” said Drake.

During his time at Lipscomb, when he isn’t traveling the world, Drake kept himself busy with campus involvement. He was a member of Theta Psi, served on student government for four years, worked as a tour guide for the admissions office and even created a scholarship for students that fall in love with Lipscomb but cannot afford to attend.

“I love being a tour guide and getting to share my Lipscomb experiences and travels with potential future students,” said Drake. “I started the Make a Way scholarship because I really love Lipscomb and the opportunities I have been given here. As a tour guide, I meet students that visit Lipscomb but don’t have the hope of actually attending.

“The idea for the scholarship came to me when I was in Australia,” said Drake. I began wondering what I could do to provide hope to students that do love Lipscomb but might not have the means to support that dream.”

Through his involvement at Lipscomb and his experiences abroad, Drake said the most valuable lesson he has learned is that people matter.

“Every place I’ve been and every person I have met has their own challenges and struggles,” said Drake. “I feel like I have become more compassionate towards people and that has given me more drive to help people, because as people, we’re not all that different.”

Drake contributed his travel-filled college experience to Lipscomb and said he doubts he would have been able to travel this much if he went to college anywhere else.

“I am ready to use what I have learned during my time at Lipscomb and from traveling and apply that to a job,” said Drake. “I am excited that the experiences Lipscomb has used to shape me will allow me to live a life that serves others.”